《Adventures of an Old Dreamer》
Character list
Lao Chen - Our main character. An old man who began cultivating at an old age. A sweetheart with a lust for adventure.
Lao Lin - Lao Chen''s Nascent Soul and daughter. Follows Lao Chen wherever he goes, and is fiercely loyal to her family. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Wu Shan - Lao Chen''s adoptive son. An untamed boy with a craving for adrenaline and fighting.
Zhang He - A noble-born warrior prodigy often at odds with Wu Shan.
Shao Lei - A low-born warrior prodigy of renown with a traumatic past.
Wang Chun - A talent scout sent by the Emperor in order to find young talents.
Yi Ming - The patriarch of the strongest sect in the Gold Stone City.
Book 1: Chapter 1 - Adventure Calls in Senescence
Adventures of an Old Dreamer
Book 1: The Jade Empire
The pleasant noon sun radiated warmly while the west wind whooshed through the humble hill-side hamlet, cooling the air comfortably. Children darted about in childish delight as the adults spent their time on the only tavern in the village, conversing animatedly.
A young boy headed towards the village exit, an oversized walking stick on one hand and a book tucked between his arm and his side, shepherding a dozen sheep behind him. He just passed the tavern when an old man spotted him.
¡°Hey, Chen¡¯er!¡±
The boy, Lao Chen looked up. ¡°Yes, uncle Xia?¡±
¡°Headin¡¯ out to the pastures already?¡±
Lao Chen smiled. ¡°It just rained yesterday, so I reckon there¡¯s a lot of grass.¡±
Uncle Xia grinned, nodding. ¡°You reckoned right. Go on ahead, Chen¡¯er. You be a dutiful boy.¡±
Lao Chen nodded decisively, his step adopting a spring. The children playing around him pointed at him.
¡°Big brother Chen, wanna play?¡±
Lao Chen shook his head, smiling. ¡°I¡¯ve got shepherd duty, so I can¡¯t.¡±
¡°Next time?¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Maybe.¡±
The boy named Lao Chen headed out of the village, and further down a path between two valleys that led up to the peak of one of the grassier hills he used for pasture.
The hill was just big enough to overlook the entire village and the surrounding mountain range that cradled his home. The mountains covered all sides and only allowed a single narrow passageway out of the circular mountain range which was difficult to detect.
Lao Chen herded his sheep and placed his items down before crossing his arms.
¡°You be good now, sheep. Don¡¯t wander too far off, alright? And you,¡± Lao Chen pointed at the biggest sheep. ¡°Your name shall henceforth be King Ram. Watch over my flock and bleat if anyone is in trouble. Now, off you go.¡±
The sheep promptly began their grazing while Lao Chen found himself a rock where he could lean his back on. With the book in his lap, he disappeared into another world of intrigue, mystery, romance and fantastic abilities as the sun slowly sunk into the far beyond.
All too soon, the sun had dipped too far beneath the horizon to provide any viable reading light. With a deep breath, Lao Chen laid on his back and gazed at the starscape, mulling over the other world he had so briefly become a part of.
A dragon was threatening to eat the hero along with his love interest when night fell and Lao Chen would have to resign himself to wait like he always did when he could no longer read.
Tracing patterns on the night sky with his finger, Lao Chen thought aloud. ¡°How does a dragon look like?¡±
With wavy finger motions, Lao Chen pondered on. ¡°Serpentine, so like a snake. Four legs, so like a sheep¡ but the head¡ I have no idea how a lion¡¯s mane or fangs are supposed to look like.¡±
Lao Chen grumbled. ¡°Maybe the head also looks like a sheep¡ a serpentine sheep?¡±
As the stars gained prominence, Lao Chen fell solemn, banishing his vivid images of cryptids and mythical beasts.
Perhaps he could one day find out? Adventure out to the open world, cross treacherous seas and avoid assassinations? A life of adventure. It called to him so very much, but what means did he have?
Shaking his head, he banished those thoughts, too. ¡°I¡¯d be dead before I could see anything interesting.¡±
Alas, life continued, and his trade would always be that of a shepherd, he decided.
Trading one book for another, Lao Chen continued his daily life shepherding, reading and wishing his life was more than it was, but he couldn¡¯t complain. His life was idyllic. Far from the destitute poverty described in his books or the errandmen who returned with stories from the outside world and certain commodities.
He wasn¡¯t horribly off. Insects didn¡¯t infest every corner of his family¡¯s home. His family had a home. He never went hungry because the village could sustain itself, anyhow. It was a small patch of paradise in a land of blight.
And so he lived.
And so he grew.
The boy grew inches taller, grew stubbles on his chin and a youthful fervour. Ladies would giggle at his passing, but he only had eyes for the pasture and books. Although it made him seem educated to some, only he knew how hopeless a dreamer he was.
Looking at the biggest sheep behind him, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°You¡¯ve made a lot of babies in your life, King Ram. Perhaps it is time to name a successor?¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Its children flocked around King Ram, almost protectively. A Royal Guard in a way. Lao Chen toyed with the idea as he walked.
A group of boys his age with bows strung around their torsos participated in good-natured banter as they headed out the same exit as himself, on the way to the forest.
¡°Make way, make way,¡± Lao Chen grinned, gaining their attention. Grinning, they stepped out of the way and allowed him and his flock passage.
¡°Chen!¡± one of the young hunters called out, waving his hand. He was dark-haired and was built leanly, a body cultivated for the agility and endurance required for the hunt. ¡°Mother said to thank you for the free wool! My baby sister feels much warmer at night, now.¡±
Lao Chen waved his hand dismissively. ¡°That was nothing at all! Since the monsoon just passed, there¡¯s almost too much grass for the sheep. They were bound to make surplus, and I couldn¡¯t just throw it all away!¡±
¡°Nevertheless,¡± the young hunter conceded. ¡°You did us a great service. Thank you!¡± He clasped his hands, bowing his head, much to Lao Chen¡¯s self-consciousness.
¡°Well, be seeing ya!¡±
The teenaged boy continued to read and dream on, and before he knew it, his first wrinkle manifested around his eyes, but he was never as superficial to notice before the wrinkles began to multiply.
His parents¡¯ deaths came with much preamble. They were old and ailing, and Lao Chen did what he could to provide them with comfortable clothing and mattresses to spend their remaining mortal lives in relative peace, and thankfully, the sting of losing his parents were only ameliorated by the memory of his extended family spending their time with each other. The Lao family was relatively well-known, and Lao Zia and Lao Yun were both people of import, right beneath the current chieftain, a middle-aged man of Lao Chen¡¯s age.
Even then, Lao Chen knew what he wanted to do, and it was continue reading, escaping and tending to his flock. That was all that really mattered to him.
***
¡°...And as fate would have it, the boy had finally managed to wrest away the shackles of his captors after an eternity of suffering, and it was all because of one woman whom he loved dearly. The end.¡±
Lao Chen sat on a mound on the same grassy plateau as always, concluding his tale to the children listening. The sun was threatening to dip below the horizon very much timed with the conclusion of the story. The dozen or so children listening smiled.
¡°Will you tell us another story tomorrow?¡± They asked. Lao Chen nodded.
¡°This old man still has quite the amount of stories! Don¡¯t let my looks deceive you, I¡¯m not going anywhere!¡±
Lao Chen had just reached the age of seventy five, but none of those years were spent in regret, and that was Lao Chen¡¯s happiest thought.
As the children retreated back to the nameless village proper, Lao Chen elected to stay with his sheep, watching the infinite starscape. It was a July day, the warmest month of the year. The wind was low and the grass was soft.
He was dissatisfied that he could never make the day last longer, but he knew that night-time was for dreaming.
Pointing his shepherd''s stick to the sky, he mock-sneered. "You refuse to give face time and time again, night sky. You truly underestimate my prowess."
With a wave of his staff, he sent an imaginary force of lightning towards the sky, but instead of nothing happening, a crack appeared.
Lao Chen sat up and furrowed his eyebrows as the crack grew larger. From the crack, there was a space inside devoid of any color that Lao Chen could even recognize.
A hand shot out of it. Two hands. The hands pressed towards opposite sides, prying the crack open. With a flash of light that illuminated the night sky for a fraction of a second, a heavily armored man ambled out, floating mid-air.
"Where is it?" He spoke, his words making themselves heard inside Lao Chen''s mind. "The Ring?!"
From the sky, a ring fell right next to him, looping through a particularly long blade of grass. He plucked it out and examined it with the little light available to him.
He was going to shout up to the unknown man that he had the ring when another, much more refined portal appeared, a robed man walking out of it.
"Where is it?" The armored man said.
"You''re not supposed to have it," the robed man replied. "No one is. It''s too powerful."
"We can do great things, brother!" The armored man insisted.
"A family heirloom, my ass. It was a test of loyalty to the throne. And you obviously failed. We shall now both die."
Lao Chen couldn''t follow it as the man''s hands moved unnaturally quickly, but just as the armored man turned tail to flee, a blinding light flashed for what may have been a hundredth of a second, just enough to inform Lao Chen that it might have happened, and both corpses fell from the sky like feathers, landing softly.
Lao Chen shoved them, pushed them, shouted into their ears, but they refused to wake up. With a grim realization, Lao Chen surmised that they were both very much dead.
Besides them were two pouches that would do them no good where they were going. It was a tradition in the village to not be buried with anything of Earthly value because doing so was a blatant waste, and no one in the village really took religion that seriously.
As he opened the medium-sized pouch that he held with both hands, he inserted one hand inside. His mind was invaded by an intuitive knowledge of the insides of the sack abruptly, causing him to jerk his hand out in instinctive fear.
The knowledge disappeared and he was left with a memory.
A memory of an ocean of gold, silver, diamonds, pieces of jewelry, legendary weapons, artifacts, masterpieces and books.
Rows and rows of books.
The books were configured in concentric circles, and in the center was a book that even he, a mortal, could feel emanated a potent aura.
He commanded the book to turn inside what he knew was a bag of holding, but he was unable to make out the writing, and because it was night-time, he wouldn''t be able to do any reading anytime soon.
The second bag of holding was much the same. Treasures, but only one weapon. A staff made of gnarled wood. Instead of a multitude of books, there was only one scroll, and even that one emanated an aura of strength.
Coupled with that fact, he felt a strange sensation. A wish of some sorts. He had always wanted to leave for somewhere else, but now, it seemed, he had means and a direction. He wanted to go out, and he wanted it desperately.
"At last," Lao Chen said solemnly. "Adventure has deemed me worthy."
He cast a pitiful glance at the corpses of these two ''brothers'' and interred them in the bag of holding, burying them in the gold, lest they attract scavengers.
Lao Chen could almost not put in any sleep that night. When a prisoner is told that their death sentence is tomorrow, there is something inherently time-wasting about sleeping that makes itself apparent especially when your days are numbered.
Lao Chen knew his life was never going to be the same, so with some mental adjustments, he prepared to enjoy his last night of normalcy.
Wearing a facade of bravado, he looked to the sky and smirked. "Just wait."
Chapter 2: Cultivation of an old geezer
Lao Chen woke with the sun, as always. The first sheep were beginning to wake, too, bleating to their comrades to begin their daily existence. For a moment, he assumed that all was as normal, and that nothing special happened the night before.
Until he saw the stack of books next to him, with a steel ring on top. He shot up and snatched the ring, wearing it with his thumb, the only finger thick enough to fill it.
He took the Yin Phoenix Manual first and opened it up to read it. It preached of cultivation. The ancient practice of absorbing Qi from the atmosphere to strengthen oneself. The manual was four hundred pages long, with flowery words and superfluous explanations. The bulk of the book was what seemed to be the author¡¯s personal journey to their current strength, and the first few chapters were really the only things relevant to Lao Chen. After reading the first chapter, the primer on how to gather Qi for the umpteenth time, he finally grasped enough of it to attempt.
Adopting a lotus pose, he took a deep, lungful of air and held his breath for the allotted ten seconds, exhaling.
Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Rinse and repeat for the next two hours.
Suffice to say, his talent at cultivation was abysmal. The inhalation and storing of air was meant so that he would one day discover the Qi particles within and internalize that into his dantian after further refinement.
Daily necessities became secondary. His flock could find their own food and water, and he didn¡¯t feel particularly hungry as he cultivated to his heart¡¯s content.
After another hour of nothing, he gave up, concluding that the manual just wasn¡¯t for him. Grumbling, he set to memorize the Yang Dragon Manual, reading it over and over again before attempting the same thing.
Nothing. Nothing at all. This time, instead of inhaling and exhaling, the cultivation method demanded he pay attention to his bodily functions such as heart beats and blood flow, but even after hours of that, nothing happened.
The heavens truly were playing with him, but then again, what did he expect? The young usually began cultivating. Growing old might have accumulated impure Qi into him, taking the place of purer Qi that would help him in his path, which would permanently impede him. He read as much in his cultivation manuals. After an individual had gone through puberty, the natural accumulation of Qi would clog up meridians and make Qi gathering harder and harder. For an elderly idiot like him, his meridians might even have shrivelled up through the years.
He stared at his steel ring in quiet surrender, wishing he was able to cultivate. He focused on the ring intently, wishing for something to happen.
But nothing did... Nothing at all, and- great, now the clouds are roiling overhead. Rain was about to fall. It seemed more like a storm, but for now, he had to return closer to the village stables to find his flock shelter.
The depression in his heart was only outdone by the sheer volume of the thunderstorm overhead, yet not a single drop of water had fallen as of yet.
Though, it did seem strange to him that a thunderstorm would develop so quickly, especially considering how there was only a light overcast ahead-
A half-meter wide pillar of lightning struck Lao Chen down, burning away all of his...
Nothing on him was burned away, actually. He was still standing up-right, but he felt... different. Then it hit him. He felt weak. His knees buckled under his weight as his years rushed towards him, now.
He was beginning to age rapidly, shrivelling up, and he knew it was only a matter of time before death came to him. In a final bid to repel it, he tried to cultivate immortality there and then.
Instead of following one cultivation manual at a time, he combined both through sheer happenstance. Filling his weak lungs as he focused on every bodily function that was occurring simultaneously, Lao Chen cultivated for dear life.
Inhale, heartbeat, heartbeat, exhale, heartbeat, heartbeat.
Then, he felt it. There was a tiny wisp, an orb no bigger than a fragment of a single dust particle, entering his lungs, getting picked up by the blood stream, then getting carried through the body inside a vein before being deposited two fingers below, and one finger beneath his navel, where his dantian is supposed to be.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
The dantian was barely even there, just a tiny, blackened lump of a coal-like existence. The dantian swallowed up the tiny wisp in an instant, demanding more, and Lao Chen was happy to comply, busying himself with the otherwise tedious task. One wisp, after every twenty heartbeats, became two wisps. Two became four, which became eight.
By the 256th heartbeat, 64 wisps were being brought into his core sea inside his dantian at a time, relieving the pains of his old age gradually as he now no longer felt utterly weak.
Through evening, all the way through night, and until dawn did he finally collect enough Qi wisps to revitalize himself. He was no longer in pain- in fact, he felt better than he had for the last forty years, feeling like a spring chicken.
Eagerly feeling his face, he grimaced as he realized that yes, he was still old. He gained no longevity. In fact, now that he understood what happened, the lightning had actually burned away his Qi. All of it, in fact. Instead of just taking the impurities, the lightning took it all and left the poor old man to fend for himself as he cultivated as hard as he could.
Qi was lifeforce. Losing all of it at once was death waiting to happen. He could only thank his own ingenuity that he survived the tribulation.
Sitting down in a lotus pose, instead of in a foetal position, he began to cultivate properly, now, rotating his cultivation base as per the instructions.
In the Yin manual, rotation meant that he had to invert it, driving the edge of the core sea into the middle in a maelstrom of purification in a continuous cycle. In the Yang manual, rotation entailed spinning the entire dantian on both axes. It took a tremendous amount of concentration, but he hadn¡¯t dreamed to the ripe old age of 75 without an overactive imagination. Visualization came as easily as breathing for this old geezer.
In sheer seconds, the Qi in his body was completely purified, the impurities leaving his body like a dark mist exiting his pores. That was it. Refining was supposed to take longer than that, but obviously, he had only collected a minuscule amount of Qi.
The old dreamer didn¡¯t give up, however. He continued cultivating, sucking in Qi wisps from the air as though he was a vacuum, going at it for almost 24 hours before he felt his first hunger pang. Furrowing his eyebrows, he decided to begin the refining process, pleased to notice that it took about ten minutes now before his dantian was purified, leaving him with a crystal clear dantian, unblemished by filthy impurities.
He interred his objects inside of his sacks, stood up and guided his flock towards the village a few kilometres south. He was pleased to find out that the trek was barely even a noticeable issue, most likely a courtesy of his new cultivation prowess.
He arrived in the village not long after, the head hunter rejoicing upon his return.
¡°Old man Lao! We were sure that you had died out there! You scared your family half to death!¡± He said as he went to bow at his elder. Lao Chen never knew how to act sincerely whenever the younger generation showed veneration towards him, so he instead put on airs and acted like his favourite old man from a book he once read.
¡°There¡¯s nothing out there that could even touch the hem of my clothing. This old bag of bones can handle himself,¡± He chucked ruefully as he continued into the village. He grabbed a few wen from inside his bag and went to the nearest food stall to get some meat into him.
The first spit of meat was devoured within seconds.
¡°More,¡± Lao Chen demanded as his stomach growled at the appetizer. The cook raised an eyebrow.
¡°You are much too old to be eating like a youth, Old man Lao. Are you sure?¡±
¡°Hah! You underestimate my prowess-¡°
¡°I¡¯ll take that as a ¡®yes¡¯,¡± the cook rolled his eyes as he handed over another spit. The old man repeated his action, pulling the meat to the end of the stick, letting them fall into his mouth, devouring them without thought. His teeth were much too soft and uneven to properly chew, but the old man could still swallow his food whole like the best of them. After all, he was still in his best years!
Once satisfied, he gave the cook his due payment and returned outdoors to let his flock graze, and to cultivate.
This time, he stayed in a cultivation state for three days. He could feel his cultivation base climbing, but he had no way to benchmark his progress properly without another person as a reference point.
The manuals spoke of levels such as Qi condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Dao Seeking, Immortal Ascension, the peak of the Spirit Realm. He would assume that he was in the Qi condensation stage as he had yet to form Dao Pillars.
After every session of gathering Qi, he would refine it further using his unique Yin Yang Dragon Phoenix Manual hybrid, combining both methods into one superefficient Dao that got the job done, twice the work with half the effort.
He would also commit more and more of the scriptures to memory, requiring them less and less as time passed.
With every week that passed, his body would go through new developments. He would grow an inch taller, his spine would straighten, adding more inches, his joints became much more fluid, his teeth would straighten and the missing ones would grow out, and his skin became softer, and incredibly enough, less wrinkly. Making him look at least a decade younger, but his posture would argue that he was at least four decades younger.
After the first month was up, he reached a bottle neck, and one he couldn¡¯t break through no matter how much time he spent. He knew it was a matter of time, but he couldn¡¯t stay in this poor village any longer when he existed.
As such, he decided to take off, but in a grand fashion.
Chapter 3: Benefactor Lao Chen
A giant pile of gold coins lay in the village square, several times taller than Lao Chen. It was half the size of most of the village houses. Amidst the coins were shiny weapons and jewels enough to last the village a thousand lifetimes if they all lived lavishly, even. Behind it, surrounded by practically every villager, was Lao Chen.
¡°I have encountered great fortune, and as such, I have decided to leave this village, but I will not leave without giving something of equal value.¡±
The entire village was quiet. Pin drop silence. All eyes were on him.
Shoving his hands into his bag of holding, he produced the two scriptures. ¡°From the corpses of two ultimate experts, I salvaged these riches as well as these two cultivation manuals. It is my hope that in my absence, our village may find eternal happiness.¡±
Still, there was silence, which caused Lao Chen to frown somewhat.
Out from the crowd walked the village chieftain, an old man two decades his junior, wearing leather armour and a bow at his back. With hard eyes, he stared at the riches and shook his head.
¡°We cannot accept this. You say that these two cultivators had died, but who is to say that their ilk will not come to collect their lost treasures?¡±
Lao Chen knew this question would come, but as much as the villagers grumbled in denial at the chieftain¡¯s words, they rang true. ¡°These two cultivators died in the vicinity of the village. Even if we all flee together, we are still under suspicion. We are in danger, regardless of whether we use these heaven-sent treasures. Teach our children to cultivate, our hunters to use these weapons. We only have this one chance. Make use of it.¡± Lao Chen monologued. Despite his peasant status, he could wax poetic like the best of them, having lived a lifetime reading stories of peasants, nobles, kings and emperors.
The chieftain hesitated for a moment, steeling his gaze as he nodded. ¡°Starting today, this village is under lockdown. No one is to travel to town or stray away from the mountain range. All children below the age of 20 will be subjected to cultivation training from today, but what I want you all to do now is to load the gold into the silo for the time being. There will be no sneaking of with any money, I trust. Each and every one of us are now able to become dragons among men! Believe in yourselves!¡±
The villagers had fire in their eyes. For the first time in their lives, they mattered. They all had the chance to rise up from the dung of mundanity. Raising one hand in the air, they roared.
They quickly got to work, loading all of the artifacts, gold and jewels into the silo.
Finding a couple of lumberjacks without anything to do, the chieftain issued new orders. ¡°Cut wood for a new building. We are going to make a space for our youths to train. Get chopping!¡±
While everything unfolded, Lao Chen looked around at the abandoned village. He gave away all of his treasure, aside from his bags of holding and the bo staff. He heaved a long sigh and realized that he did a great deed, smiling as tears threatened to run down his cheeks.
Turning around, he was shocked to see his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, grand-nephews and grand-nieces kowtowing before him, much to his shock.
¡°We apologize, Ancestor!¡± They shouted in unison.
Lao Chen was at a loss of what to say. ¡°Wha- get up, please, please! What is there to apologize for?¡±
His brother raised his head in shame. ¡°We did not invite you to live in our home, forcing you to sleep outside. I am eternally apologetic, brother. Please forgive me!¡±
Lao Chen frowned. ¡°H-hey, that¡¯s not it at all. Even if you¡¯d have invited me, I would still prefer sleeping with my flock. I like being a shepherd, brother Zhen! Please don¡¯t lower yourself for me,¡± he pleaded, helping the old man up. ¡°I haven¡¯t been the most productive individual of our family, and you have had every right to look down on me. I should apologize for all these decades with you looking out for me.¡±
Lao Zhen sniffled as he hugged his brother. ¡°The same humble boy with a flair for the dramatic. You will never grow up, will you, you man child?¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The two brothers hugged, and his family stood up from their kowtowing positions to hug their benevolent, albeit aloof family member.
Closeness. That was what he felt. The closeness of having a family that loved him, and he loved them, too.
And that was when it hit him.
He quickly dropped to a lotus position, startling his surrounding family as he got to meditating on the truth he just discovered.
His core sea was bloated and large, but although he knew more power lay in the horizon, he couldn¡¯t seem to get it to grow any bigger, but that was where he erred.
It wasn¡¯t about volume. It was mass.
With this train of thought in mind, he compressed his core sea with as much effort as he could, holding onto every stray wisp of Qi, compressing it. The usually transparent core sea became cloudier and cloudier as a film of white encompassed it.
Once he got as far as he could, he held.
Several hours later, he awoke from his trance, feeling younger as the impurities of old age left him gradually like a morning mist.
He had blankets covering him, and there was a miniature bonfire providing the heat, in the middle of the town square where people waited with bated breaths to see what their benefactor had achieved.
He stood up slowly, shaking off the pins and needles on his legs. He felt at his face, disappointed to see that the wrinkles that marred him were still present.
Yet, he felt younger. His body was, now, pretty much in the same state as it was in his early twenties, save for his old appearance. He walked with a spring in his step, his joints were flexible and lubricated, and he felt hungry. Hungrier than he¡¯s ever had, actually. He fell down flat, groaning in pain.
¡°Food... I need food... please,¡± he pleaded, his voice parched. Quickly, a multitude of people made their way through the spectating crowd with plates of food and jugs of water in their hands.
Lao Chen barely waited for the plates to touch the ground as he stuffed himself full with meat and vegetables and rice, washing it all down with a hearty chug of water.
Once satisfied, he promptly fell asleep, in the middle of the townsquare, unheeding of the faux pas.
Both the chieftain and his brother slapped their foreheads in exasperation. ¡°What a man child.¡±
The chieftain had a simple job, and one passed down from someone most capable of being one to a successor of their choosing. Their job was not a complicated one. The chieftain imposed no taxes on the people, not that he expected anyone of the penniless peasants to pay at all, but it wasn¡¯t because of a sentiment or because they could not afford it anyhow.
No, it just wasn¡¯t done. Whoever decided that the village would no longer have any taxes made sure that all future chieftains would know. The village kept little to no permanent records, so anything that occurred before the last two centuries are a void.
His duties were basically overseeing village funds and moderating resources as well as rousing particularly lazy village members into action. Nothing more, nothing less. Every chieftain was also expected not to allocate more resources to themselves than necessary. There was also the occasional errand run to the nearest city to buy special kinds of supplies only available on the outside world. Other than that, like every chieftain before him, the prime directive was to not let a villager out, and not to let an outsider in. For centuries this has passed, and this was his only mission in life.
Well, until this blessing disguised as a giant headache. If it wasn¡¯t when Lao Chen dropped a hill of gold in the middle of the village square, or when he revealed cultivation manuals for everyone to enjoy, he knew that this village would never be the same when the final tally came.
¡°Please don¡¯t make us count it again,¡± pleaded Lao Ying, Lao Zhen¡¯s eldest son. ¡°We have counted it twice over and my boys are getting weary. Gold is heavy, you know.¡±
¡°Is¡ is it truly this much?¡± The Chieftain repeated his words.
¡°One gold bar is worth a hundred gold slips which is about 5000 wen. This, you know. If our mathematician is corr- Our mathematician is correct, Chieftain. He swore up and down, and his claims has been corroborated multiple times. Ehm¡ yes, the total amount of gold bars are about six million, five hundred and seventy two thousand four hundred and ninety eight. And that¡¯s only what we can put a price tag on, aside from the, and the mathematician has checked, the piles of notes totalling at about three quarters a billion wen. The collateral ¨C the swords and the weapons and the jewels¡ that could easily be worth twice as much¡ or not. Honestly, we¡¯re peasants, chieftain. We can¡¯t make exact assumptions.¡±
The chieftain nodded slowly. His old world was crashing down on his feet, and it took him every bit of his mental prowess to not tear his hair out in complete desperation.
Then again, he was a leader. And the main criteria of being a leader was mental strength. Gathering his mind, he initiated the orders.
¡°With this money, resources will never again be a problem. We don¡¯t face a problem of too little money, but too much. No one should catch wind of this, otherwise it might spell calamity for all of us. At any rate, we shall rebuild and re-educate. Besides cultivation training, everyone should be literate by the end of this decade such that we reach peak efficiency.¡±
The chieftain grabbed a quill from his desk and a parchment. ¡°Now, what I want in particular¡¡±
The chieftain began to run Lao Ying through his new development model, and after almost six hours and dozens of parchments later, Lao Ying left the room with a smile on his face.
Chapter 4: The Yin-Yang Sect Patriarch
When Lao Chen woke up, he concluded that he had reached the middle tier of the Qi Condensation stage. The instructions on how to break through amounted to the following sentence, which at the time meant nothing to him.
¡°To achieve greater cultivation, to overcome the dreaded bottleneck, you sometimes need to look into your noble self make the great become the lesser. Reverse the Dao and make many into few.
He knew it referred to Qi, but he wasn¡¯t aware of what was required of him, so he simply waited for nature to enlighten him, which it did.
Qi Condensation was a challenging effort because although the main criteria of completing the stage was the collection of Qi, there existed numerous roadblocks that were too many to name, and could only be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Luckily enough for him, his bottleneck was a common occurrence, but he knew that his road would not be so merciful in the future.
He was in a bed, this time. He recognized it to be his brother¡¯s home. Fully expecting the stiffness that came with old age, he surprised himself as he rose without any issue. He smiled to himself, happy to be alive more than ever. His bags of holding were right next to him, and a clean change of clothes.
After dressing up, Lao Chen took a look outside, startled to see every able-bodied man, woman and child doing something, anything, really. A giant hall was under construction, and between the unfinished walls sat dozens of children of varying ages, meditating.
Lao Chen grinned as he dodged the busy workers before entering into the room. He looked around, trying to see if any of the children are doing it right.
He had no way to see if they could, he realized on retrospect. Not wanting to disturb the younglings, he simply sat down to cultivate along with them.
It was strange, Lao Chen felt. He had every plan to run off on an epic adventure the moment he parted with his treasures, but as more time passed, he became more emotionally invested in the village, and as such, he decided that he wanted to see how the village would turn out, at least before he went on this adventure.
Towards that end, he meditated on the Dao described in the two scriptures, pairing them together as he absorbed Qi from his surroundings.
The thing about cultivation was that it was its own fun in and of itself. As he absorbed the natural energies, he could feel his core sea growing ever so slightly, smiling as he felt his longevity inch forward. Lao Chen cultivated without a doubt in his mind, letting himself become the beacon of Qi, attracting it with a fiery passion.
This passion was what he lacked, cultivating out on the pastures for the weeks that he had spent. He cultivated only as a curiosity and not because it was a vocation, but now he felt more determined than ever, and he felt that nothing would stop him.
So, he sat and he cultivated.
By midday, most of the kids had opened their eyes. Where some had experienced success with their cultivation, having been able to detect the wisps of Qi, no one had formed a dantian yet. Aside from one boy at the corner, a seven year old Wu Shan, everyone had already given up for the day, resorting to getting their free meals to replenish their lost energy.
Not having to pay the food vendors in the village felt strange, to say the least. After the chieftain ordered there be no more exchanging of money between any villagers, things were smoother than ever. The butcher received meat from the hunter free of charge, and the hunter would get a cut of the processed meat. The butcher would give the meat to the cooks who would cook for everyone. No loss or gain. Just a system of services and favors that worked only because all the villagers had been pulled out from the quagmire of apathy.
¡°Whoa! Is that the crazy sheep shagger?!¡± A child yelled, pointing at the meditating form of Lao Chen, the village benefactor.
The boy was smacked in the head by his older brother. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about Master Lao Chen like that! He¡¯s the reason you don¡¯t have to spend the rest of your sorry life as a farmer!¡±
The kids started grouping around him, forgetting their hunger as they observed the old relic, wide-eyed in their fascination.
One unfortunate child was tasked with bringing a cart of food for the newly-dubbed Yin-Yang Sect disciples so that the majority of the students would not have to move away from observing the master at work.
As the children played around the inside of the building under construction, they failed to notice a child in the corner, still meditating, sweat running down his forehead incessantly as he struggled to reach the Dao.
At dusk, the old man finally opened his eyes slowly, pleasantly surprised as he found out that all the disciples had surrounded him.
¡°The master woke up!¡± A child yelled in delight. The hall exploded into shrieks of joy as the children began to hug the old man, much to his own joy.
¡°Now, now,¡± he smiled as he made an effort to hug everyone back. ¡°I assume you haven¡¯t formed your dantians just yet, have you?¡± He asked, much to everyone¡¯s chagrin. One girl sniffled in tears.
¡°I haven¡¯t been able to do it no matter how much I¡¯ve tried. I have no talent.¡±
¡°I¡¯m talentless, too!¡±
The children began complaining as they all wallowed in their sadness. Lao Chen simply sighed.
¡°Come now. Nothing easy is ever worth possessing. The harder it is to obtain, the better. You have only been attempting for a day. You couldn¡¯t possibly have unlocked your dantian this early-¡°
¡°Hwaaaah!¡± A child from across the room yelled as he woke up from his meditation. Lao Chen, sensing that something had happened, quickly stood up to approach the sweaty child before sensing the aura of a beginner cultivator. Although Lao Chen wasn¡¯t aware of what it was, it was most likely the way Qi clung to him that made it obvious that he was a cultivator.
He was a young boy. He was rail thin, had black hair and a sharp jawline for a child, most likely due to his lack of body fat. He panted before looking up at the curious visage of Lao Chen.
¡°M-master... I think I¡¯ve done it.¡±
¡°Indeed, you have, my boy.¡± Lao Chen responded as he eyed the young boy. ¡°What scripture did you cultivate?¡±
¡°I couldn¡¯t pick between the two, so I tried doing both at the same time...¡± The boy winced as he awaited punishment. ¡°I apologize if I did wrong.¡±
¡°No... no, you did... well. I assumed that using both scriptures at the same time would require immense concentration. You... you did well.¡± He wrestled on what to say as he looked at the doe-eyed child beaming at the praise. Then he sighed. ¡°Child. If there is one thing I want you to do, it¡¯s not to become strong, but to treat everyone fairly. In this world, too many people forget that might doesn¡¯t make right, and that treating others with compassion is, indeed, worthwhile. For everyone¡¯s sake, treat everyone you encounter with kindness and bear in mind that your power obligates you to help whenever you can.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡°Yes, master!¡±
¡°Now... go and have a snack. You look famished.¡± Lao Chen chuckled, sending the boy off along with his friends, who had stuck around to listen to his words.
Lao Chen picked his words carefully when concocting the speech, taking on account the hubris of children too big for one¡¯s britches. Sighing in relief at being heard, he lay flat on the ground, marvelling at how much headway the surrounding builders had made with the walls having been built several meters upwards already on all sides.
He wandered out of the building, towards the local street cook and got his excess share of food, stuffing himself to the brim with spiced meat and vegetables, leaving him in a near comatose state.
A hand held his shoulder, and Lao Chen turned around to look at whoever wanted his attention. It was the village chieftain.
¡°Change is in the air, Lao Chen. Can you feel it?¡± He asked, smiling. Lao Chen looked at the cook and gestured to the chieftain subtly, causing the cook to scurry of to prepare something. ¡°Ah, no thanks,¡± the chieftain dismissed. ¡°I have had my fill already.¡±
¡°Heheh.¡± Lao Chen chuckled. ¡°Change is afoot,¡± he admitted.
¡°But for better or for worse, we will adapt regardless.¡± He smiled. ¡°I saw you were mingling with the younglings today. They seem to have taken a liking to you.¡±
¡°Have they? I didn¡¯t notice between all the hugs they gave me,¡± Lao Chen retorted as he stifled his laughter. The chieftain patted his shoulder good-naturedly. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be leaving the village? You¡¯re allowed to leave if you wish, but...¡±
Lao Chen sighed. ¡°These topics are better broached when intoxicated,¡± he chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve been a good-for-nothing dreamer for the past seven decades. I¡¯ve read more stories of adventure than I can count, in fact, that¡¯s where all my earnings go whenever we send our people out to town to buy supplies. Stories. I¡¯ve wanted nothing more to leave the village, but now that people like me, it has gotten harder... Am I truly just the bag of bones I always denied I was?¡±
The chieftain looked at the ground pensively. ¡°Well, you sure do move like a spring chicken. If only I had the aptitude to cultivate, but alas. I¡¯m nearing the end of my years.¡±
Lao Chen sighed. The ring he wore on his thumb hung heavily, urging him to share its might. Only, he wasn¡¯t confident that they would survive the tribulation lightning.
Although it burned out all of his impure Qi, that also happened to be all the Qi he possessed, and although it was a small amount, it was the minimum requirement to even survive. The only thing that saved his life was his ingenuity and his inspiration to mesh both cultivation methods, and even that took an extreme amount of concentration even under the duress of pain and death pangs.
If the chieftain were to die during his attempt, it would be a major travesty. The village still needed him.
And Lao Chen felt, for the first time, an urge to stay in the village to oversee its development.
¡°I¡¯ve decided,¡± he stated, attracting the chief¡¯s attention almost instantly. ¡°I am staying in this village for another decade. Then, I will head out to see the world. I will help the younglings cultivate in the meanwhile. This, I swear.¡±
The chieftain embraced him. ¡°Your benevolence knows no bounds, foolish dreamer.¡±
¡°You underestimate my prowess, chieftain. I am a dreamer unchallenged under heaven.¡±
¡°Attention!¡± Lao Chen roared. All the children in the unfinished sect hall stood, arms on their sides and backs straight.
In the front row stood Wu Shan, the prodigy that cultivated his dantian in just twelve hours. His talent was undeniable, which led him to stand where he stood.
¡°Before we start this cultivation session, keep a goal in your heart. Always remember why you are doing what you are doing, and you will work all the more harder. Also, remember to concentrate. Think of nothing outside of just cultivation. If you want to form your dantian rapidly, remember to only fixate yourself on your Qi intake, and once you have formed your dantian, remember to rotate it and purify it until it is completely transparent. Throughout your lives, you have suffered impure Qi, and it has clogged your meridians.¡±
The children were beginning to look at him with puzzled stares. Lao Chen sighed.
¡°Focus on your goal, concentrate on cultivation, and refine it as per the scriptures. Begin!¡±
As a group, they all sat down and began to cultivate.
And such did the months pass. By the first month, even the least talented individual formed a pure dantian and refined it until optimal purity was achieved. Wu Shan had broken into the middle stage of Qi condensation, displaying his hard work and talent to all who cared to see.
Lao Chen was half a step towards reaching the stage of Foundation Establishment, having formed a half-black half-white core sea upon entering the late stage of Qi Condensation, and was showing little sign of stopping.
By the first month, the sect hall, a huge wooden building in the heart of the village had finished its construction. In fact, a couple of the construction workers, having followed the instructions of the young students, had formed their dantians, inspiring even the adults of the village to cultivate during their free time.
By the second month, Lao Chen had overcome the month-long bottle neck of Qi condensation and broke into Foundation Establishment, using the Qi in his core sea to form a majestic Dao Pillar whiter than the purest jade, luminescent in its beauty.
He opened his eyes and felt a qualitative leap in his ability. He stood up slowly, not wanting to wake the young ones from their trances, and assessed himself.
He was in the Foundation Establishment stage. That meant that he had the lifespan three times that of the average human, totalling at 240 years. In this sense, he was just like a 20 year old mortal in terms of his lifespan, aside from his old face.
He introspected, assessing the state of his Dao pillar. It was luminously white, but he had no idea what this meant. An over-accumulation of Yang energy? Had he caused a misbalance in his cultivation? Was it capable of being corrected?
He crouched down to cultivate, shocking himself as he took in an extreme amount of Qi wisps at once, but what really surprised him was their colour. There was a whole rainbow of Qi wisps ranging from red to violet, but what he noticed was that his cultivation method would only make use of the black and white Qi wisps. They were of the Dao, he concluded, realizing that they were much more primordial than coloured wisps.
Next to the first bright white Dao pillar, a transparent outline of a pillar grew. It was simply the dais before the pillar started, yet he realized that this was going to take a while. If it took so long to cultivate his core sea until it became a single Dao pillar, making another one would be challenging, even with his increased cultivation speed.
¡°Whoa! Master feels much more powerful, is that even him?!¡± A child shook Lao Chen out of his cultivation with a loud shriek of delight. Lao Chen¡¯s eyes darted open before looking at all the children huddled around him with a smile.
¡°Nice work, idiot. You woke him up,¡± a child smacked another on the head, eliciting a yelp of pain.
¡°Ah, think nothing of it, child. It was nothing I couldn¡¯t catch up on at a later date,¡± he waved off. ¡°So... has anyone gone through any breakthroughs as of yet?¡±
¡°What about you, master? You look powerful!¡± A child shouted.
¡°Yeah! Definitely stronger than my dad, and he¡¯s the strongest!¡±
¡°Calm down, calm down,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Well, I broke through to Foundation Establishment,¡± he revealed. The children howled over each other in happiness, but only one face in the room was ready to cry. It was Wu Shan.
Lao Chen furrowed his eyebrows in concern at the boy, ushering him closer as the children celebrated.
¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked.
¡°It¡¯s just... I¡¯ve been stuck in a bottleneck for so long without headway. I am just about to step into the late stage, but... I¡¯m not sure how my Dantian is supposed to look like.¡±
¡°Ah, that... honestly, I believe the speed you have been proceeding in until now has been exceedingly fast. According to the scriptures, completion of the Qi Condensation stage should conclude after about ten years of training. Reaching half-way at a fraction of that speed is already impressive enough as it is, son. Why the rush?¡±
¡°Because... I want to leave the village and go adventuring. I can¡¯t do that if I¡¯m weak,¡± he revealed, much to Lao Chen¡¯s surprise.
¡°You¡¯re much too young to adventure now, at any rate, but I am confident in your ability to overcome any issue. In ten years, once I decide to adventure, I will bring you with me, but only if you have managed to grow five Dao Pillars in Foundation Establishment. Think you can manage that?¡±
Wu Shan gaped, wide eyed, but immediately steeled gaze eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes, master!¡±
¡°Good.¡± He needed a goal, and Lao Chen knew that. With a goal in his heart, Lao Chen was confident that Wu Shan would overcome any issue.
Chapter 5: Years come and go for an old dreamer
There was a change in the village with no name. In the past, the villagers lived from hand to mouth. Hunters wouldn¡¯t hunt more than required that the butcher could afford. Farmers were too lazy to truly maximise their crop yield, vendors had too few resources to work with and the chieftain was responsible for making sure that nobody shirked their duties to a point where someone might starve.
Despite their situation, they were never too unhappy or miserable. Just lazy and sleepy, really. Most of the elders in this village had lived their entire lives not having experienced anything truly stimulating or dangerous. Hunting was a simple task, and there were a couple of riveting tales that hunters would retell (or concoct) from their experiences in the forest, but other than this, people lived relatively simple lifestyles.
This was until the chieftain banned monetary transactions after they were gifted such riches beyond measure. Everyone was roused from their decades-long slumber and got to work, and already two months in, the village had been completely revamped.
Builders carried huge logs over their shoulders, carrying the burdens with only some difficulty. Dilapidated houses were being torn down and rebuilt from ground-up, refurbishing the entire village. The hunters returned from the forest with bounties capable of feeding the entire village several times over, giving the excess food to the cultivating youngsters, ravenous from their increased strengths, but most of all, half of the population of eight hundred villagers were capable of cultivating, the other half either having no talent or being too old to do so. What made Lao Chen happy, however, was the lack of prejudice towards those deemed unable to cultivate.
In almost every story he had read, cultivating societies tended to call non-cultivators ¡®trash¡¯ and ¡®useless¡¯, as though their inability to cultivate meant that their societal worth was nil. Lao Chen always begged to differ, and never really enjoyed those books, opting for more wholesome options where the protagonist lived in a society capable of utilizing every one of its members. No one was truly trash, he knew. And the fact that the village knew brought him unbridled happiness.
Kids were out playing, loud and boisterous, villagers were up during the night, celebrating for no reason other than for celebration¡¯s sake, and colour had been restored after centuries of void. Lao Chen was content.
Sitting on a nearby rooftop, he marvelled at the beautiful society he had created after five and a half decades of herding sheep. He clasped his hands and thanked whichever god would listen for having mercy and bestowing them with such bounties.
After an hour of gratitude, Lao Chen went to the sect hall where some students were still in lotus poses, even during night-time, illuminated by dim candle-lights. The two cultivation manuals were laid on top of two podiums where anyone was allowed to borrow it for a moment or two.
He sighed as he realized that he almost had no need for it, because aside from cultivation advice, the rest of the pages within the book narrated the ways in which the author would overcome their bottlenecks.
He needed martial art skills, but more than that, he needed Qi skills. With that in mind, he located his bags of holding in his private room in the sect hall and dug for some martial art tomes within the piles of old books.
Two became quite apparent. A Yin Phoenix Grimoire and a Yang Dragon Scroll. One for Qi skills, and the other for physical martial arts.
Since he always fused both styles, he wasn¡¯t sure on why he would stop now. In fact, the first technique listed in the Grimoire was a simple phoenix bomb, requiring the rank of a Qi Condensation stage cultivator to learn.
The meridian chart ameliorated the practice of learning the technique, much to his joy. The technique was basically the creation of a small Qi phoenix that would explode upon contact with any surface. The illustrations showed a fiery-red phoenix that would cause devastation behind itself.
After completing the incantation gesture and pushing Qi through the proper meridians, a phoenix grew from his hand, only it wasn¡¯t fiery-red. It was black. Saying that it was dark was an understatement because this creature didn¡¯t even reflect light. It looked like it wasn¡¯t there, almost, but because its surroundings had colour, it was extremely easy to spot.
Lao Chen let the phoenix dissipate before perusing the Yang Dragon Scroll. It was a complex set of hundreds, almost thousands of movements in a variety of different orders and combos with five main styles in mind: Bare-handed fighting, sword techniques, sabre techniques, spear techniques and staff techniques. Lao Chen sighed. This was going to be an exceedingly challenging decade for him.
''Baldy'' Lingwas nervous.
The myriad ideas jumbled in his head offset his nerves by a tiny margin, so he knew that he had to collect as much courage as he possibly could for this meeting. Best case scenario is that he is simply rejected.
No. That wasn''t it. Worst case scenario, he is made to look like a fool in front of the entire village.
He knew more than anyone else that the village frowned upon art of nearly all kinds. Drawings, poems, song and dance, none of these artforms could evoke the same passion in his fellow villagementhat it did with himself.
He still recalled confessing his ideas to his brother and his gang of friends and their only reaction was to laugh at the unmanliness. They all had selected the warrior paths, studying copies of the Yang manuals. They were also talented. Even the exalted Lao Chen had acknowledged this, but even for all their talent, Benefactor Lao Chen wasn''t particularly moved.
If Lao Chen couldn''t be moved by these doubtlessly talented individuals, what of Ling?
No, he screamed inwardly. He wouldn''t back down. His brother and his friends were just a bunch of philistines, too close-minded to innovate. Yes. If anyone could acknowledge his ideas, it was Benefactor Lao Chen.
Steeling his nerves, he headed straight to the Sect Hall which had just finished construction. He walked past and in-between the hundreds of cultivating youths and adults. Lao Chen wasn''t at his usual spot in the forefront where he would expound on the secrets of cultivation.
That meant that he must have entered the door behind the spot where his private room was.
Ling took a deep breath and knocked once. It was for a good cause, he reminded himself. His ideas were worthwhile, he added.
"Come in," came an old voice from inside. Ling opened the door cautiously, slipping inside soundlessly. The room very small, containing only a desk, chair and instead of walls, there were bookshelves. In fact, once Ling closed the door, he noticed that it, too, was a bookshelf. The old man sat on his chair, seemingly studying an old scroll.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Uhm... ah, eh..." Ling was shivering as he removed the bag from his back containing his research.
"Speak up, Ling," Benefactor Lao Chen said gently.
He knew hisname?
"Uh... you know my name...?"
Great work, Ling! Now he''ll think you''re an idiot.
Lao Chen laughed kindly. "I used to read stories to you. Of course, I know your name. You and your brother Yao, and his friends Po and Gu. You''re all on the cusp of manhood, fifteen if I recall correctly."
Ling grimaced at hearing their names, but nodded respectfully. He was fifteen.
"Regardless," Lao Chen put down the scroll and turned his chair to face him. "What did you have for me?"
Ling regained hiscourage and fell on his knees as he fished out a roll of paper and straightened it out on the floor. The paper contained an elaborate drawing: A mandala containing a variety of calligraphic symbols and shapes which were no doubt pleasing to the eye.
Lao Chen smiled. "You''ve produced art!"
Ling smiled brightly but shook his head. "T-that''s not the extent of it!"
Hovering both his hands over the paper, he exerted his mid-level Qi Condensation cultivation base. The lines began to darken and where the ink had not touched the paper, it shone near-blindingly.
The mandala rose from the paper and spun easily in the air, much to Benefactor Lao Chen''s amazement.
"I managed to retrieve an old tome which described the art of magical array crafting. By utilizing this technique in conjunction with the Yin cultivation method, I am now able to affix a variety of different effects to the area which the mandala covers!"
Lao Chen folded one arm and held his chin with his other hand, grinning. "I can imagine a host of different applications that this beautiful technique can have. You''ve done well, Ling."
Ling grinned as Lao Chen rubbed his bald head. Benefactor Lao Chen appreciated his art. Ling''s resolve hardened.
He would make this a village that could rise to the heavens.
Once the first year had ended, a good 80% of the village population could cultivate, and along with Lao Chen, several talented adults had reached the stage of foundation establishment before the children. Wu Shan was at the very cusp, having broken through the Late stage of Qi Condensation months prior.
Lao Chen¡¯s Dao pillars were a beautiful sight to see. Whereas his first was shiny white, the second one was an absolute black, not reflective in the least. The white pillar had Yang Qi and the black pillar had Yin Qi, contradicting each other radically.
Upon reaching his last Dao Pillar, after forming four white and four black pillar, he was torn on what to fill his final Dao Pillar with.
In other news, after a ceaseless endeavour, the old chieftain had finally cultivated towards a Yin Phoenix Dantian, having purified his impure Dantian for months before being able to take the quantum leap. Surprisingly enough, he also had an immense talent, having broken through to the middle stage in under a week, looking all the younger for it.
The errand men had made their first journey out to the outside world to gather things such as supplies, blueprints and technology, using a small portion of their treasure as compensation. This caused the village to develop even more radically, and because of the influx of resources and heightened living standards, the village quickly became the subject of an abrupt baby boom.
One would barely see even a single woman not undergoing pregnancy while over the age of twenty, which spoke of great tidings to the village with no name.
The bald boy, Ling, had quickly become another village star. His magical arrays made many things easier, such as construction, animal trapping and the surplus production of water which would expand their agriculture explosively.
Lao Chen then came to an epiphany on what he would do with his Dao Pillars after ceaseless meditation on his ninth pillar.
Balance.
Thus, in his last Dao pillar, he did not use either Yin Qi or Yang Qi. Instead, he melded all 8 of his Dao Pillars together, stacking them on top of each other before pressing them downwards. Eight became one, and that became his ninth Dao pillar. True balance. Where he sacrificed Qi Capacity, he gained many times purer and more vibrant Qi.
Core Formation was just over the horizon now.
The year after that, Lao Chen had formed a Core, perfectly blending Yin and Yang together in an unshakable balance, absorbing Qi at an alarming rate before having filled his core to the brim.
Wu Shan, being the talented child that he was, had broken through to Foundation Establishment, and followed Lao Chen¡¯s every advice, having built a pure Yang pillar after months of hard work, and then creating a Yin pillar, but his pace was much slower than Lao Chen¡¯s.
The chieftain had already regained a lot of his youth at his cultivation stage, having taken his first step into Foundation Establishment, using the wisdom he gained from years of ruling to overtake all of his more talented juniors.
By the second year, those who were incapable of cultivating could only be counted on both hands, and including them were toddlers and senile elders too old to parse instructions given, no matter how rigorously attempted. The elders were lost causes, but Lao Chen would always come visit them every day to part with advice on how to regain their youth, but the elders were obstinate, confused and unwilling to take advice from an old codger like them.
Lao Chen didn¡¯t give up on them, regardless. Some were his family: Uncle Xia, Cousin Ren, Brother Yu. He couldn''t give up on them.
The village didn¡¯t look the same from two years. Every shanty house had been rebuilt, facilities such as hospitals had been instated, and the silos had been improved. The village was like a miniature city, self-sufficient and exceedingly strong.
Lao Chen¡¯s foray into the Yin and Yang techniques were also a success. The Yang martial arts was taught to every Yang Dragon practitioner, and the Yin spells were also taught to the Yin Phoenix disciples. In his own experience, the Yang techniques were exceedingly simple to learn. Other than the entire move skillset, which took several months to properly master, the three basic Qi applications were a breeze. These were Yang Fist, Yang Aegis and Yang Arms. An enforcement technique, a shielding technique and a weapon creation technique respectively, these techniques were required to pull of the entire skill set effectively.
The Yin spells were a completely different issue altogether. Strangely enough, those who cultivated the Yin Phoenix also happened to be the most intelligent of the village, and thus the most capable of mastering the complicated spells provided in the grimoire. Of these were basics such as Phoenix bomb, Dragon Trail and Mind Rending. Dragon Trail entailed creating a Qi construct shaped like a dragon which would be released on a foe, carving a trail on the soil until the target is either eliminated or the construct dissipates. Mind Rending was a technique which utilized Yin Qi to affect the psyche of the opponent, reducing them to a terrified mess temporarily.
Lao Chen also found that he had become the de facto Mentor and father figure of Wu Shan, the orphaned outcast. Despite this, he still remained fair to all his other students, giving them pointers and helping them all out. They were the village¡¯s future leaders, after all. They couldn¡¯t be neglected.
By the third year, Lao Chen was still in the process of creating a Nascent Soul, though he realized that it would take an exceedingly large amount of effort. Although the manuals detailed on what to do when creating the Nascent Soul, Lao Chen always begged to differ with their explanations.
A Nascent Soul was an infant-like being that existed within one¡¯s soul. A special function of it is that if one is slain in battle, one can retreat into their nascent soul and recover there, but remain vulnerable as a result. A good nascent soul is one that is capable of shielding its host against damage while the host is recovering its body inside of it, and while it is the most preferable option, one must also take into account the manoeuvrability of the nascent soul, its sentient and awareness, and how loyal it has to be.
The whole idea of growing a being inside of himself was wrong to him on so many levels, Lao Chen wondered whether he should just quit cultivating at the stage of Core Formation, knowing that he had gained an additional 500 years of longevity.
He looked at the metal ring on his finger, sighing as he smiled at the fond memories that it had given him. Besides the Tribulation Lightning, he had found no other function that it carried. Looking at it, he remembered the sheer excitement he felt as an old man, seeing what must have been a divine artefact heaven-sent.
He felt at his face, something he never really got tired of, becoming one of his casual mannerisms. His wrinkles were there, still, but his hands had no tremors of old age. His fingers didn¡¯t creak whenever he bent them, and there was no pain associated with casual movements. Despite his newfound strength, cultivation made him realize a simple truth.
He had faced the truth that he was afraid to adventure, but he was certain that after the ten years were up, he would dive into his journey with no fear, with his little Wu Shan beside him.
Interlude - Blessing of Empress Wa
Lao Chen watched his sheep play with children, taking a break from his ceaseless cultivation to take a deep, cold breath of fresh air. The sun was at its apex, yet the cold autumn chill didn¡¯t let up at all.
Lao Chen¡¯s mind whirled with the thought of what sort of Nascent Soul he could create. Throughout all the research books he had read, they were all imperfect beings destined to bondage for the sake of personal strength, a disgusting idea. They had only the lowest of intelligence and free thought.
Lao Chen didn¡¯t want to create a subservient creature bound to all of his whims and desires, a soul he could retreat to in the event that he dies of some external factor. It wasn¡¯t a sense of hubris and superiority that drove him to this sort of thinking, but rather loneliness.
Perhaps a Nascent Soul was¡ like a child?
Next to him, sitting on the side of the hill that he watched from, was a soon-to-be mother, gently caressing her expanded stomach.
Within her was a soul. Lao Chen could sense it as clear as day. Not a pseudo-soul that is the closest a human can come to the creation of life, nor a basic puppet that can only imitate life. It was a human soul, full in and of itself.
Lao Chen chuckled ruefully to himself. While cultivators were capable of immense feats of ground-breaking miracles and earth-shattering attacks, it was the woman that could co-create and foster life within herself. A self-sufficient incubator for a youthful soul. A creator.
The woman smiled at Lao Chen, catching him staring, much to his red-faced embarrassment as he averted his eyes.
¡°No, don¡¯t be embarrassed!¡± She laughed in a bell-like tone of voice. ¡°It¡¯s truly wondrous, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Lao Chen smiled. ¡°It truly is.¡±
The woman continued. ¡°Have you heard the tales of the great Empress Wa?¡±
¡°Mother Nuwa?¡± Lao Chen asked. ¡°The creator of mankind, yes?¡±
The woman sighed in veneration. ¡°Truly the original Mother. While we can barely handle the stress of a single childbirth, the Mother created us all. A power unlike any other.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Lao Chen pondered. If only his own Nascent Soul could have the qualities of a free-thinking human. A touch of Nuwa was all that he needed, perhaps.
The Core Formation stage he was in was not made to handle the sheer pressure of a Dao of any kind, but Lao Chen was at an impasse. Only Nascent Soul cultivators and above were safe from any penalty incurred from cultivating a Dao this early on, but to reach the stage of Nascent Soul cultivation, he needed the same inspiration that Mother Nuwa had when creating humankind. A single touch of Nuwa and her boundless wisdom was all that he needed.
The Sect was also doing fine without him. They had a grasp on what they were on about at this point, and there was no shortage of adults willing to help them. He could afford to take some time off to reach his answers. The Dao was off-limits, however.
Therefore, instead of cultivating the Dao, Lao Chen sat on his knees and prayed.
¡°Empress Wa, I beseech thee. Grant me your insight on creation.¡±
Lao Chen repeated the phrase non-stop beneath his breath, standing stock still for weeks on end. Come rain or shine, Lao Chen kneeled and prayed. The Village would take note of his ceaseless prayers, sighing in veneration while offering drinks and foodstuffs in front of him in case he ever felt like eating.
The elements weren''t capable of stopping Lao Chen, but time was truly the deciding factor.
After a whole month, Lao Chen¡¯s will finally faltered. The tedium of sitting in one place, doing something that obviously did not bring him any closer to enlightenment was not something Lao Chen was used to.
Throwing caution to the wind, Lao Chen sat cross-legged and began to reach for the Great Dao, searching for Empress Wa¡¯s divine enlightenment.
The clouds overhead began to roil about, merciless Tribulation Lightning developing. Lao Chen saw it, feared it, yet he continued.
If he stopped progressing, that was a worse fate than starting from square one. The Empress''s blessing and enlightenment were right around the proverbial corner. His mind was stretched to his limits as he rationalized his way forward inch by inch. The Lightning continued roiling, unheeding of his struggles, yet he pushed on.
The enlightenment was staring him in the face, but there was a final piece in the puzzle of creation that Lao Chen couldn¡¯t get his head around.
And that was when the lightning struck.
In the last moment, however, the lightning curved around him as his metal ring siphoned the jolting electricity inside, glowing a deep purple. Lao Chen was wholly unaware as the final piece of the puzzle became more and more evident to him.
Above the Nascent Soul¡¯s pseudo soul should be basic instructions for an intelligent being capable of learning yet within the confines of humanity. An id, an ego, a superego, these components were required to create the mind, and that was truly where the human was located. The body was a tool. The human lay in the mind.
Above the mind wrapped around the soul, Lao Chen had to create a corpus, an amalgamation of energy which imitated flesh and human anatomy to a perfect degree. Once the process of creation was over, the corpus would transform into a human vessel, and that was it. Lao Chen¡¯s Nascent Soul in the form of a human being.
Lao Chen¡¯s eyes darted open. His Nascent Soul was ready for creation.
Chapter 6: A Decade of Preparation Concludes
He sat on a plateau on the tallest mountain in the local range, overlooking the sprawling village near the valley. The Village With No Name.
A stream ran on the side of it. A large forest was filled with animals next to it. Fresh air was blown from the mountains. No disturbance from the empire, this village was truly a paradise hidden underneath a film of mud.
He took a deep breath, the surrounding air for a 2 li (1 li= ? kilometre) distance becoming a raging maelstrom of all kinds of Qi. Since the beginning, his cultivation manuals had preferred the Yin and Yang Qi wisps, but this time, he melded all of it into a single, Golden Qi wisp. Lao Chen was tired of following conventions, and instead set out to carve his own path. His own Dao. Instead of internalizing it into his own Dantian, he finally set to work on creating his Nascent soul outside of his own body. Lao Chen would create it and reach an agreement with it, or set it free to wander the world.
It was a risk he was willing to take, for if he created a creature, only to enslave it for the rest of its life, was it not the same as treating it like a feeble sheep meant for the slaughter? He would create a Nascent Soul capable of free thought, and come to an agreement. Slavery was wrong, after all.
Lao Chen closed his eyes and furrowed his brows as he spent all of his concentration in creating the golden core of his Nascent Soul. It took nine days and nine nights of ceaseless cultivation before he created a Golden Core and its pseudo-soul, and another eighteen days and eighteen nights before having finished the corpus of the young nascent soul.
The Nascent Soul stood in front of Lao Chen, on the same mountain plateau. She was an enchanting sight to see. A girl with the appearance of a ten year old. One eye was completely dark with a white pupil while the other was white with a dark pupil. Her hair was resplendently gold, and shoulder length.
Lao Chen couldn¡¯t help but gasp at the finished product. While he had created the corpus from his own cultivation base, its appearance was largely randomized to be based on some aspect of himself, whatever it was. He didn¡¯t expect it to be female, much less a young one.
Despite her young appearance, Lao Chen was sure that she would become a peerless beauty once grown, if she ever did as he had no idea how Nascent souls worked.
Her eyes gazed at Lao Chen curiously before closing. While she stood, she suddenly fell asleep and was about to fall on the hard ground just as Lao Chen caught her. He removed his own shirt and covered her with it, standing up before returning to the sect hall.
She woke up. Her eyes opened and the first thing she saw again was that very same old man from before. She looked down on herself and saw that she was clothed, wearing a white tang suit.
¡°Are you feeling alright, Lin-Lin?¡± The old man asked. Lin-Lin blinked a few times, parsing the message. She wasn¡¯t in any pain, so she just nodded, before wondering something. She was not a baby, but she knew that she hadn¡¯t existed before long, yet she was with the knowledge of language, but she also knew that she was born with that knowledge, and that was something no human was capable of.
¡°Am I a human?¡± She asked, more curious of what the answer would be than fearful of it. Lao Chen just smiled.
¡°You¡¯re my Nascent Soul. I created you to bolster my cultivation. Your name is Lao Lin, and Lin-Lin is your pet name. My name is Lao Chen,¡± he explained. Lin-Lin blinked again.
¡°Does that make you my father?¡± She asked. Lao Chen chuckled amusedly.
¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± he smiled. ¡°Are you hungry, Lin-Lin? Would you like some food?¡±
Lin-Lin looked down on her stomach and patted it before considering the question. After a few moments, she nodded curtly.
¡°I do require sustenance at the moment.¡±
Lao Chen turned around and showed her a plate of food, which she eyed curiously. ¡°Is that for me?¡± She asked. Lao Chen nodded, pushing the plate forward.
Lin-Lin took the plate and looked at the food before forgoing the cutlery, instead opting to grab the food and stuff it in her mouth.
By the time it took an incense stick to burn out, she was finished, yet her golden brows were furrowed in confusion. ¡°I do not feel nourished at all.¡±
¡°Ah, you¡¯re a hungry one,¡± Lao Chen chuckled. ¡°I shall get some more food for you,¡± he assured her. Lin-Lin shook her head.
¡°I¡¯m afraid food like this cannot nourish me,¡± she explained. Lao Chen raised an eyebrow and frowned in thought before coming to a conclusion.
¡°You¡¯re a complex self-sustaining Qi construct. Perhaps Qi is what nourishes you?¡± Lao Chen explained.
Lin-Lin blinked before wearing a frown. ¡°Oh. I did not think of that.¡±
Without preamble, she sat down in a cross-legged position and began cultivating. One breath. The Qi in the room began to swirl around her violently as she sucked in Qi ceaselessly. After five minutes, she was finished. She opened her eyes to look at Lao Chen¡¯s curious gaze.
¡°Are you satisfied?¡± Lao Chen asked. Lin-Lin just nodded. ¡°I¡¯d like to discuss something with you, Lin-Lin.¡±
¡°What is it?¡± She asked.
¡°As my Nascent Soul, you have a variety of functions. In the event that I die, my consciousness can live on with you until I construct another body. By absorbing enough Qi, you can carry my cultivation towards Dao Seeking and if you bond with me, I can share my techniques with you. However, you are not obligated to obey me, and as such, if you so wish, you are free to claim your freedom and refuse to bind yourself to me. I repeat, you are not obligated to obey me, so if you want your freedom-¡°
¡°I consent.¡± She replied quickly. ¡°If father wants to bond with me, I consent.¡±
Lao Chen sighed. ¡°Are you sure? Please, don¡¯t feel obligated to bond with me. Do what you want to do. This is a permanent decision.¡±
¡°I still do consent.¡±
Lao Chen stood for a moment and mulled the situation over before coming to an answer.
¡°Lin-Lin, I¡¯ve decided to put off your decision until another year. If you feel the same way after that time has passed, you can bond with me. Until then, I¡¯ll take care of you as you experience our village. Is that okay?¡± He asked.
Lin-Lin nodded.
Lao Chen went on to explain some basic rules that all villagers had to follow, as well as explaining human morality and his own code of conduct, hoping to impart values on his Nascent Soul such that in case she wishes to leave, she will know how to behave in the world.
Once done, he introduced her to the sect disciples who all gushed over her beauty and became fast friends with her and then introduced her to Wu Shan, her de facto stepbrother.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
While the first few interactions that she had were rocky and awkward, she picked up on social cues like a born social butterfly and made friends with the girls.
During sparring sessions, she dominated her peapparent age-group of seven to ten year olds, taking down her opponents quickly and cleanly, taking great pains not to severely hurt them. So good was she, in fact, that Lao Chen decided to pit her against the older students, and after she defeated them one after another, he matched her against the Foundation Establishment disciples. First up was Wu Shan.
The moment the match began, Wu Shan darted forward, intent on taking her down with a kick, which was fluidly dodged by her, who then grabbed his leg absently, tossing him several meters upwards lazily.
Before he could regain his footing, Lin-Lin closed her eyes, then opened them up as they shined with an intense light. Lao Chen was prepared to move when he noticed that she was just using a Qi manipulation spell to bind Wu Shan, restricting him completely.
Only a single exchange.
Expert after expert, it was quickly apparent that Lin-Lin was only second to Lao Chen, but that was no surprise. Lin-Lin was equivalent to a Core Formation expert, and the only one close to breaking through to Core Formation was the Chieftain, who looked much younger than Lao Chen, despite their difference in cultivation base.
Time continued, more relentlessly than ever. In the year which followed Lin-Lin¡¯s creation, the young Nascent Soul had blended in with the villagers smoothly, making friends and experiencing familial love from her fellow sect disciple, not to mention the fatherly doting of her creator, Lao Chen. Also, because Lao Chen had no way to further his cultivation without his Nascent Soul, he slipped right back into his old habit of reading books, but due to his cultivation, sleep wasn¡¯t required, allowing him to read for up to weeks on end.
Exactly a year after Lao Chen had created her, Lin-Lin broached the topic.
¡°I wish to bond with you,¡± Lao Lin said this out of nowhere, in the morning as she cultivated alongside her father.
Lao Chen opened his eyes and raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ve seen our little village, you¡¯ve heard of stories of a wide world, and all the splendour it contains, yet this doesn¡¯t move you?¡±
¡°Yes, it does,¡± Lao Lin protested. ¡°It really does.¡±
¡°Then why sever your freedom by binding yourself with me?¡±
¡°Because all of that is meaningless if I¡¯m not by your side,¡± Lin-Lin admitted. ¡°I want to see the world, but with you, father.¡±
Lao Chen considered her words for a pregnant moment of silence before nodding.
¡°I don¡¯t have to ask you if you know that your decision is permanent,¡± Lao Chen stated. ¡°Very well. Hold still,¡± he commanded.
Lin-Lin obeyed and sat stock still while Lao Chen pointed both of his palms at her. Suddenly, she felt the core in her body rotate without her conscious control, but her absolute trust in Lao Chen overrode any doubt that might sprout in her mind.
Then, it happened.
A portion of Lao Chen¡¯s Dantian transferred itself to hers, marking her as his Nascent Soul until she was to perish.
Suddenly, Lao Chen began to glow somewhat.
The spot right beneath his navel began to glow before a dozen pathways connected it to the middle of his chest, which then branched into several dozen other pathways branching into his forehead, and then into his eyes, lighting them up.
Lao Chen took off from the ground, rising slowly but surely until he was several meters over it.
True flight.
Lin-Lin gaped before trying the same. She also hovered a few inches upwards, but seconds later, she fell on her butt. Lao Chen was still rising, steadily.
¡°A Nascent Soul expert is capable of true flight the moment they create their Nascent Souls and bond with it,¡± Lao Chen smiled. ¡°I do feel quite powerful.¡±
¡°Show-off,¡± Lin-Lin pouted, crossing her arms in dissatisfaction.
The rest of the decade went without a hitch.
As Wu Shan turned 16, he had already cultivated eight Dao Pillars and was on the verge of compressing them. The chieftain had finally regained some of his years, looking more like a thirty year old the moment he stepped into core formation, and has since slowed his cultivation pace down. Lao Chen, however, still looked like a dried up geezernearing the end of his longevity.
The Village With No Name was no longer the small village that it had always been. Everyone had learned to cultivate, aside from the youngest of toddlers. The senile elders were helped along when Lin-Lin developed a method to force-cultivate them. By creating an environment rich with either Yin or Yang Qi, the elders were much more easily able to absorb the Qi, but the biggest hurdle for them was entering the first stage of Qi Condensation, but after that was done, they had regained most of their wits, enough to put their near-century age to good use by absorbing more Qi at a rapid pace.
Thus, their lives had been extended.
The average adult had already reached the latest stage of Qi Condensation, earning themselves a longevity of one and a half centuries. Productivity-wise, the village had already reached an extreme amount of efficiency. Now, with all these resources, the youth of the village were able to pursue different career options than the obligatory hunter, cook, builder or slacker.
Blacksmithing, tailoring, painting and poetry became commonplace. As a result of these usually wasteful activities, the villagers were able to enrich their otherwise dreary lives by a large margin.
After ten years of hard work, the Village With No Name was no more a village without name.
On the path of exiting the village stood three people. Lao Lin, Lao Chen and Wu Shan. Wu Shan had grown taller than his father-figure, Lao Chen, and Lao Lin¡¯s cultivation earned her a more mature look, making her look like a veritable fairy in terms of beauty, despite being dressed in modest commoner-garbs.
The entire village stood by the gate, waving their hands at the departing adventurers. In the front of the crowd was the village chieftain, saluting them as they walked off. Even the sheep he took care of that were infants just a decade before stood there in complete stillness, watching Lao Chen.
He knew the sheep were in safe hands as they were pretty much the treasures of the village. It was a shame he couldn''t teach them how to cultivate, not due to a lack of trying. In the end, animals would just be animals.
Out of his bags of holding, he fished out a paint brush the size of a broom-stick, a bucket of ink and a large sign on the floor. The sign was a meter long and three meters wide.
¡°I am not departing from the Village With No Name,¡± Lao Chen laughed as he dabbed the brush inside the bucket of ink, writing on the sign with refined calligraphy.
¡°This settlement will hereby be known henceforth as¡¡± With a final stroke, he placed the giant brush next to the sign. ¡°The Village Of Heaven And Earth!¡±
The old chieftain dropped to his knees and sobbed before kowtowing. All the villagers behind did the very same, kowtowing thrice while sobbing audibly.
¡°Master!¡±
Lao Chen smiled shyly, looking down in a bid to hide his face. Wu Shan was beet-red, not sure whether he, too, should kowtow or accept the adulation. Lao Lin simply stood there, itching her ear with her pinkie finger as she stared at the sea of kowtows.
One figure, however, had not bowed.
''Baldy'' Ling stood tall, his trademark brush in one hand The bristles of the brush were dipped in a deep black which reflected no light. He raised the brush to the air and gave a wicked grin to Lao Chen, whose eyes widened. "What an apt name!"
Lao Chen laughed. "You''ve done it?"
Ling smiled. "My magnum opus is complete."
Ling channeled his Foundation Establishment-stage cultivation base and flicked his wrist with his brush dozens of times in the span of a moment. Dozens of mandalas many times difficult than the first one he made shot out into the sky and surrounded the mountain range surrounding the village and the surrounding areas around it, covering it in a dome-like array of artful shapes.
With a final push, the paint brush on Ling''s hand emanated a dark shine which covered the area within the dome and shrouded it in darkness. Moments later, the dome disappeared and a cloud passed overhead, too close for them to have been on the ground.
The villagers stood up, slightly confused while Lao Chen hovered.
"To further protect you from any invaders greedy enough to take from us, Ling and I formulated a plan to raise us towards the heavens where we may remain safe! All my commendations go to Ling!"
The Chieftain sighed as everyone cheered behind, crowding around Ling. "You''ve done so much for us!"
Lao Chen shook his head. "I''ve only done the necessary. It is up to you to protect yourselves from any invading elements, but if you find someone with my name in writing, welcome them like you would a sibling."
The Chieftain nodded solemnly. "I will."
"Then this is goodbye."
The old man and his children turned around, heading through the pass between two tall mountains and once they approached the end of the world, a dome-like shield obstructed them, initially made to prevent children and animals from somehow falling off the ''island''. With a gesture, a hole opened itself up.
"Whoa... wait. I can''t fly, yet," Wu Shan raised an eyebrow. "You''re... helping me down, right?"
Lao Chen laughed. "About that... Come close so I can help you."
Wu Shan approached his father cautiously. The moment he was at an arms length, Lao Chen tossed him down the cliff effortlessly.
Lin-Lin gawked at him. "He really can''t fly, you know."
Lao Chen smiled cheekily. "Calm now, daughter-mine. We could all do with some fun at someone else''s expense."
Lao Chen dove straight down alongside his daughter.
Only one thing rang in his mind. What did the world have in store for him?
Chapter 7: The Gold Stone City
¡°Whose idea was it to not bring a map?¡± asked Wu Shan as he scraped mud off his shoe, dodging trees as they walked through an unbeaten path in the forest.
¡°Technically, it was not planned that we should not bring a map. We just neglected to bring one,¡± Lin-Lin muttered as she floated on her back, gliding alongside the rest.
¡°Bah. Maps are for those who cannot appreciate the beauty of adventuring! I raised you better than to display such pampered behaviour, son,¡± Lao Chen scolded as he, too scraped mud from his shoe.
¡°It¡¯s not PAMPERED BEHAVIOUR to be PRACTICAL!¡± Wu Shan shot back. ¡°And why are you scraping mud off your shoe? Why are you even walking? You can fly!¡±
¡°Flight is boring. Besides, I can¡¯t feel any muscular strain from just walking so I¡¯m not weary in the slightest. You must work harder, son.¡±
¡°Really? Because we have been walking for a whole month without stopping and my soles are barely attached to my SHOES!¡±
The forest began to clear as the path led to a large cliff face overlooking more forest, but in the far distance, past a tree line, a thick stream seemed to run between a couple of mountains.
Lao Chen sat down to watch the view, pulling out a wooden board, a paint brush and an inkwell before writing.
Wu Shan took a deep breath and calmed down. Lin-Lin soared serenely over the edge, just watching the cliff.
¡°This is truly the first time I¡¯ve seen this much forest in one view,¡± Lao Chen admitted, smiling as he swiped one last time on the board, completing the poem, interring the wooden block into his bag of holding, along with his paraphernalia.
For a time, they savoured the moment, and when it was time to get going, a large explosion in the middle of the forest wreaked havoc, lighting up a wildfire in the blink of an eye.
¡°What in¡?¡± Lao Chen gasped as two figures on top of each their own tree, casting Qi spells at each other, exacerbating the wildfire further.
Just as their spells were about to hit each other, Lao Chen appeared between them from all those li away, intercepting both spells with a long, baleful staff in hand.
Both experts, some middle-aged men clearly in Core Formation stage, glared at the newcomer.
¡°Who are you to dare oppose two elders of the Tiger Cage Sect, fellow Daoist?¡± Asked one.
¡°Can you not see that we are having a battle?¡± Asked the other.
Lao Chen looked at them both hopelessly. ¡°At what cost? This forest was very beautiful before any of you came. If all you do is bring ugliness to the world, you should all rethink your existences.¡±
Both elders became red in the face as Lao Chen roared at them.
¡°How dare you lecture us?¡±
Lao Chen ignored the both of them, and with a mighty downward strike of his staff, he blew the wildfire out. With a horizontal strike, he revived the plant life with his Qi, draining him in the process.
¡°Is this what the Tiger Cage Sect teaches? To destroy nature and beauty for the sake of pleasing your whims?¡± Lao Chen asked. ¡°Shame on the both of you.¡±
Both the Elders bowed and spoke in unison. ¡°Forgive us, Nascent Soul Expert. We were not aware that this was your territory.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Lao Chen scoffed. ¡°This isn¡¯t my territory, but even if it was, would you both have found another place of natural beauty to ravage? I mean, do you not realize how disgusting you are? And suppose I wasn¡¯t a Nascent Soul Expert, would you treat me different solely due to my strength?¡±
Both the Elders stood there, red-faced, yet taking the criticism.
¡°I mean, are you stupid? Why would my strength make me any more correct? If I told you that two and two were five, would you believe me because I have a higher cultivation? Is that how things operate in the Tiger Cage Sect?¡± Lao Chen spat. ¡°I¡¯d expect this behaviour from children, but you can¡¯t afford to act this way unless you¡¯re both ten years old.¡±
One elder finally snapped. ¡°You go too far, Nascent Soul Expert. To include our sect in your jeering-¡±
¡°Jeering?¡± Lao Chen asked in disbelief. ¡°Are you telling me that what I¡¯m telling you doesn¡¯t even register as sense, but rather jeering? Ai, what a travesty. I¡¯m lecturing people that aren¡¯t even a century old like they¡¯re my children. If this is how two elders behave, I¡¯d hate to see how the younglings do.¡±
¡°Tell us who you are, Nascent Soul Expert, so you may face the wrath of our sect!¡± One of the Elders finally yelled, spittle flying out of his mouth. Lao Chen sighed before smirking, adopting a character.
¡°You¡¯ve really kicked the steel-board, fellows!¡± Lao Chen stood straight. ¡°The name is Lao Chen, Patriarch of the Yin-Yang Sect!¡±
Both Elders raised an eyebrow in confusion.
¡°Never heard of it.¡±
Lao Chen gnashed his teeth. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect uncultured twits like you to know about it. I¡¯ve herded sheep more intelligent.¡±
One elder¡¯s teeth cracked under the pressure of his jaw as he raged silently.
¡°You will pay for insulting us, Lao Chen!¡±
Lao Chen sighed before disappearing, appearing right behind one and striking him on the neck, before repeating the action on another.
With one hand, he gestured, opening a rift through space, tossing both of them through it.
Warping back on the cliff, Lao Chen flashed a smile to Lin-Lin and Wu Shan who both looked at him with a mix of sheer adulation and surprise.
¡°Did you just¡?¡± Wu Shan began.
¡°Restore the damages? With a swing of your staff?¡±
¡°Better,¡± Lao Chen smiled. ¡°I also found a map and some money.¡± He said, dropping two bags of holding and holding a map on his hand.
¡°You found it on them?¡± Wu Shan asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Did you really just steal from two irresponsible cultivators?¡±
¡°Well, you could say that I owe somebody for the items, but since I would rather not remunerate the Tiger Cage Sect directly, I¡¯ll just remember to give an equal amount to a group or a person that deserves it.¡±
Lao Chen unfurled the map and held it out in front of him. It was surprisingly detailed, showing the entirety of the Jade Empire as well as the major cities within each province.
Lao Chen knew that they were still in the Hong Province, and that the Village was located somewhere between two major mountain ranges and a deep, dense forest known as the Willow Forest.
By estimating where he had left along with the bearing he used, Lao Chen came to a conclusion regarding his current position.
And surprisingly enough, at about 972 li North-North-West, there was a city circled in red ink: Gold Stone City.
Deciding that it was as good a place as any to rest, Lao Chen made up his mind on where to go.
¡°-I mean, yeah, they were being stupid, but did you really have to steal from them? We have plenty of money to use already, you know-¡°
¡°It¡¯s settled,¡± Lao Chen interrupted Wu Shan¡¯s rambling, much to Lin-Lin¡¯s joy. ¡°We¡¯re headed to Gold Stone City. There seems to be an event going on, which might be fun for both of you.¡±
With a quick set of gestures, Lao Chen created a gaping maw of a rift which consumed all of them, spitting them out near the vicinity of Gold Stone City.
The city walls stood at a staggering hundred meters in height, where only half a dozen spires from the inside of the city towered over even them, reaching the clouds.
Wu Shan stared wide-eyed at his father. ¡°That wasn¡¯t Phoenix Warp! Your cultivation base is still too low for that!¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡±
¡°A-and it wasn¡¯t a portal spell either!¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡±
¡°What was it?!¡± Wu Shan practically begged to be answered.
¡°An original technique I formulated. Son, if you go by the book too much, you¡¯ll never transcend the limits of humanity.¡± Lao Chen pulled some money from his bag of holding. ¡°Once inside, we may split up and do whatever activities that catches our attention inside.¡±
The trio made the rest of the way to the gates of the city on foot. The toll asked for travel permits, and when they failed to produce them, they were fined with ten thousand wen, the equivalent of two gold slips which they managed to pay with ease.
Once inside, they split up. While he wasn¡¯t aware of what the two were doing, Lao Chen definitely knew where to go.
¡°Excuse me, sir,¡± Lao Chen approached a nearby vendor. ¡°Could you direct me to the nearest bookstore?¡±
Chapter 8: Our Strongest Youth
¡°Our strongest youth? Under twenty?¡± The bartender asked incredulously as he leaned over the counter to get a good look at Wu Shan. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be, you must be one a¡¯ them rogue cultivators, ain¡¯t ya? Lookin¡¯ for the match a¡¯ the century, straight outtuva damn novel. Well, if ya lookin¡¯ for the strongest youth, Zhang He is the direct disciple of Patriarch Blood Dragon, the Nascent Soul cultivator only a half step into Dao Seeking. Zhang He is in the first stage of Foundation Establishment last time I checked. Ain¡¯t that right, Bo Lao?¡± He yelled at the waiter from across the room.
¡°You must be living under a rock, old man! Zhang He broke through to his second pillar years ago! He just developed his eighth Dao Pillar yesterday!¡±
¡°Ah¡ ¡®s that so?¡± the old bartender laughed. ¡°I must be gettin¡¯ on in my years. A damn shame us mortal guppies won¡¯t ever amount to nuthin¡¯. So, kid. You sure you wanna challenge our Zhang He?¡±
Truth be told, Wu Shan could think of a dozen reasons why he shouldn¡¯t fight Zhang He.
¡°Too weak.¡±
That was the primary reason.
The old bartender looked at him incredulously for a moment before roaring into a good-hearted laughter. ¡°Ehahahahahahah! Eh, if he¡¯s too weak, what does that make me? A tadpole?¡±
Wu Shan stopped himself just as he was about to reply ¡®yes¡¯. Instead, he chuckled along. While he also was an eighth pillar cultivator, he knew from Lao Chen that a Yin Yang cultivation base was the most primordial, and thus closest to the Dao, cultivation base that one could have. Anything else was degraded and further from the Dao. Besides, if this Zhang He developed their Eighth Dao Pillar just the day before, Wu Shan already had a head start on him.
¡°Hey, old man, suppose if I was to challenge this Zhang He, where would he be located usually?¡±
The old bartender laughed again. ¡°In the Inner District, of course! At this time of day, he usually hangs around the Water Lily Pavilion, philanderin¡¯ all the beautiful fairy-like ladies there. Can¡¯t miss him. He¡¯s a loudmouth, that boy.¡±
¡°Thank you for your information, old man.¡± Wu Shan did a half bow before producing a silver coin, handing it directly to the old man who looked at it incredulously.
Before he could call after him, Wu Shan was out of the building and headed towards the Inner District.
Lao Lin was a Nascent Soul. Despite that, she could be mistaken for a human if one looked past her strange eyes or otherworldly beauty.
This extended to her hobbies and likes. Father had told her that likes and hobbies makes a human. Thus, Lao Lin had vowed to find a hobby and a like.
The girls in her village loved to dress her up, so naturally, she gravitated towards fashion, and as such, she headed towards the most lauded fashion boutique in the city.
Coincidentally, her path led her to the Inner District, to the most beautiful clothing shop in the lands. Lucky for her, Gold Stone City was known for its beautiful clothing more than anything else, and because of her funds capable of kick-starting the economy of a township, she wasn¡¯t at all mindful of her spending.
By the end of an hour, Lao Lin had found the most beautiful dress she could find, red and patterned with a majestic golden dragon. It also happened to be the most expensive piece of clothing made of pure Silver Dragon whiskers, with an affinity pointing towards fire, but it barely made a dent in her pocket money.
Because she promised not to fly in the city, Lao Lin set to walk around the Inner District, marvelling at the architecture. Her other ¡®like¡¯ was architecture. The Village had revamped their architecture to be the most beautiful it could be, striking a chord in Lao Lin¡¯s soul. As such, she became a part of the building team that remodelled the entire Village. Her favourite kinds of buildings were pagoda and pavilions, so there was no shortage of them there.
A group of boys the age of Wu Shan shambled around the streets in a good-natured banter, some of them even having girlfriends with them. They wore red and black cultivator robes, but one in the middle stood out as he had a golden dragon crest across his chest.
Lao Lin almost didn¡¯t notice, but now that she did, she couldn¡¯t help but marvel at the fashion sense.
¡°Hey, Zhang! That fairy over there is throwing you eyes!¡± A friend of him cackled, causing him to turn around to look Lao Lin in her eyes.
¡°Greetings, my fair lady!¡± The boy bowed dramatically before approaching Lao Lin gingerly. She was about three-fourths his height, much to his adoration. ¡°My name is Zhang He, dragon amongst men, phoenix amongst chickens, and the number one talent in the Hong province, perhaps even the Empire. Pleased to meet you.¡±
¡°My name is Lao Lin. I was simply appreciating the beauty of your clothing. It looks masterfully tailored.¡±
¡°Heheh, Lin-Lin,¡± Zhang He chuckled before going in to wrap his arm around her neck, much to her innocent surprise. ¡°You don¡¯t look half bad yourself. In fact, even without the dress, you¡¯d look gorgeous. Then again, I¡¯d love to make a comparison, if you catch my drift.¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
¡°Thank you, I suppose,¡± Lao Lin said.
¡°Lin-Lin, I¡¯d like to make a proposal. We were just heading to the Water Lily Pavilion. Would you care to join me-¡°
¡°Yes,¡± Lao Lin replied swiftly. Zhang He¡¯s smile turned wide as they made their way to the pavilion.
Once there, Zhang He¡¯s friends dispersed around the pavilion to either find their own fairy or spend time with the ones they brought. Zhang He went to the private pavilion in the middle of the Lily Pond.
The sun was slightly above the horizon, inching downwards as Lin-Lin and Zhang He chatted. To Zhang He¡¯s continued adoration and surprise, Lin-Lin talked most passionately about architecture and fashion, and when Zhang He started to recite the most beautiful poems he knew off from the top of his head, Lin-Lin would stare at him, transfixed by the beauty of the words.
To Zhang He, this date was quickly turning into something much more serious than his typical Saturday afternoon flings. Even after Lao Lin said that she only came to see the Pavilion, Zhang He was still obsessed with her. The girl with the strange eyes.
To Lao Lin, he was just amusing to listen to.
Zhang He continued to recite a poem when one of his friends arrived at the private Pavilion with a lazy smile on his face.
Zhang He stopped reciting and glared at his friend. ¡°Why are you here, Deng?¡±
¡°You have a challenger, Zhang.¡±
¡°Tell them to wait. I¡¯m on a date, after all,¡± he smiled warmly at Lao Lin who was scribbling a beautiful blueprint of a pagoda on a parchment that was provided.
¡°He happens to be quite impatient. He already defeated Yu in one exchange. Careful, Zhang,¡± Deng smiled devilishly.
¡°I could defeat Yu in half an exchange, that lazy oaf¡¡± Zhang muttered.
Zhang sighed, pained by having to be separated from Lao Lin even for a second, stood up.
¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll be leaving you here for a minute. I¡¯ve got to take out some trash.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±
Zhang He crossed the long bridge connecting the pavilions and arrived at the main one, where an unruly youth stood on top of the unconscious forms of about a dozen cultivators.
Zhang He was unimpressed.
¡°You were looking for me?¡± He asked.
¡°Prove me wrong, that you are not weak,¡± Wu Shan said.
¡°He¡¯s an arrogant one, isn¡¯t he? Alright, as the challenger, I should decide the combat parameters, but I will give you the honour. A fight to the death? First blood? How long you can last fighting me? You decide.¡±
¡°You¡¯re the arrogant one,¡± Wu Shan frowned. ¡°Battle to first blood. I don¡¯t wish to kill you.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll make it quick. I don¡¯t want to keep Lin-Lin waiting.¡±
Wu Shan used the Yang Arms technique to create a spiked gauntlet. Using the Yang Fist technique to propel himself, he launched himself forward toward his opponent.
Zhang He¡¯s expression turned serious in the blink of an eye and Wu Shan¡¯s fist seemed to plough right through him, sticking out from his back. Wu Shan¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Had he killed him?
Zhang He dispersed in a shower of droplets, sobering Wu Shan back into action, ducking beneath an oncoming spearhead that was millimetres away from striking him.
Zhang He jumped back and Wu Shan cursed himself.
¡°Afraid to kill, are we? Hmph. What a child,¡± Zhang He scoffed. Wu Shan began to wonder at the spear that Zhang He produced out of nowhere. Was it a Qi construct like the ones created from Yang Arms?
Wu Shan took a deep breath and calmed his mind. Using his gauntlets, he fell into the Yang forms that he had painstakingly practiced for ten years. Zhang he collided with Wu Shan in a spray of sparks. Although Zhang He had technique in spades, Wu Shan had pure strength to compensate, thus pushing the Gold Stone City talent behind by inches.
Wu Shan unleashed a spinning roundhouse kick which was parried by the butt of the spear, releasing a loud bang which rattled all the glassware in the pavilion. Wu Shan kicked off the spear and landed on a nearby table.
On Zhang He¡¯s cheek manifested a hair-thin wound that dripped one drop of blood the size of a pinhead.
¡°I win,¡± Wu Shan smirked. Zhang He was also smiling. Suddenly, Wu Shan saw the gash on the back of his hand dripping blood on the table.
¡°Looks like we both win, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Zhang He admitted. ¡°May I ask of your name? You were quite the match for me.¡±
¡°My name is Wu Shan. It was a good match.¡±
¡°May I ask what sect you are a member of?¡±
Wu Shan thought about the question for a moment. The village sect had no name, but it was commonly known as the Yin-Yang sect after the cultivation manuals that were being practiced inside. Wu Shan shrugged internally. That was a good a name as any.
¡°The Yin-Yang Sect.¡±
¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, Wu Shan of the Yin-Yang Sect, I have a date to return to.¡± Zhang He half bowed. Wu Shan did the same, and they both parted their ways like that.
Zhang He kept smiling all the way to the private pavilion, marvelling at the fight he had just endured. Ah, was it not a long time ago since he was equally matched with someone of his age?
Once he returned to his beautiful date, he saw her blueprint of the pagoda, finished and even coloured. It was breath-taking.
Zhang He appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her neck lovingly. ¡°What beauty you have created.¡±
¡°I know,¡± Lao Lin muttered. ¡°I¡¯d like if this Pagoda was built over there,¡± Lao Lin pointed at an area next to Zhang He. ¡°It would look beautiful, would it not?¡±
¡°Yes, yes it would.¡±
The sun was dipping beneath the horizon and soon, fireflies were abuzz, lighting the pond iridescently.
After almost hours of conversation, Lao Lin excused herself.
¡°I¡¯m certain that father would like to know where I currently am. Have a good night, Zhang He,¡± Lao Lin turned around to leave.
Zhang He was overcome with so many emotions at the same time. His usual philandering personality would grab her and pin her to the table playfully and have his way with her, with her consent of course. He would hug her from behind and whisper sweet things in her ears to make her cheeks rosier than they usually were.
But¡ he was tongue-tied. Lao Lin was just someone he could not afford to scare away. She wasn¡¯t like other girls, and that¡¯s what made her even more endearing. What he wanted to hear from her the most, he couldn¡¯t achieve that by regular means.
He needed to be told that she loves him.
Zhang He had a brilliant idea. Before she could get very far, he stood up. ¡°Lin-Lin, let me escort you to your father! It is dark, and although you are in the Inner District, anything could happen to a wandering beauty like you!¡±
Lao Lin stopped to consider his words before shaking her head. ¡°I could handle myself,¡± she informed matter-of-factly.
¡°I would still feel much better if I could accompany you. Lin-Lin. Please?¡±
Lao Lin thought about it for a moment before simply nodding. ¡°I don¡¯t see why you couldn¡¯t.¡±
Zhang He thanked the gods and ran after her, following her around like a puppy.
Chapter 9: Dragon Flight Gala
Once Wu Shan left the Water Lily Pavilion, everyone began to throw him stares, much to his confusion. Since he had little else to do after having tied with the strongest talent, he just looked for a hotel where he could sleep, not that he really needed it. He just needed to refresh his mind. A whole month of trekking was bad for the psyche.
As he entered an inn, the receptionist looked at him with disgust, spotting his clothing first as an indicator that the man had nothing to spend.
¡°Guards! Escort this gentleman out of my establishment!¡± He roared, much to Wu Shan¡¯s confusion.
¡°What did I do?¡± He asked as two burly men lifted him up before heaving him onto the street. Wu Shan sighed in disgust as he sat on top of the cobblestoned street. ¡°If it¡¯s money you need, I have a lot in my pocket!¡±
Wu Shan pulled out a golden bar, worth a hundred golden slips. The guards¡¯ eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. The receptionist behind them was also quite surprised.
Shaking his head, Wu Shan stuffed the bar in his pocket and walked someplace else, unheeding of the desperate calls from the receptionist who would remember this day for a long time.
In the next inn, Wu Shan made sure to take out a golden coin first to show the guards and the receptionist before ordering a bed.
The moment he stepped into the Inn, a pair of youths walked past the street. One wearing an outrageously high-quality dress and the other a red and black cultivator robe with a dragon crest on his chest.
Both these parties had not spotted each other.
After Wu Shan fell asleep on the bed, he woke up seven hours afterwards, with the sun. Although he knew he could have been cultivating at the time, the prospect of doing so just didn¡¯t sit right with him. Wu Shan didn¡¯t know what to do, but after taking one look at his clothing, he realized that a wardrobe change was long due.
Entering the highest quality clothing shop in the city, Wu Shan made sure to buy the most practical cultivator suit made of Ancient Tiger Fur that was both black and white. After the fitting, Wu Shan left the establishment with the aura of a rich man, and not some random hoodlum who¡¯d get thrown out of a business by the sheer virtue of showing up.
At least the clothing shop had the decency to give him the benefit of the doubt that he did have money, but nonetheless, Wu Shan couldn¡¯t blame the innkeeper 100%. Although he wouldn¡¯t do the same, he knew where he was coming from.
Wu Shan didn¡¯t miss his father just yet, and he didn¡¯t know where to find Zhang He, so he really had no idea what to do.
Walking around the Inner District aimlessly, he came across a grand gambling den. Naturally, he entered.
A group of well-dressed gentlemen seemed to be playing high stakes dice, and as such, Wu Shan felt the need to enter.
He was given around twenty gold bars inside a regular bag of holding capable of storing a large box¡¯s worth of objects that Lao Chen had found inside his two much larger bags of holding.
He placed one gold bar on the table on the game that was just beginning. ¡°Let¡¯s up the stakes, gentlemen.¡±
After several games with Wu Shan remaining victorious, one high roller had enough and outright accused him of cheating.
¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Wu Shan shook his head. ¡°These are literally just dice. How could I possibly cheat with them?¡±
¡°You must be using some cultivation spell to always make it land your number, you scoundrel. I suggest you return your winnings or face our collective wraths!¡±
¡°Funny you should-¡° Wu Shan bolted straight out of the gambling den, dodging past guards left and right, bringing along with him an additional twenty gold bars, to his endless delight.
Truth be told, Wu Shan did cheat. There was no way that one person could get their preferred number twenty times in a row. Wu Shan did notice that the dice were enchanted against tampering, but the minds of the players and spectators weren¡¯t.
Wu Shan went around the dice and affected their brains, causing them to perceive his preferred number. The Yin Phoenix Grimoire was filled with such mind tricks.
Making sure that he had shaken of his pursuers, Wu Shan heaved a sigh of relief and beamed at his prize, before feeling somewhat nauseous.
Wait¡ was this guilt? Well¡ he did steal it, but it was from sleazy business men looking to blow off steam. Who would honestly care about them losing a hair from one of their nine bulls?
No matter how much he tried to rationalize it, Lao Chen¡¯s teachings came into mind, and he felt even worse. Eventually, knowing that he would begin to feel even worse as long as he held onto the money, he rushed to the nearest orphanage and after half an hour of searching, knocked on the door and dumped the twenty gold bars right in front of it inside a ragged sack like it was some regular delivery and left without another world.
Thus, Wu Shan found himself walking around aimlessly around the streets, looking for anything that could sate his boredom.
¡°Front row tickets at three thousand wen apiece! Tickets at three thousand wen apiece, limited stock!¡±
Wu Shan looked to his right where a man stood on a soapbox, waving around bundles of wooden slips for the surrounding aristocrats to see. Deciding that it seemed interesting enough, Wu Shan approached someone in the crowd. A middle-aged woman.
¡°Excuse me, Madame, but could you inform me of what is going on?¡±
¡°Certainly. The gentleman is selling tickets for the Dragon Flight Gala. The top talents of the province under 25 are congregating to decide who is the strongest!¡±
Wu Shan got a glint in his eyes before beginning to grin slowly. Removing a few notes from his bag of holding, Wu Shan waited his turn before arriving at the ticketman and paying.
The ticket was simple enough. Time, location and an intricate stamp laden with a Qi signature was all that covered the thin, wooden slip. The festival seemed to be taking place that very night.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
With a ticket in hand, Wu Shan went to the specified location and marvelled at how the line had already formed. Without a fuss, he went to the back of the line and waited.
That day went much better than the last one. After their customary brunch at the Water Lily Pavilion, Zhang He had taken Lin-Lin to the Star Pagoda, a set of pagoda that nearly reached the stars. Although that was an exaggeration as they were all actually two li tall.
Zhang He had already seen the towers, and he saw them every day anyhow. There was no way one could miss them.
Lin-Lin, however, was awestruck. Although she knew that they were tall considering how far away they were still visible, standing at the feet of these monumental towers was a completely different thing.
If that wasn¡¯t enough, Zhang He had used his privilege as the strongest scion of the Zhang clan and the Blood Dragon Sect to take her to the top of the tallest central tower. All the way through, her eyes were wide in wonder and amazement, and Zhang He felt endlessly proud of his accomplishments.
At the top of the Pagoda was an elegant tea-house, and on the very apex of the pagoda was a small gazebo where Zhang He and Lao Lin had tea.
¡°Did you know that I have lived in this city all of my life?¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t aware,¡± Lin-Lin replied, sipping on her tea, making adorably surprised faces after each sip.
¡°I have been in this place only a few times before, and after a while, I got bored. I never seemed to be able to bring someone worth the effort to take her here. But¡ you¡¯re different. In fact, your beauty pairs perfectly with the scenery.¡±
¡°Okay,¡± Lin-Lin took another sip of her tea, seeming more transfixed on it than Zhang He¡¯s sweet words.
¡°Can I be so shameless as to make another proposal?¡± Zhang He asked.
¡°Go ahead,¡± Lin-Lin replied.
¡°As you may know, tonight is the night of the Dragon Flight Gala,¡± Zhang He began. Lin-Lin shrugged.
¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± Lin-Lin admitted. Zhang He smiled.
¡°I almost forgot. You travelled here just recently, though I assumed you came here because of it. Well, it is a grand event and one which will allow you to stand witness to true martial might. Talents from all over the province congregate to watch the spectacle unfold. As an added bonus, Imperial talent scouts disguised as regular people are being dispatched to watch. Who knows? Maybe I will be selected to join the Imperial squad of young talents: The Lotus Buds! Oh, what a fortuitous event it would be to-¡°
Zhang He looked at Lin-Lin as he monologued, stumped to see that she was barely even paying attention to him, still occupied with the tea inside the cup. With a lovely sigh, Zhang He rubbed his face. ¡°I guess I said too much. At any rate, would you care to watch me?¡±
¡°That is fine,¡± Lin-Lin nodded before gulping down the tea in one go before grimacing as she worked to process the sensory overload. Zhang He sighed.
¡°You weren¡¯t supposed to drink that in one go. It¡¯s Rainbow Tea. It has seven different flavours in every sip. Drinking it all at once is not the way to enjoy it,¡± Zhang He mumbled in a defeated tone of voice.
Several li away walked Wu Shan. To every onlooker, he seemed like a determined young master eager to get to somewhere important, dressed in fine clothing that screamed of a higher pedigree.
He was just lost.
After realizing that he didn¡¯t possess the patience to stand in a line until night time, he tried venturing elsewhere to sate his boredom. Since the Inner District seemed too safe for his taste, he tried his luck at the outer district, but what he met instead were shifty-eyed fellows either fleeing or getting too close for his tastes, but there was no way these people could steal from him-
Suddenly, his right side felt much lighter, and just as the snot-nosed child was to dart off, Wu Shan grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him up face to face.
¡°Stealing is wrong, kid. If I was anyone else, you could have died. Be more careful in the future,¡± he said as he pried open the boy¡¯s death-grip on the bag of holding and pulled it away from him.
Thankfully, the show of strength dissuaded any more would-be cutpurses from running off with his pocket money.
After ending up on a particularly shady street, he turned back, only to see a group of about a dozen masked individuals carrying ramshackle weapons such as spiked clubs, iron rods and scrap swords.
¡°Take off your clothes and hand over your bag of holding. If you do so, we will let you live, noble,¡± the leader of the group, a slender man in the middle informed in a low baritone.
¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯ll do that,¡± Wu Shan replied, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Am I being robbed?¡±
¡°No shit, noble. Do you want to die?¡± The leader asked. ¡°Most of us are at the Foundation Establishment stage. We all have at least three Dao Pillars, so even if you¡¯re on the same stage, you could die. Acquiesce.¡±
¡°Acquiesce? Did they teach you that word in bandit school?¡±
¡°This is your last chance, Noble. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡±
¡°I will not give you my items,¡± Wu Shan stated. ¡°I refuse.¡±
Not even a minute had passed and every bandit that hadn¡¯t fled for their lives were on the ground, bones broken and spirits shattered.
¡°Wow.¡± A voice from above sounded, causing Wu Shan to look upwards, towards the ledge of the rooftop just ahead. ¡° Seems like I didn¡¯t have to do anything,¡± said an androgynous voice.
From the rooftop jumped a youth no older than seventeen, slender in build while wearing rags and a conical hat. Just before reaching the ground, he rolled, dampening the impact.
¡°Are you one of the bandits?¡± Wu Shan asked warily. ¡°Because if you are-¡°
¡°Am not!¡± The boy replied in dramatic disgust. ¡°My name is Wang Chun! I have never stolen anything in my life!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think I asked for your name,¡± Wu Shan snarked before turning his back to walk away.
¡°But I know yours.¡±
Wu Shan stopped dead in his tracks.
¡°Wu,¡±
He turned his head back as fast as he could.
¡°Shan.¡±
Nothing but an empty alley lay behind him, aside from the beaten bandits. Swinging his head forward, he saw Wang Chun lean on a wall lackadaisically, bouncing a bag on his hand.
Suddenly, Wu Shan felt an apparent lightness on his right side.
¡°How do you know my name?¡± Wu Shan asked before recalling how he had given his name to Zhang He. ¡°Wait. Don¡¯t tell me. You watched me fight Zhang He, didn¡¯t you?¡±
Wang Chun smiled. ¡°Brains and brawns! You¡¯ve got the best of both worlds, Shan-Shan!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± Wu Shan replied. ¡°Please tell me what you want from me.¡±
¡°I want to know which sect you¡¯re from,¡± Wang Chun replied, a poisonous slickness evident in his voice. ¡°Do you mind telling me?¡±
¡°This again?¡± Wu Shan sighed before raising an eyebrow. ¡°Wait. You watched me fight Zhang He. You should know what sect I¡¯m from.¡±
¡°Very funny. Now tell me, what¡¯s your real sect? Who¡¯s your master?¡±
"I''m from the Tiger Cage Sect," Wu Shan lied. Wang Chun''s expression shifted from a mischevious smile to an ice-cold countenance boring through his very soul.
"Lies. I suggest you tell the truth, boy. Otherwise..." Wang Chun''s eyes told the rest of the story.
Wu Shan sighed. ¡°Who are you? Why do you need all this information? Can I have my bag of holding back?¡±
¡°I am Wang Chun. Because I want it. On one condition. Answer my questions and you¡¯ll get your bag of holding back,¡± Wang Chun ensured.
Wu Shan sighed before spilling the truth, knowing that it wouldn¡¯t be of any consequence at any rate. ¡°My sect had no official name. It was just a place where the village children were supposed to train as per the chieftain¡¯s orders. My master is my father, who also happened to be the patriarch of that sect. And the sect was colloquially known as the Yin-Yang sect by the disciples of it, though the villagers just called it ¡®The Sect¡¯. Happy?¡±
Wang Chun narrowed his eyes. ¡°What village are you from?¡±
¡°It had no name when I left,¡± Wu Shan replied, truthfully, narrowing his eyes in reciprocation.
¡°Are you a citizen of the Jade Empire?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Wang Chun tossed the bag of holding towards Wu Shan, who caught it without a hitch.
¡°You may leave, now, Shan-Shan. Sorry for the hold up,¡± Wang Chun disappeared just like that, puzzling Wu Shan.
Suddenly, the realization of what the time was dawned on him as he saw the sky darkening rapidly.
Realizing that he would not make it to the arena in time for the first few matches, Wu Shan concentrated deeply and utilized a Yin Phoenix spell: Ubiquitous gateway and erected a portal to the arena.
Opening his eyes, he saw the rift and walked through it, appearing somewhere by the line.
His arrival was a great shock to the surrounding citizens, who all deferred to him by allowing him to skip the line in its entirety.
The idea didn¡¯t sit well with Wu Shan, but he was much too hurried to be considerate.
As he approached the arching gate, Wu Shan wondered what his father was up to.
Chapter 10: Dao of Dreams
¡°I¡¯m telling you!¡± A bearded man shouted. He was on a table in the library alongside his friends and the newcomer, a bald old man with sharp, onyx eyes surrounded by wrinkled skin. ¡°There was absolutely no reason to keep them alive! Sheng Cong was only being reasonable when he slaughtered his enemies like chickens! Besides, who¡¯s to say that mercy is a strength? Mercy to your enemies is always being ruthless to yourself and your family!¡±
¡°Huh?! Huuuh?! How does that make ANY sense to you?! Why perpetuate a cycle of violence and destruction when you can be its end?! If you fuel the cycle of hatred, you¡¯re no worse than your enemies! Shen Cong would be better of being an antagonist than a protagonist! That guy is a mad man!¡± The bald old man shouted back.
¡°Please! It¡¯s not his job to end a cycle of violence! His character is good because it plays to our imperfections as humans. Sheng Cong is a protagonist we can all empathize with!¡±
¡°But sympathize with?!¡± The bald geezer shouted back. ¡°He killed all of his childhood bullies by purposefully guiding them to their demise on a mission when they were his comrades! He caused the death of an entire clan after one arrogant young master spat on him! He even went as far as to rape that young master¡¯s betrothed until her imminent mental breakdown and suicide! He¡¯s as evil as it gets!¡±
¡°Bah, they had it coming,¡± the bearded man shouted back.
Lao Chen closed his mouth and closed his eyes for a moment before considering whether it was worthwhile to educate his new reading buddies.
He hadn¡¯t ever considered that after consuming several books in the span of a night that so many bearded, wrinkled fossils would approach him regarding characterization of protagonists. It was definitely not a waste of time to trade ideologies, Lao Chen felt. It was interesting to catch a glimpse of someone else¡¯s world-view.
¡°Elder Bo Shi, please would you kindly pardon me, but did you just say that they had it coming?¡±
¡°Why, yes! The young master came from the Li clan, and they harvested the dantians of street children to bolster their own martial might! That is beyond disgusting. They deserved a million deaths.¡±
¡°What about the young master¡¯s girlfriend? Did she deserve rape?¡±
¡°She conspired to have Sheng Cong killed by poison! She deserved more than just death, and considering she was beautiful¡¡±
Lao Chen almost physically recoiled from the Elder¡¯s perverse attitude, but reminded himself that every opinion was subject to argument and that verbally attacking him for his stance was counter effective.
¡°Let¡¯s put the Li clan on a shelf for a moment. Sheng Cong¡¯s largest backer is the Du Yi Conglomerate. Where do they make most of their money?¡±
¡°From harvesting the dantians and meridians of prisoners of war, right? Before you even begin to make an argument on that point, consider how the prisoners of war are being lead by a despotic tyrant hell-bent on personal power.¡±
Lao Chen raised a finger. ¡°Warriors are not liable to what their leaders make them do, and harvesting them like livestock is beyond disgusting. In fact, the Du Yi Conglomerate is disgusting, and the way Sheng Cong- and even you for that matter- rationalize this is disgusting.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s agree to disagree, Elder Chen. I grow weary of arguing. I need some water,¡± The elder, along with his friends stood up from the table and dispersed.
¡°So close,¡± Lao Chen muttered under his breath before going back to reading his book
Not even a breath had passed before he closed it in exasperation. Gold Stone City books always happened to be the same, in almost every case. Where his usual fare of books consisted of selfless main characters that would sacrifice their own wellbeing for the greater good or use an exceedingly roundabout solution to a problem to make as many people as possible happy, the ones in this library that weren¡¯t hopelessly tedious non-fiction history books or biopics were just stories of one young boy who grew up disadvantaged, but would rise to the pinnacle of that world.
Hell, there were barely any females in these books aside from the obligatory conniving bitch, the fawning childhood friend, and family members there as a plot device for the main character to ¡®protect¡¯. Aside from family members, every other female was fair game for a love interest, and aside from being somewhat disgusting as it reflected such basic desires, it was also quite boring.
In a moment of inspiration, Lao Chen¡¯s eyes lit up. Grabbing the nearest paint brush and parchment, he concentrated for a moment before jotting down words.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Most instructional tomes and scriptures were literal and straight to the point, with the author taking great pains to write down their Dao concisely and without double-meaning. To create a scripture is to be a peerless expert in a certain Dao.
Lao Chen was not going to create a scripture or a tome. It would be a story. Not his life story or any true story at all.
A story of a boy and his ceaseless dreams. The Dao of Dreams.
And with the first swipe of his paint brush, Lao Chen broke into the realm of Dao Seeking.
¡°Ladies and gentlemen, honourable citizens of Gold Stone City, the Magistrate¡¯s family and the Blood Dragon Patriarch himself! Are we ready for this year¡¯s Dragon Flight Gala?!¡± The master of ceremonies amplified his voice using an enchanted horn, riling the crowd up from the centre of the blue-tiled arena.
Far ahead of him, on a special box elevated from the commoner¡¯s seats was the Magistrate¡¯s family and the red-haired handsome man known as the Blood Dragon Patriarch, watching the proceedings with regal calmness.
On a box further beneath them was a single pair consisting of a breathtakingly beautiful lady with strange eyes and Zhang He, the undisputed champion in his age-group, drinking tea as they, too, watched the proceedings.
¡°This year is quite the special year, as it so happens, because we have been joined by an anonymous Imperial talent scout, on the search for rising dragons, but what better place than to do it in Hong Province¡¯s very own Gold Stone City?! Younglings from all over the province have travelled far and wide to have a place in the tournament, just to show off the strength of Hong Province, and to take the necessary steps required to further their martial path! Give it up for the three hundred and forty-five youths that had managed to secure a spot in this tournament!¡±
Another round of cheering broke out. From the large arch, several lines of youths filed out, marching towards the center of the arena, taking in the adulation of the masses.
From the private box that Zhang He sat in, a figure leaped out, but it was only when he landed that people saw him. Zhang He stood in front of the youths, domineering and aggravating at the same time, causing the bloodthirsty contestants to gnash their teeth.
¡°To make sure that you all are aware of the rules, we shall have an abridged read-through. No treasures are to be used during fighting. Only weapons created with Qi are allowed. No killing shall be permitted. Minimum punishment for killing will always be disqualification, but it may escalate to fines, sanctions, imprisonment or death sentence, reviewed on a case by case basis. No cultivation base crippling allowed, either. A type 1 cultivation crippling can earn you the same penalties as killing would while a type 2 cultivation crippling would invariably result in disqualification. Other than that, no holds are barred.
¡°Round One will grant no reward upon completion. If you win Round Two, you are eligible for one Foundation Establishment Pill of your choosing, with a moderate impurity rate at 2%. Round Three victors will be rewarded with an enchanted version of any of the four major weapons, a staff, a spear, a sword or a sabre. Quarter Finals victors can pick from four treasured weapons, each half a millennium old. Semi-final winners will be rewarded with ten million wen in gold bars each while the Grand Champion of the tournament will be gifted an authentic Gold Dragon ready for taming!¡±
The crowd went wild.
¡°To begin the tournament, there needs to be sixty four people standing, regardless of how long it will take for it to happen. I wish you all luck. And with this, I commence this Dragon Flight Gala for all to see!¡±
With those words, the lined up youths leaped from each other and about fifty made a circle around Zhang He while the rest fought it out.
¡°Give it up. You might be talented, but you¡¯re far too outnumbered to survive this.¡±
One lady came forward and confronted Zhang He, who just scoffed.
¡°Come one or come all, it will make no difference,¡± Zhang He sat down and assumed a lotus position. ¡°Fight while I cultivate. You don¡¯t require my attention.¡±
¡°Incensing and sharp-tongued as always, this Zhang He!¡± The MC shouted loudly as the ring of young talents mobbed Zhang He. ¡°But does his might justify his mouth?¡±
Or at least attempted to, but the closer they got, the heavier the air they breathed became, and the harder it was for them to stand upright.
The lady who initially confronted Zhang He began to buckle under the pressure. ¡°H-how immense¡ This pressure¡¡±
From the arena seats, Wu Shan gnashed his teeth. ¡°That arrogant bastard. Why doesn¡¯t he honour those who wish to test his mettle?!¡±
Eventually, the cultivators that hadn¡¯t passed out from Zhang He¡¯s overwhelming pressure had resorted to attacking each other, fully content with the fact that only 63 of them would be able to proceed onto the first round.
Wu Shan¡¯s knuckles turned white as he pressed his fingers into a fist. Few things made him as mad as blatant disrespect, and Zhang He proved to be every bit of a spoiled young master as the stereotype went.
Just watching him sit there and cultivate! While people shed blood and put their dreams on the line to gain attention, to rise above their station, he cared not one wit about it! How- How dare he?!
¡
¡°A spectator has leaped into the fray of battle! A well dressed young noble, it would seem!¡± The MC shouted as Wu Shan walked with a brisk pace towards Zhang He. ¡°Is-Is this even legal?¡± The MC asked, looking at the crowd for affirmation. The Magistrate¡¯s private box seemed to have another guest, a cloaked and hooded figure who gave a thumbs up. Realizing that this man was probably the anonymous talent scout, the MC amended himself.
¡°This seems to be going according to agenda, folks! Everybody give it up for our hidden dragon who just joined us!¡±
The crowd cheered as Wu Shan brought himself closer to Zhang He with every step. Once he was a tenth of a li away from him, he could feel the subtle repulsive force of Zhang He¡¯s pressure, but decided to disregard it completely.
Picking up his pace, he began to jog lightly, which turned into a fully-fledged sprint as Wu Shan bulldozed through the trifling pressure.
Mere fractions of a moment before Wu Shan could kick Zhang He, the arrogant noble¡¯s eyes popped open in urgency, untangling his legs and lying flat with his back against the ground to dodge. Zhang He looked up at the face of the man who was strong enough to attack him, and rejoiced to see Wu Shan¡¯s furious rictus.
Chapter 11: Round One: Su Chen Vs Wu Shan
Wu Shan leaped back before dropping his bag of holding which he had brought along to the arena. Utilizing Yang Arms and Yang Fist, he created a pair of gauntlets that reached up to his shoulders and enforced the muscles on his leg.
Calming his mind, he watched as his opponent summoned a spear and twirled it before assuming a stance.
Wu Shan waited for no one. He bounded forwards, letting sheer momentum be his propulsion as he aimed a fist at Zhang He, who pointed his spear to block.
Wu Shan, in the nick of time, used Yang Arms to create a staff which he used to vault over Zhang He. While airborne, Wu Shan used Yang Aegis on his feet to create a platform to kick down from, nailing Zhang He flat on his head, destroying it and reducing it to a cloud of blood instead of water, much to Wu Shan¡¯s shock.
In the nick of time, he managed to recover, knowing that his opponent was crafty enough to take advantage of his apprehension to kill.
Wu Shan erected a Yang Aegis on his back, and the clank of metal on metal-like substance proved his suspicion.
Wu Shan turned around and collapsed his Yang Aegis before grabbing a hold of the spear, reeling Zhang He inwards, but much to his surprise, Zhang He let go of the spear and summoned another one and used it to attack Wu Shan. Reflexively, Wu Shan brought his spear to block, but it disintegrated harmlessly as Zhang He¡¯s spear made contact with it.
¡°Phoenix bomb!¡±
In the last moment, Wu Shan released a tiny, compact phoenix bomb which blew both him and Zhang He backwards, but as he was closer to the blast, Zhang He was more damaged as a result.
Wu Shan admonished himself, lamenting over the fact that the battles have been so close as of late. Zhang He truly wasn¡¯t a weakling after all.
¡°Come to play, Wu Shan?¡± Zhang He sneered. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I am happy that you¡¯re here. At least now I may be able to entertain my Lin-Lin.¡± Zhang He pointed towards her, but Wu Shan¡¯s eyes were trained on him, refusing to divert for anything.
Wu Shan bristled in readiness, fingers flashing about in a furious hurricane of gestures. Yang Arms and Yang Fist stretched to the limit of his Qi capacity, Phoenix bombs were flying about, ready to detonate upon contact and a giant black dragon created from Dragon Trail, ready to be released on Zhang He.
In reciprocation, he also brought out his wild cards, throwing his spear in the air and letting it combust to form a fiery-red dragon that dripped boiling hot blood from itself, circling around Zhang He like a mother protects its child.
Wu Shan waited for no one. Neither did Zhang He.
¡°Sixty four contestants remain standing! Congratulations, rising dragons! You will be able to participate in the tournament!¡±
Wu Shan and Zhang He both stopped, deactivating their techniques, letting the unused Qi return back into their dantians.
Wu Shan went to fetch his bag of holding before he sat down and crossed his legs, replenishing his Dantian in a raging cyclone of Yin and Yang Qi.
Around him, hundreds of downed youths were being treated for all sorts of injuries, but there seemed to be no crippling, killings or disqualifications, bringing some peace of mind to Wu Shan.
About a quarter of an hour had passed before the defeated were cleared. The MCs voice once more boomed across the arena as a projection of the tournament bracket appeared in the sky.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°We shall begin with round. Contestants will have to win six of their matches in order to win the Tournament! One loss equals one elimination. Every match is best of one, and if two contestants happen to fall simultaneously, the victor will be decided on a point-based system, and if there is still a tie, the winner will be decided with whoever has the lowest cultivation base, as that contestant would undoubtedly be more talented!¡±
¡°Round one will begin shortly, with each subsequent round being allocated for the next night. The finals will be in the sixth day of the Dragon Flight Gala, so stay with us until then, good citizens!¡±
Wu Shan looked for his name, and found it on some inconspicuous corner of the right side of the bracket. To his dissatisfaction, Zhang He¡¯s name was on the opposite end of the bracket, meaning that they would only meet if they both made it to the finals.
A few masked men hopped into the arena, barking out orders to the contestants to group up. Wu Shan sighed before complying, knowing that he was a part of this farcical tournament whether he wanted it or not.
Once the youths had grouped up, all the masked men gestured at once, warping them someplace else inside a non-descript waiting-room with long tables of food and delicacies.
There was a timer on the wall, and beneath the timer were the names of two combatants.
While a majority of the youthful contestants were munching away and replenishing their health before being called, a select few were simply seated on the floor, gathering energies from Heaven and Earth, furthering their own cultivation bases.
Wu Shan asked one of the masked guardians if his bag of holding would be safe from theft, to which he was assured that it was. Thus, he felt safe leaving it in the room once he was to fight.
Wu Shan was concentrating on his skills. From his two prior tussles with Zhang He, one thing was abundantly clear. Even with an inferior cultivation base, the man had technique much more advanced than his own.
The tension in the room was almost palpable. Few people would even stay at a radius of a dozen meters near an opponent. Fighting inside the waiting room was strictly prohibited, but that didn¡¯t stop the young contestants from suspecting each other.
At any rate, they were to fight each other at some point. That was of no surprise, and it would be a small wonder if the person you just socialised with turned to be your opponent.
Wu Shan knew his own by name. A certain Su Chen. Wu Shan vowed to give the fight his all and be graceful in victory as well as in his possible defeat.
Once two contestants were called out, only one would return victorious while the loser would be given quality spots on the tribunes.
Finally, after nearly everyone had finished their matches, it was time for Wu Shan to fight Su Chen.
The two contestants were warped out of the waiting room and into their own corner of the arena.
¡°On the west side of the arena, we have our immaculately-dressed hidden dragon, the surprise contestant that duelled Zhang He to a stand-still! Wuuu Shaaan!¡±
The crowd was split between boos and cheers. While the masses did love young talents, that was a completely different story when a young talent happened to be able to rival their young talent. Most Gold Stone City dwellers didn¡¯t take kindly to the fact that their little Blood Dragon patriarch were being challenged.
¡°On the east side of the arena, hailing from the Iron Gong Mountains, we have the scourge of Mount West Tiger! Suuu Cheeen!¡±
Su Chen glared daggers at Wu Shan, who only stared back with silent resolution.
¡°Three!¡±
Wu Shan formulated his plan of action.
¡°Two!¡±
Decided which techniques to use.
¡°One!¡±
Prepared to gesture.
¡°Go!¡±
Yang Arms, Yang Fists, Phoenix Wings.
Before Su Chen could activate his first technique, Wu Shan rushed him, bounding forwards with the increased strength and speed granted to him by Yang Fists and Phoenix Wings, flapping forwards.
In the nick of time, Su Chen erected a transparent Qi barrier¡
¡Which shattered upon impact with Wu Shan¡¯s fist. The fist continued, uninterrupted towards Su Chen¡¯s face, who flew dozens of meters back, digging a trench through the arena before stopping, broken and bleeding.
A medic hopped into the arena to assess the grievously injured Su Chen, and Wu Shan held his breath, scolding himself furiously for allowing himself to almost kill his opponent.
He really should learn how to hold back.
The medic stood up and gave a thumbs up, prompting the MC to action.
¡°And the winner is our surprise contestant, Wuuu Shaaaan!¡±
The boos slowly began to turn into cheers as Wu Shan raised his fist in the air, celebrating the victory.
A masked guardian appeared in front of him and warped them both back into the waiting room.
Wu Shan¡¯s domineering pose struck a chord deep within the waiting contestants, but nobody murmured or whispered. Such was the tension in the room.
Deciding that he did enough, Wu Shan laid on the ground and used his bag of holding like a pillow and fell asleep.
Alchemy 101: The Essence Flame
¡°Ah, Lin-Lin. How was today¡¯s first round? Better yet, how was my fighting? Wasn¡¯t I extraordinary?¡± Zhang He gushed over himself as he took a swig of an elaborately-designed wine glass.
This time, they were not having a date in the Water Lily Pavilion, but rather the Gold Stone Lounge, the Magistrate¡¯s personal guest-house where they were invited to dine along with Zhang¡¯s friends and their girlfriends.
¡°For your level, you seem quite powerful to be able to almost defeat that idiot,¡± Lin-Lin affirmed as she tried to sip the wine sparingly, afraid to have a repeat of the Rainbow Tea.
Zhang He shifted slightly. ¡°There¡¯s no need to insult him on my behalf. Wu Shan is a powerful warrior deserving of everyone¡¯s respect, including mine and yours,¡± Zhang He said with a slight scowl which eased upon looking at Lin-Lin¡¯s beauty.
¡°Wu Shan isn¡¯t weak, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Lin-Lin nodded. ¡°But he¡¯s still a bit of an idiot on the best of days.¡±
Zhang He raised an eyebrow. ¡°You know him?¡±
¡°Well, he¡¯s my-¡±
¡°Zhang, Zhang!¡± One of his friends came with a tiny arm-sized chest. Lin-Lin couldn¡¯t for the life of her remember his, or any of Zhang He¡¯s friends¡¯ names. In fact, she truly had no idea why she was still hanging out with Zhang He. The novelty of his clothing wore off pretty quickly, and he had already showed her a multitude of tourist attractions within the city, enough to occupy her mind for a long time.
¡°What is it, Feng?¡± Zhang looked up crossly before seeing the chest.
¡°It¡¯s a gift from my grandfather! He seemed to have bet on your victory against that Wu Shan monster come the finals!¡±
¡°What¡¯s inside the chest?¡± Zhang He¡¯s interest was piqued sufficiently. Any gift from Feng Yi, the Provincial Alchemist was sure to be something fairly valuable. Feng Shen kneeled and opened the chest slowly, revealing the three pills.
¡°Three pills that contain 0.0021% pill impurities. Dao Consolidation Pill, Qi Purification Pill and Cloud Eater Pill, all useful during the Foundation Establishment stage. Please accept them as a token of goodwill!¡±
Zhang He scratched his chin in consideration while Lin-Lin stared at the pills in complete astonishment.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Zhang He noticed the longing stares and grinned as he came up with a masterful plan to win her heart.
¡°I¡¯d like to accept them. Please convey my gratitude to your grandfather, Grandmaster Feng Yi,¡± Zhang He said, accepting the long chest and placing it on the table as Feng Shen departed.
¡°I¡¯d like to gift you these three pills in order to further your cultivation.¡±
Lin-Lin phased out after hearing ¡®I¡¯d like to gift you these¡¯ and grabbed the Dao Consolidation Pill, looking around at it.
¡°What a strange object¡¡± Lin-Lin murmured. ¡°It¡¯s not a Dantian or a magical beast core or even a demon core, yet it retains this amount of Qi¡ How would you even begin to create such an object?¡±
Zhang He raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you not know what a pill is?¡±
Lin-Lin shook her head. ¡°What is it?¡±
Zhang He sighed. ¡°I¡¯m not an alchemist, so I can only bastardize the true meaning. It is basically the essence of Qi-cultivating herbs and other heavenly minerals that have been melded together by an Essence Flame to create this pill. The pill impurity is low and can be erased after a few weeks of diligent refinement, so it¡¯s safe for you to have it.¡±
¡°An Essence Flame?¡± Lin-Lin asked. ¡°What is that?¡±
¡°When one steps into the stage of Core Formation, they will automatically be assigned an affinity or two based on the kind of Qi they have cultivated, ranging between Fire, Wood, Metal, Water and Earth, and whatever their innate element might be. An Essence Flame can only occur when one has received dual affinities of Fire and Wood and have the innate element for fire, water and earth. As such, the probabilities of someone being born with all the required traits are exceedingly rare and if one is tested to be positive of Alchemy traits, cultivators from all over the world won¡¯t hesitate to fund your growth.¡±
Lin-Lin paused for a moment to concentrate deeply, introspecting.
She possessed a Golden Core, purified by her father for nine days and nine nights. She was created from all the natural Qi types with both Yin and Yang natured Qi to balance her out. In theory, she should possess every affinity.
Concentrating deeper, she entered into her Dantian. In a void of black, one pulsating golden orb lay in the centre of the vast infinity.
Around the orb, in equal intervals stood five braziers. Each brazier had a resplendent flame gushing out of it. One red, one green, one white, one yellow and one black. The five elements of creation.
Deeper still, within the Golden Core was a figure that looked exactly like Lin-Lin.
She recognized it to be her pseudo-soul. She, too, was surrounded by over half a dozen differently-coloured lights.
Blue, yellow, green, red, orange, violet, Indigo. These were the colours that surrounded her soul, and these were her innate elements. Water, light, wind, fire, earth, lightning and darkness.
She qualified to become an Alchemist, plus so much more.
Returning herself back to conscience, Zhang He was waiting with a patient smile. ¡°Look who decided to wake up?¡±
¡°I can become an alchemist.¡± Lin-Lin stated resolutely.
¡°I believe in you,¡± Zhang He smiled.
¡°No. I mean, I can actually become an alchemist! All I need is an Essence Flame to get started¡¡±
Zhang He raised an eyebrow, but with a crooked grin, he nodded.. ¡°Uhm¡ okay, work hard, Lin-Lin. I¡¯m supportive of you.¡±
Chapter 12: The Bipolar Princess
Her name was Shao Lei and her story was a confounding one.
When she set out from her hometown in an obscure corner of the Hong Province in search for fortune, she never expected to be captured and raped by a bandit gang before getting kidnapped to be used over and over again as some reusable towel.
She never expected to live every day dreading the next, being beaten into a miscarriage every time it was apparent that she was pregnant. She never expected to go through such a hellish experience, but she also never expected to be rescued by some legendary cultivator who took her under her wing and nurtured her back to health and into top form, granting her access to all sorts of techniques and treasured cultivation methods.
She never expected that she would be important enough to take part in a Dragon Flight Gala, either, battling it out alongside several hundred of her age mates, securing herself a spot in the first round, then defeating her opponent in single combat.
What she should have expected, however, was to be ambushed on her way to her lodgings in the outer district by a group of masked bandits carrying ridiculously shabby weapons.
Shao Lei wasn¡¯t one to underestimate herself, but they all exuded the aura of someone of Foundation Establishment, and she was far too outnumbered to let quality make a difference over quantity.
A cold pit grew inside Shao Lei, seeping into her limbs as the masked bandits leered at her. She knew that her possessions wouldn¡¯t be enough. She was sure that they¡¯d take an extra step further and have their way with her like those bastards did all those years ago.
And she was going to relive that all because she was too damn careless. She knew she had it coming. The world wasn¡¯t merciful towards stupid people like her. Stupid, stupid, stupid people like her.
¡°Goddamn, was I close to vomiting, but hey. At least I found y¡¯all,¡± A voice sounded from behind her. Shao Lei looked behind herself to find Wu Shan, the surprise contestant that made himself known by matching Zhang He in strength.
The bandits were scared stiff by him, faltering visibly, but before they could run away, Wu Shan gestured in the span of a breath, sending out a malicious wave of ill intent, disabling the hapless bandits, making them all collapse on the ground.
¡°Damn. Mind Rending sure doesn¡¯t take prisoners,¡± he whistled. He looked down to see the terrified Shao Lei. ¡°Are you alright? Did they do something to you?¡± Wu Shan reached forward to assess her, but before she could control herself, she flinched backwards, her eyes trained on him like a prey facing a predator, wide-eyed and ready to spring back at a moment¡¯s notice.
¡°Easy there. Well, if you¡¯re safe, you can head right out. There aren¡¯t any more bandits around,¡± and with that, Wu Shan occupied himself by stacking the pile of unconscious bandits up before gesturing intensely, creating a rift in the space, dumping the unconscious bodies through it, then at last entering it.
Finally, Shao Lei was alone in the darkly lit street.
She did not expect any of that at all. She still had a long way to go after all.
--
After delivering the bandit gang to the local law enforcement, Wu Shan decided to utilize his day to find more thieving groups within the city to apprehend. He didn¡¯t particularly want to sleep, and neither did he want to waste away the night on some pavilion eating delicacies.
Instead, he decided to help out by cleaning out the dark streets of crime. Gold Stone City was vast, so there was no shortage of gangs waiting inside narrow alleyways to rob you of everything you owned.
After his sixth trip to the guard barracks that night, the head captain of the Gold Stone City Guard came to personally thank him for his service to the city, and once word of his actions reached the ears of commoners, and consequently the contestants, the night was crawling with young talents battling gangs and cleaning the city up.
Before dawn broke, every cutpurse within the city had temporarily closed down business, and the Gold Stone City Jail was stuffed with thieves all awaiting trials.
And like that, Wu Shan became single-handedly responsible for reducing crime rates in the outer district by an immense margin, but truly, he only thought that he was doing the minimum required to justify his existence in the city.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
To the other young masters and contestants, he was just showing off and attempting to psyche them out before the second round that night. Public opinion of him dropped considerably because of that.
Wu Shan really didn¡¯t mind. Or more accurately, he wasn¡¯t aware of what people thought of him, but even if he was, he wouldn¡¯t mind. Having decided that he could forgive himself for the transgression of not having turned in the bandit group that accosted him the other night, he decided to head back to some random inn to rest and recover.
--
With thirty-two contestants eliminated the night before, half the number remained to fight during the second round of the Dragon Flight Gala, but because leaving before the Gala concluded was bad form, the contestants still remained in the city.
And the majority of them could be found in the Dragon Flight Pavilion, drinking or debating hotly.
¡°-I¡¯m tellin¡¯ you that bastard Wu Shan ain¡¯t normal,¡± rambled Su Chen to his drunken audience of losers. ¡°Not even a breath had gone by, and this eldritch horror with pitch-black wings arrived in front of me and punched through my shield-technique like it was rice paper. That guy¡¯s a monster.¡±
¡°Hah! There¡¯s no arguing that! Guy went toe-to-toe with the predicted winner of the whole shebang. He¡¯s a monster. Especially how he started hunting thieves at night for the sheer fun of it,¡± one shuddered.
¡°I heard the thieves he attacked were so shaken, some still haven¡¯t awoken yet. What a ferocious man!¡±
While the losers drank their sorrows away, Shao Lei sat on a far corner of the bar, sipping her wine with shaking hands.
¡°Stupid, stupid, stupid¡± She admonished herself. She was so overtaken by fear back then, she neglected to remember that she had a multitude of movement techniques that could have gotten her out of danger, but she wasn¡¯t even thinking.
Her mind was gripped by fear and foreboding, like she never left that accursed bandit den. Her master gave her a new lease on life, and is that how she would use it? Too stupid to even run away?
¡°Dammit!¡± Shao Lei¡¯s mind was a whirlwind of emotions. If it wasn¡¯t enough that she had a near brush with depraved bandits, Wu Shan was something completely different.
Shao Lei¡¯s mind would always flash back to his towering figure glaring daggers at the bandits, releasing a wave of grotesque and terrifying intent.
To think he would be her next opponent.
Not only did she seem weak in front of bandits, now the bastard would take her for some damsel in distress and either mock her or go easy on her.
Both outcomes were enough to almost make her vomit.
Her master¡¯s words would always flash back in her mind, however.
¡°Men that go easy on you or gloat are the ideal target, because they will never know what hit them,¡± she repeated silently, under her breath. If Wu Shan decided to go easy on her, she would capitalize. No questions about it
But¡ she heard the stories of what happened to Su Chen. Defeated in half a breath, utterly, in fact. The medics went as far as to say that he was in critical condition at some point during his healing, but as he wasn¡¯t cultivation crippled, he bounced back easily enough.
What if Wu Shan decided to use the same amount of force, and she was caught unawares? What if, instead of her face, he hit her Dantian, shattering it like porcelain? What was to become of her? Would she become a lowly servant whose future is at the harem of some young master? Would she be kidnapped by another bandit gang seeking to release their sexual urges on her again? What about her master? Would she throw Shao Lei aside and take a new disciple?
¡°Dammit!¡± Shao Lei yelled, her voice echoing around the room, silencing everyone mid-laughter. Shao Lei turned red and looked at the bar counter, wide-eyed.
¡°What¡¯s the matter with her?¡± She heard someone whisper.
¡°If I recall correctly, that¡¯s Shao Lei, the Cloud Dragon Matriarch¡¯s direct disciple. She¡¯s matchin¡¯ up against Wu Shan.¡±
¡°Wow. Shit outta luck, eh?¡±
Shao Lei¡¯s ears began to ring, drowning out the sounds of silent jeers as she closed her eyes. Those were all losers bitter about being eliminated so swiftly. They couldn¡¯t hold a candle against Shao Lei. They wouldn¡¯t dare fight her with their trifling abilities.
They were insignificant.
Shao Lei repeated the mantra in her mind several dozen times, calming her heart gradually.
Opening her eyes, she stood up from her chair and roared.
¡°I dare every one of you miserable punks to fight me, all on one! You¡¯ll see if it¡¯s me who¡¯ll lose against that Wu Shan!¡±
The hot-blooded young men growled and bristled, getting up from their chairs, sobering up with Qi as they glared at her.
¡°Apologize, you worthless wench! Maybe then I¡¯ll feel inclined to only give you a spank-¡±
Shao Lei appeared right under the young loser and kicked upwards, closing the boy¡¯s mouth shut, clipping of the tip of his tongue in the process. Before he could even process what occurred, Shao Lei jabbed him half a dozen times in several different points in his body, causing him to writhe on the floor in sheer agony.
And thus the bar fight broke out.
Youths came in droves, aiming to overwhelm her, but Shao Lei¡¯s jabs and light steps were unmatched, allowing her to dance circles around the youths, temporarily disabling their Qi circulation with succinct stabs of her fingers.
Chairs and tables were broken by the sheer weight of dozens of youths stacked on top of them in bleeding heaps, and not a single loser remained to test Shao Lei anymore.
With loud pants, she sat on a bar stool and looked at her hand. These losers were as strong, if not stronger than those bandits, and yet it was so easy.
She really didn¡¯t have anything to fear, did she? No¡ she didn¡¯t. Nothing to fear at all.
¡°Wu Shan. I¡¯m ready.¡±
Chapter 13: Round Two: Bipolar Princess Vs Storm Fist
While Lao Chen explored his Dao through his authoring and Lao Lin explored her various innate elements and affinities to create an Essence Flame, Wu Shan prepared to battle.
The cold waiting room contained less than half the people from the night before, as the contestants who were eliminated didn¡¯t return to the room.
Wu Shan hadn¡¯t taken a single look at the tournament bracket after he found out that his rival was on the opposite end of it and who his immediate opponent was, which was all the information he really needed, although a seed of doubt was planted in his mind after meditating on his rivalry with Zhang He. Why was it so important for him to fight him?
Wu Shan didn¡¯t carry a lot of pride, so it didn¡¯t come as a major shock to him that he just wanted a friend and someone he could spar against. That was fine, really.
Regardless, Zhang He did carry an air of arrogance which needed correction. While posturing was well and good, if it came at the expense of others, was it worth it? Wu Shan didn¡¯t think so.
Suddenly, without warning, Wu Shan¡¯s seated form teleported into the Arena, opposite his opponent, the same short and lithe girl from the night before that faced off against those bandits.
Although¡ it wasn¡¯t actually the same girl.
The girl from the night before was skittish and scared out of her wits. The girl from yesterday almost seemed like she was going to break down into a crying mess. Wu Shan genuinely thought he saved her from the bandits.
Turns out, he might have saved the bandits from her. Shaking his head, Wu Shan donned a serious expression, expelling any form of doubt. The warrior before him was capable of pulling her own weight plus much more.
¡°On the West Corner, we have the Hidden Dragon, elected as the predicted winner of the right bracket! Give it up for ¡®Storm Fist¡¯ Wu Shan!¡±
The crowd cheered wildly, and after a few breaths, the MC continued on, announcing his opponent.
¡°On the East Corner, we have our springy arrow from the North Woods, who reputedly defeated 24 of the losing contestants at the same time the night before! Let¡¯s hear it for the ¡®Bipolar Princess¡¯, Shao Lei!¡±
¡°On ¡®go¡¯, the match shall begin! You know the rules, contestants! Three¡!¡±
Wu Shan assumed a stance. Shao Lei did the same.
¡°Two¡!¡±
Wu Shan formulated a plan of action.
¡°One¡!¡±
She readied to bound forwards.
¡°Go!¡±
Wu Shan readied a flurry of attacks while Shao Lei wasted no time dashing ahead, creating imprints on the ground with every step she took, deceptively heavy despite her apparent grace.
He summoned his gauntlets and prepared to handle her close combat, fully aware that he was faster than her if pushed to his limits.
Thus Wu Shan and Shao Lei exchanged fists, blocking and punching too fast for mortal eyes, or even their own for that matter, to follow.
With boosted strength from Yang Fists, Wu Shan pressed forwards with a straight, intent on breaking through her guard, but to his surprise, she let the fist fly after some resistance by falling backwards, but on her fall, she managed to kick him in his mid-section.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
With a smirk, she bounded backwards.
Wu Shan felt nauseous. ¡°P-poison?¡± He muttered under his breath. Shao Lei had no time to entertain his queries, so she bided her time on a distance, observing closely.
Wu Shan began to feel a dreading sense of impotence wash over him as the point in his mid-section began to clog up his meridians. With a great mental effort, Wu Shan purged the impurities clogging his meridians while concentrating on Shao Lei, who for some reason let him do it.
Wu Shan banished all doubts and went all out from there. Or perhaps was it his doubt that drove him to going all out?
Wu Shan didn¡¯t care at that moment. Pushing his cultivation base to his near limit, he expended 70% of both his Yin and Yang Qi on both an impregnable, yet flexible Qi armour. A giant black dragon slithered around him while several dark phoenixes floated next to him, prepared to explode at the drop of a hat.
Shao Lei frowned as Wu Shan directed each Phoenix Bomb one by one to explode in her location. They were fast, almost as fast as her, and when two were deployed at the same time, she lost precious seconds to dodge the third one, scalding her skin and sending her into waves of pain. Wu Shan held back on using dragon trail, instead simply leaping forwards to finish Shao Lei off after pelting her.
Despite her weakened state, Shao Lei reacted swiftly, parrying Wu Shan¡¯s hits and dodging his kicks, barely keeping up in the process.
While defeat seemed imminent, Wu Shan lost himself in the movements, reacting mechanically as he eased in on victory.
A stab of pain from his back rocked Wu Shan out of his reverie. Wu Shan swung his head back to see another person that looked just like Shao Lei.
Wu Shan channelled more Qi into his Yang Fist and swung towards the duplicate who, upon impact with his fist, dispersed into white and fluffy clouds.
¡®Just like Zhang He!¡¯ Wu Shan¡¯s eyelids widened at the thought as he leaped back to get a better view of the bigger picture.
His back hurt. Moreso, the very Qi running through his meridians burned him like liquid fire, sending waves of pain into his mind, inadvertently sharpening his wits to maximum capacity.
Shao Lei waved her arms around gracefully, dancing on the spot as her hands began to ooze out clouds which began to tangle into a curled pillar-like structure.
The clouds began to take shape, and in the stead of clouds, a wispy white dragon stood.
The dragon coiled around a couple of times before, without warning, charged at Wu Shan, who in turn aimed his fist at the head.
The dragon¡¯s head connected with his fist, and provided no resistance as it harmlessly let his fist dig into it, causing him to overbalance and stumble forwards. The cloud dragon had completely encompassed Wu Shan, now, and despite its intangibility, his movements began to grow slower and slower as it felt like he was swimming through quagmire.
Shao Lei wasted no time as she leaped forwards and created two cloud clones. Once the two reached his soaring form, one jabbed at his stomach while another jabbed at his chest. The third hit his forehead.
Once done, Shao Lei called back her Cloud Dragon construction and reabsorbed her clones.
Wu Shan wobbled up slowly, glaring daggers at Shao Lei. His cultivation base felt rigid, as though it was incapable of pushing Qi through his meridians.
But, his Qi had a high purity level. It could erase meridian clogs, but it would be painful. While Shao Lei finished her gloating and closed in slowly, but menacingly, Wu Shan gave it his all, pushing the remaining Qi in his Dantian into all of his rusted meridians, eliciting a pained scream of pure agony the likes of which he had never felt before, halting Shao Lei in her steps for a mere second.
After almost ten seconds of agonizing pain, Shao Lei was in leaping distance with him, and he regained use of his Dantian.
Just as Shao Lei jumped forwards for a coup de grace, he erected a Yang Aegis, causing her fist to crunch painfully onto the transparent barrier. Wu Shan gave her no chance to scream in pain as he unravelled the barrier and delivered a devastating punch in the liver, but before she could hit the ground, he punched her in the face.
Again.
And also again for good measure.
Shao Lei was down for the count and the winner stood tall. Once a medic hopped down to assess the state of his opponent, he raised two thumbs-up.
¡°The ¡®Storm Fist¡¯ has won the match!¡± Wu Shan raised his fist in the air, his mind still addled with the aftertaste of sheer agony keeping his legs rooted. He refused to look at his downed foe. She was worthy.
Once he was teleported back into the waiting room, a wildfire of murmurs broke out, too low for Wu Shan to hear, but even if he could, he wouldn¡¯t. His mind was still on high alert after all.
Sitting in a corner, he cleared out the remaining impurities within his meridians, cursing softly under his breath as he stifled his pained grunts.
Chapter 14: Define Allegiance
Lin-Lin was beginning to feel strange about the whole situation. It was clear that Zhang He had designs on her. Although she never reciprocated her feelings, she still did consent to being taken on various dates across the City, to places she would never forget, but she was unable to love Zhang He.
She could love, but Zhang He wasn¡¯t someone that she could. Aside from his philandering personality, she was more devoted to her father than Zhang He. She knew that the moment she consented to being bound to him, she would never have the right to leave Lao Chen¡¯s side again, and it wasn¡¯t an intimidating thought at all. In fact, she relished the opportunity.
She knew that her and Zhang He wouldn¡¯t love each other, but at the end of the day, he had things she wanted, such as access to the deepest library levels of the Blood Dragon Sect, a place which he agreed to take her after the Second Round concluded with his one-sided battle against some ¡°no-name country hick¡± as he would have put it.
On the top of a ladder, she sat and read an alchemist tome. At this point, she had learned about several dozen different Essence Flames and how to command them.
An Essence Flame was the most important part of Alchemy because after hacking and dicing and crushing the ingredients, the impurities of Earth needed to be burned out, and only an Essence Flame could burn these impurities.
Everyone¡¯s Essence Flame was different, but their power depended on three factors. Understanding of a certain Dao, as the alchemist¡¯s chosen Dao reflects largely on what kind of Flame it would become. The second factor was level of cultivation, obviously enough, as the Essence Flame depended on Qi output.
The third, and final factor was Qi purity.
What was Qi purity? Although she was sure that she was never born with any impurities, she still wanted to know what they were. Purity was the complete absence of impurities, but what where they? Undesirable black lumps existing within the body, only to be dispersed the higher one¡¯s cultivation reaches?
After reading multiple tomes on the subject, she understood that Qi was Heaven, all else was Earth. Heaven is divine and pure. Earth is degraded and impure. Humans are children of Earth and are born with the qualities of Earth; impure and degraded beings destined to suffer. Qi was Heaven¡¯s relief, but even it couldn¡¯t truly erase all the impurities Earth¡¯s children were created with, because while a body could be purified, the soul was a fixed construct of Heaven and Earth. At the very least, that¡¯s the popular consensus.
Quite opposite most beginner alchemists, her issues didn¡¯t lie with the second or third factor. She was a Core Formation Expert with no way forward (unless she created her own Nascent Soul, an idea she liked to play with) that drew strength directly from her father who just broke into the realm of Dao Seeking. Her cultivation base had plenty of Qi to draw from, and she was not a creature of Earth, as her father had created her as a Heavenly being made of pure Qi.
The Dao was the only thing that was lost on her. Her father sought the Dao of Dreams, but she wasn¡¯t sure on what hers would be. By his own admission, his father was a dreamer and that was where his passions lay.
All she needed was to find her Dao, meditate on what she wanted her Essence Flame to burn and she would become an Alchemist, capable of creating the most fragrant of pills.
Ah, wouldn¡¯t that be a beauty to behold?
¡°Do you do anything that can¡¯t be considered boring?¡± An androgynous voice called out to her, causing her to furrow her eyebrows in annoyance.
On top of the shelf, right above her sat a dark-haired young boy dressed in nothing memorable, smiling deceptively.
¡°What¡¯s your issue?¡± she asked.
¡°Oooh, a feisty one,¡± he replied. ¡°Just wondering why you aren¡¯t fighting in the Gala is all. You do realize we need as many young talents as possible.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve got no talent, stranger. I know my own limits,¡± she replied as she diverted her eyes back to her book.
¡°See, now that¡¯s a lie,¡± The voice came from below her now. There was no one at the top of the book shelf. The youth was leaning on the ladder. ¡°I can show you why that¡¯s a lie.¡±
With a flick of his finger, the ladder rocked to the side and toppled along with her. She stopped herself from flying just in the nick of time, letting herself fall and hit the ground gracelessly. Luckily, the blue dress that she wore was made from the silk of a magical beast, so it did not suffer any damage.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Getting up on her feet, she glared at the youth. ¡°Why is that a lie?¡±
¡°Because you¡¯re still standing, princess,¡± the youth cackled. ¡°Now, tell me. Your brother¡¯s out fightin¡¯ the good fight while you¡¯re out and about leading on young masters. Between the End of the World and the Azure Empire knocking on our door, we¡¯ve got a lot on our hands. Don¡¯t you feel at all guilty for slacking?¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that the Dragon Flight Gala was to occur until after the fact,¡± she admitted truthfully. ¡°And unlike my brother, I had neither the thick skin nor the inclination to jump right into the arena, and I do believe the age limit for entering is sixteen, is it not?¡±
The youth raised an eyebrow, stupefied at her words. ¡°Wait¡ You ain¡¯t sixteen?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not answering your questions any longer. Now, I¡¯d love if you could tell me why you know all this. Begin with your name, intruder.¡±
With a bright smile, he began his introduction. ¡°Name¡¯s Wang Chun. Just a fan boy wanting to take a closer look at my prize horse¡¯s family. Now, how old are you actually?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sixteen or older. That¡¯s all you need to know. Now, begone,¡± with a wave of ill intent, Wang Chun hopped backwards several dozen meters, all the way until the end of the aisle.
¡°Dao Seeking?¡± Wang Chun whispered under his breath. ¡°An empty Dao?¡±
With a neutral expression, Wang Chun hopped forward again, towards her, this time much more carefully.
¡°What does this city have for a Dao Seeker like you to desire?¡± He asked.
¡°You still ask questions, Wang Chun?¡± she frowned.
With a hesitant sigh, Wang Chun stuck out his tongue downwards, flattening it so a marking could be visible.
A ¡°Óñ¡± mark within a coiled dragon was tattooed on his tongue in luminescent green the colour of green jade. The symbol for Jade.
¡°Servant of the Emperor greets Dao Seeker,¡± he said, clasping his hands in a salute. ¡°I ask questions on the behalf of The One Under Heaven.¡±
Lin-Lin sighed. ¡°Have we done anything to provoke the Emperor?¡±
¡°Not as of yet,¡± Wang Chun admitted. ¡°Now, if you would answer.¡±
¡°We¡¯re out on an adventure. Gold Stone City simply caught our eyes first.¡±
¡°Is your allegiance to the Emperor?¡± Wang Chun asked.
¡°Define allegiance,¡± she narrowed her eyes.
¡°Are you willing to kill for him, or die if it comes to that?¡±
¡°Then, no.¡± She responded swiftly. ¡°It is not.¡±
Wang Chun sighed. ¡°B-but¡ you are not willing to act against the Emperor, right?¡±
¡°Depends. As of now, no,¡± Lin-Lin responded truthfully.
Wang Chun swallowed. ¡°Thank you for your time, Dao Seeker. Now¡ if you mind me asking; how old are you really?¡±
¡°Go.¡±
Wang Chun did.
--
There was nothing normal about this situation at all for the Inquisitor.
Wang Chun was not very certain of anything at the moment. On one hand , he had assured himself that their new guests were residents of the empire, but on the other, they were being led by a Dao Seeker that wasn¡¯t even sixteen yet who explicitly stated that she could go go against The One Under Heaven if wronged.
The worst part of it all? Dao Seeking. There are less than ten Dao Seekers Empire-wide, and if she decided to fight the Empire, or worse¡ if the Emperor, in his hubris decided to subjugate her, that could cost the life of one of their Dao Seekers.
The Azure Empire had nine Dao Seekers, too, each enough to match up against the Jade Empire¡¯s. If one was wounded or deceased, the scales would tip drastically.
The damn Blood Dragon Patriarch had been a half step into Dao Seeking for two goddamn centuries and by now, his eventual rise didn¡¯t look that much imminent these days.
This Lao Lin wasn¡¯t normal. Despite having an empty Dao, she was still too powerful and had way too much potential. How could someone below the age of twenty be a Dao Seeker? Moreover, how can anyone below twenty be anything above Foundation Establishment? Even a person with a single Dao Pillar at the age of fifteen would be lauded as a peerless genius in their age group.
Was¡ was she even human?
Wang Chun looked at the seal on the palm of his hand. An eye with the symbol of Yin and Yang on its iris opened itself up upon his query. The Truth-Teller¡¯s Eye.
Lao Lin did not lie about anything aside from her immense talent. That much he knew. Neither did Wu Shan. If they really did come from a village within the empire that could hide away such potential, either the Empire had encountered a landmine of opportunity or they had become unfortunate enough to suffer a rebellion.
Lao Lin and Wu Shan had been questioned, and the only one that remained was the old man, the third person that was brought along into Gold Stone City. Although Wang Chun knew that he was most likely just a manservant mortal or a cultivator nearing the end of his longevity, he could receive valuable answers on this elusive village.
Wang Chun was ready to lie about its existence to The One Under Heaven if it meant that nobody would get hurt. This village was bad news. All he needed was a definitive. While the ¡®As of now, no¡¯ comment was a smidgeon reassuring, it wasn¡¯t enough for him. Although Lao Lin held the final say, she could be bluffing. Her manservant would be able to tell him the truth he required. Whether this village was a rebellion waiting to happen.
Even if it was, Lao Lin¡¯s flippant admission regarding its existence was anything but strategic. She should know that he would be on their tail, now, if she were to say that. Perhaps she was seeking to double bluff him into complacency. If there was a cause, they would make sure to keep it under wraps for as much as possible, and such a flimsy declaration of loyalty to the Empire was sure to blow up on their faces in the long run.
But it wasn¡¯t Wang Chun¡¯s choice to fall for a bluff. He was a Servant, and if there was even the hint of rebellion, he wouldn¡¯t stop investigating.
He would have his answers, even if it meant kidnapping the old relic of a man.
Chapter 15: Interrogation of an Old Dreamer
The Dao was a wonderful place, and a wonderful thing indeed. As he immersed himself in the creation of his story titled the ¡®Dao of Dreams¡¯, his understanding rose. In fact, his understanding rose to such a point that all the Qi in his body unlocked new meridian pathways throughout his body. Of the Twelve Earthly Meridians, all of them had been cleared. Among the Eight Heavenly Meridians, one had been cleared out, bringing him one step closer towards Immortal Ascension.
In the dark underground library chamber sat Lao Chen, his work illuminated by a single candle as he continued to write and write with no sign of stopping. The light of day did not enter the library, and because the regulars within the library were all scholars, it was deathly quiet.
Although he wanted to enact his curiosity and see his new limits, the Dao of Dreams was still being elucidated upon, and in that hour of Enlightenment, little could end his momentum.
Almost an entire night had passed and Lao Chen had written down his thoughts on a thick scroll that not even his hand could wrap around. Deciding that it was good, he interred it in his bag of holding, placing it carefully next to his other works of art.
Closing his eyes, he introspected, drawing in wisps of Qi into his body to see what was different.
His absorption rate was magnified hundredfold, and his core seemed to have compacted, reducing itself to a hundredth of its natural size. Lao Chen knew that aside from meditating on the Dao, he also needed to focus on his core.
The library was empty, so it wouldn¡¯t bother anyone if he was to cultivate-
Well, until a certain youngster entered. With a sigh, Lao Chen decided to put a hold on it and picked up a random history book to read. While fiction was well and good, the stories surrounding him were enough to make him vomit. Thousands of chapters of an increasingly powerful protagonist destroying one foe after another. It wasn¡¯t worth wasting brain cells on.
Lao Chen sensed the boy staring at him, causing him to shift uncomfortably as he tried to focus on the Battle of Wherever-it-was where General Whasshisface repelled the invading who-were-they troops from the Empire of-¡®Gah!¡¯ Lao Chen¡¯s mind was in turmoil. He could barely even concentrate on the words enough to commit them to memory with the eyes burrowing into his soul from behind him.
¡°Gah!¡± Lao Chen couldn¡¯t hold on no more. Turning around, he gave the dumbstruck youth a pleading look. ¡°Stop staring at me, please. I can barely concentrate!¡±
The youth stepped into the light of a nearby candle, giving a short bow. ¡°Apologies, old-timer.¡±
Looking around the room, he saw the rows and rows of bookshelves stretching on for several dozen meters. ¡°This crowd of strangers sure does love their books, huh?¡±
Lao Chen raised an eyebrow. ¡°Was there something you wanted from me?¡±
¡°Oh yes, old-timer. Now, you seem like a reasonable man,¡± he began, to which Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Great. What is your relationship with Lao Lin and Wu Shan?¡±
¡°They¡¯re my children,¡± Lao Chen admitted. ¡°Why are you asking?¡±
The boy narrowed his eyes in suspicion, yet he could not deny the truth in his words.
¡°Before you ask, the name¡¯s Wang Chun,¡± he said before showing his tongue. ¡°I¡¯m a servant of the Empire. Now, second question-¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think you answered my question,¡± Lao Chen sighed. ¡°Why are you asking? Surely, a servant of the Empire has better things to do than question a group of travellers out on a simple adventure.¡±
Wang Chun flexed his jaw at the question. ¡°All you need to do is answer, old man, and this will all be over,¡± Wang Chun gestured in the blink of an eye. ¡°I have two techniques. A memory eraser spell and a torture spell. If you answer my questions, we can forget this ever happened, so you won¡¯t have to report it back to her, got it?¡±Stolen story; please report.
Lao Chen blinked a few times, raising both eyebrows questioningly. ¡°Pardon me, son, but I am actually completely dumbfounded. What is happening?¡±
Wang Chun glared at him. ¡°Have you gone senile, old man?¡±
Lao Chen gasped at the insult. ¡°I¡¯ve still got millennia in me, young boy! Imagine someone comes to you and starts demanding answers to questions they don¡¯t need the answers to, with the threat of torture and memory erasing? And besides, who¡¯s ¡®she¡¯?¡±
Wang Chun grunted. ¡°You¡¯re really stupid, aren¡¯t you? Your daughter, old man. The insanely talented Dao Seeker.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Lin-Lin¡¯s a Dao Seeker, too? Wait a minute¡ did she make her own Nascent Soul without telling me? Can she even do that? So many questions,¡± Lao Chen¡¯s mind began to race at the implications.
With a bang on the table, Wang Chun¡¯s face was inches from Lao Chen¡¯s. ¡°Listen here, old man. You better not have gone senile on me!¡±
¡°I have honestly no idea on what¡¯s going on, kid. Lin-Lin¡¯s my daughter. I wasn¡¯t aware that she became a Dao Seeker¡ wait a minute¡¡± Lao Chen¡¯s eyes began to close in shame. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me she became one before I did¡ Even if it was a day¡¯s difference, I can never live down the shame.¡±
Wang Chun¡¯s eyes darted open. ¡°Are¡ are you a Dao Seeker?¡±
¡°Why, I guess I am,¡± Lao Chen smirked. ¡°A little scared, Core Formation pup?¡±
Wang Chun backed away, dispelling the memory erasing spell on his hand. ¡°A thousand apologies for my impudence, Dao Seeker.¡±
Lao Chen frowned. ¡°Hey, now, did your attitude just change because I¡¯m a Dao Seeker? That¡¯s two-faced behaviour, you know. It¡¯s unbecoming.¡±
¡°Were you not aware that your daughter is a Dao Seeker?¡± Wang Chun asked.
¡°Well¡ now that I think of it, I guess it would make sense for her to be one.¡±
¡°H-how old is she?¡± Wang Chun asked. Crucial information. He wasn¡¯t backing down before he could receive an answer.
¡°Uhm¡ ah,¡± Lao Chen began to count down on his fingers. ¡°I created her on my third year of training, sooo¡ seven years old? Yes, seven years old.¡±
Wang Chun let out an audible gasp. ¡°H-how is that possible?¡±
Lao Chen smiled brightly. ¡°Anything is possible when you dream!¡±
Wang Chun steeled his resolve before asking Lao Chen the question he needed an answer to.
¡°Are you a part of a rebellion?¡±
¡°I rebel against poorly written books and uninspired fiction, yes? I believe I am a rebel, if you refer to someone who wants to shed literary conventions!¡± Lao Chen replied.
Wang Chun frowned. ¡°I meant: Are you planning to overthrow the Emperor? Is this village of yours a base of powerful experts biding their time to attack the Emperor in his lowest point? Does your allegiance lie with the Azure Empire?¡±
Wang Chun threw caution to the wind and asked all the questions. Worst case scenario, he would die, but his death would trigger a large-scale investigation. He had them in checkmate. The Empire was secured.
His life was not, however.
Lao Chen frowned. ¡°No.¡±
Wang Chun persisted. ¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°No, as in, none of that is true. I¡¯ve taken my family on an adventure. All we¡¯re doing is simply touring the lands. As for our village, we aren¡¯t planning a rebellion. As it stands, we¡¯re pretty independent from the Empire. Now, my answers might change if the Empire decides to provoke us. Until then, we aren¡¯t planning on overthrowing anyone, not now, nor have we been at all, to the best of my knowledge.¡±
Wang Chun resisted a smile. These answers were highly specific, and true for that matter, and the best thing was that his Truth-Teller¡¯s Eye revealed the truths of everything under the sun, be it mortal or Dao Seeker. Even if someone implanted false memories in his mind, his soul still carried the truth, and it was where the Truth-Teller¡¯s Eye laid its gaze.
¡°One more question¡¡± Wang Chun asked. ¡°Does your village truly have no name?¡±
Lao Chen shook his head. ¡°It had no name when we departed, but outside its threshold, I bestowed upon it a name. The Village of Heaven and Earth. Any more questions, Wang Chun?¡±
¡°None, old man. Though, I do sincerely apologize for my heavy-handed tactics. A lot is at stake these days, and I couldn¡¯t afford to act kindly.¡±
Lao Chen shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s always a better solution than violence and threats. If your mind is wired to always resort to violence, that hurts your ability to think of solutions. For example, you could have lured the answers out of me by treating me nicely, or you could use your memory erasing spell to get to know me several times, and make it easier for me to trust you each time you interrogate me, but you felt that violence was the way. Violence is never the way. Violence is far from the Dao that animates us. Remember this, young pup.¡±
Wang Chun nodded his head. ¡°I let my stress overcome my sense. I thank you for your advice, Dao Seeker. I shall take my leave, now.¡±
As Wang Chun walked up the stairs and left the library, Lao Chen felt at his face a little. ¡°Now¡ If Lin-Lin decides to create a Nascent Soul, will it be able to create a Nascent Soul that can create one of itself? What would the end-result be?¡±
Laying down flat on the floor, his mind entertained all sorts of ideas and outcomes of that very situation.
Chapter 16: Destroyed Pillars
¡°I am ridiculously weak,¡± Wu Shan concluded silently, underneath his breath as he lay on the cold floor of the waiting room. Where he had raw strength in droves, his technique was unwieldy and clunky. Yin Phoenix for long range and Yang Dragon for Close Quarters. Simple enough, yet not that simple.
While both of them had combat applications, they didn¡¯t feel like they were truly his. It didn¡¯t feel like he could ever match up against a true Yang Dragon master or a Yin Phoenix master. In fact, he felt that he sacrificed strength for versatility. While that was all well and good in most situations, he needed both to beat Zhang He.
His Dantian was limited in size. Yin and Yang Qi could never mix, so they co-existed as separate Dao Pillars.
He couldn¡¯t compress them no matter how much he had tried. Creating the ninth pillar seemed like an impossibility unless he unbalanced himself willingly and created a 9th pillar of pure Yin or Yang Qi. He needed more Qi in a smaller space, or more so, he needed to fuse both techniques as one.
Both techniques drew from different power sources, yet he could feel that they had the potential to be so much more powerful if he could just somehow, maybe¡
If he could disperse the Dao Pillars and free the Qi inside, and maintain the Qi within his body long enough to create a single superpillar of melded Yin and Yang¡
Obviously not now, as it would be a risky endeavour and could lead to failure, and failure before a match could spell disaster.
Therefore, he decided that once he had finished fighting his opponent, he would get to doing just that¡
¡though he really didn¡¯t know what to do with the thumb-sized pill that they gave him. Holding it in his hands, he could feel that they somehow managed to retain Qi into a small, ridiculously fragrant pellet. The only problem was that the Yin or Yang Qi he usually used to cultivate wasn¡¯t inside of it. When he asked for a pill specifically tailored towards either Yin or Yang Qi, the event organizers looked at him with puzzled expressions.
¡°What good would that do you?¡± They asked.
Wu Shan frowned at the memory. ¡°More than having a pill I can¡¯t even assimilate,¡± he muttered under his breath before pocketing the pill. Wu Shan tried to explain his cultivation method, but in the end, they had no pill that could help him, instead just giving him a pill of a random element.
The teleporting came, and once he appeared on the arena, the crowd screamed Wu Shan¡¯s name in unison, repeatedly.
His opponent was a burly youth with a forehead that looked like it could dent steel, but Wu Shan didn¡¯t judge.
¡°On the west corner, we have our gauntlet-toting, dragon-summoning beast of a boy! The man destined to fight Zhang He, give it up for ¡®Storm Fist¡¯ Wu Shan!¡±
Wu Shan stretched his muscles with a few tentative punches to the air, inadvertently riling the audience up further.
¡°On the east corner, we¡¯ve got the boulder-like brute of Bei lake, the prodigy that defeated his two prior opponents in one exchange! Teng Qiang!¡±
¡°As always, the match commences on go!¡±
--
In a single exchange of pure brawn, Teng Qiang was found lacking. Lying in a broken heap, Wu Shan was left standing, raking in the glory of victory.
Once the third round had concluded, Wu Shan was faced with the choice to pick between four different kinds of enchanted weapons. A spear, a staff, a sabre and a sword. Again, the rewards proved utterly useless to him. Although he was aware of the different Yang Dragon weapon techniques, having studied the scroll in its entirety, nothing beat a pair of fists.Stolen novel; please report.
Deciding that he could gift his father a staff, he opted for one. It was enchanted with the ability to turn invisible when swung fast enough, and that it could also turn ethereal if swung in a certain way, which could be used to bypass parries and guards. Truly a magnificent pick.
In his regular Inn, he concentrated. His Dao Pillars remained strong, built up from the Qi he had accumulated through the years, but what was the purpose of the pillars?
Inside Wu Shan¡¯s Dantian, far into the pseudo-sky was a construct of unimaginable power, having no definite shape, yet exuding the aura of both softness and toughness simultaneously. Everything and nothing at the same time. Wu Shan knew that to be the Dao.
Everything was for the Dao when it came to cultivation. Qi Condensation determined whether your Qi purity was enough to create a foundation through the Dao Pillars that determined whether you had the mental strength to support the Dao in the future. Core Formation depended on the purity and concentration of Qi accumulated, and the Nascent Soul Stage drew directly from the mental strength cultivated during Core Formation to create a Nascent Soul construct.
Dao Seeking took a little out of everything else.
The eight Dao Pillars stood proudly, each one filled to the absolute brim with Qi, even after condensing far past their usual point. The inside of the pillars were a maelstrom of energy, but the pillars themselves could be broken.
He just had to do it to himself.
Whispering a silent prayer, Wu Shan stabbed his finger into his Dantian.
Every Dao Pillar shattered at the same time, but the overwhelming energy was threatening to leak out and never return to his body, but Wu Shan held strongly. Locking all of his meridians and Qi nodes, he made sure that absolutely no Qi could be leaked.
Wu Shan imitated a mudra of perfection, interlocking the fingers in his hands, but letting his index fingers rest on each other as they pointed upwards. His father did it plenty of times when he was in a particularly tough spot in his cultivation, not that the gesture could help a non-monk like him.
The raging storm of black and white began to interlock, forming a double helix which gradually became tighter and tighter.
The moment the two streams almost touched, they repelled each other violently, causing his Qi to almost explode out of his Dantian, and cripple him for life.
¡°Foolish son. Try again.¡±
The voice came from outside his Dantian, but he could hear it clear as day. Then, he noticed it. A stray Qi wisp was about to leave his body, but what stopped it wasn¡¯t him, but rather a dense net of Qi covering around his Dantian.
Having regained some courage, Wu Shan forcibly attracted both streams of black and white Qi, bringing them closer and closer, but before they began to touch, he rotated them in a way that although they would be close, they wouldn¡¯t touch just yet.
Thus he began to form a Dao Pillar around the two streams. It didn¡¯t take long, but it had to be of complete structural integrity lest the Qi inside of it rips the pillar apart like rice paper.
Once the Dao Pillar was complete, Wu Shan disregarded safety and conjoined the diametrically opposing streams. They repelled each other, but as they were locked inside the indestructible pillar, they had nowhere to go as they rotated faster and faster due to their repulsive behaviour.
While they rotated, Wu Shan consolidated the pillar further. There was still more space for Qi inside the pillar, but he feared that it was too weak to support any more without exploding. After several hours of consolidation, Wu Shan decided to take a break and opened his eyes.
His eyes were met by the disappointed glare of his father who sat in front of him, cross legged.
¡°I¡¯m not mad. Just disappointed,¡± Lao Chen began, but Wu Shan could barely meet his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the glaring issue. Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡±
¡°Well¡ I kinda wanted to increase the risk factor. It¡¯s said that when there¡¯s no safety net, one is capable of doing extraordinary things,¡± Wu Shan admitted. Lao Chen gave a dry chuckle.
¡°I can barely separate fiction from reality, but even I know that could have ended poorly. Next time you are to go through such a foolhardy thing such as crippling yourself just to achieve higher results, tell me. I almost didn¡¯t come in time.¡±
Wu Shan smiled sheepishly. ¡°Alright¡ sorry.¡±
¡°Now¡ tell me why you haven¡¯t seen me even once for the past three days! You unfilial son, I should have you disowned!¡± Lao Chen huffed. Wu Shan stared at the floor in shame, taking it all. ¡°Your sister has seen me several times! She¡¯s told me you¡¯ve joined a tournament! Was this not important enough for you to inform me?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, father.¡±
¡°Ai, this son of mine has a rock-hard brain despite all his talent! The only time I get to see you is when you are on the brink of crippling yourself! How do you think that makes me feel?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
"You''re ''sorry''? I know you''re sorry, you-"
And he kept lecturing.
Aside from his groundbreaking discovery, Wu Shan also learned something immensely valuable that day. A skill that not even the most legendary cultivators were privy to.
Sleeping with ones eyes open.
Chapter 17: The End of Shao Lei
Shao Lei wasn¡¯t in the Dragon Flight Pavilion. No, she wouldn¡¯t be caught dead in that hub of losers. She wasn¡¯t resting up in a hotel, either. She was outside the walls of the cities, on the outskirts, taking her anger out on the local flora.
¡°Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!¡± She repeated the mantra as her hands cleaved through the trunks of the trees like a hot knife through butter. In her mind, every tree in the vicinity was Wu Shan.
¡°Stupid! How dare you!¡± She downed a particularly thick tree, but she wasn¡¯t satisfied there. Saddling the tree, she began to punch it repeatedly, crushing it into mere splinters.
¡°I had him! I had him!¡± Her fists dug straight through the trunk, and it softened to the point where it didn¡¯t produce a satisfying thunk when punched. She moved on.
¡°How did he do that?!¡± She released her Cloud Dragon construct and deforested a whole swathe of the forest. Feeling drained, she fell on her knees and let the tears run down her cheeks.
¡°Hypocrite, incompetent, rag!¡± She yelled at the top of her voice. ¡°Rag! Rag, rag, rag! Filthy, semen-logged rag!¡±
Victory was hers! She grasped it in her hands! Wu Shan¡¯s meridians weren¡¯t just clogged, they were contaminated. Her cloud Qi should have made sure that it would take days before he could purify his meridians.
Even the first tentative strike was just there to test his tolerance so she didn¡¯t actually kill him. He shook it off with ease, but that was expected. He was struck in three different vital areas! The dantian, the chest and the forehead! All of his meridians should have been contaminated. It would have to take him weeks before he would get in fighting condition!
And he cleared himself in ten. Goddamn. Seconds.
The bastard who thought himself the charming prince that night, who thought she was just a damsel in distress. How-how dare he?!
¡°Are you alright? Did they do something to you?¡±
¡°Who do you think you are?!¡± Shao Lei wished she said that to him. She wished she could break out of her cage of fear, and just kill all those damn bandits. Nobody would miss them, anyway. She would be lauded as a hero.
¡°Bipolar princess¡±
That¡¯s what they called her now. A brand new nickname. An epithet to wear with pride. Wu Shan the ¡®Storm Fist¡¯, Zhang He the ¡®Blood Dragon¡¯, and Shao Lei the batshit crazy ¡®Bipolar Princess¡¯.
She had her demons, yes. Everyone did. Labelling her like that¡ whose idea was that, even? One of those bastards she beat up? Did they spread that nickname to the point where the MC caught wind of it? Shao Lei didn¡¯t care to investigate at any rate. She lost her second round, which meant that she would receive no reward, even if that reward happened to be a shitty little pill dirtier than a street hooker.
She underestimated Wu Shan. Moreover, she underestimated him badly. The agonized screams should have stopped him from continuing to purify his meridians, yet he didn¡¯t stop. His Qi purity must have been exceedingly high to have done what he did¡ higher than hers, for sure.
But he was incapacitated, and all she did was watch. Those precious ten seconds could have decided the outcome of the match ten times over, and she just stood there and gloated.
The energy in her body began to leave her and she slumped down on the floor, her soul filled with emptiness.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Closing her eyes, she began to introspect. She had eight Dao Pillars, an unprecedented amount for someone her age, and, as her and her master¡¯s enemies would like to say, for a female.
Her pillars were arranged in a circular formation, and in the centre flew a frolicking cloud dragon within a cage, separating it from the rest of the Dao Pillars. Despite the power it allowed her to wield, it was the only reason why she couldn¡¯t create a ninth pillar. Every time she tried, the excess Qi would be gobbled up by that horror. The Qi inside her dantian would be sucked into that gluttonous bastard¡¯s vacuum-like maw.
Yet her master, who was on the brink of Dao Seeking, had lived with that disgusting cloud dragon all her life. They were the same, Shao Lei and her master, both born with monsters, only Shao Lei was inferior in so many ways.
The Dragon couldn¡¯t be reasoned with. Give it Qi enough to create a hundred Dao Pillars (and she had) and it would burp like it was nothing. Gobble up a hundred consummate Qi Bomb Pills whole (a dangerous thing to do for anyone under the stage of Core Formation) in quick succession, and it wouldn¡¯t bat an eye. Her strength would not increase any further, and it was all she could do to stop the creature from eating her eight existing Dao Pillars.
She had been at this bottleneck for five years without even a single step forward, in an age where bottlenecks last for only a few months. There was no way forward for her anyways. She was destined to become a stepping stone for the likes of Wu Shan. Just a filthy, filthy rag.
¡°Hey rag, ya miss me?¡±
Even now she could smell the rancid breaths of those bastards. Even years later when she had outstripped them in power vastly, the memories of their words haunted her.
¡°Hold still, rag, this¡¯ll only last a few minutes.¡±
¡°Shhh, rag, I¡¯ll make you feel good tonight.¡±
¡°Take it, rag-¡°
¡°Little rag¡±
¡°rag-¡°
¡°You¡¯ll never be free, rag!¡±
¡°-never!¡±
¡°Just stop-¡°
¡°Pretending,¡± Shao Lei whispered.
¡°To hell with all of this!¡±
The cage surrounding the Dragon no longer received energy from her, shattering it. She couldn¡¯t care less anymore. The cloud dragon looked around, puzzled by its freedom.
¡°Go ahead,¡± Shao Lei whispered, tears running down her cheeks. ¡°Cripple me!¡±
The cloud dragon never heeded her calls, but this time, it seemed like it did. Opening its deceptively large maw like a snake, it bit a hole in one Dao Pillar, and when the Qi inside gushed out, it rushed into the dragon¡¯s mouth willingly.
Once the pillar was empty, the dragon ate that too, and repeated the process eight times. Eight damn times.
¡°Congratulations, dragon. You¡¯ve got a hundred and eight Dao Pillars worth of Qi in your body. What are you gonna do? Eat me, too?¡±
Shao Lei felt numb. She didn¡¯t know if it was because of her losing all of the Qi she had cultivated to that point or if it was her depressive phase, but Shao Lei didn¡¯t want to move an inch.
The dragon swam around her body, uncaring of what terror it had wreaked, and Shao Lei couldn¡¯t seem to care. Her master would disown her for her weakness and she would be just one sheep in a world of tigers. She had no place in this world.
The dragon inside her roared. Whether it was in agreement, she didn¡¯t know, nor did she care.
And without preamble, the dragon coiled up and fell asleep.
--
Shao Lei¡¯s body was definitely mortal, that much she knew now. The long walk from the forest to the city gates took a toll on her, but she needed to maintain a strong fa?ade, lest someone accost her. She shouldn¡¯t worry about anyone at this point. She proved herself worthy of battling toe-to-toe with Wu Shan, the monster who was equal to Zhang He in strength.
That just meant that she was only slightly inferior to that womanizing piece of shit. And nobody in the city would pick on someone with that much power. Unless they were in core formation, of course.
Because security was definitely a concern, she took no chances and headed straight towards the Inner District, forcing her gait to be leisurely, though it was exceedingly hard. No matter how much she tried to take control of her body, she would always start a little from every loud noise or shout.
The Inner District gate couldn¡¯t have come any later, and after paying the toll to enter, she steered clear of the Dragon Flight Pavilion. Unless she admitted to crippling herself, they might actually kill her in revenge. Like hell they could, those snivelling, misogynistic-
Shao Lei cleared her mind, focusing instead on heading towards somewhere safe. For the first time in a long time, she wished that her master was here to protect her, but she knew she was no longer her master¡¯s disciple.
Finally, after finding and renting a room at an inn, she sat on her bed and formulated her plan.
¡°Buy a horse, hire a bodyguard and head home. That¡¯s it,¡± she resolved.
¡°The end of my story.¡±
Chapter 18: A Meeting With The Blood Dragon Patriarch
The fresh air of the outside was a welcome change after staying holed up in that uninspired library for so long. Lao Chen felt that he had squandered his time in all actuality. While there was a whole tournament going on where his idiotic son competed, all he did was sit on his ass and meditate on the Dao while entertaining the whims of some child asking him questions.
After helping Wu Shan through a tough point in his journey, he decided to eat.
The only problem now was to find a place where he would eat. The Inner District had no shortage of places to eat, but Lao Chen wasn¡¯t sure on which one to pick. Throwing caution to the wind, he simply entered the first place that caught his eye, a grand establishment with a rustic feel to it.
Of course, the moment he stepped foot into the threshold of the restaurant, conversations began to cease and everyone, even the proprietor, gave him a semi-disgusted look.
Lao Chen blinked, but walked to an empty table, nonetheless. The customers began their chatter once more.
After waiting for a short while, the owner, an immaculately-dressed merchant type approaches him.
¡°Ehm, I¡¯d like a menu, if that isn¡¯t too much trouble,¡± Lao Chen began before the proprietor could speak. He gave Lao Chen the thin booklet that he had on his hand.
¡°I¡ trust you¡¯re capable of paying, yes?¡± The owner asked. Lao Chen looked at him strangely, but then it dawned on him.
¡°Oh. Ohhh, that¡¯s why everyone was staring at me! You thought I was poor!¡± Lao Chen cackled, much to the owner¡¯s embarrassment. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve got money, if that¡¯s what you fear.¡± Lao Chen pulled a gold-coin from the bag of holding at his side, easing the owner¡¯s expression.
After perusing the menu, and deciding that he wanted everything on it, Lao Chen began his eating spree.
After about an hour of filling his stomach with food that weighed half as much as he did, ordering more and more of his favourite meals, Lao Chen realized one thing.
He couldn¡¯t partake in the sweet suffering that was a food coma.
On the bright side, he would be able to taste food without growing too bloated. After the eighth round, Lao Chen paid his bills in full, after which, he decided to buy some clothing. The rags he wore were starting to smell, after a month of use.
Luckily, the city was also lousy with tailors, but it didn¡¯t take too long to get referred to ¡®the best in the city¡¯.
After buying a fairly comfortable set of clothing, he also bought two strange wooden shoes designed after shoes from a far-off island to the east known as the Yamato Islands. They were basically wooden slippers with two teeth-like extensions keeping them elevated from the floor.
It didn¡¯t take long for him to love them. Thus, after he bought them, he laid eyes on the tall spires deeper into the Inner District. Spying the tallest tower, Lao Chen decided something.
¡°I wonder how the view¡¯s from up there!¡±
Running with his shoes or ¡®geta¡¯ as they were referred to in Yamato was an easy learning curve. Once he learned where to distribute his weight, walking came naturally, and it had the added bonus of keeping his back straight, giving him a regal aura.
¡°Heheheh, I¡¯m a regal master, aren¡¯t I?¡± He muttered under his breath as he approached the base of the tower at break-neck speeds, dodging and weaving past obstructions with grace. Instead of entering the building and taking the stairs, Lao Chen hopped from where he stood and used flight to reach the wall of the tower.
With true flight, he ran up the tower vertically, taking great care not to damage it as he hopped over the ridges and windows.
It didn¡¯t take long before he was at the top, and my, the view was magnificent.
At the very top of the sharp spire, Lao Chen stood. The sun was halfway down from its zenith, and this was the first time Lao Chen saw the entirety of of the city at once.
Lao Chen pulled out a wooden block from his bag of holding, an ink well and a paint brush. Letting the wooden block and the ink well float in the air in front of him, Lao Chen set to writing a short poem.
Halfway into the poem, the weather began to darken drastically, and suddenly, the clouds began to turn¡ red.
Then, Lao Chen felt it. The presence of a blood-red dragon coiling its way to the top of the towering pagoda he stood on. He could feel that it was significantly weaker than him, but that still did nothing to quench the awe in his mind.
The dragon surged upwards, into the red clouds, frolicking as the clouds began to thunder with red lightning as it roared its dominion over the skies.
Lao Chen almost shed a tear.
The Dragon dipped down again, appearing in front of him as it floated mid-air.
On the dragon¡¯s head stood a man. A youth would be a better word to use. He seemed almost Wu Shan¡¯s age, only he was strikingly handsome without a blemish to be seen and deep red hair running to his shoulders.
On his chest was a leather breastplate with the insignia ÐY and ýˆ.
Blood Dragon.
¡°Welcome, Dao Seeker. Would you like to have some tea with me?¡± He asked. Lao Chen¡¯s eyes were transfixed on the dragon, but he still caught the other man¡¯s words.
¡°Is that a real¡ dragon?¡± Lao Chen asked. The Blood Dragon Patriarch nodded.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
¡°It is mine,¡± he confirmed.
¡°May¡ may I touch it?¡± asked Lao Chen. The Blood Dragon Patriarch whistled a short tune, causing the dragon to fly much closer to Lao Chen.
Waving his paraphernalia to the side, Lao Chen touched the snout of the docile dragon, feeling the heat on his hand, the raging hurricane of fury, blood and violence. ¡°What a magnificent beast. I am grateful to have crossed paths with this creature. Perhaps I shall find one of my own in my travels!¡± Lao Chen exclaimed eagerly. The Patriarch smiled kindly from atop the dragon¡¯s head.
¡°It is a real beauty, my Fu.¡±
Lao Chen looked up to face the Patriarch. ¡°I¡¯d like some tea, yes.¡±
With a wave of his hand, the Patriarch produced a whole tea-set, though there was no bag of holding at his side. Lao Chen raised an eyebrow as a floating cup and teapot floated his way gently.
Filling his teacup, Lao Chen ventured to ask. ¡°Pardon my ignorance, but where is your bag of holding?¡±
¡°There¡¯s nothing to be pardoned for, senior. I don¡¯t use a bag of holding. I use a mystic ring known as a spatial ring. It can store objects within. You could say that summoning an object from it is as simple as¡¡± he flicked his hand, allowing a fan to appear, then he flicked it again causing it to disappear. ¡°turning one¡¯s hand.¡±
Lao Chen took a sip of the tea, his eyes almost bulging.
¡°Do you like it? It¡¯s known as Rainbow Tea, because with every sip, you taste seven different flavours at once.¡±
¡°W-well, uh, it¡¯s certainly, uh, interesting¡¡± Lao Chen took another sip, savouring the taste this time, finding it to be much better than the first time when he simply took a mindless sip.
¡°When I felt the natural laws of the Dao descend last night, I felt no small amount of bitterness over my own failings,¡± the Patriarch began. ¡°But then, as a law-abiding veteran of the Jade Empire, I felt overjoyed. One more Dao Seeker exists within our folds. This will tip the scales! Our victory is assured.¡±
Lao Chen nodded slowly.
¡°Well, as you probably must know, senior, I have attempted to grasp at the Dao for over two centuries with no luck at all. Someone like you must possess boundless wisdom to have become a Dao Seeker. Is there any chance that you could grant a junior brother some pointers?¡±
Lao Chen took another sip before sighing. With grave eyes and a shake of his head causing the Patriarch¡¯s heart to clench, Lao Chen spoke. ¡°Please don¡¯t call me senior.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t call me a senior. How many years have you been alive? Let alone even that, how many years have you trained?¡±
¡°This¡ this is my 659th year of living,¡± the Patriarch frowned. ¡°Though I could be off by a few years.¡±
¡°I¡¯ve lived slightly above a tenth of that. I should be calling you my senior,¡± Lao Chen admitted, much to the Patriarch¡¯s astonishment.
¡°You¡¯re barely a century old?¡± asked the Patriarch. ¡°How?¡±
¡°You wanted help on your Dao?¡± asked Lao Chen. ¡°What is your Dao?¡±
The Patriarch puffed his chest. ¡°I seek insight into the Dao of blood, the mighty liquid that animates us, and without it, we die.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°The Dao of blood¡ hmm, and why haven¡¯t you attained any insight?¡± He asked.
¡°For years, I have pondered, meditated and ruminated on the mysteries of blood. On the battle field, I have spent years at a time experimenting on it, the pathways through the body, what happens if there¡¯s too much, what happens if you transfuse it, I should know everything there is to know about blood, and yet I do not achieve enlightenment.¡±
Lao Chen hummed. ¡°Have you tried taking a step back to see where you might be doing wrong?¡±
The Patriarch frowned slightly. ¡°Well, of course! I¡¯ve tried all sorts of things, switched to all sorts of methods, but it¡¯s always the same. The truth is there. It¡¯s millimetres from my fingertips!¡±
¡°Ah, so you know everything about it, huh? Everything there is to know?¡±
¡°Please. If I wrote a book about everything I know about blood, I would jumpstart medicine several millennia forward!¡± The Patriarch bristled. ¡°Nobody knows about it more than I do.¡±
¡°Well¡ I¡¯ve got one piece of advice for you,¡± Lao Chen admitted. ¡°You know that thing when you take a really far step back, farther than should be practical. Then, you go even farther behind and realize that all you¡¯ve done until now is wrong? Have you done that yet? Own that you¡¯re wrong?¡±
The Patriarch¡¯s expression shifted from incredulity to annoyance to sheer rage to wide-eyed enlightenment at once.
¡°I¡¯m wrong.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Lao Chen confirmed. The Patriarch began to pace around on his dragon, eyes darting from one place to another.
¡°Even after I gave up on researching blood as a means for fighting, as a means for violence, I still couldn¡¯t reach the Dao. I was laughed at. ¡®Blood is too mystical to gain enlightenment towards¡¯, but no. There is something more than just blood. Something that separates us, but connects us. We pass it to our children, and although it is found in blood, it is so much greater than that. The red cells that transfer air into the muscles that move us, the white cells that destroy diseases that threaten our body, the blood plasma that transfers nutrients around our body¡ inside some of them, there it is.¡±
¡°Let it all out, senior,¡± Lao Chen nodded.
¡°Never once did I think that I was wrong, that this path led to an empty Dao! Never once did I consider that there was a wider truth behind it, but that the path I took did not lead to it!¡±
¡°It¡¯s getting closer, senior, I can feel it,¡± Lao Chen encouraged.
¡°It isn¡¯t the Dao of Blood or the Dao of Death. It¡¯s¡¡±
¡°Go on!¡±
¡°Heredity! It¡¯s the Dao of Life!¡±
The thundering clouds overhead began to disperse as from the heavens, a pillar of light descended, striking the Patriarch on his forehead as the natural Dao descended.
Lao Chen marvelled. ¡°Did that really happen to me? How come none of my reader buddies in the library noticed?¡± He murmured.
Once the light abated, the Blood Dragon Patriarch was born anew.
Lao Chen gave a small clap. ¡°Congratulations, you did it. You¡¯re now a Dao Seeker.¡±
The nascent Dao Seeker shook his head. ¡°You may call me Yi Ming, my friend.¡±
¡°Thank you, Yi Ming. My name is Lao Chen.¡±
Yi Ming nodded. ¡°A fine name for a fine friend, Junior Brother Lao Chen.¡±
--
The Council of Elders. Reeked of corruption and old men. Yi Ming wasn¡¯t one for hatred, but few people earned his ire as much as his short-sighted junior brothers in the Council who had no respect for him, the Patriarch.
The Elders discussed loudly, and sometimes over each other. It was a divisive machine, in dire need of lubrication. In the best of days, there would be a 30-70 agreement on certain laws, which mattered little as sect laws were passed unanimously, through history has that been true.
As such, the Blood Dragon Sect has been stagnant like bad water for the better part of two decades, when it became abundantly clear that the Patriarch was going to remain a ¡®half-step¡¯ into Dao Seeking until his longevity ran dry.
They even prepared for him a replacement. Gu Ren, the boot-licking toady that the council saw fit to put as their figure head. The Sect truly stopped being a sect decades ago. Now, it was just a small-time political party that solely had stakes on Gold Stone City, a pitiful existence in the eyes of the larger sects out there.
And to think, five hundred years ago, Yi Ming captured Fu and created this sect for the sake of rising to the top only to be halted by a few dozen elders with ties to noble families that directly fund the sect.
If he attempted to flush the elders out and pay for the sect¡¯s maintenance out of pocket, he would lose so much face, the Blood Dragon Sect would truly just be a laughing stock until the end of time.
It¡¯s a good thing that being a Dao Seeker made that whole part irrelevant.
¡°Council!¡± Yi Ming called out, without even putting a dent to the loud hubbub in the room. Yi Ming¡¯s blood began to pump with rage.
¡°Silence, children.¡±
All the elders stopped talking simultaneously, some nearly fainting from the aura of a true Dao Seeker.
With the silence, Yi Ming began to saunter around the room. ¡°I hope I¡¯ve made it abundantly clear that I¡¯m here to stay.¡±
Silence.
¡°I also hope I¡¯ve made it clear that you are all dispensable.¡±
More silence.
¡°But what I truly hope I¡¯ve made clear is this.¡±
The Elders craned their necks.
¡°I¡¯m calling the shots. Now, and until I die.¡±
Chapter 19: A Surprise Surgery
For the first time, Lao Chen watched the fourth round of the Dragon Flight Gala in a private box alongside his new bestie, Yi Ming.
Once Wu Shan appeared on the battle grounds, Lao Chen smiled brightly. ¡°That¡¯s my son!¡±
Yi Ming gaped. ¡°That¡¯s your son? Well, it shouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise. He¡¯s quite the contestant.¡±
Wu Shan stood there, but Lao Chen knew that he was extremely ready to fight. The Yin and Yang Qi in his Dao Pillar repelled each other, creating an ultra-fast cyclone which rushed through his veins without stopping.
The match ended surprisingly fast, with his complete and utter victory.
Lao Chen looked around the seats of the arena, spotting several people cloaked in runic outfits.
¡°Huh. Hey, Ming, those guys look sorta suspicious, don¡¯t they?¡± Asked Lao Chen. Yi Ming shook his head.
¡°They¡¯re talent scouts for the empire,¡± Yi Ming replied. Lao Chen kept looking around, but frowned after not finding that person.
¡°Hmm, are all the talent scouts present at the moment?¡±
Yi Ming shrugged. ¡°Well, typically. To the best of my knowledge, they¡¯re all present.¡±
Lao Chen furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°Then he wasn¡¯t here because of the Gala?¡±
¡°Who?¡± Asked Yi Ming.
¡°Well, this Core Formation cultivator that I met the other day. Said he was a servant of the Empire. Uhm, his name was Wang Chun,¡± Lao Chen reported, looking for any change in Yi Ming¡¯s facial expression.
¡°Never heard of him,¡± Yi Ming sighed.
¡°Hmm¡ strange,¡± Lao Chen whistled. ¡°Ehm, If you¡¯ll excuse me, I feel a bit bored watching these fights after witnessing both Zhang He and Wu Shan fight with their opponents.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need my excuse, Junior Brother. Please, proceed as you wish,¡± Yi Ming chuckled. ¡°You¡¯re much too humble for someone of your calibre.¡±
Lao Chen didn¡¯t waste any time exiting before appearing high above the arena grounds, floating weightlessly as he admired the spectacle. The spire was still towering above, a couple of li away.
Lao Chen flew there, surprising himself as he appeared there in a few breaths. The view at night was as breathtaking as during the day.
His spiritual sense, a skill he developed during Core Formation, had expanded exponentially since then. His sphere of sense stretched several dozen li, totalling at about 52 li.
¡°Hmm, Wang Chun is watching the matches in the arena, but he¡¯s not an Imperial talent scout¡? Well, not my business, really.¡± Lao Chen muttered.
¡°Hmm,¡± Lao Chen stroked his beard as he watched, far in the distance; a group of cultivators surrounded a single girl. ¡°What a clich¨¦,¡± Lao Chen sighed before smirking. ¡°I¡¯m much too old to act like anybody¡¯s knight in shining armour. If only I could send Wu Shan, if only to see what would happen.¡±
Lao Chen moved closer to the scene, appearing a stone-throw away. It was in the middle of a rather thick boulevard. A group of about forty-something youths surrounded a single girl, a lithe woman with dead, unresponsive eyes.
¡°Do you realize what you¡¯ve done, bitch?¡± Asked one of the youths.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
¡°You sullied all our reputations. Not only did you beat us thirty-two to one, you¡¯re also a lady. I do hope you can understand the tough position this puts us in.¡±
¡°It¡¯s only your fault that this is happening, bipolar princess.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Oh, she¡¯s strong,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°Well, then all I¡¯ll have to do is watch.¡±
The moment the first boy came to deliver a punch to her gut, the lady just stood still, giving Lao Chen pause. The girl flew backwards several dozen feet, vomiting blood profusely.
¡°What?! She¡¯s just a paper tiger?¡± One of them exclaimed. ¡°You didn¡¯t even have to bring so many people. Only that guy was enough, it seems!¡±
The boy who hit her frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate her. She¡¯s a deceiver.¡±
The lady kept vomiting blood as her face ashened. Lao Chen frowned before inspecting her rigorously with his spiritual sense.
She was completely mortal. The Qi in her body was so muddied with impurities, it¡¯s a wonder she didn¡¯t die from that one punch alone. Even her dantian had not a single Dao Pillar. In fact-
¡°What the-¡° Lao Chen held his mouth, raising his eyes in abject surprise. ¡°A dragon inside her dantian?¡±
The youths closed in on her. ¡°Well, since we¡¯ve already defeated you, I guess there¡¯s one thing left to do with you.¡±
Lao Chen rolled his eyes before appearing before the crowd. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Go away, children, before you do something you come to regret.¡±
The youths started upon seeing him. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Asked one. ¡°I¡¯m the scion of-¡±
¡°Do you know who I am, child?¡± Lao Chen asked as his face bent into a rictus of prideful wrath. ¡°I am the benefactor of the Village of Heaven and Earth! They call me the Yin-Yang Sect Patriarch! Why, I even own a dragon!¡±
The young master paused as his face began to turn pale. Without any more protest, he turned around and ran off, along with the rest.
Lao Chen hummed as he turned around, bent over and laid the girl flat on her back.
¡°Wow¡ This seems¡ really serious,¡± Lao Chen stuttered. ¡°The¡ the bone, that¡¯s on your back¡ yeah, it¡¯s pulverized. And¡ and the place where your food goes¡ it¡¯s just gore, now¡ Like, I really can¡¯t help you,¡± Lao Chen sighed. ¡°But I know someone who can.¡±
Lao Chen gestured, and in the blink of an eye, they appeared in Yi Ming¡¯s private room, much to his wide-eyed surprise.
¡°Junior Brother, who is she?¡± He asked as he stood up quickly.
¡°She was accosted by a group of young masters¡ since your Dao is that of Life, I hoped that you could do something to save hers¡¡±
Yi Ming hummed, but complied nonetheless. The man before him had helped him immensely. Healing some random victim wouldn¡¯t put a dent in his debt to him, anyways.
Yi Ming waved his hand, clearing the room of food and furniture, and waved his hand again, summoning a longer table.
¡°Do you just keep those things in your ring?¡±
¡°You should always be prepared for every eventuality. Like a surprise surgery, for example.¡±
With a wave of his hand, the girl floated onto the table. Yi Ming stabbed his finger-nail into her skin. ¡°Well¡ this is horrible. A few more minutes and she would have been dead. How does a mortal even- wait, is that a dragon in her Dantian?¡±
¡°I know, right?¡± Lao Chen rubbed his bald head. ¡°Isn¡¯t that amazing?¡±
¡°She has the Cloud Dragon Physique. I know who this lady is. Shao Lei, also known as the ¡®Bipolar Princess¡¯, and the only other person who gave Wu Shan a good fight.¡±
¡°B-but she¡¯s mortal,¡± Lao Chen stuttered. ¡°How could she fight anyone in this state?¡±
¡°Well, the dragon might have had something to do with it.¡±
Yi Ming began to gesture several times, and suddenly, a projection of Shao Lei¡¯s skeletal structure burst out of her body. ¡°Hmm¡ seems that all her lumbar vertebrae as well as her thoracic vertebrae was shattered, severing her entire nervous system from her body shoulders-down. Her ribs also seem to have shattered.¡±
With an upward flick of his finger, a projection of her inner organs shot up. ¡°Hmm¡ her liver, kidneys, small intestine, large intestine, stomach, pancreas, gallbladder, practically all her viscera has ruptured into meatpaste.¡±
With another flick of his finger, her muscles appeared. ¡°Her abdominal muscles, obliques and back muscles were torn into shreds.¡±
¡°Uhm, can she be saved?¡± Asked Lao Chen. Yi Ming smiled.
¡°Junior Brother, even when you come to ask me for a favour, you still give me something to develop myself with. You are truly an angel sent from Heaven. She will be saved, and I will gather meaningful data in the process to further my Dao.¡±
¡°You said she¡¯d die in a few minutes¡ is that still true?¡±
¡°Well,¡± Yi Ming chuckled. ¡°Now that she¡¯s under my care, her vitals have been frozen for the time being. I may be ready with her within a few hours, and don¡¯t get surprised if I have cleared another Heavenly Meridian in the process!¡±
¡°Very well,¡± Lao Chen chuckled. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll watch. then. And I''ve been thinking. Because of your boundless knowledge on anatomy, you should really write that book you were bragging about. You could consolidate your Dao and help people in the process."
Yi Ming nodded. "I suppose that''s a fair thing to do."
Chapter 20: You Two Know Each Other?!
Shao Lei sat on a table, between a decrepit old man wearing strange, wooden sandals and a strikingly handsome young man with crimson hair. She wasn¡¯t aware of what was happening.
What she did know, however, was that she wasn¡¯t dead. After watching Wu Shan win decisively and seeing how his strength had soared since the last time they crossed fists, it was only natural that she fell into some despair and left the Gala on her way to the inn.
Then, they ambushed her. The first hit landed with no resistance and that was it. She wasn¡¯t in any pain at all because there was no point in her body that she could even feel. The blackout came mercifully swiftly, and that was it. Death¡
¡or at least, that¡¯s what she thought.
¡°Is there any point in your body that you can¡¯t feel?¡± Asked the handsome young man. She looked at him blankly before shaking her head weakly. ¡°Any pains or discomforts?¡±
Again, she shook her head in denial.
¡°See? I knew you¡¯d do well. You¡¯re truly gifted, Yi Ming,¡± the old man cackled, stroking his beard as he surveyed her. Shao Lei was too depressive to really resist. Little mattered at the moment, anyhow. Not since her Dao Pillars were eaten whole by a gluttonous parasite.
¡°Why didn¡¯t you let me die?¡± Shao Lei croaked, resisting the temptation to break down. Yi Ming simply sighed.
¡°Wow, junior brother Lao Chen. Even when you think you¡¯re doing people favours, they seem to disagree,¡± Yi Ming chuckled. Lao Chen shook his head.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, young lady? Is someone after you?¡± He asked. Shao Lei shook her head. ¡°The handsome man over there is the Blood Dragon Patriarch. He could erase any problems that you might have.¡±
Yi Ming chuckled nervously as Shao Lei¡¯s eyes widened comically. The Blood Dragon Patriarch healed her? For what reason?
¡°Junior Brother, you¡¯re much too blunt. Shao Lei is most likely in despair due to a lack of cultivation base,¡± Yi Ming chuckled ruefully. ¡°Though I don¡¯t see why that should be enough to have you take your own life.¡±
Lao Chen stroked his beard. ¡°Especially due to recent¡ developments. Introspect a little, young lady,¡± Lao Chen advised. Shao Lei didn¡¯t have to be told twice as she assumed a lotus position and swam inwards, towards her dantian.
There, the wretched Cloud Dragon rested, but within its coils was a large egg. Inside the egg, unbridled concentrations of high-purity Qi rested. In her excitement, she was jolted out of her introspection as she began to smile.
¡°I can feel the Qi equivalent,¡± Lao Chen began ¡°of a hundred and eight Dao Pillars, condensed into almost the highest purity. When that egg hatches, you will be thrust directly into Core Formation Stage, and by the looks of it, it will hatch any time within this week. You have truly treated this dragon to a feast, allowing it to eat your Dao Pillars so magnanimously,¡± Lao Chen chuckled.
¡°And I¡¯ll have to thank you personally for providing me with useful data on visceral organs and the nervous system, particularly the spinal cord. Thanks to you, I cleared another Heavenly Meridian.¡±
Shao Lei didn¡¯t know what to feel about any of this. Her future wasn¡¯t over. It was just beginning, and hers would be a story throughout the ages. She wasn¡¯t done. She had just began.
¡°Hoh, eager to get going, are we?¡± Lao Chen chuckled. ¡°Well, I cannot, under good conscience, allow you to walk about knowing that you may get accosted yet again. Remember, you still do have enemies.¡±
She frowned, knowing it to be true. ¡°B-but¡ I can¡¯t burden both you masters any longer,¡± she confessed. ¡°I owe the both of you too much.¡±
¡°Nonsense,¡± Yi Ming scoffed. ¡°If it¡¯s anyone that owes me, it¡¯s your master, Nan Liu. If it is anyone that can grant me something that could possibly interest me, it¡¯s her.¡±
Shao Lei shook her head. ¡°I do owe the both of you, and I won¡¯t let anyone take that from me. Whether it¡¯s tomorrow, in ten years or a hundred years, I will repay the equivalent of what I owe.¡±
Lao Chen smiled warmly. ¡°A tough exterior that hides a kind soul,¡± he murmured. His smile fell as he became melancholic. ¡°It¡¯s sad that in this world, kind souls are so easily obliterated. But, I saved yours from an untimely death which obligates me into action.¡±
Lao Chen closed his eyes and clamped his hands together, summoning a girl that looked to be the same age as Shao Lei, albeit with golden hair and strange eyes.
¡°Lin-Lin,¡± Lao Chen smiled. Lin-Lin looked up at him.
¡°Yes, father?¡±
¡°Meet Shao Lei,¡± he gestured towards her. The girl¡¯s gaze fell on her, surveying her intently.
¡°Ah¡ I recall you. You fought and lost against Wu Shan,¡± Lin-Lin crossed her arms while Shao Lei grimaced. ¡°You fought well, however. Though¡ I can¡¯t help but notice that you don¡¯t seem to have a cultivation base.¡±
Before Shao Lei could explain, Lao Chen continued. ¡°As you can tell, she is defenceless for the time being, and she has a multitude of enemies who¡¯d see her dead. As such, I want to ask you to take care of her.¡±
Lin-Lin blinked a few times before staring into her dantian. The moment she saw it, she started a little. ¡°Is-is that a dragon?¡±
Shao Lei smiled sheepishly. ¡°Long story.¡±
¡°Well,¡± Lin-Lin smiled. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to take care of her.¡±
¡°Great!¡± Lao Chen clapped his hands. ¡°Have fun with your playmate.¡±
--
A girl and a Nascent Soul ate their fill of lunch in the Water Lily Pavilion in a rather unpopulated corner of the luxurious hang-out. Lin-Lin didn¡¯t actually have to eat, but there was a certain charm in tasting expensive foods that Lin-Lin wasn¡¯t above partaking in.
Shao Lei ate her food slowly; looking over her shoulder every third bite like it was going to be her last.
¡°There¡¯s nothing to fear if I¡¯m here,¡± Lin-Lin took notice and attempted to comfort her, much to her embarrassment. Her cheeks flushed as she shook her head.
¡°I¡¯m needlessly tense¡¡± She admitted. ¡°I just feel so¡ helpless without my cultivation base.¡±
¡°Hmm¡¡± Lin-Lin hummed. ¡°I have honestly no idea how that feels. Being weak, that is.¡±
Shao Lei frowned. ¡°It¡¯s because Senior Lao Chen is such a strong character, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Lin-Lin shook her head. ¡°Well, while father does mind my well-being, my personal prowess have always been slightly inferior to him since birth. After all, as his Nascent Soul, we share a bond.¡±
Shao Lei raised an eyebrow. ¡°You expect me to believe that I¡¯ve been dining with a Nascent Soul?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Lin-Lin frowned before smiling brightly. ¡°I do seem human, don¡¯t I? On a scale of one to ten, how human do I seem?¡±
Shao Lei raised an eyebrow. ¡°Ten, pretty much. Aside from the weird eyes, you¡¯re pretty human.¡±
Lin-Lin¡¯s smile widened as tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°Really?¡±
Shao Lei¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Whoa¡ are you truly a Nascent Soul?¡±
Lin-Lin nodded. ¡°Well¡ yeah. My father created me to have free will and intelligence matching a human¡ but the fact that I resemble a human so much to have fooled you¡¡±
Shao Lei waved her hand. ¡°Nobody would assume you to be a Nascent Soul the moment they see you. Absolutely nobody.¡±
¡°Thank you, Shao Lei. Can we be friends?¡±
Shao Lei frowned. ¡°We¡¯re already friends, aren¡¯t we?¡±
Lin-Lin nodded. ¡°Right.¡±
¡°Now¡ exactly how strong are you?¡±
¡°Well¡ in my base form, I am equivalent to a Core Formation expert of the final stage, and in addition, my Qi is 100% pure. If I borrow strength from father, I am equivalent to a Dao Seeker.¡±
¡°Whoa¡ that¡¯s amazing! Why didn¡¯t you say so from the start! And here I thought you were just another Foundation Establishment genius,¡± Shao Lei¡¯s shoulders slumped in relief.
¡°Well, well, well! Look who it is!¡±
Shao Lei immediately tensed, looking towards Lin-Lin pleadingly, mouthing a ¡®do something.¡¯
Lin-Lin smiled. ¡°Greetings, Zhang He.¡± Shao Lei whipped her head backwards, only to see Zhang He, the cocky bastard.
Shao Lei gasped. ¡°You know him? He knows you?¡±
¡°Ah!¡± Zhang He exclaimed. ¡°Is that Shao Lei? You two know each other?¡±
¡°My father entrusted her safety to me,¡± Lin-Lin nodded.
¡°Her safety? I¡¯m pretty sure she could handle herself, Lin-Lin,¡± pulling a chair from a nearby empty table, Zhang He sat next to Lin-Lin.
Shao Lei felt awkward watching what was happening. ¡°Lin-Lin was just joking a little. No one¡¯s safety is entrusted to anyone around here.¡±
¡°Hahah, this beautiful flower of mine isn¡¯t fit for the battlefield, are you Lin-Lin?¡±
Shao Lei frowned. ¡°What?¡±
Lin-Lin sighed. ¡°Zhang He. I haven¡¯t been completely honest with you. There¡¯s something that I¡¯ve wanted to say since I first met you.¡±
Zhang He smiled. ¡°What is it? Pray tell.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t-¡±
¡°Lin-Lin!¡± A voice shouted behind her. She recognized the voice.
Wu Shan. Lin-Lin could only wince.
¡°That bastard knows you?¡± Shao Lei shouted.
Zhang He stood up abruptly, glaring daggers at Wu Shan. ¡°How dare you speak the name of my love?¡±
Wu Shan grimaced in disgust. ¡°Your love? She¡¯s my sister!¡±
¡°Sister?¡± Yelled both Zhang He and Shao Lei in disbelief.
¡°Lin-Lin, is it what it looks like?¡± Wu Shan asked pleadingly before pointing an accusing finger at Zhang He. ¡°That is not cool! How do you go out with someone¡¯s sister without even telling them?!¡±
¡°How should I have known? Lin-Lin barely tells me anything!¡±
¡°People. Please calm down,¡± Lin-Lin attempted.
¡°Lin-Lin, how come you never told me he was your brother?¡± Zhang He croaked.
¡°Lin-Lin, how come you never told me you were seeing someone?¡± Wu Shan pleaded.
¡°And how come you never told me you were related to this bastard?¡± Shao Lei fumed.
¡°People, please calm down, I¡¯ll explain!¡± Lin-Lin covered her face with her hands, not wanting to meet the gazes of anyone present.
¡°You all seem to have a problem with each other, so I assumed that if I kept my relationships with you people a secret, nobody would get hurt.¡±
¡°That worked just wonderfully, didn¡¯t it?¡± Shao Lei scoffed.
¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Lin-Lin smiled forlornly. ¡°Zhang He. I¡¯d like to speak to you. In private, of course. Wu Shan, watch Shao Lei.¡±
Wu Shan looked at Shao Lei incredulously as Lin-Lin left the table with Zhang He in tow.
¡°What did she mean by watch you?¡± Wu Shan asked as he took a seat opposite Shao Lei. All she got in reply was a hateful glare.
¡°Okay, then.¡± Wu Shan tapped the table and grabbed the nearest glass of wine which belonged to Lin-Lin and took a sip before chuckling. ¡°You let Lin-Lin order wine? She¡¯s way too young for that.¡±
Shao Lei still glared.
Wu Shan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. ¡°The Water Lily Pavilion, huh? Seems you¡¯ve got good taste in places to hang out. How did you get to know Lin-Lin?¡±
Shao Lei refused to answer, instead opting to just ignore him.
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°Do you hate me because I defeated you?¡±
¡°Uh, what if I do?¡± Shao Lei retorted.
¡°Uh, because it¡¯s childish!¡± Wu Shan shot back. ¡°What¡¯s the point in hating people that defeat you? Did I wrong you by being better than you?¡±
¡°Shut your goddamn mouth, bastard,¡± Shao Lei seethed in unbridled rage. Wu Shan blinked before taking a deep breath and letting it out again.
¡°Small wonder they call you the ¡®Bipolar Princess¡¯,¡± Wu Shan muttered, but Shao Lei banged the table with her fist.
¡°Say that again, bastard.¡±
¡°Or what? You beat me?¡±
Shao Lei remained quiet.
¡°You know,¡± began Wu Shan. ¡°That time when I purified my meridians of your contamination, I can honestly say that I had never been in more pain than that time. But I don¡¯t hate you.¡±
¡°Why should that matter? If I hate you, I hate you. There¡¯s nothing you can do to change that.¡±
¡°All I¡¯m asking is ¡®why?¡¯¡± Wu Shan pleaded. ¡°I do have a conscience, and if I did something to really hurt you, I should know.¡±
Shao Lei thought back to her interactions with him. The alleyway and the arena were the sum-total of the times they had seen each other, and in total, he had only uttered two sentences to her, and she hadn¡¯t spoken to him at all before then.
She was being obstinate. She knew that. She didn¡¯t really care, though.
¡°Both you and Zhang He get awesome nicknames while mine is a double-insult. Why should I have it worse than the both of you?¡±
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°I didn¡¯t come up with the nickname. People just did, and from what I¡¯m hearing, you beat up a whole lot of people to get your nickname. You¡¯re no saint, Shao Lei.¡±
Shao Lei sputtered. ¡°At least I give my enemies face when I fight them. Single exchange beat downs won¡¯t earn you any allies, Wu Shan.¡±
¡°Neither will pointless bar-fights and verbal sparring.¡±
¡°Shut up.¡±
¡°You shut up,¡± Wu Shan crossed his arms. ¡°The only reason I haven¡¯t left yet is because Lin-Lin told me to watch you for whatever reason, and I fear Lin-Lin¡¯s wrath much more than you.¡±
Shao Lei didn¡¯t retort. Instead, she grabbed a glass of wine and sipped it slowly. Ever since her loss of cultivation base, things became much more difficult for her. Her food intake was limited, she would get drunk after just one bottle of wine, and she had to visit the bathroom at least thrice a day, which was already a major inconvenience.
Being mortal really sucked.
¡°Whoa! If it isn¡¯t the ¡®Bipolar Princess¡¯ herself!¡± someone jeered loudly behind Shao Lei. Wu Shan stood up.
¡°If you don¡¯t want any trouble, leave now,¡± Wu Shan threatened. Behind Shao Lei was a group of almost fifty cultivators. The patrons had already left to avoid getting caught in the scuffle.
¡°What is ¡®storm fist¡¯ doing here?¡± Someone asked. The man in the middle shushed them down as he smiled deceivingly.
¡°Storm Fist won¡¯t matter. If Shao Lei is a paper tiger that made my junior brothers lose face, then who¡¯s to say that ¡®Storm Fist¡¯ isn¡¯t a phony either? Besides, we¡¯ve got my elder brother with us,¡± he sneered, presenting a rather short cultivator with a devilish smile.
¡°¡¯Storm Fist¡¯ will matter because we¡¯re no paper tigers,¡± Wu Shan barked. ¡°Now get out of here, or I¡¯ll just have to defeat all of you.¡±
¡°Try us,¡± the leader chuckled.
Wu Shan activated the Mind Rending technique, effectively knocking out a quarter of the cultivators present, while terrifying half those remaining into immobility. The leader frowned. ¡°A mind technique?¡±
¡°Listen. We could talk it out and come to an agreement where both parties concerned apologize to each other over their perceived loss of face,¡± Wu Shan smiled. ¡°Or we could just fight it out.¡±
The short cultivator appeared right in front of Wu Shan, punching the unprepared youth in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall.
¡°Or,¡± the leader proposed. ¡°You could disappear and let us handle our business-¡°
The leader was blown back by a fist-sized Phoenix Bomb finding its way towards him sending him crashing through the roof, and far out of the premises. The remaining cultivators ran out of the pavilion promptly.
Wu Shan pushed himself out of the wall and glared at the short cultivator.
¡°You¡¯re a core formation expert? What the hell are you doing wasting your time taking revenge for someone a whole stage below you? Are you just bored?¡±
The man just laughed. ¡°I am bored, actually. I don¡¯t give two flying shits about face. When there¡¯s a chance to lord my strength over children, I¡¯ll take it.¡±
¡°Then,¡± a voice reverberated around the room as the short cultivator crashed onto the floor as though gravity magnified itself. ¡°You won¡¯t feel indignant if someone like me were to lord their strength over you? Would you, now, Core. Formation. Expert?¡±
Lin-Lin appeared out of thin air, floating above the downed expert.
¡°A million apologies! Please forgive this lowly one!¡±
Lin-Lin eased her aura, letting the short cultivator stand up. ¡°My father is a merciful man, but I find no reason why I shouldn¡¯t destroy your Core and halt your cultivation indefinitely. Give me a reason why I shouldn¡¯t, in twenty seconds or less.¡±
The Core Formation expert began to blabber incoherently, just muttering ¡®please¡¯s and ¡®don¡¯t¡¯s and ¡®I¡¯m begging you¡¯s. Lin-Lin frowned.
¡°Twenty seconds are up. Does the sum-total of the justification of your actions amount to mindless pleading? I really should cripple your cultivation.¡±
Lin-Lin levitated the man using sheer Qi, immobilizing him. Just as her hand was to shoot out, Wu Shan stepped between them.
¡°Father wouldn¡¯t approve of this,¡± Wu Shan murmured.
Lin-Lin sighed, but nonetheless released her hold on the man, letting him run off.
Shao Lei, meanwhile, was still seated, clapping her hands. ¡°Lin-Lin, wonderful performance. I give you a ten out of ten!¡±
¡°What about me?¡± Wu Shan asked.
¡°Since you couldn¡¯t beat shortie, -2/10¡±
¡°Negative two?!¡±
Chapter 21: Dragon Amongst Men!
Wu Shan was ready.
So was Zhang He.
The arena howled loudly, unceasingly in its endless adulation. The finals were now. The two finalists came as predicted, and now it was time to truly decide who was the winner of this year¡¯s Dragon Flight Gala.
¡°I¡¯m betting on Zhang He,¡± Lao Chen muttered. ¡°My son is much too stupid to win this one. Your disciple truly is a genius.¡±
¡°Really, now?¡± Yi Ming laughed. ¡°I¡¯m actually betting on Wu Shan to win this one. While my disciple is very resourceful, I¡¯m afraid Wu Shan¡¯s unrelenting power might decide the match.¡±
Lao Chen huffed as he pulled out a wad of gold bars from his bag of holding. ¡°Twenty-five gold bars.¡±
Yi Ming laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t insult me, junior brother,¡± With a wave of his hand, he produced an equal amount, and in addition, a staff made of golden wood. ¡°I bet twenty-five gold bars plus this legendary treasure, the Primordial Wood Staff, enchanted to grow up to eighteen li!¡±
Lao Chen laughed. ¡°You underestimate my prowess, senior.¡± He laughed as he pulled out a two-meter long sword made of steel that glowed blue. ¡°I have no idea what this sword is, but it has to be at least twice as valuable as that staff of yours!¡±
Yi Ming frowned. ¡°It is indeed a strong treasure. Well,¡± he smirked. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just have to double down.¡±
With another flick of his hand, he produced a gem the size of a head. ¡°This is a Soul Gem. It can help immensely to bolster one¡¯s Nascent Soul which will consolidate your foundation and allow you to go much farther in your cultivation journey.¡±
Lao Chen scoffed. ¡°You make a strong wager, senior. I¡¯ll just have to triple down,¡± Lao Chen pulled out a scripture. ¡°This thing seems to be a treasure. Surely, this must be extremely useful and valuable.¡±
Yi Ming gaped. ¡°What?¡± Yi Ming waved his hands again, producing twenty other Soul Gems. Gnashing his teeth, he retorted. ¡°You make a damn good wager. I¡¯m afraid this is where I draw the line. Now, all that remains is to simply watch the match.¡±
Wu Shan and Zhang He glared at each other. They still hadn¡¯t forgotten the events that occurred the day before, incensing them to no end. Like bulls restrained, they looked ready to bite at each other¡¯s necks.
¡°Ladies! And Gentlemen! This is the event that you have all been waiting for! The ¡®Blood Dragon¡¯ Zhang He versus the ¡®Storm Fist¡¯ Wuuuu Shaaan! The most anticipated battle in the Dragon Flight Gala is to occur! Llllllllllllet¡¯s get ready to rrrrrumbleeeeeee!¡±
Fireworks shot up into the sky, illuminating the night for brief moments as the tension rose by the moment.
¡°The wagers are up, and ladies and gentlemen I tell ya, the odds are equal for the both of them, one to one! That¡¯s madness! There¡¯s no way to predict the outcome of this battle at all!¡±
¡°On go, everybody! Three!¡±
Wu Shan began to think clearly, clearer than he ever had.
¡°Two!¡±
Why was he fighting? To defeat the man in front of him. But why? To prove that he was strong? People already knew that. Then why? What was driving his competitive spirit? What drove him?
¡°One!¡±
Battle wasn¡¯t just senseless violence. Neither was it something as crude as ¡®might makes right¡¯. Was it more? Yes. Wu Shan trained to have a battle where he could pour everything he had. It wasn¡¯t battle for the sake of violence. It was battle for the sake of battling.
¡°Go!¡±
It was just pure fun.
Wu Shan wasted no time drawing from the tempestuous maelstrom that was his large Dao Pillar, creating a raging dragon consisting of both Yin and Yang energy.
The dragon driven by conflicting energies was furious and swift beyond belief, tearing its way towards Zhang He who summoned his own staff before turning it into a dragon.
Both dragons clashed, but then Wu Shan¡¯s opened its wide maw, swallowing the Blood Dragon whole, making its way towards Zhang He.
Wu Shan stood there calmly, watching his rival dart around, eluding the giant dragon, sending several of his own after it to slow it down.
Zhang He was being pushed back. The Yin and Yang dragon was near indestructible, eating up his blood dragon constructs without even batting an eye.
Wu Shan took advantage of his evasiveness and rushed into battle with a black gauntlet in his right hand and a white one in his left.
Luring Zhang He into a pincer attack with his dragon, Wu Shan got close enough to land a punch on his chest which grazed him. Zhang He summoned his spear with a flick of his hand and swung it to Wu Shan, but as the dragon closed in, Zhang He opted to evade once more.
Wu Shan was nimbler than the dragon, so he gave chase, subtly manoeuvring the dragon as he stalked Zhang He.
Zhang He predicted the pincer and rushed towards Wu Shan instead with his dragon in tow. Using his spear to vault over Wu Shan, he let the dragon crash into its creator.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Wu Shan was blown back by his own dragon several dozen meters before rushing up to his feet, rage evident in his eyes. Zhang He stabbed his spear on the stunned dragon, hopping off just as it began to jerk wildly.
Wu Shan clenched his fists, forcing the dragon to regain its senses as Zhang He summoned several spears, turning them into dragons, allowing the constructs to fight it out while he focused on Wu Shan.
One on one, they clashed. With his gauntlets, Wu Shan managed to land another hit on his chest, causing a miniature explosion that forced Zhang He to cough out a globule of blood. Wu Shan capitalized on his opponent¡¯s dazed state, launching a devastating uppercut that lifted him off his feet for a brief moment.
While in the air, Wu Shan rotated, kicking him into the air. Zhang He coughed some more blood, but nonetheless regained his bearings, turning the spear in his hand into a dragon, holding onto its tail before climbing on top of its back.
Summoning several dozen spears over his head, Zhang He sent them flying downwards at Wu Shan, turning them into dragons right upon impact.
Wu Shan destroyed them as they came, punching them simultaneously with both hands at once, destroying their heads. Zhang He turned around to keep an eye on the black and white dragon, relieved that it was still fighting it out with his own blood dragons.
Zhang He kept up the barrage, firing more and more spears at Wu Shan, who began to visibly falter, allowing one dragon to tear a bite out of his flesh. Wu Shan grunted in agony, upping his effort in repelling the damned spear dragons.
With a mighty punch, Wu Shan repelled several dragons, giving him enough breathing space to open up a rift, sending the oncoming dragons towards Zhang He, who barely reacted to the first dragon as it appeared right behind him. Zhang He hopped over it, seizing control once more, sending them back towards Wu Shan who had already erected a transparent barrier, sitting cross-legged within it.
Zhang He smirked. ¡°Turtling up, are we?¡± Biting his tongue, Zhang He spat some of his blood on a spear, transforming it into a legendary-looking spear before launching it towards Wu Shan who, right before impact, disabled his aegis and hopped to the side, avoiding the spear.
Zhang He transformed the spear into a dragon, allowing it to give chase to Wu Shan. Tired of running, he faced it head-on, throwing both his fists at it with a front lurch, causing a major explosion that blew the dragon back a few meters before it attempted a head-on blast again.
Zhang He redirected the dragon spear to himself, grabbing it in spear-form as he hopped from his dragon, landing with grace. Zhang He pointed his spear at Wu Shan, who¡ smirked?
Zhang He then felt the terrifying aura of Wu Shan¡¯s dragon envelop him as he found himself deep within the dragon¡¯s maw. Forgetting to keep an eye on it, it had managed to swallow him whole.
Wu Shan grinned, holding his fist in the air in a victorious pose.
The dragon began to spin around, then it began to jerk wildly, as though it ingested poison. Suddenly, it began to pulse blood red intermittently, matching the rhythm of a heart beat.
Wu Shan was puzzled, but erected an aegis before himself in preparation for what was to come.
True to form, the dragon burst and Zhang He absorbed the ambient Qi from the broken construct. Zhang He was transformed. All the blood vessels in his body glowed in an ominous red, and the plain leather breastplate that he wore was tattered, revealing a living tattoo of a blood dragon swimming around his chest.
Zhang He grew a claw out of his index finger and poked himself in his chest, drawing out a pearl of blood. Flicking his hand, he stretched it into a crimson spear that shone with a metallic gleam.
Wu Shan destroyed the barrier, donning a serious expression. ¡°I can only hope that this will work,¡± he whispered.
Deep within Wu Shan, his Dao Pillar began to rotate as the Qi within spun wildly. Wu Shan let it seep out, but intertwined it as he pushed it through every single one of his meridians.
With the Yin and Yang Qi coursing through him, Wu Shan activated an original technique for strengthening similar to Yang Fists.
His right eye became a vast white while his left eye became pitch black.
Fist and spear connected, and an epic explosion occurred.
The arena was deathly silent, and once the smoke cleared, both youths were down for the count.
The medic in charge hopped down to assess the both of them.
Lao Chen and Yi Ming leaned closer, almost falling out of their chairs.
Lin-Lin and Shao Lei also leaned forwards.
The medic finished assessing the both of them and gave a flat hand sign.
It was a tie.
Assessing the both of them once more to see which one had more Qi potential to gauge the talent, the medic was at a loss once more, giving a flat hand sign.
Another tie.
The medic gestured a few times, unleashing a technique on both of them to gauge their ages.
Both Lao Chen and Yi Ming were completely dumbstruck.
They were both seventeen years old, and two months to boot. Because the medic couldn¡¯t be more accurate, he crossed both his arms.
The MC was dumbstruck. ¡°An¡ an absolute tie?¡±
Yi Ming and Lao Chen looked at each other slowly. ¡°I, eh¡ I suppose we should just trade our wagers?¡± Lao Chen proposed.
Yi Ming nodded. ¡°A wise decision,¡± He concurred as both of them stood up to pick their winnings.
From the arena seats, Shao Lei hollered. ¡°Oh, come on! What a load of bull is that?! An absolute tie?! How in the hell is that even possible?¡±
¡°Ladies and gentlemen! This year¡¯s Dragon Flight Gala concludes with an absolute tie, not seen in several centuries! In its youth, a dragon takes flight, and Zhang He and Wu Shan have both proved to be dragons taking their flight for the first time! In the name of the One Under Heaven, I crown both these contestants the winners of the Dragon Flight Gala!¡±
The audience cheered loudly. Then, three cloaked men hopped onto the arena.
¡°The One Under Heaven approves of this event!¡± They all boomed simultaneously, silencing the crowd promptly.
¡°We have all selected the talents qualified to become Lotus Buds!¡± The middle one yelled.
¡°Zhang He, the ¡®Blood Dragon¡¯!¡±
The crowd cheered raucously, clapping their hands as loudly as they could.
¡°Wu Shan, the ¡®Storm Fist¡¯!¡±
Lao Chen beamed! ¡°Yes! My son has qualified to become a¡ my son has won something!¡± Pushing Yi Ming with his elbow, Lao Chen laughed. ¡°And yours won something, too!¡±
Yi Ming laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect anything less from that fool!¡±
¡°And!¡± The middle talent scout removed his hood, shocking Lin-Lin and Lao Chen. ¡°Shao Lei, the ¡®Cloud Dragon¡¯!¡±
Wang Chun.
¡°Wait!¡± Lao Chen exclaimed. ¡°I know him!¡±
¡°These victors are to be brought to The Forbidden City to be sworn in as Lotus Buds, a special reserve of talents to be developed for the sole purpose of serving the Empire during war-time.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s smile fell. ¡°What?¡±
¡°These three young souls will be cultivated into individuals capable of wreaking great destruction upon the Azure Empire in order to perpetuate our sacred way of living for millennia!¡±
Lao Chen looked at Yi Ming. ¡°They are to be soldiers?¡±
Yi Ming raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, yes? That¡¯s the whole point of having talent scouts come over for the Gala¡ were you not aware?¡±
Lao Chen swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m more fearful of Wu Shan not knowing what he got himself into¡¡±
¡°Come dawn, we will have departed to The Forbidden City, and the gods willing, we shall arrive in a month!¡±
¡°And with that, we bid thee good night, and to a thousand more years of Jade rule!¡±
¡°Long live the empire!¡± Came the unanimous response of nearly every citizen spectating.
Lao Chen stamped his foot on the floor rapidly. ¡°That foolish boy¡¡±
Actually, this is just a popularity poll
Guys calm down the chapter is coming soon. I haven''t burned out just yet, lol. Just make do with this popularity poll for now.
Oh and by the way, I''d really like to use this chapter as a place to appreciate members of the Discord server, the Outer and Inner Court Disciples alike.
Special thanks go to kohlth (dunno if that''s his name on RRL) for literally running the discord server. Literally.
I honestly have not the slightest idea on how to manage that futuristic doodad that you young whippersnappers like to use. Kohlth has been immensely useful This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Uhm, I need to fill five hundred words to make this chapter valid....
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Uh... would this work?
Chapter 22: Departing from Gold Stone City
Spoiler:April Fool''s Chapter
In the dead of night, Lao Chen visited Wu Shan in a golden imperial carriage where an infantile golden dragon swirled about. He lay on a bed, convalescing after having been administered quality medical care after the battle. He was awake, but he stared at the ceiling, frowning.
¡°I heard, father¡ They¡¯re making me into a Lotus Bud¡¡± Wu Shan murmured. Lao Chen shook his head.
¡°No. They can¡¯t make you do anything. Not while I¡¯m still alive. Even if I have to spirit you away someplace else or make peace between our Jade Empire and the Azure Empire, I will never allow them to force you into becoming a soldier. Not on my life.¡±
¡°But¡¡± Wu Shan sighed as he sat upright. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, father. I think I enjoy prostituting myself.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Is that so?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Wu Shan affirmed. ¡°I enjoy whoring myself. You¡¯ve taught me many valuable things through the years, things that I will never forget. My principles and morals come before needless sex¡ but there is a client lurking at my doorstep, begging to fuck me¡¡±
Lao Chen sighed. ¡°The Seeker of the Dao of Lust¡ You know, you could just turn him down. He¡¯s a major perv.¡±
Wu Shan scoffed. ¡°Of course I know that. But at the end of the day, some people will never become normal. I feel obligated to do something. It¡¯s my body, too, father!¡±
Lao Chen grimaced. ¡°Being a prostitute is nothing like how it is romanticised, son¡ Although you join for a higher cause, you will always be the puppet of a higher power, and such individuals are prone to STDs. Is that what you want? STDs?¡±
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°Why do you distrust the the Seeker of the Dao of Lust so much?¡±
¡°Because it isn¡¯t logical to put your trust in people you have never met!¡± Lao Chen exclaimed. ¡°He could be the vilest being for all you know! Who knows? Perhaps even in the grand scheme of things, in the bigger picture, you¡¯re just another fling for him? Have you ever considered how much of a manslut you are?¡±
Wu Shan stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t think I agree with you, father!¡±
¡°Then don¡¯t!¡±
Both parties remained silent while Wu Shan looked away, hurt evident in his expression. Upon seeing it, Lao Chen¡¯s heart became heavy.
¡°Son, I¡¯m sorry-¡±
¡°You¡¯re right¡¡± Wu Shan nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t have to agree with you.¡± Barging out of the carriage, Lao Chen was left alone, an emptiness forming a pit in his stomach.
April Fool''s. Here''s the real chapter.
In the dead of night, Lao Chen visited Wu Shan in a golden imperial carriage where an infantile golden dragon swirled about. He lay on a bed, convalescing after having been administered quality medical care after the battle. He was awake, but he stared at the ceiling, frowning.
¡°I heard, father¡ They¡¯re making me into a Lotus Bud¡¡± Wu Shan murmured. Lao Chen shook his head.
¡°No. They can¡¯tmakeyou do anything. Not while I¡¯m still alive. Even if I have to spirit you away someplace else or make peace between our Jade Empire and the Azure Empire, I will never allow them to force you into becoming a soldier. Not on my life.¡±
¡°But¡¡± Wu Shan sighed as he sat upright. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking, father. I think I enjoy fighting.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Is that so?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Wu Shan affirmed. ¡°I enjoy fighting. You¡¯ve taught me many valuable things through the years, things that I will never forget. My principles and morals come before needless violence¡ but there is a threat lurking at our doorstep, threatening our way of life¡¡±
Lao Chen sighed. ¡°The Azure Empire¡ You know, they are people as much as you and I are.¡±
Wu Shan scoffed. ¡°Of course I know that. But at the end of the day, some people will never become our allies. I feel obligated to do something. It¡¯s my Empire, too, father!¡±
Lao Chen grimaced. ¡°Being a soldier is nothing like how it is romanticised, son¡ Although you join for a higher cause, you will always be the puppet of a higher power, and such individuals are prone to corruption. Is that what you want? For your prowess to be used for evil and greed?¡±
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°Why do you distrust the Jade Emperor so much?¡±
¡°Because it isn¡¯t logical to put your trust in people you have never met!¡± Lao Chen exclaimed. ¡°He could be the vilest being for all you know! Who knows? Perhaps even in the grand scheme of things, in the bigger picture, we are the true villains? Have you ever considered that truth might have been withheld from you?¡±
Wu Shan stood up. ¡°I don¡¯t think I agree with you, father!¡±
¡°Then don¡¯t!¡±
Both parties remained silent while Wu Shan looked away, hurt evident in his expression. Upon seeing it, Lao Chen¡¯s heart became heavy.
¡°Son, I¡¯m sorry-¡±
¡°You¡¯re right¡¡± Wu Shan nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t have to agree with you.¡± Barging out of the carriage, Lao Chen was left alone, an emptiness forming a pit in his stomach.
--
The golden dragon that swam in the air around the carriage was conflicted. It¡¯s owner, Wu Shan, was leaving the carriage, but it had also been given strict orders not to leave the carriage by him.
Loyalty won over as it flew over to follow him. Wu Shan was pleasantly surprised by its presence, but it couldn¡¯t erase the pain in his heart.
¡°Jinlong¡ how¡¯s it going, little buddy?¡± He scratched around the two-meter long dragon¡¯s neck, eliciting yelps of delight from it.
The dragon was an excellent breed, caught in the outskirts of the World¡¯s End. Because Zhang He did not want it for whatever reason, the dragon went to Wu Shan for the taming, and after initiating a soul contract, the dragon¡¯s loyalty was assured.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Wu Shan didn¡¯t know where he was going, only that he needed some fresh air. Thus, he simply sat next to a pond in the Inner District, watching the water reflect the resplendent night sky as he contemplated.
¡°It¡¯s crazy, right¡?¡± Came a feminine voice from behind him. Wu Shan didn¡¯t have to turn around to recognize the feminine voice. It was Shao Lei. ¡°Lotus buds? It¡¯s everything I¡¯ve ever wanted andmore.¡±
Wu Shan remained quiet, taking a deep breath. ¡°I guess,¡± He whispered.
Shao Lei came closer, sitting herself next to him. ¡°You don¡¯t look very well, ¡®Storm Fist¡¯. What¡¯s the matter?¡±
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°What do you care?¡±
¡°Easy there, I was just asking, but¡ you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t really care,¡± Shao Lei shrugged, a playful grin on her face.
¡°Well¡ I had a fight with my father¡¡±
¡°So what¡¯s the matter?¡±
¡°He doesn¡¯t want me to join the Lotus Buds,¡± confessed Wu Shan. ¡°He distrusts the Emperor to be a competent commander.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t, either,¡± Shao Lei admitted.
¡°Huh?¡± Wu Shan looked at her incredulously. ¡°Then why do you want to become a Lotus Bud?¡±
Shao Lei scoffed. ¡°Resources, of course! Do you realize how far along the Martial Path we can get with what they provide us? Pills, elixirs, sparring opportunities, Magical Beasts to tame! It¡¯s a haven for those seeking personal power.¡±
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°So you¡¯re joining for self-centered reasons?¡±
¡°Eeyup,¡± she chirped.
¡°And what if the Emperor orders you to do something you¡¯d rather not do? Like, purge a whole township because of signs of rebellion?¡±
¡°Then I¡¯d desert, but that¡¯s unlikely to happen as long as you¡¯re a Lotus Bud, you know. They aren¡¯t deployed for any armed conflicts under any circumstances bar training activities.¡±
¡°Once you become a Lotus Bud, you¡¯re sworn to service for a century after graduation. Deserting right after graduation¡? I don¡¯t think I could live with myself,¡± admitted Wu Shan after some thought.
¡°You do you, ¡®Storm Fist¡¯. Principles can get in the way, ya know.¡±
¡°Hah!¡± Wu Shan laughed. ¡°My father would throw a fit hearing that. He¡¯s a stickler for principles. And unfortunately, I am too.¡±
¡°You know,¡± Shao Lei smiled. ¡°You¡¯re not half that bad after all. Hey, I¡¯m making a group with Zhang He. A faction, if you wish, if we are to avoid the bullying and hazing. And¡ I feel magnanimous enough to extendyouan invitation.¡±
Wu Shan grinned. ¡°Really? You¡¯re making me the leader?¡± Shao Lei shoved Wu Shan light-heartedly.
¡°Dream on. It¡¯s a partnership. That means everyone has a say.¡±
Wu Shan rolled his eyes, but nodded. ¡°Then I accept your invitation, Senior Sister Shao Lei.¡±
--
Lao Chen was at the top of the highest Star Pagoda, keeping Yi Ming company.
¡°I really didn¡¯t anticipate this¡ that my son could be this hard-headed¡¡±
Yi Ming shook his head. ¡°You don¡¯t trust his judgement?¡±
¡°He¡¯s uninformed,¡± Lao Chen sputtered. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t even trust his own judgement. I mean, this goes against everything I¡¯ve taught him.¡±
¡°Everything?¡± Yi Ming looked skeptical.
¡°Well,¡± Lao Chen grinned sheepishly. ¡°Not ¡®everything¡¯, but a lot nonetheless. I taught him independence, free thinking and principles. To surrender his abilities to someone he doesn¡¯t even know? And for what, to defeat some unseen enemy because obviously peace is out of the question?¡±
Yi Ming held his hand up. ¡°Let me tell you something the wisest man I¡¯ve ever met told me some time ago. Maybe you¡¯re wrong?¡±
Lao Chen furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°¡I¡¯m¡ wrong.¡± For a pregnant moment, Lao Chen mulled over it. "He''s getting himself into something stupid..."
"But if it''s his choice, and it''s his life, why should you be the governor?"
Lao Chen contemplated as he looked at the bright and boundless stars above. Besides the bright and magnificent ones where the relatively dim and unassuming ones. The younglings beside the giants. All they needed was time to grow and they would become just as resplendent, if not more. But the Dao of a star did not entail constant guidance, and neither did any Dao for that matter. A Dao was a personal matter that only that person can pursue, never to be taught to others.
¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve put enough trust in my son.¡±
Lao Chen closed his eyes and grasped for the Dao. His Dao. The Dao of Dreams.
The people of Gold Stone City, himself, and even the Yi Ming all registered under the all-seeing eye of that mystical Dao. Them, and their dreams. Wu Shan sat alongside Shao Lei next to a pond. Their dream was big, larger than themselves, a conflagration in an ocean of candle-lights.
And within these dreams, Lao Chen could feel a small Dao Seed forming the precursor to whatever Dao they would seek in the future, and Wu Shan''s was growing. His decision would come to affect his future prospects, but for better or for worse, Lao Chen had to accept that fact.
"I think it''s time to let him grow. Independently of me, that is."
Yi Ming nodded. "Yes. That would be for the best"
Lao Chen grumbled a little. "Though... I would have loved to have spent more time with Jinlong. What a magnificent beast it is."
"I''m sure you''ll find something equally magnificent, my friend. I''m sure you will." Yi Ming consoled.
--
Far away, atop a dense layer of cloud, one man stood. He displayed not a single emotion on his face but stillness. The long, golden robes extended far beneath his feet, emulating his long, golden hair that stretched to his lower back.
The man¡¯s face shifted into a grateful smile as he clamped his hands together. Then, he separated them into fists only to raise two fingers on both hands, then four.
With a swipe of both hands, a large character shone far up in the sky, pulsing in an effervescent green.
ÏÉ
The cloud floor underneath began to swirl into a red hurricane as a figure blasted out of it. The figure revealed itself as a woman wearing a fiery-red martial arts outfit contrasting her pitch black hair and eyes. Contrary to the golden-haired man¡¯s smile, hers were the eyes of suspicion.
The clouds began to swirl once more in a mixture of gold and white as a woman exposing her bust burst up over the clouds, her face donning a forlorn smile.
Several other figures burst up simultaneously. A man covered by the purple sheen of lightning, another woman wearing an outrageous wig and long, red robes and a rice-paper fan covering her mouth, a boy-child, and a triplet of near-identical ladies that were only differentiated by the colour of their garb.
And, as though commanded, they all waited for the golden-haired man to speak.
¡°Two Dao Seekers have joined our folds. There¡¯s no doubt you have felt the two ripples in quick succession of each other, is there?¡±
The silence was his answer.
¡°Thanks to my quick reaction, I¡¯ve sealed the ripples to stay within the Jade Empire lest our enemies discover our step forward. This is great news. We have waited for this for several thousand years, well before the founding of our Jade Empire. Thanks to this, our schedule has advanced.¡±
The golden-haired man paused and sighed for a moment. ¡°As you all know, with the arrival of two Dao Seekers, the Xian Seal grows thicker than ever. They fog our Dao with their very presence.¡±
¡°An obstruction to Immortality,¡± said the boy-child. ¡°We need to take action!¡±
The woman with the fan huffed ¡°Immediately!¡±
The lightning-covered man spoke. ¡°¡Is our objective not to destroy the Xian Seal? If their presence fuels the seal, we should get rid of them both immediately.¡±
The Great One shook his head. ¡°Although that vindictive wretch did what he did, we should not allow our actions to bend to his desires.¡±
The half-naked woman spoke tonelessly ¡°We shouldn¡¯t allow him the pleasure.¡±
The lightning-covered man spoke again. ¡°The Xian Seal has limited our numbers for millennia. How have these new arrivals managed their achievement?¡±
The Great One¡¯s expression shifted to sheer rage, confusing the eight before him. ¡°It must be one of the Shaolin.¡±
¡°What?!¡± The fiery-dressed woman snapped. ¡°The Shaolin were confined in the End of the World Ten-thousand years ago by the Immortal Doyen! How could they possibly wander into the Land of Mortals?¡±
¡°This,¡± Began the Great One ¡°leads to my next theory. Our Dao Seekers might have a special physique. When the Shaolin conducted the Great Experiments all those millennia ago, there were still remnants of those damaged and malformed humans to this day, scattered across the immensely large Jade Empire. Those with Physiques that rejected Qi lived short-lived lives, unable to reproduce their defects, but there existed those neither gifted nor deathly, but unable to form cultivation bases due to incompatibility with regular cultivation methods. Now, perhaps these individuals existed in a closed-off community, and perhaps they managed to obtain Cultivation Methods that fit them, which would coincide with the Divine Ripple we all sensed ten years ago. Perhaps the Shaolin human weapons are finally coming into fruition?¡±
The triplets sneered all at once as the middle one spoke. ¡°It all comes down to Physique and natural talent in the end, huh?¡±
The Great One nodded. "If man cannot do, we create that which can do. Such is the Dao of Humanity. To cultivate the impossible, make it possible through innovation."
The Great One smiled once more. ¡°For now, those two only have one future. To join us.¡±
¡°And what if,¡± the young boy proposed. ¡°They do not?¡±
¡°Well,¡± the Great One suggested, smiling warmly. ¡°Naturally, we¡¯ll make sure that they do not oppose us by any means necessary. Of course, if that fails¡¡±
The Great One¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°We destroy them. Simple as that.¡±
Chapter 23: Journey To The West
The sun rose over the horizon, and the carriage set off. Lao Chen stood on top of the monumental wall of the Gold Stone City, overlooking the carriage. Lin-Lin floated next to him, smiling fondly as she reminisced.
Lao Chen pinched his beard gently, pulling it down as he closed his eyes.
Out of the carriage stepped Wu Shan. Lao Chen was there, a dozen meters away, looking melancholy, matching his son¡¯s visage.
¡°Father, I-¡± Wu Shan began, but Lao Chen held out his palm.
¡°It is I that should apologize. I did not trust you enough to make your own decisions. You are your own man, and I should have trusted you to know which direction in life you wanted to go. It is not up to me, but you. And for that, I apologize.¡±
Wu Shan¡¯s tears rolled down his cheeks freely. Lao Chen smiled as he appeared right before him to give him a tight hug. ¡°Take care of yourself, son, and remember. Be true to your principles.¡±
Yi Ming stood next to Lao Chen, smiling as well. ¡°At least he left on a good note.¡±
¡°Yes, at least¡¡±
The crisp northern wind blew across them, ruffling their clothes. Autumn was in the air, the wind carrying a faint scent of fallen leaves.
¡°As well as you should know, I am heading out today. Care to adventure a little?¡±
Yi Ming laughed. ¡°I¡¯m bound to an invention of mine known as the Blood Dragon Sect, and, of course, my research. Gold Stone City will be my home for the foreseeable future.¡±
Lao Chen laughed. ¡°As well as I should have known, my friend.¡±
¡°So¡ where to?¡±
Lao Chen sighed. ¡°I know so much of so many fantasy worlds, but so little of the real one. I wish to leave the empire, but don¡¯t know where to.¡±
¡°I figured you for someone who¡¯d brave the End of the World,¡± Yi Ming replied. Lao Chen raised an eyebrow.
¡°The End of the World. It¡¯s referenced in plenty of ancient manuscripts, but what is it?¡±
¡°Exactly what it sounds like: The End of the Mortal Lands. Plenty of Dao Seekers of old on perennial bottlenecks have met their end trying to look for enlightenment in this otherworldly place.¡±
¡°Where is it?¡± He asked.
¡°South,¡± Yi Ming replied without missing a beat. ¡°Over a hundred thousand Li south, usually. It is a journey that takes mortals several years just to find the outskirts.¡±
¡°Hmm, and how far exactly would it be if I were to set out from here?¡± He asked.
¡°One hundred and seventy-two thousand Li. Once you cross the border of the Empire from the south, there is fire. After the fire, there is water. And from there,¡± Yi Ming raised a fist in front of his face before opening it. ¡°Air.¡±
¡°The end of the world?¡± Lao Chen sucked in a breath.
¡°The void is dangerous, treacherous and mysterious. One must travel in large packs of Dao Seekers to properly cross it, and once that has happened, you can finally enter it. The place after the End of the World.¡±
¡°Which is?¡±
¡°Kunlun. A place of endless battle amongst Immortal Doyens of all clans and sects.¡±
¡°Huh,¡± Lao Chen wrinkled his brow. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to go there¡¡±
¡°Frightened?¡± Yi Ming chuckled. Lao Chen smiled.
¡°Rather, if all it contains is battle and endless strife, it doesn¡¯t sound that interesting a place.¡±
Yi Ming nodded. ¡°To each their own.¡±
¡°And West?¡±
¡°The Azure Empire, of course. A little further and you¡¯ll see the Fusang, a wildlife territory consisting of an ecosystem of magical beasts and heavenly herbs. Of course, to enter, you¡¯ll have to be granted the approval of the Nine Dao Seekers loyal to the Azure Emperor. And after that, you¡¯ll have to worry about the Four Symbols.¡±
¡°North?¡±
¡°After the sea, on the far north-west, said to be at the last point where the sun''s rays touch the Earth, there¡¯s the Occident. It is a wide array of nations with a radically different kind of culture, where the people are pink-skinned from what I¡¯ve heard, and the winters are deathly cold. There¡¯s also a large continent unexplored and wildly perilous to be within, populated by mahogany-skinned people of great martial renown. The Kawa, directly northwards, thirty-two thousand li. These two peoples are locked in constant combat after an unfortunate slavery-related incident involving boats and cotton.¡±
¡°And East?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
¡°The Yamato Isles is there. The mainland right next to that is an abandoned continent, now infested by demonic beasts and demon cultivators. The Yamato Isles have upheld their part in repelling these demons for millennia with their martial prowess, earning them immunity from any squabbles that the Jade or Azure Empire might impose on them.¡±
Lao Chen absorbed the information, and with a gleeful smile, he nodded.
¡°Three places, all worthy of visiting; the West, the North and the East. Oh, where shall I head?¡±
Closing his eyes, Lao Chen spun around while pointing his hand straight from himself.
Lin-Lin also closed her eyes. ¡°When I say stop, you stop, alright?¡±
¡°Alright!¡±
After a few revolutions, Lin-Lin shouted ¡°Stop!¡±
Lao Chen stopped, and the direction he pointed at was directly opposite the rising sun. West.
¡°I guess we¡¯re headed to Fusang, Lin-Lin!¡±
¡°Sounds fun,¡± Lin-Lin beamed.
¡°Although,¡± admitted Lao Chen. ¡°Those Dao Seekers would definitely become a problem in the future.¡±
¡°But that¡¯s the future,¡± Lin-Lin reminded him. ¡°We only have to worry about what¡¯s right now.¡±
Lao Chen smiled mischievously. ¡°I like that thinking, Lin-Lin.¡±
Yi Ming shook his head while smiling. ¡°Try to stay alive out there. Dao Seekers aren¡¯t quite as merciful when meeting others, especially not from warring Empires.¡±
¡°Cautionary tales won¡¯t stop me, Yi Ming. You of all people should know that.¡±
¡°Trust me, I do.¡±
Lao Chen looked towards the West. Far past where the city walls ended were sprawling farmland and townships, but further past that was elevated land. A rough terrain to traverse. Past that lay the horizon, as far as the eye could see.
¡°Well then. I suppose we won¡¯t be seeing each other for a long time. Take care, old man,¡± Lao Chen smiled.
¡°You too, junior brother.¡±
With a light hop, Lao Chen flew far into the air, Lin-Lin in tow. He flew higher than the peak of the Star Pagoda, past several layers of thick cloud. Finally, far into the air, Lao Chen stopped.
¡°You see all this, Lin-Lin?¡±
Lin-Lin looked around. ¡°Yes?¡±
¡°These clouds¡ To think I wanted to eat them as a child. It¡¯s all just water!¡±
Lin-Lin frowned. ¡°Is there a deeper meaning to what you¡¯re saying?¡±
¡°Clouds are just water.¡±
--
The path through the sky quickly became boring for Lao Chen and his daughter, prompting them to traverse the land. Ceaseless rice farms gave way to lush forests and mountainous regions hiding all manner of wildlife ranging from the graceful snow leopard to the serene giant panda.
Lao Chen took his time, breathing in the wild air, resonating with nature as he travelled. The predators would naturally shy away from him while the plant-eaters would pay him no mind, sensing his intent of non-action, his Wu-Wei (Ÿo ‘).
The animals, Lao Chen thought, were much easier to interact with than human beings. Their world was in a black or white. Kill or be killed. The strong lived to rule the weak. They had no conscience, really, so it could be forgiven. After all, it was the Dao of Nature to be the way they were, a Dao that molded them, forged them into beings capable of braving the harsh conditions of the wild.
For seven days of serene exploration and seven nights of wondrous star-gazing, the forested mountain-range cleared out, and dozens of smaller paths joined together to form a path as thick as a door was long leading westwards. Thus, the only thing left to do was to continue their journey.
The path did not betray them, and eventually it led to a high-way like road with dozens of carriages in a caravan all travelling towards one destination. The travellers paid the duo no mind, their work being their priority. Lao Chen and Lin-Lin blended together in a crowd of pedestrians, keeping an effortless pace.
The sun sunk gradually, letting the darkness slowly take over. Once the sun was three-quarters beneath the horizon, a voice could be heard a few hundred meters ahead of the caravan, stopping it on its tracks.
The travellers began to prepare fire-wood, pots and other equipments for food, and the sat themselves by fires, talking animatedly.
The duo sat themselves within a random group, regaled by tall tales from old men and women alike. Laughter filled the air, complementing the warmth provided by the bonfire. Once the stew started cooking over a spit above the bonfire, a couple volunteers began handing out bowls of stew.
When Lao Chen¡¯s turn came, the volunteer, a muscular woman with scars on her face, raised an eyebrow. ¡°You two strangers ¡®round these parts?¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Yes. We are travelling west. You don¡¯t need to feed us if resources are scarce,¡± Lao Chen smiled. The volunteer scoffed.
¡°Nonsense. Travellers are all one and the same at the end of the day. Have some stew!¡± Lao Chen accepted the bowl with both hands, bowing his head, and Lin-Lin did the same. The woman sat next to Lao Chen, drinking from her own bowl.
¡°So¡ where exactly are you headed?¡±
Lao Chen thought for a second before replying. ¡°We¡¯re out travelling westwards. We don¡¯t have a particular destination in mind, however. Where are you all headed?¡±
The woman drank the last of her stew before burping. ¡°Home. Ever heard of the Port of Dalian?¡±
Lao Chen shook his head.
¡°Hah! Didn¡¯t expect you to, anyways. It¡¯s a tiny port-town in a gods-forsaken corner of the Fortune Lake. We¡¯ve been transporting goods to be shipped on ¡®em boats. Least we can do to fend off poverty.¡± She seemed downtrodden at the last part. Lao Chen simply smiled cheerfully.
¡°Your community possesses the virtue of work ethic. Fortune will come your way, miss. I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Lao Chen reassured her, causing her to regain a smile.
¡°You¡¯re not that bad, old timer!¡±
Their conversation was then drowned out by a group of youths running in circles around the bonfire, chanting loudly. The young men and women stopped abruptly before turning around to throw a punch at the fire, causing it to expand vertically in a column of sheer heat which then began to curl around in the shape of a phoenix, leaving motes of orange in its wake.
¡°Incredible,¡± Lao Chen gaped.
¡°Heheh,¡± the woman chuckled. ¡°Those are our late-stage Qi Condensation talents. All under thirty, yet at the brink of Foundation Establishment; truly heaven-sent talents!¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°This is quite the beautiful display, nonetheless!¡±
The woman smiled genially. ¡°The name is Ying Yue. What¡¯s yours?¡±
¡°Oh. My name is Lao Chen, and this is my, err, grand-daughter,¡± Lao Chen pointed at her as she stared, transfixed by the lightshow. ¡°Lao Lin.¡±
¡°My, you have a beautiful grand-daughter, old timer!¡±
¡°Indeed.¡±
Two phoenixes danced with each other in the air, one orange and one blue. With a final collision, they burst in a colourful explosion that left orange and blue wisps in the air several seconds afterwards, dissipating slowly.
With a final chant, the young warriors sat down, letting their performance receive standing ovations from nearly everyone presently watching.
"Well, you have a good one, old timer. We''ve got sentries prowling the area in case of any bandits with death wishes. I''d hate for you to get hurt, so make sure to stay in the center of our encampment, or as close as you can."
Eventually, after everyone had finished their meals, and the young warriors had finished with their light-show, people began to unwrap their bedrolls and call it a night. Thankfully, Lao Chen and Lin-Lin were both graciously offered bedrolls of their own to use.
Thus, they both fell asleep.
Chapter 24: Dreamweaver
Despite his overwhelming strength, Lao Chen did not want to sleep, not out of fear for himself, but out of fear for what he could do in the event of a bandit attack.
And like promised, he could sense with his Spiritual Sense, a dozen li away, some three-hundred suspicious souls were closing in on the caravan. It looked like a battle the caravan would win. Despite their number, he could only feel the aura of early-stage Qi Condensation cultivators at most, and mortals at worst.
The caravan wouldn¡¯t avoid damage, however. In the event of an attack, people were bound to die anyhow, and Lao Chen could do something.
Even if he knocked them all out and drove them off somehow, it wouldn¡¯t help in the long run. These bandits would still exist, dangerous and strong as ever. They wouldn¡¯t stop stealing, and Lao Chen would just have been a part of the problem, not a solution.
Violence was not a viable solution. Diplomacy was the answer, although he knew better than to talk them through it. People don¡¯t usually listen, Lao Chen had learned. The Tiger Cage Elders were obscenely obstinate for two grown men. A bunch of bandits couldn¡¯t possibly do better.
Knowing no other solution, Lao Chen used the pressure of his cultivation base to knock every bandit out, and channeled his Dao of Dreams, concentrating deeply along with his Spiritual Sense, opening up a wide network of souls connected by dozens of lines crisscrossing each other. Even he was connected to a line, stretching to the far West. The line was hollow, but nonetheless powerful.
It carried a compulsion to keep travelling. Perhaps he should humor it.
In time.
Lao Chen tried to reach out to tentatively touch one of the lines but was repelled by a wave of sheer emotion. Deciding to leave the lines, he hovered over to a soul of a bandit, finding that it was easy to distinguish between the travelers¡¯ paler souls and the bandits¡¯ much murkier and clouded ones.
Upon contact, Lao Chen was sucked into the soul, in a dark void of nothingness stretching to infinity. In this infinite void, there was him and a middle-aged traveler with closed eyes, floating alongside him. Lao Chen hovered over to inspect him. Once he came by an arm¡¯s length, the man¡¯s eyes darted open, startling him.
¡°Who¡ are you?¡±
The void around him began to change. Up became a light-brown, clouded sky while down became a muddy slum in some town.
¡°You live around here?¡± Lao Chen asked as he looked around the town. The man nodded.
¡°Takin¡¯ care of me five children and their mam. Ain¡¯t much to it,¡± the man admitted. When Lao Chen laid his eyes on the man, he was carrying a rickshaw.
¡°Are you a rickshaw puller?¡± Lao Chen asked, to which the man nodded.
¡°Been pullin¡¯ for the better part of twenty years. It¡¯s a tough livin¡¯, but I ain¡¯t a man for nothin¡¯.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. The man began to run, and Lao Chen followed with ease. Faceless men and women paid the man to ride the rickshaw, and Lao Chen observed silently, following. Several hours of this passed, and Lao Chen asked another question. ¡°What do you do for fun?¡±
¡°After work, I meet up with me boys to drink ourselves silly,¡± the man grinned. ¡°Ol¡¯ Lee and I have a standin¡¯ bet on who can drink as many bottles without blackin¡¯ out.¡±
¡°Is this the extent of your world, Mister?¡± Lao Chen asked again. The middle-aged man paused.
After a moment, the downtrodden reply came. ¡°No¡ I keep dreamin¡¯ about this, but the truth is. They¡¯re all dead. Ol¡¯ Lee. Me five children and the mam. All of ¡®em. I¡¯m a bandit, now.¡±
The scene changed to a dark cave filled with raggedy figures either playing dice, grinding their shoddy swords or drinking themselves into a stupor. ¡°Been like this for a year, now.¡±
¡°You¡¯ve been stealing to survive,¡± Lao Chen surmised. The bandit nodded.
Lao Chen continued. ¡°Are you happy?¡±
The bandit scoffed, laughing mirthlessly. ¡°No.¡±
¡°Are you sad?¡± Lao Chen asked.
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because this is my life, and that¡¯s all I can ever be. I am no cultivator. I can¡¯t read or write. I can barely even count to save my life. I¡¯m nothing. Just a poor man pushed to banditry after those very men destroyed my already-pitiful life.¡±
The cave disappeared, leaving a muddy stretch of land. Lao Chen frowned.
¡°You have an immense work ethic, my friend. Even in your dreams, you work. Is that not incredible?¡±
The man scoffed. ¡°Even in my dreams, I can¡¯t cut meself some slack. For us poor folks, it¡¯s all about living until the next time you earn money. Ain¡¯t no time for anything else, you know. Even as a bandit, it¡¯s about bein¡¯ the strongest, and I¡¯m not even the strongest weakling.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
¡°What do you want to be, Mister?¡± Lao Chen asked. The man looked up, hope evident in his eyes.
¡°I want to be a poet. I heard the travelers recite beautiful poems once, and I wanna do that, too, you know? I can¡¯t even read, nor can I write, but I dream of becoming a poet. Stupid, right?¡± The man chuckled ruefully. Lao Chen, completely straight-faced, shook his head.
¡°A noble pursuit, but you¡¯ll never become a poet if you spend your free-time drinking yourself into a stupor with your friends, dicing or stealing from honest folks, like you used to be. Save up to pay someone to teach you to read. Apply yourself. Where there is a will, there is always a way.¡±
The man whipped his head away from Lao Chen in disgust. ¡°That¡¯s what they all say, ye know! ¡®Where there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way¡¯ but what if there isn¡¯t a way! My life will always be this! The rickshaw, the drinking, the stealin¡¯ and the occasional fucking! That¡¯s all I¡¯m ever going to be!¡±
Lao Chen laughed as he waved his hand, erasing the filthy landscape, replacing it with an empty grassland, clearing the blue sky of brown and mucked-up clouds.
¡°You don¡¯t need to write to be able to make poems. Write from your heart! What do you see around you?¡± Lao Chen asked, morphing the environment into a thousand piercing mountains connected by rope-bridges, with beautiful castles and sprawling towns growing from the sides of these mountains. Below a certain length of the mountains, a thick layer of cloud obscured the floor.
The man sucked in a breath. ¡°What is this?¡±
Lao Chen answered. ¡°It is a figment of my imagination.¡±
¡°So¡ it doesn¡¯t exist?¡± He asked, disappointed. Lao Chen shook his head mirthfully.
¡°Of course it does! It¡¯s right in front of you, is it not?¡±
The man smiled. ¡°I¡ I suppose so.¡±
¡°What do you see, Mister?¡±
The man took a deep breath, clearing his mind before speaking.
¡°A thousand cities on a
thousand mountains. The clouds are this celestial realm¡¯s floor.
A summit piercing this very heaven houses a thou-
sand people. A thousand cities on a thousand mountains.¡±
The man¡¯s sad smile became more determined, his eyes shining with passion. Lao Chen nodded approvingly. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to write to recite a poem. It helps to have somewhere to write it down, though, doesn¡¯t it? Although¡ it could use some work. Too constrained within your chosen heptameter.¡±
The scene shifted and now they stood in the courtyard of a palace with the view of a sprawling city with hundreds and thousands of households igniting their lights during the night.
¡°What do you see?¡±
The man recited.
¡°In the Emperor¡¯s humble abode
The whole world was exposed
To his curious peer, the world was there
The thousand thousand houses,
The million million people,
In the Emperor¡¯s humble abode
The whole world was exposed.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°True poetry comes from the heart. How do you feel?¡±
The man smiled as tears gushed out. Covering his eyes, he nodded. ¡°Whole.¡±
Lao Chen smiled. ¡°All it takes is dedication and passion, and you will reach your dreams!¡±
Lao Chen held the man on both his shoulders. "You. Are. Capable."
¡°You know what? I am!¡±
Lao Chen smiled. The man¡¯s dream, his ambition became clearer and clearer as they spoke until it burnt with a fiery passion.
The scene shifted, and Lao Chen was amongst an audience watching the man on his knees, reciting poems as beautiful ladies with marvelous zithers played short tunes after each stanza.
Lao Chen stood up and left the hall, and consequently, the man¡¯s dream.
The ocean of souls around him consisted of the travelers to the Port of Dalian and the bandits. Lao Chen saw into one¡¯s heart, a hardworking, middle-aged man-turned-bandit that could not follow his dreams only because nobody told him that he could. He suffered from a disease of the mind, and one that was quite curable.
Lao Chen then vowed to dive into every bandit in the vicinity¡¯s dreams and inspire them, one after another, changing his appearance each time. By splitting his consciousness into fragments, he managed to sway several people at once before the first bandit had awoken from their slumber, happy and impassioned.
The night ended peacefully, and the travelers looked around, completely puzzled.
¡°No bandit attack? Thank the heavens,¡± one muttered as they packed their bags. Lao Chen raised an eyebrow.
¡°Heard from the sentries. There wasn¡¯t anyone in a dozen li to be spotted. Silent as a cat, they say. Ruffled some of the newbies¡¯ feathers, havin¡¯ to stress out all night.¡±
Lin-Lin stuck closely to Lao Chen as he heard passing conversations and hearsay. Apparently, the caravan had faced bandit attacks every night since they set out three months ago. The people were capable of repelling any bandits, and the fact that no one had shown up was indicative of their notoriety.
Little did they know¡ Lao Chen chuckled quietly. Spurred by the lack of violence, the caravan traveled much faster, talk and banter in the air lightening the mood.
Lao Chen hadn¡¯t introspected yet, but deep inside his body, on his Eight Heavenly Meridians, a heavenly touch from his Dao rewarded him by clearing his second Heavenly Meridian, taking him another step forward, towards Immortal Ascension.
--
Wang Gen wasn¡¯t at the moment taking part in his rebellion, executing dissenters and sympathizers, nor was he cultivating his strength.
In his bed-chambers, two well-endowed Kawans had just finished pleasuring him. Like the slaves they were, they did not sleep with him in the same bed. They stood at ease, perfect for him to have a good view of their manhoods.
Exquisite specimens. They didn¡¯t make men like these fierce, dark-skinned individuals in the Jade Empire. It wasn¡¯t that absurd that they would be sold at such ridiculously high-prices. Unfortunately, the city needed the money, and the Kawans had to be sold eventually.
Unfortunately enough, that also meant Jubo and Yari. Such was their fate at the end of the day. Slaves would always be slaves, and people as backward as the Kawans only deserved as much. To them, Wang Gen was a lit beacon leading them to a life where their incredible physical strength and sexual prowess can be put to good use.
Wang Gen sometimes surprised himself with his perversion. It wasn¡¯t always like this, he reminded himself. Not after that divine whore that serviced him until his eyes nearly rolled into his skull. Ever since then, regular orgasms just didn¡¯t do it for him.
Getting off his bed, Wang looked out his window, seeing a marching caravan entering the small Port-town. With a satisfied smile, he knew that the merchants of Dalian had returned with the required goods. Dalian would no longer remain a destitute port-town ruled under his father and a few select nobles¡¯ thumbs. Dalian would be an economy for the people, by the people.
And it was all according to Young Master Wang Gen¡¯s plans. His name was being chanted. He could hear it. It was real and well-deserved. He was a hero.
A hero who still felt profoundly horny, he thought as he looked back at the enticing forms of Jubo and Yari.
Well. The people could wait. His thirst hadn¡¯t been quenched, yet.
Chapter 25: A Decade of Bondage
The busy port town of Dalian was simultaneously a completely new experience and something within his expectations. Lao Chen had been to a grand total of three human settlements in his life. The Village, Gold Stone City, and now the port town. With only numerous stories to sate the appetite of the outside world, Lao Chen remained unaware of many things.
For instance, this was the first time he had ever seen boats or any aquatic vessel for that matter. Oppressively enormous cargo-ships lined the lake¡¯s coast, packed with wooden crates and boxes of all sorts of goods.
On the port, hundreds of people flitted around carrying heavy crates transporting goods to and fro the various ships. Among these workers, Lao Chen noticed, were dark-skinned men with short-cut hair carrying burdens much larger than their paler counterparts, though they also seemed to have large iron balls chained to their legs inhibiting their full efficiency.
Lao Chen¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. ¡°Why are they chained that way?¡± He murmured under his breath. The workers conducted themselves with mechanic efficiency belying their ragged states. It was nonetheless fascinating to Lao Chen.
¡°This town seems profoundly boring,¡± Lin-Lin yawned. ¡°What is so fascinating to you, father?¡±
¡°I¡¯ve never seen this place before. Isn¡¯t that fascinating enough?¡± Lao Chen retorted indignantly.
¡°But there¡¯s nothing interesting to see, here.¡±
Lao Chen approached the workers to take a better look at them. Shrugging, he decided to play a part in the work, grabbing a crate and following the line of workers.
Lin-Lin looked at his father incredulously. ¡°Are you serious? What are you gaining from this?¡±
¡°What is there to gain?¡±
Carrying several crates at once, Lao Chen took a spot in the line, shocking the surrounding workers as he carried his burden with no issue at all.
For half an hour, they loaded the ships until their inevitable break, in which the workers congregated on one spot to rest. Lao Chen joined them.
¡°My respects, elder,¡± One of the black men, a burly man with checkered bald-spots on his short hair, spoke in an overly-enunciated accent. Lao Chen laughed.
¡°I¡¯d have thought that you youngins would outstrip me in strength!¡± He replied, causing the workers to break into a laughing fit.
¡°We can hardly to compare to a hidden dragon like you,¡± a native worker retorted. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you in a sect or in the army?¡±
Lao Chen waved his hands. ¡°I¡¯m just a passing traveler heading west.¡±
¡°An adventurer? You must have seen a lot in your days!¡±
Lao Chen chuckled ruefully. ¡°Barely anything, actually. I began my journey along with my daughter a month ago-¡ come to think of it, where is she?¡± Lao Chen looked around to see where she was, then shrugged. ¡°She can handle herself.¡±
¡°Tell us, elder! What is your cultivation level?¡±
Lao Chen hummed thoughtfully.
¡°I¡¯m a Dao Seeker,¡± he replied, causing the party of workers to break into another fit of laughter.
¡°He¡¯s invincible, this one!¡± Another black man laughed.
¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it past him, this crazy old man!¡±
Lao Chen laughed along, expecting this outcome. With a perceptive glance, he noticed something about the black dock-workers. Patterned scars covered their forearms before crawling up to their necks underneath their sleeves. All the black workers had these patterned scars, but what was really interesting was the energy it emanated.
¡°What are those scars if you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± Lao Chen ventured, looking at one of the black men.
He puffed his chest with pride, knocking on his chest a couple of times. ¡°These are the Wau¡¯a! The symbol of Kawa strength!¡±
Lao Chen hummed. ¡°That makes you a native of Kawa¡¡± He surmised, to which they all replied with a simultaneous grunt.
¡°What are you all doing so far from home?¡± Lao Chen asked, trying to confirm his fears.
One of them looked down before replying. ¡°We are slaves.¡±
Lao Chen grimaced, but in reply, one of the native dock-workers waved their hands. ¡°We didn¡¯t enslave them. They were passed along from the Wichuan Province through the lake. They¡¯re the property of our master Wang Gen.¡±
The black men looked down with forlorn expressions. ¡°Now, and until we are passed along to our next owners.¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t you break free?¡± He asked.
One pushed his hand forward, showing his palm. He had long, but level and thick hair that gave his head the impression of a pitch-black globe. His hair was much longer than the others¡¯. On it was a beautifully patterned rune. ¡°These prevent us from using ma. We cannot break our chains and flee in our current states, and there is not a single state in the entire Orient that would not enslave us once again¡¡±
¡°Huh¡ Give me your hand. Perhaps I can help,¡± Lao Chen proposed. The man was reluctant, but eventually gave in and approached him.
Concentrating deeply, Lao Chen felt the rune and the way the Qi seeped into his body, restraining him. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more cost effective to cripple your dantian?¡± He muttered.
The man shook his head. ¡°We do not possess dantians.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s eyes widened as he used his spiritual sense to scan the inside of the man. His stomach did not contain a dantian. Rather, the energy in his body was in his blood. It was not Qi, but something different and possessed entirely different properties to Qi. Something much more bestial¡
The Qi in his body was not his own. The rune pumped Qi from the surrounding air into his body, stopping the energy, the ma from circulating to its full efficiency.
The marking on his hand was only the tip of the iceberg. There existed several of them inside his body.
¡°What¡¯s your name, son?¡± Lao Chen asked.
The long-haired boy replied, ¡°My name is Aro.¡±
¡°I can dispel this rune, Aro,¡± Lao Chen replied in a deadly serious tone of voice. Aro snorted.
¡°Very funny, old man. We¡¯ve entertained your jokes far enough. Please don¡¯t use my bondage as material for your comedy,¡± Aro tried to snatch his hand back, snorting in dissatisfaction, but Lao Chen¡¯s hold on it was strong.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Do you wish for freedom?¡± Lao Chen asked. Aro looked at him with a steely gaze, but in a single moment of vulnerability, he gave a weak nod.
Lao Chen invaded Aro¡¯s rune with his Qi, frying it from the inside until it could no longer repair itself.
¡°Gah!¡± Aro snatched his hand back and itched all over his body. ¡°What was that, old man?!¡±
The gathering began to laugh even louder as Aro wore an indignant expression.
Lao Chen simply waited, a smug grin on his face.
At that moment, a foghorn sounded, alarming every dockworker in the vicinity.
¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Lao Chen asked.
¡°The warhorn,¡± replied a native. ¡°The Nobles are coming.¡±
Aro stood up, giving Lao Chen a long look. ¡°Travelers and workers aren¡¯t expected to fight, but if you want to put your money where your mouth is, Dao Seeker¡¡± He suggested as he turned around to head towards the barracks.
Lao Chen furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°The nobles are attacking? Why could that possibly be?¡±
Looking around discretely, Lao Chen silently flew up into the sky, unnoticed by all. Far out in the outskirts of the city, an army a couple thousand strong stood, ready to raze the city down to the ground.
¡°Why would nobles want this?¡±
On the ground, thousands of people dressed in light armor and improvised weapons stood behind a certain young man exuding an aura of disregard and superiority. He didn¡¯t even have to ask to know that the man was a young master, and most likely, Young Master Wang Gen, the slaver.
As Lao Chen understood that the nobles were the aggressors in this instance, he flew towards them to have a better look.
A man on a horse rode around the front lines, waxing poetic on a sinful revolution and the greed of the common people.
¡°The man!¡± the horseman shouted ¡°who is willing to plunder wealth from the large cities, food from the stomachs of your mothers and daughters is within this port town! The man who thinks ignorant country hicks are more worthy of a good life than us is within this port town! What say you, army?!¡±
¡°KILL!¡± The unanimous reply disconcerted Lao Chen more than he was willing to admit. Rolling his eyes, he gestured a dozen times in the span of a second, opening a large rift overhead.
Landing just before the army, Lao Chen channeled his Dao, putting all the warriors to sleep. The remaining horseman stared at him, completely befuddled.
"Let''s do this in my realm, shall we?" Lao Chen smiled smugly, putting him, too, to sleep.
And in his sleep, he sat comfortably on a chair, sipping tea as Lao Chen sat right opposite him.
"How are you doing, cousin?" Lao Chen laughed. The horseman laughed too.
"Oh, you know how it goes, cousin! Currently making a killing destroying this country-bumpkin town, a small-time shipping port, can you believe that?!" He laughed. Lao Chen laughed too.
"Why is that necessary?"
"Oh, you know," he smiled. "Some renegade young master decided to kill his own father and a whole lot of nobles so he could take control over all the money and move it as he sees fit. Problem is, he''s a populist!"
"Oh, how dreadful," Lao Chen gasped.
"Exactly! Guy thinks he can steal from nobles and survive! What world does he live in? So, I take my men and ride in, six thousand strong, and we destroy them, simple as that!"
"A sound plan for a genius such as yourself cousin!"
"Heheheh... come to think of it, cousin... I can''t remember the last time we met..." The horseman''s face shifted into confusion. "What''s... your name?"
"Uhm... Yi Ming!"
Before he could ask another follow-up question, Lao Chen exited his mind and stood before the thousands of sleeping warriors. Gesturing several times in the blink of an eye, he used a large portion of his Qi teleporting the warriors a hundred li away, rousing them awake right before their send-off.
--
Wang Gen had no idea what just happened. His army was prepared and the enemy was just a few dozen li from the gates, separated by sparse forests. Suddenly, the enemy vanished.
And strangely enough, that was exactly what happened. Their footprints only indicated their marching. Then, they all stopped
That was it. No return prints, nothing. His first assumption was a mass-teleportation spell, but who would have the motive and the means to use one on what was ostensibly six thousand men? Wang didn¡¯t know, but neither did he want to look a gift horse in its mouth. Experts did all sorts of things for whatever reason, and the fact that he had unwittingly charmed such a strong backer was a gift horse.
Yubo and Jari¡ or whatever their names were, weren¡¯t besides Wang at the moment. They couldn¡¯t provide for him his needs, and it was too vexing to have someone attempt a mockery of it without succeeding.
Closing his eyes, Wang forced himself to sleep, intent on dreaming about that wondrous night.
The dream came. The woman was his perfect match. A thin layer of fat all around her body, just enough to prevent her from looking emaciated, wide hips and large breasts contrasting her thin waist, but her face was truly where his fascination lay.
By all accounts, she was perfect¡ so perfect, in fact, that Wang couldn¡¯t remember the exact thing that made her so perfect. Her face had been drawn by ¡®expert painters¡¯ upon Wang¡¯s request dozens of times, but there was a single thing that they all lacked. That x-factor that separated her from simply another beautiful lady.
In his rage, Wang shook her off of him and began to clobber her, turning her jade-like skin into shredded meat paste. She stopped convulsing and died after several hits.
Endless sorrow washed over him.
¡°There¡¯s a void in your heart¡ a deep desire¡± Sounded an old voice from behind him. Wang turned around to look at the newcomer. An old man with a bald head, wispy white beard, and kind eyes.
¡°I have never seen you before in my life¡¡± Wang whispered.
¡°Why do you enslave people?¡± The old man asked. Wang simply scoffed in reply.
¡°Why do I do business? What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±
¡°You are denying people their freedom. Is that not an evil?¡±
Wang replied flatly. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault that they are enslaved. I didn¡¯t enslave them, but even if I did, Kawans rake in money in spades. Why should I feel bad about that?¡±
The old man sighed. ¡°Greed leads you astray¡ and so does lust, from what I''ve seen.¡±
Wang stood up indignantly, glaring at the old man. ¡°Greed? What do you know about greed?! I am the enemy of greed, you old bastard! I killed my father in his sleep for being an embezzler, I assassinated five noble scions for being a part of that! Can¡¯t you see, I¡¯m letting the people live lives not governed by these greedy bastards!¡±
The old man frowned. ¡°Does that justify taking the freedom of so many people?¡±
¡°You¡¯re not listening, old man! We need the money! Once the Kawans are shipped off, we can afford so many things! Weapons, mercenaries, livestock, food! These subhumans are our key to prosperity!¡±
¡°Subhuman?¡±
Wang laughed. ¡°You¡¯re a sentimental one, aren¡¯t you, huh? Always thinks that there can¡¯t be any losers! Well, surprise, life¡¯s a zero-sum-game! One winner and one loser!¡±
The old man smiled, "You talk about real life, but you don''t realize that this is a dream? Everything is in your power here, and what stops you from affixing the reality in your dreams to true reality?"
"Reality, that''s what! It doesn''t work that way. I can''t think of any way these poor sobs could ever survive without me and my willingness to do wrong! I''m a hero, goddammit! I can''t afford to be soft when these people need me!"
The old man persisted. "Please. At least try to imagine it! Where there''s a will-"
"Shut your goddamn mouth, you old geezer! I''m selling them, and there''s nothing you can do about that!"
¡°Do you realize what you are putting these people through?! They will never be able to be themselves! They won¡¯t be able to govern their lives, and it¡¯s all because you desired money so much, you couldn¡¯t see past the means you¡¯ve used! The ends don¡¯t justify the perpetual suffering of all these people you claim to own!¡±
Wang scoffed. ¡°You think you can just talk me into letting all my slaves free?¡±
¡°I thought I could¡ but I think experiencing what they have experienced will change your mind,¡± The old man flicked his hands, and the world around them transformed.
¡°Dreams are magical things. They make the whole night of your sleep feel like a few seconds or minutes, but did you know that the reverse is also true?¡±
Wang was inside the bottom deck of a ship, with hundreds of people just like him, tied and listless.
The old man stood before him, glaring. ¡°A decade of bondage. It will accompany the good and the bad, and you will sympathize once this is over.¡±
And with that, the old man disappeared. Wang tried to shake the shackles off of him but failed.
Wang¡¯s decade of bondage had begun.
Being sold at an auction.
Being whipped into submission when shirking his duties.
Watching his compatriots live and die at the mercy of cruel masters.
Being used for all sorts of depraved acts without his consent, reduced to an unthinking doll. The torture was all too much for him, and by the first year, he had forfeited.
He got caught attempting to run away, and as punishment, his lover is tortured to death right in front of him, her screams still echoing in his mind. That was it. He cracked.
The remaining nine, he spent aimlessly following orders and suffering with happy compliance, unable to imagine any other way of living.
On the tenth year, the old man returned. Minutes before first light, he was just tilling the fields when he saw his familiar wooden slippers, his immaculate white robes, and his wispy beard.
¡°Wang Gen. Your time is up.¡±
Wang Gen ripped his gaze from the soil and looked hopefully at the old man.
¡°I hope you do remember your own name,¡± he chuckled.
¡°T-t-this¡ this was always a dream, right? I am Wang Gen, right?! The master of Dalian?!¡±
¡°You could be so much more, Wang Gen¡ A kind master, and one that looks down on slavery¡¡±
Wang Gen¡¯s face turned ugly when he mentioned slavery. ¡°Never! I¡¯ll never let anyone encounter this suffering! Not on my life!¡±
The old man smiled as he turned to watch the sunrise. ¡°Dawn is finally upon you. Wake up.¡±
Wang Gen finally did, and for the first time in what he perceived was ten years, he no longer had shackles.
Chapter 26: Devoured by the Dao of Lust
The resting quarters were dark and tranquil. The very dead of night. Aro slept at a bottom bunk-bed, tossing and turning in his dreams.
The wide and golden savannah stretched oppressively before him. Behind him, shrouded in shadows, stalked the Wanya, a terrible aura surrounding him as it closed in. Aro ran, but the path ahead of him stretched endlessly as he ran. He made no progress, but the Wanya gained ground rapidly.
Closer¡
And closer¡
Aro turned around and looked at the Wanya shrouded in shadows and tried to make out its details, but as much as he tried to look, the shadows wouldn¡¯t let up.
He accepted his death in the giant maw of the Wanya, and once it closed its mouth, Aro felt it. The scar-tattoo on his chest that signified the face of the ratel lit up. The blood in his body began to circulate rapidly until it began to glow underneath his skin. The Wanya opened its mouth, and Aro was reborn, baptized in the belly of the beast.
Aro woke up. Claws on his fingertips receded slowly, and he could feel his fangs shrink until he regained his humanity.
¡°Brothers and sisters!¡± He shouted. His compatriots woke up slowly, and one lit a candle as all eyes fell on Aro. The wiry-haired boy got out from his bed and stood up.
¡°I am reborn! The ratel has awakened in me!¡±
Murmurs arose like a wildfire while there were yells of protest.
¡°Impossible! The Jadeites sealed us when we were captured! We are unable to awaken!¡± One said. Aro simply chuckled as he unleashed his claws with outstretched hands
¡°Is this enough evidence, brothers and sisters?¡±
His compatriots began to flock around him, feeling at his muscles and his claws.
¡°¡but how is this possible?¡±
Aro smiled. ¡°The old man¡ he was telling the truth!¡±
¡°An old man?¡± One of them, a woman, asked. ¡°Who is he?¡±
¡°A Dao Seeker¡¡±
--
Wang Gen wasn¡¯t aware of all that he had until he had lost it. The ability to drink wine at his leisure, unspoiled food and good water, good plumbing and a soft bed to lay on. Only after realizing that he had so much did he realize that he shouldn¡¯t want for anything. That night all those perceived years ago with the woman that blew his mind¡ He didn¡¯t need to relive it.
Rather, he didn¡¯t want to. The desire that took over his soul was every bit as oppressive as it was invasive. Wang Gen was a new man. No longer a slave, and no longer a slaver. Standing in front of the hundreds of dark-skinned men and women that he had forced into labor, he held up a single jade slip.
¡°Upon meditating on my sins, I realize today that to possess a slave is tantamount to the worst of sins. I shall not dilly-dally on this. You are all free, henceforth!¡±
With one hand, he crushed the jade slip into dust, sending a wave of stinging pain through all the slaves, eliciting yelps and cries.
¡°I warn you, however, not to stir any trouble within the city. Otherwise, we will be forced to use violence, and five thousand soldiers are more than a match for five hundred slaves.¡±
The Kawans, no longer inhibited by their seals, circulated ma through their bodies, glowing a faint red underneath their skin from their countless blood-vessels. Without a single show of exertion, they all tore off the chained balls on their legs.
And far up in the air, Lao Chen and Lin-Lin soared, watching it happen.
¡°Father¡ was it truly wise of you to be so heavy-handed?¡± asked his daughter as she crossed her arms. ¡°A decade of torment? Really?¡±
Lao Chen sighed. ¡°These are five hundred manumissions down there, and were it not for me, they would each experience a fate like Wang Gen¡¯s decade several times over. This is compounded by how many there are. Tell me, is one person¡¯s decade of torment equal to five hundred people¡¯s century, more or less, of torment?¡±
¡°Did he still have to suffer so?¡± Lin-Lin asked. Lao Chen held his chin contemplatively.
¡°Maybe there was another way. Maybe I could have done more to persuade him¡ No one should experience what he experienced, but in my power, I imposed it on him. Perhaps I am a hypocrite?¡±
The crowd of Kawans down below celebrated raucously as friends and family embraced and lovers kissed. There was no talk of vengeance in the air, only the sweet bliss of freedom. Lao Chen felt pride in his heart at what he had caused, but Lin-Lin¡¯s point nonetheless bore fruit. He could have done something better, instead of risking permanent mental damage on a misguided hero.
Nonetheless, the slaves were free, and his job was done. Making sure that he was undetected, Lao Chen appeared within the crowd, seeking out Aro, intent on a proposition.
The Kawans danced between themselves in several circles, gleeful beyond belief, when Lao Chen appeared. Some began to throw him ugly looks until Aro pushed himself forward and hugged Lao Chen with as much force as he could exert.
¡°A million thanks for your service, Dao Seeker! If there¡¯s anything I could possibly do!¡±
Lao Chen laughed, shaking his head. ¡°You said that despite your freedom, the Jade Empire will still enslave you eventually. Is that true?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Aro¡¯s good mood dimmed somewhat but bounced right back as he shook his head dismissively. ¡°Back home, we have a saying: Tomorrow¡¯s problem is for tomorrow¡¯s you! Let us celebrate your actions!¡±
Lao Chen smiled. ¡°I am here to propose something. You may live in the village which I hail from for the time being, until you find a way to return to your true home!¡±
Aro¡¯s celebratory mood dimmed as he looked solemnly at Lao Chen, tears gushing freely.
¡°This is too much, elder¡¡±
Lao Chen shook his head. ¡°You won¡¯t be freeloading while you¡¯re there! Of course, you¡¯ll have to help out, but on my word, you will not be enslaved while you are there¡ I¡¯m a bit of a celebrity there, you should know¡¡±
Lao Chen pulled a couple of things out of his bag of holding. A map and a wooden block the size of his fist, engraved with the characters for his name.
¡°Show the block to the village chief once you arrive,¡± Lao Chen handed him the block. ¡°And the location is more or less in the circled place on the map.¡±
Aro¡¯s tears spilled all the way.
¡°Oh! And you¡¯ll need money on the way, will you not?¡± Just as Lao Chen reached into his bag of holding, Aro held it and shook his head.
¡°You have done far more than enough elder. Please, let us inconvenience you no more,¡± Aro pleaded, but Lao Chen understood.
¡°I will be off, then,¡± Lao Chen replied. ¡°Safe travels.¡±
Lao Chen disappeared in the crowd, and in the blink of an eye, appeared next to Lin-Lin.
¡°Now, daughter¡ what occupied your time while in this port?¡± Lao Chen asked curiously.
¡°Botany,¡± she replied simply.
--
Wang Gen had met with the captain of the slave-ship, and after explaining his change of heart, the man left sourly, grumbling about country hicks, but Wang Gen disregarded his grumbling.
The slaves had all gathered their paraphernalia, and while some did voluntary work to earn a little money, most of them prepared to travel elsewhere, now uninhibited by the oppressive seals that crippled them.
The townspeople, however, weren¡¯t as receptive towards their slaves¡¯ freedom. After all, they counted on them to earn money, and now that they were free, their town would not receive as much money, but Wang Gen turned them a deaf ear. None of them knew the horrors of slavery as well as he did, and they had no idea what they were talking about.
In his study, dozens of ledgers were stacked above each other. He was in the process of writing several letters to several acquaintances, hoping to strike a trade-deal with anyone of them.
He heard footsteps behind him, prompting him to turn around.
He saw her. The divine whore.
With a snort, he turned around and focused on his writing.
¡°Begone. I am working,¡± he scoffed at her, surprising her profoundly.
¡°What?¡±
¡°I do not require your services at the moment. Leave me.¡±
The woman stopped in her tracks.
¡°You¡ do not require my services?¡±
Wang Gen sighed before standing up to face her.
¡°I apologize for taking advantage of your beauty, but there are better ways to make a living than to sell your body. Please, I no longer require you.¡±
The woman was wide-eyed in sheer disbelief. Her disbelief slowly turned into raging anger as Qi began to swirl around her wildly, her Dao threatening to gush out and envelop the whole area.
¡°You do not overcome my lust this easily, child,¡± the woman seethed. ¡°On your knees.¡±
Wang Gen fell on his knees, unable to withstand the unbridled power that she exuded.
¡°A-an expert? Oh, forgive me!¡±
The woman scoffed. ¡°You refuse my advances, my advances, you tell me to leave, and now you apologize? Will you surrender yourself to me unwillingly?¡±
¡°No! I mean, yes! I mean-¡±
The woman snorted. ¡°Silence. Obviously, someone helped you dispel your Poison of Desire. Speak.¡±
Wang Gen shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know his name! You have to believe me!¡±
¡°When did you see him?!¡±
Wang Gen swallowed before replying. ¡°He came to me in my dreams. Outside of them, I never saw him.¡±
¡°What did he do?¡± The woman seethed.
¡°He¡¡± Wang stopped talking, afraid that he would be trapped in another decade of slavery and torment. ¡°Ah¡¡±
¡°Speak¡±
¡°A¡ a decade of slavery¡ in a single night! He shattered my soul and restored the pieces in just one night¡ through fire and torment, I was healed of¡ of your vileness!¡±
The woman narrowed her eyes. ¡°Very well¡ He broke my plaything. I suppose I have no other use for you now, young master.¡±
Above her head, a mouth was conjured. The lips were scarlet red and lusciously plump, almost enticingly so. The mouth opened, and Wang Gen stood up, approaching it.
¡°Yes, my darling¡ come closer¡¡±
At that moment, Lao Chen appeared between the two, from thin air, Primordial Wood Staff in hand. He did not carry his signature bags of holding or steel ring, carrying with him only his weapon, and the clothes he wore.
With a thrust, Lao Chen extended the staff right into the mouth, dispersing it. The woman beneath it glared. Lao Chen waved dismissively towards Wang Gen, putting him to sleep.
¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°Someone who doesn¡¯t approve of your toying with people!¡±
The woman smiled coyly. ¡°Wait¡ you¡¯re the new guy. Well, I suppose I¡¯ll be the one greeting you.¡±
Lao Chen raised an eyebrow. ¡°I suppose you sensed the emanations of the Dao the day I advanced?¡±
¡°Tell you what, newbie! I forgive you!¡±
Lao Chen narrowed his eyes. ¡°I am forgiven? For what, might I ask?¡±
The woman laughed. ¡°For ruining my pet project, of course! Enough talk, however. I¡¯ll take you to the Great One this instant. Let us leave these children.¡±
Lao Chen shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple, lady. Be gone, or I will be forced to resort to violence.¡±
¡°Ohoho, is that true, now, young boy?¡±
Then, she moved. Lao Chen was much too slow to prevent the blow, but he moved just far enough to the side to reduce the damage.
As it stood, he only lost his arm from the shoulder and down.
Lao Chen gasped in agony.
¡°I don¡¯t have to take you in alive. I only need to grab you by your Nascent Soul and leave.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s eyes widened. Far above, frolicking in the clouds, Lao Chen sensed her. Lin-Lin. With a mental command, Lao Chen explained his situation. Grave danger. Flee as far as you can, for I might die.
Lao Lin knew exactly what to do. She flew west, as far as her borrowed cultivation base could take her.
Steeling his resolve, Lao Chen regenerated an ethereal Qi arm using the Yang Arm to create it. In the blink of an eye, Lao Chen gestured.
The woman simply smirked. ¡°Now what?¡±
¡°You underestimate my prowess, young lady.¡±
Exerting all the remaining Qi in his cultivation base, Lao Chen¡¯s eyes shifted. One pitch black and one glowing white.
The woman¡¯s expression shifted.
¡°What-¡±
¡°Onemillion years of torment!¡± Lao Chen channeled his Dao and pushed towards her, and finally, after taking him as a threat, the woman summoned a Taotie in front of her, a fiend consisting of pure lust.
¡°Devour!¡± The woman did the same.
The material world did not shift at all.
The Qi, however, dispersed from a hundred li away, and every expert above the Core Formation stage from a thousand li away could feel the reverberations.
In the aftermath was the woman, bedraggled and weakened considerably, yet somehow with a face that oozed pure, unbridled pleasure. Lao Chen, however, was just a bloody smear on the floor, the fragments of his bones being the only evidence that he had lived just moments later.
¡°Oh no¡¡± The woman gasped¡ ¡°I destroyed his Nascent Soul.¡±
Biting her thumb deeply, until reaching the bone, her mind raced. ¡°I will have to face down the Great One¡¯s wrath¡¡±
With a few gestures, the woman disappeared in a swirl of pink mist.
--
In the sky, many hundred li west, Lin-Lin, with her father''s bags on her back, felt the overbearing, yet kind presence of her father easily settling in right next to her pseudo-soul. She grimaced in fear.
"Someone killed him?"
Interlude - Lotus Buds Part 1
Shao Lei, Zhang He, and Wu Shan sat on the same stage-coach, both boys cross-legged while Shao Lei gazed through the window, at the passing scenery. On the first day, Wu Shan decided to lay a wager. Whoever reaches Core Formation first among the three of them becomes the leader of their little three-person faction.
While Zhang He and Wu Shan ceaselessly meditated, experimented and pondered, Shao Lei simply ate a pill intermittently.
Because neither of the two boys was consuming their Empire-sponsored pills provided by the chief scout for whatever reason, Shao Lei simply decided to eat them herself. The pills contained explosive amounts of Qi no one would expect the consumer to absorb one hundred percent, but her dragon did all the absorption for her, and it needed a wake-up call.
Thus, three hundred Cloud Eater Pills later, each with the Qi-equivalent of a late-stage Qi Condensation core sea, the dragon woke up, and the egg it layed began to crack and hatch.
Once it hatched, the mother-dragon nuzzled it with its snout, which the baby snapped a bite out of. From the bite, the baby absorbed the mother whole, sucking it into its compact gullet.
At that moment, the dragon went through a metamorphosis, in which it experienced explosive growth, growing so large as to occupy her entire dantian space, but even that wasn¡¯t enough.
With great concentration, Shao Lei forcibly kept it compact, gritting her teeth in sheer exertion.
¡°Come on, fucker!¡± Shao Lei snapped as she pushed more and more, going to her utmost limit, and once she did, the dragon let out a satisfied bellow, and it burst, reforming itself into a jade-white orb where the dragon happily swam within.
For the first time in several days, Shao Lei opened her eyes to see her comrades around her, looking worried at her.
¡°I fucking did it.¡±
Jinlong, the infant golden dragon swirled about in celebration, earning an annoyed scowl from its master.
Zhang He almost gasped, but refrained, having glanced at his counterparts impassive expression. ¡°Core Formation? This soon? His old man,¡± Zhang He pointed at Wu Shan. ¡°Said you had seven days! We¡¯ve only been away three days!¡±
¡°I hate to say, but he¡¯s right. Did father not predict right?¡± Wu Shan pondered. Shao Lei guffawed.
¡°Of course he didn¡¯t. He never took into account my stubbornness. Alright, junior brothers, guess that settles it. I¡¯m the captain now.¡±
Both boys groaned, but after some silence, they both acquiesced.
Coincidentally, a week later, both boys advanced simultaneously, each as exasperated as the other on that fact.
The two remaining weeks and two days, the trio experienced nothing overly-eventful. The ride provided rich scenery and there were several towns where they stopped to restock, but on the way of bandit attacks or crime, the Imperial jade crest was more than enough to repel any attacker, no matter how suicidal.
On the last day, twelve hours before arrival, the Forbidden City was visible. Several hundred li away, spiring towers shot through the clouds, impossibly high and well-armed city walls stood imposingly tall and thick, emanating a relentless aura even from that far away.
The trio felt it, and when they did, they began to fidget in their seats.
Hours later at dusk, once they finally reached the front gates, the three had a good view of the wall. It stood tall like a hill, easily two hundred meters high, an unprecedented height for any wall for that matter. The walls were lined with lion-head statues placed in equal intervals along its impossibly long length.
The trio gazed in utter awe at the wall when a foghorn sounded, eliciting discontent grumbles and a hysteric flight from the poor infant dragon most susceptible to the loud sound.
The great gate diverged at a measured pace, grinding through the cobblestone, and as it opened fully, the carriage entered.
The city was darkening, but despite that, it was alive. Almost too alive, as it seemed. The impossibly large city was alight with lamps in nearly every house and the streets were milling with well-dressed commoners enjoying themselves.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Shao Lei gasped. ¡°They all seem so happy¡¡±
Zhang He also raised an eyebrow. ¡°If this is the outer district, I¡¯m almost too excited to see how the inner district looks like¡¡±
Wu Shan smiled. ¡°Reminds me of home¡¡±
The crowds gave way to the carriage almost mechanically, allowing them swift passage through them. Minutes later, they came across a short wall, about twenty-meters tall, cutting through a section of the city. Another gate awaited them, which opened much swifter than the outer gate.
From there, they entered a tunnel that opened itself up in the middle of the road, sloping down. The carriage shone through the darkness, Qi fires blazing on each side of it when the carriage zoomed through the tunnel without preamble, jerking the passengers back on their seats violently.
Thankfully, it only took the span of ten breaths before they stopped, resurfacing on another tunnel, this time in front of what the trio could only describe as the most grandiose palace that they had ever laid their eyes on. A statue of a green dragon coiled around the central palaces jade-stone and bejeweled walls, terrifyingly lifelike in both appearance and aura.
The Forbidden City¡¯s Jade Palace stood tall. The carriage door was opened, and they were hurried out. The three stood in front of Wang Chun, listening intently to his instructions.
¡°Once you have entered the palace, do not avert your eyes from the floor directly in front of you. Do not look up under any circumstances, do not speak before being asked to speak, refer to yourself as ¡®Imperial Servant¡¯ at all times and maintain maximum deference. The Emperor is your God.¡±
The three swallowed, yet even they could not deny the presence of the one who was inside. That constantly radiating pressure threatening to swallow them whole lest the one inside loses even an iota of his presence in a single slip-up. Even Jinlong opted to crawl on his legs, much too afraid to presume himself able to fly in its presence.
Wang Chun rushed towards the palace gate with the three on tow, leaving behind the two other imperial scouts that had accompanied them from Gold Stone City.
Once inside the threshold of the monumental gate, a hundred meters ahead of them, they saw him. The Emperor.
Zhang He was the first to jerk his gaze downwards. Shao Lei hyperventilated before doing the same, leaving Wu Shan staring intently at the Emperor, eliciting a mischievous smile from the devilishly handsome middle-aged man.
Wu Shan gave in and simply looked down to avoid a confrontation, walking alongside his colleagues towards the Emperor.
Once there, the Emperor raised a hand, stopping them in their tracks.
¡°These are my promising Lotus Buds, yes?¡± The Emperor¡¯s voice was loud, Wu Shan thought. Not in the way that it hurt his ears, but in the way that he spoke evenly, yet it sounded like he was speaking right next to his ears, penetrating into his mind. It was as though he couldn¡¯t ignore his words even if he tried.
Wang Chun fell on his knees, prompting the trio to do the same with his actions. With a nod, Wang Chun spoke.
¡°Shao Lei, Wu Shan and Zhang He have been vetted and deemed reliable by this Imperial Servant.¡±
¡°Naturally,¡± the Emperor waved. Standing from his throne, he appeared behind the trio in the fraction of a blink of an eye, putting both his hands on Wu Shan¡¯s shoulders.
¡°So you want to be a Lotus Bud, my boy?¡±
Wu Shan swallowed before considering his words. ¡°This Imperial Servant wishes so.¡±
The Emperor smiled. ¡°Well, this Emperor would like a larger collection of loyal men. Do you fancy yourself worthy of my attention?¡±
¡°That and more,¡± Wu Shan retorted. The Emperor was almost taken aback by his confident tone, eliciting a short laugh from him.
¡°You surprise me with your inability to defer correctly. I take it you were raised away from the urban sprawl?¡±
Wu Shan nodded. ¡°In a village.¡±
¡°Does this village have a name?¡±
Wu Shan rolled his eyes and sighed ¡°The Village of Heaven and Earth.¡±
The Emperor chuckled. ¡°Most likely the fiefdom of some arrogant noble. At any rate, you impress me. For what it''s worth, your oversized worm is also cute..."
Wu Shan stopped himself from scowling, and Jinlong was absolutely still, deathly afraid that it had attracted the monster''s attention.
The Emperor warped besides Shao Lei, ruffling her hair a little. ¡°You seem like a feisty woman, hiding a dark past. A beauty, but nonetheless one that will fight anyone who dares to underestimate you. Does that ring true?¡±
Shao Lei swallowed. ¡°The Jade Emperor speaks only truth!¡±
¡°Does he, now?¡± The Emperor smiled. ¡°You are smart. You know your limitations, and act accordingly, but you nonetheless have a great destiny ahead of you. Serve me well, lady.¡±
¡°This Imperial Servant will!¡±
Behind Zhang He, the Emperor caressed his cheek. ¡°Who might this handsome boy be?¡±
¡°This Imperial Servant is unworthy of such praise!¡± Zhang He exclaimed from where he kneeled, his heartbeat audible in the room.
¡°You¡¯re wrong. You are handsome!¡± The Emperor gasped in mock-awe.
¡°T-this¡ This Imperial Servant is thankful for your praise!¡±
¡°Do not be thankful. I only utter truth,¡± he nodded, satisfied with himself.
Besides Wang Chun, the Emperor kissed him on the cheek while holding his shoulders. ¡°I am glad that you are back, my loyal servant.¡±
Wang Chun¡¯s cheeks flushed in embarrassment. ¡°This servant is happy to be back.¡±
Back on his throne, the Emperor yawned. ¡°You are to be transported to the Lotus mountain to undergo your decade of training. I will personally spirit you there, myself. Hold still.¡±
The Emperor snapped his fingers, tearing apart the trio and the dragon relentlessly, reducing them to a subatomic cloud, which reformed somewhere far, far away, in a mountaintop courtyard where their training would begin in earnest.
Interlude - Lotus Buds Part 2
A kaleidoscope of colors Wu Shan had never even seen flashed through his entire vision, only to be replaced by the sight of a sleek wood floorboard that he stared at on his knees.
His bond with Jinlong tugged reassuringly, and true to form, the flying rascal coiled around its master who smiled warmly.
Around him, he saw Zhang He and Shao Lei, but around them lay the competition. His colleagues, about three hundred, more or less, standing circled around them on the large, expansive flat floor, presumably on the peak of a mountain. There were no walls, instead only a horizon of clouds and mountains piercing them.
In front of the trio stood an imposingly tall man with facial hair that could be likened to a demon, pitch black, sharp and bending just perfectly around his rictus of stone-cold hatred, maximizing the fear-factor.
¡°Just in time, recruits. At ease!¡± The man boomed. The three stood up quickly to face the tall man. ¡°Welcome, Lotus Buds. My name is Bo. This should conclude this decade¡¯s arrivals. Training will begin tomorrow. In the meantime, feel free to socialize with your siblings in arms. Tonight, you will sleep here. If you remain asleep when I arrive, you will be disqualified. Remember. Do not kill. Be here once I arrive.¡±
Bo simply flew out of the grounds, leaving the three hundred odd people there, on top of the mountain.
¡°A meeting,¡± Shao Lei spoke in a hushed voice, attracting both of the boys¡¯ attention. ¡°I know what¡¯s happening.¡±
Zhang He raised an eyebrow. ¡°You do? Because I don¡¯t. A minute we were shedding all of our dignity entertaining our sovereign ruler, and the next second, we¡¯re here, being commanded by a goddamn Demon.¡±
Wu Shan sighed. ¡°Not even an orientation. What is even happening?¡±
Shao Lei smirked. ¡°Rivalries brewing. By not telling us anything aside from the task at hand, we¡¯re forced to interact with other people, and interaction invariably leads to enemy-making.¡±
¡°Since when were you worried about making enemies?¡± Zhang He asked.
Shao Lei scoffed. ¡°Since never.¡±
The surrounding youths were in all shapes and sizes, with a general skew towards males than females, with a ratio of around two to five. Not enough to go around, Zhang He lecherously noted. Among some of the youths were magical beast owners like Wu Shan, all in their infantile stage.
¡°Boys, what say you we make enemies right now?¡±
Wu Shan shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s immature. These are our brothers and sisters. They¡¯ve got our backs. We should be making allies.¡±
Shao Lei shrugged. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±
Both boys beamed.
Shao Lei then smirked. ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that I¡¯m the leader.¡±
Before any of the boys could stop her, Shao Lei voiced herself.
¡°People!¡±
The youths who had since then simply talked within their social groups looked towards the brazen lady, staring curiously at her.
¡°As you all may know, being a Lotus Bud is the highest honor that anyone our age can ever hope to attain. We are the future of the empire. The true experts, the artillery to decide the war! And, you also know that in the end, only nine of us will remain when the decade is up. My group is currently three-strong. We have six free slots. Whoever wants to join the winners,¡± Shao Lei pointed towards herself, smiling seductively. ¡°Say I. If not, forever hold your peace. We aren¡¯t accepting any new members.¡±
Wu Shan¡¯s eyes widened before looking towards Zhang He. ¡°What? That¡¯s true? Did-did you know that?¡±
Zhang He nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t predict this, though.¡±
¡°W-why would she burn bridges like that? What purpose is there to do that? Why?!¡±
Zhang He shook his head. ¡°Do you smell that? These are all noble-born scions, pure and simple. Natural talent plus everything that money can buy.¡±
Shao Lei continued. ¡°At the end of this ten-year cycle, we will be the graduates, and we shall make sure that there is no one else but us three! The best decision you can do for yourself is to join us now because I¡¯m telling you¡!¡±
Zhang He sighed. ¡°Our senior sister hates them.¡±
¡°We are the strongest!¡±
Zhang He tensed. He could feel the collective Qi pressure of the surrounding youths boring at them. While most were Foundation Establishment, he could feel some emanations of Core Formation experts, hidden expertly within the crowd.
Shao Lei smirked. ¡°That was easy.¡± She turned around to face her junior brothers. ¡°Four Core Formation experts aside from us. Probably stronger. Maybe weaker.¡±
Both boys gaped. ¡°You did that on purpose?¡± Wu Shan asked.
Shao Lei nodded.
From a particular group, one particularly effeminate-looking young noble burst out. ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±
The trio looked at him for a few seconds. Shao Lei turned to glance at Wu Shan. ¡°Where do you think they keep the food around here? I¡¯m a little hungry.¡±
¡°I am the son of the Ninth Prince! Royalty! How dare you insult me like that?!¡±
Zhang He¡¯s stomach rumbled. ¡°Wish we could bail earlier. The place smells like expensive perfume and sweat. That does not mix well¡¡±
The young master lunged straight towards Shao Lei, hands flat, but deceptively sharp.
The moment he got close enough to land a punch, the wispy-white head of a cloud dragon burst out of Shao Lei¡¯s cheek, biting off the boy¡¯s hand whole.
¡°Gah!¡± On his knees, the boy sobbed, clutching the stump of his hand.
The collective pressure let up somewhat, and murmurs arose like wildfire.
¡°Oh, almost forgot,¡± Shao Lei bumped her forehead. ¡°A show of strength. Well, there it was.¡±
With a flick of her hand, the dragon¡¯s mouth formed on her palm, and the boy¡¯s hand was spat out. With a swift grab, the boy retreated, whimpering back to his group.
¡°As all of you may have noticed, there are Core Formation experts among you, under the age of twenty-five! Amazing, isn¡¯t it?! Well, I¡¯ve got news for the five foundation establishment bottom-feeders that thought they could be among the nine in the end. Three new Core Formation experts have arrived. Only room for two bottom-feeders instead of five, but hey! Life isn¡¯t fair!¡±
Already people began to argue loudly, pushing each other around. Four people, hidden in the crowd, were calm.
One was a tanned young man with no shirt, an adorable, brown ape wrapped around his neck playfully. The other was a slender lady with long hair and nearly jade-white skin that looked almost unhealthy if it wasn¡¯t for her youthful glow, playing with a fiery bird that was small enough for her hands to cup around. One was an unremarkable-looking young man leaning against the wall, yawning. The fourth and final was a woman of a deep tan, almost bordering brownness, with thick, braided hair and a far-away look.
Shao Lei smacked both boys¡¯ heads lightly. ¡°See those four. These are the actual competition. The others are just filler.¡±
Zhang He bristled at that. ¡°Do not touch me like that. And second of all, if there are nine slots, why should we worry about those four?¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
The area was noisier than ever, and groups were falling into anarchy while a few brave souls kneeled in front of Shao Lei.
¡°Please accept us in your group!¡± They all begged. Shao Lei looked at them with disdain.
¡°You had your time to say I. Grace period¡¯s over. Run along,¡± she crossed her arms.
With a sigh, Shao Lei sat and crossed her legs. With an abrupt splay of her hands, a circle bore through the floor around the three.
¡°This is just a line. Make sure nobody crosses it. We¡¯re taking turns to rest until the bastard comes back tomorrow.¡±
Wu Shan raised an eyebrow. ¡°Rest? Why? We¡¯re cultivators.¡±
Shao Lei shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not that simple. Check your cultivation bases.¡±
Both boys crossed their legs, and moments later, they furrowed their eyebrows.
¡°What-¡°
¡°I only noticed after my show of strength. There isn¡¯t any Qi in the air. Moreover, we¡¯re all seeping out Qi unconsciously. This mountain is anything but normal.¡±
¡°Hence the hunger,¡± Shao Lei supplied.
Zhang He frowned. ¡°The only way to minimize Qi loss is by sleeping.¡±
¡°And when we sleep, we become vulnerable,¡± Wu Shan continued. ¡°Master Bo only wants us conscious once he arrives. If we¡¯re to be rendered unconscious by external forces prior to his arrival, that¡¯s it.¡±
Shao Lei nodded. ¡°We are going to be everybody¡¯s target, now. It seems like although they know that there are four Core Formation experts among them, they can¡¯t pinpoint who they are exactly. They are an unknown to the masses. We are a known. We are famous. We are vulnerable, also.¡±
Wu Shan sighed. ¡°Everyone and their grandma is going to want a shot at us.¡±
Zhang He snorted. ¡°That¡¯s funny, what you said, ¡®Storm Fist¡¯.¡±
Wu Shan stood straight, along with Jinlong who swam through the air gingerly, eyeing the others curiously.
¡°I¡¯ll take the first shift. The both of you rest for now. No one is getting by.¡±
The two closed their eyes and nodded off, cross-legged as they were. Wu Shan crossed his arms, stone-faced as he looked at the conniving bunches surrounding them. The son of the Ninth Prince seemed to have successfully reattached his hand, although his expression was wracked with pain.
¡°I suggest you all cease your planning. If you don¡¯t bother us, you will have a greater chance to make it to tomorrow.¡±
The young master sneered. ¡°Are you threatening us?!¡±
Wu Shan shook his head. ¡°A warning.¡±
The boy cackled, throwing his head back. ¡°You?!¡± The boy wheezed. ¡°Enough to defeat all of us?! You are obviously dozed up on so many pills to have attained Core Formation! Your foundation is as brittle as rice paper! You are just a paper dragon whom I don¡¯t even know of!¡±
¡°I¡¯m warning you all. Back off.¡±
In the blink of an eye, a group of almost fifty Foundation Establishment experts appeared right before him, attacking all at once.
A moment later, the group lay on the floor, beaten, bruised and bloodied beyond recognition, barely breathing.
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°Oh, damn. I shouldn¡¯t have hit as hard as I did. They must be suffering the most from the Qi drain!¡±
The grounds quieted down, and all fighting, scuffles or disagreements paused as they beheld the sight before them. Defeated cultivators beneath the feet of the man who tamed a Golden Dragon were spread out on the floor.
¡°He doesn¡¯t hold back.¡±
¡°He could have been disqualified!¡±
Wu Shan ignored the whispers, opting to keep a watchful eye on the crowd as they mellowed down, forming protective formations with groups of twenty, letting the lowest rung stay on the outer rim while the most important members lay in the center.
The sun dipped below the endless clouds, taking with it the merciful light of day. Qi fires lit around the grounds, illuminating it past a point of pitch darkness.
Shao Lei¡¯s eyes opened. ¡°Get some rest, ¡®Storm Fist¡¯.¡± Standing up, she dusted her butt, throwing Wu Shan a tired expression.
¡°As you say, Bi-¡±
Shao Lei appeared before him, hand to his throat. ¡°Finish that thought.¡±
Wu Shan smirked. ¡°As you say, Bieeutiful princess.¡±
Shao Lei grinned caustically. ¡°Nice save. Sit down before I take both your legs.¡±
Wu Shan was about to push on, but he was feeling tired. The Qi drainage wasn¡¯t kind, and he was already down to three-quarters capacity just from standing around (and beating up the initial wave of idiots).
¡°You¡¯re right. Have a good night, Shao Lei.¡±
Wu Shan sat himself down and slept.
After what felt like the briefest of moments, he was smacked by Shao Lei.
¡°-ake up!¡±
Wu Shan got on his feet, looking around at the crowd of youths in absolute mayhem, running around like headless chickens.
¡°What¡¯s happening?!¡± Zhang He wheezed. ¡°You woke us up so abruptly!¡±
Shao Lei ground her teeth. ¡°Turns out this isn¡¯t just training. I count fifteen dead, all eaten.¡±
¡°By what?!¡± Wu Shan looked around to find Jinlong, before realizing that the dragon was still wrapped around him.
¡°Fucking rocs!¡±
¡°Rocs?!¡± Zhang He repeated.
A loud caw tore through their conversation, filling the three with the sensation of impending doom.
A giant hawk-like bird swooped down and grabbed a young man, crushing him within its steel-clad talons, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
¡°We might die,¡± Zhang He choked out.
Shao Lei¡¯s ears began to ring, drowning out the hubbub of panic and despair. Her muscles began to lock, and her breathing became laboured.
She tried her hardest to break out of it, but she couldn¡¯t. The fear held onto her deeply, past her body, and into her soul.
Wu Shan held his arms around her. ¡°Calm down. We¡¯re gonna get through this. As a team, but to do that, I¡¯m going to need you to stay with us. Can you do that for us, leader?¡±
Shao Lei¡¯s ear-ringing dimmed down, and with an unrelenting expression, she nodded.
The three were back to back, rotating slowly as the platform¡¯s numbers were chipped off, separating the wheat from the chaff.
The moment a roc dove for the trio, they all threw their attacks on it. Dragontrail, Blood Dragon Spear and an incarnation of the Cloud Eater Dragon enveloped the hapless Roc, destroying its head within moments, sending it crashing towards them.
Opening its deceptively large maw, Jinlong bit off the roc heartily, devouring almost a third of its remains in only a single bite.
Several more rocs flew at once towards the trio, but with a combination of strong attacks and teamwork, the rocs were all felled, given to Jinlong to eat. By that time, he had eaten several tens of times his own weight without a single increase in mass.
Yawning tiredly, it coiled around Wu Shan, falling asleep.
Three more rocs came, and three more rocs died. Once it was quiet, the youths stopped shaking and began to look around. From almost three hundred, their numbers had dipped to two hundred in only a single night.
Shao Lei pants halted when she came to a realization. The roc blood around her mouth¡ taking a lick of it, her eyes widened.
¡°Eat the rocs!¡±
Shao Lei dove for the closest roc, ripping off a piece of meat from an incinerated part of the roc. True to form, the animal was ripe with Qi, refilling her abused dantian by almost a twentieth in a single portion.
Both Wu Shan and Zhang He caught on, each taking a roc and eating off of it, avoiding the raw parts and eating only the incinerated parts, but even after those parts were finished, the three had found that the raw flesh contained more essence, and in turn was tastier.
After finishing their grotesque meals, the three lived to see the first rays of sunrise, smiling optimistically. The grounds were lousy with giant bird carcasses, not a single piece of flesh left to the buzzards.
True to form, Bo appeared once again from the skies, landing in the middle of the ground with a staff in hand.
¡°To all who remain conscious and alive, you pass.¡±
With a bang of his staff, the remaining contenders were lit up with a green aura. ¡°If you see this light, this means that you have passed. If you see a red light, this means that you have killed, and this means that you are dead in about six seconds.¡±
A few of the contenders with obvious blood on their hands flailed about, throwing themselves on the ground, begging Bo to reconsider, but they couldn¡¯t get far enough into their pleas before fragmenting into red mist, blown by the wind.
¡°As you can tell, you are no longer in the Jade Empire. Rather, it¡¯s a pseudo-plane that only a branch-immortal such as the legendary Jade Emperor can create. The terms of this plane? Instead of drawing Qi from the heaven and earth, heaven and earth draw Qi from you. To regain this Qi, eat a potent magical beast, consume potent herbs and inhale pills like never before.¡±
With another bang of his staff, the clouds from a several-mile-radius cleared, revealing the rest of the mountain range. At the bottom of the gorges and valleys lay lush forests, giant animals visibly traversing them and the promise of strength.
¡°Training is survival and survival is training. We shall teach you nothing because you should seek nothing outside of yourselves. Survive. The Jade plane is filled with all sorts of cultivation methods, pill formulas, magical weapons and divine artifacts. It is up to you to seek them out. Once this decade is up, the nine strongest individuals remaining will have bloomed, no longer to be Lotus Buds, but something greater.¡±
Shao Lei whispered to both Zhang He and Wu Shan, eliciting scowls from them both.
¡°The hundred that died today knew what they got themselves into. Do not weep for them. Be happy that they shed their blood to bring you closer to strength. Remember to become your own beacon. Light your own way, and reach the ultimate strength the way you choose so. Your own Dao is the most important after all.¡±
The three nodded amongst each other, ironing out details with minute whispers.
¡°Once again, survival is training and training is survival-¡±
The three sprinted towards the ledges, and with a final step, jumped out from them, holding hands as they let the wind through their hair.
Shao Lei beamed. ¡°Whohooo!¡±
Both boys were also exhilarated, each of them smiling.
¡°Alright, now,¡± Wu Shan yelled over the din of the wind. ¡°Activate your spell!¡±
Shao Lei smirked. ¡°What spell?!¡±
Zhang He paled. ¡°I should have predicted this!¡±
Wu Shan scoffed. ¡°Hold on!¡± With a few gestures, dark wings sprouted from his back only to fizzle out moments later. ¡°Wait¡!¡± Another attempt, the wings fizzled out.
Zhang He scoffed. ¡°Quit messing around! Let me do it.!
Summoning his spear, he was about to transform it into a dragon, but it collapsed a few seconds after being summoned.
Wu Shan frowned. ¡°Are you joking?!¡±
Zhang He tried again and failed again. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡±
The ground was zooming in quickly, and Shao Lei¡¯s grin was as mad as ever. ¡°We can¡¯t die!¡± She cackled.
Zhang He tried to hide his teary eyes, but couldn¡¯t. ¡°WHY?!¡±
Jinlong opened its eyes and uncoiled from Wu Shan. With a flash of light, the dragon grew to nearly thrice its regular size. Before, when it was just an oversized worm as thick as his arm, it was now almost five meters long and with a girth the size of a large thigh.
With a self-important smirk, Jinlong grabbed the three by all its talons, slowing their descent in the nick of time, keeping them from hitting the ground by mere inches.
Shao Lei wore a smug grin as she looked at Zhang He. ¡°Because our fate is much grander than that.¡±
Interlude - Blood Dragon
Progress was being made.
Yi Ming had coasted through life as an extraordinary talent born from the moderately wealthy Yi Clan. Having reached Foundation Establishment at the age of twenty-five, at a time when such a feat was unprecedented even among the highest of talents, he lived a self-important life.
The century he spent in military service of the Empire had even risen him to the Nascent Soul stage well before his second century of living, proving how much of a talent he was. No pills, special physique, bloodline or bodily alteration. Just pure, unadulterated talent.
In his blood-soaked formative years, he would admit that it was in the fire of battle and in the blood of his enemies that he first discovered a tiny, minuscule spark of a Dao. Instinctively, he knew that it was blood. The Dao of Blood, something no other Nascent Soul stage cultivator had ever managed to achieve enlightenment from.
Numerous experimentation and copious bloodletting gave him all sorts of information regarding blood. Eventually, he discovered a medical miracle. Inside blood, there were tiny organisms of such small stature, comparing one to a dust mote would be the same as comparing a bull to a mountain. Eventually, he learned the function of these microbes, gave them names and realized the part that blood played in the body.
Even then, he wasn¡¯t any closer to reaching enlightenment. He knew everything there was to know about blood, every microbe, shape and chemical make-up of them. He even single-handedly constructed a table of chemical elements to give names to some of the building blocks found in the microbes, a table radically different to an alchemist compendium.
He made no progress then.
When a man half a millennium his junior pointed that he was wrong and imparted pure humility in him was when he began to make progress. The Dao of Blood was empty, it was a misnomer, and names mattered. Especially Names. The Dao of Life encompassed his research plus many things more.
And when that very same junior brother suggested he wrote a book about his research to maybe further his own Dao, he did. He also summoned all his friends and colleagues fellow admirers of the natural sciences and gave each of them a copy of his tomes.
And at that moment, Yi Ming had pushed the City into a new age of medical enlightenment. Yi Ming made a clear difference between medicine for cultivators and mortals.
Cultivators were of the heaven, capable of harnessing heavenly energies. They had no use for elaborate medicines because Qi is the only medicine they need. All they need aside from that is the correct know-how on where to apply it.
Mortal medicine was infinitely harder. Mortals were brittle. Even a single breath seemed to be able to destroy them. They could not regenerate limbs or destroy errant tumors with but a thought. Mortals were bound by their imperfect vessels until they learned to perfect themselves and reach towards the heavens.
But alas, everything had its reasons for existing. Mortals aren¡¯t inherently worse than cultivators. Mortals aren¡¯t pointless and superfluous. Mortals are required to balance the cosmic scales. That much was a truth that he instinctively knew, and so it could never be a waste of time to study the medicine of a mortal. Especially after the incident with Shao Lei, an episode he liked to reminisce on. So many broken pieces mended together satisfied Yi Ming almost to the point of wanting to half-destroy another mortal and fix them up, but Yi Ming didn¡¯t.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
His friend had affected him, granted him a set of morals he was sure he had abandoned on the first few days of his century of service. Power gained through any means necessary wasn¡¯t real power. To truly reach the Dao, he had to restrict himself. Humans were auspicious creatures, granted the best vessel to reach enlightenment. Driven by desire, they can also rise above them and set restrictions on themselves. Principles that they must follow and Yi Ming did that, inventing a Hippocratic oath.
He shall harm no soul to further his own research, not even ones that are willing to subject themselves to him. All of his research should come from healing others.
This incentivized him to orchestrating mass healing. In the outer districts, in the places where wounded and discarded war veterans came to rest, he let his healing glow diagnose them before exerting a minuscule amount of Qi to correct whatever issues they may have had. Everywhere he passed, he did so.
Missing limbs, shattered and disfigured bones, infections, tumors, none stood a chance before Yi Ming¡¯s indiscriminate cleanse.
When it was all over, he invited his colleagues over to visit him once more, curious to see what they had made of his research.
Obviously, because they had nothing productive to add, they simply opted to use backhanded remarks, near-undetectable slights, and subtle barbs to undermine his opinion as the ¡®perennial half-step¡¯, ignoring the fact that he had, indeed, broken through.
He really didn¡¯t know what he expected.
In his study, he wrote a treatise on immortality.
''Cultivators below Immortal Ascension are by and large still mortals but aren¡¯t referred to as so, whether out of arrogance or easier identification. Both, however, (mortals and cultivators, that is) each have their own consequences to reaching the end of their longevity or natural lifespan.''
''Mortals are invariably tall towers.''He paused before continuing to write.''Despite how long they stand, they will eventually wear and tear to the point where collapse is inevitable. Mortals don¡¯t die simply because they run out of time. When a Mortal¡¯s body was old enough, they would begin to develop tumors, their bones will be weakened, organs susceptible to failure, minds deteriorating, Qi drainage and many other things under the sun. It is death by a thousand cuts, and taking care of all symptoms as they arrive with a Godly capability would theoretically allow a Mortal to live forever.
''Theoretically.
''The presence of Qi in mortals is vital as long as there is a small amount to energize organs and vitality receptors, but other than that, Qi is largely irrelevant.
''Cultivators are wholly different. Once they have set their paths on the Immortal¡¯s Journey, their bodies have gone through a completely qualitative change. Qi is now relevant to their physiology.
''Eventually, once they reach the average end of a cultivator¡¯s lifespan in their stage, the Qi in their dantian will seep out rapidly, like a broken glass vessel, and this will kill the cultivator. It is not just a lack of Qi, but the dantian that collapses completely beyond any type of cultivation crippling.''
His pen paused when he heard a sound from behind him. Looking behind himself, he saw a naked man wreathed by coiling lightning protecting his modesty.
¡°Yi Ming, the ¡®Blood Dragon Patriarch¡¯,¡± He spoke succinctly, his voice resonating with the lightning to form a strange inflection.
¡°You have the right person,¡± Yi Ming smiled. ¡°How can I help you, fellow Dao Seeker Leigong?¡±
¡°Your presence is requested by the Great One.¡±
Yi Ming stood up slowly and nodded his head. ¡°I take it he wants to peruse the new arrival?¡±
Leigong clicked his tongue. ¡°You are not to assume his words. Come.¡±
Yi Ming chuckled. ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll be seeing Junior Brother Lao Chen where we are going?¡±
Leigong shook his head. ¡°Not likely. Now come.¡±
The visitor removed the pendant on a necklace on him and crushed it, summoning a vortex mid-air.
¡°The Great One does not enjoy waiting.¡±
Yi Ming raised an eyebrow. ¡°Would he kill me if I said no?¡±
Leigong smiled. ¡°We are not incapable of doing so.¡±
With a sigh, he approached the vortex and dipped a hand inside. Deeming it safe, he entered fully, appearing in what looked to be a cloud where a court of flying individuals stood still with a blond, long-haired man with a beautiful smile in the middle.
¡°The Blood Dragon has arrived,¡± the man smiled. ¡°Welcome, fellow Dao Seeker. I am Du Yen."
Chapter 27: The Mountain
Lin-Lin¡¯s world was falling apart. Her father, the indomitable hero of his people, the strongest person she knew, had been killed in a fight. Fortunately, she was carrying his valuables, but even so, her father had only given her them because he wasn¡¯t certain of the outcome of the battle.
The presence within Lin-Lin was still and unresponsive. That was truly dangerous. Whatever had killed him had also damaged his soul to the point where he required extensive rest.
What the hell was even the odds of finding a Dao Seeker in some random backwater port-town? That could not have been a coincidence. There were only nine, or eleven if she included Yi Ming and her father, and finding one so quickly into their adventure wasn¡¯t logical at all.
In the far distance, Lin-Lin spotted a generic mountain chain which she headed towards at full speed. She had already traversed several thousand li in the span of 24 hours of constant travel. The mountains seemed imposing at first glance, but with a push of her palm, she indented a part of the mountain wall, creating an artificial cave.
She dug it deeper and deeper before sealing of the entrance to make it look like it hadn¡¯t been destroyed. Deeper into the mountain, she sensed strange emanations of a high power, but that was of no concern to her.
Effectively, she was entrenched in complete darkness.
Father was in a critical condition. His soul was rapidly dissipating and she could feel it. She held both his bags of holding. With a deep breath, she reached into both of them and removed whatever she thought may help.
There were 25 soul gems inside capable of boosting the power of one¡¯s soul, a few Mistvale Roots that could also do the same thing and a Turmoil Ginseng which contained an extreme Qi potential. All these items were rare and extremely difficult to come by, but in the face of her father¡¯s imminent death, that really didn¡¯t matter to her.
She was going to make a pill.
Her Essence Flame hadn¡¯t been determined just yet, and she was wracking her brain trying to figure out what it could be.
Her likes were architecture, beauty, art, and pills, but none of those were profound enough a subject to base her Essence Flame on. It had to be something primordial, something that could destroy the impurities in each herb.
She also needed a pill furnace. There was one inside a bag of holding, so it was of little consequence.
Back to her pondering, she revisited almost every moment of her life. The calm and idyllic days in the Village, her training with her adoptive brother, the time spent traveling through the woods on their first journey all the way to Gold Stone City.
But there was a moment of her life before that. Before she was even born, yet somehow she could remember it. The memory resurfaced slowly as she focused intently on it, but once it did, a tear rolled down her cheek.
Mother Nuwa¡¯s grace pulsed deep inside her pseudo-soul, reassuring her that she was a real creature, something of substance. Her father had done True Creation, and only by the grace of a Goddess.
Creation.
While an Essence Flame destroyed impurities, one based on creation would do the same, but with something more. A Creation Essence Flame would bolster the potential of the ingredients used severalfold while at the same time completely eradicating impurities.
Concentrating deeply, she summoned the flame in front of her, burning bright-white, illuminating the cave¡¯s every nook and cranny. Placing it on the pill cauldron, she began the process of creating her very first pill.
--
Lao Chen was dying. That bothered him, despite himself. His journey had just begun. To have cut it short was a cruel fate the Heavens placed on him, but nonetheless, he had lived a fulfilling life.
The battle against the Dao Seeker was anything but unmemorable. In the first and last clash, that woman had been trapped in a perennially-tormenting dream which would have driven any man insane.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The problem was that she was struck first and Lao Chen should have never suffered any consequences. The Three Desires are not to be trifled with, and the Four Fiends are just the same. A Fiend based on a desire such as the four-legged reptile-dog-shark-like Taotie was a power Lao Chen did not take into account.
Once she broke out of the spell, the woman, bedraggled as she was, wore a lecherous smile.
¡°A thousand years only? Why, aren¡¯t you the liar?¡±
Lao Chen had realized then that he was outclassed. Before he could retaliate, the Taotie consumed him whole, leaving nothing but a blood-smear on the floor.
At that moment, Lao Chen had felt her cultivation base. Seven of her Eight Heavenly Meridians were unlocked, and even discounting that, her Qi potential was much higher than his own from her long life of training.
In a deep and black space, he existed, naked and bare. Bits and pieces of his ethereal body detached from him slowly. Death was nearing and the only one that could stop it was his daughter. He had faith in her, so he did not fear. Instead, he simply waited, biding his time with a resolve to become stronger.
--
Seven nights had passed and Lin-Lin was well on her way. The 25 soul gems had been compressed into a single, superpotent active ingredient that held a hundredfold the amount of power that Lao Chen¡¯s soul currently possessed. The Mistvale Roots and Turmoil Ginsengs had been blended together along with an adherent, Celestial Sap. The Sap was intended to bond the different ingredients into a single stable lattice to prevent accidental separation somewhere along the process.
After Lin-Lin compressed them into a head-sized orb, the purification was due. Placing the raw amalgam of ingredients inside the main pot on the cauldron, Lin-Lin closed it and inserted her Creation Flame inside, causing the whole cauldron to screech ear-piercingly loud.
A black mist seeped out from the holes on the side of the cauldron, indicating how the impurities of Earth were being purged.
Lin-Lin could feel her Qi slowly running out. Her father wasn¡¯t alive, so she couldn¡¯t draw from his wellspring, thus forcing her to rely on her own uniquely pure Qi stores.
The Essence Flame continued to burn brightly, expelling the putrid stench of impurities as she continued on. Her stores were running dangerously low, but she held on. The impurities were still gushing out with wild abandon.
The cascade of impurities began to slow to an almost imperceptibly thin stream of dark mist until its imminent cessation.
Lin-Lin took a deep breath and killed the Essence Flame before lifting the lid of the cauldron, letting out an almost suffocatingly thick aroma to waft through the cave.
The Pill was sapphire-blue, luminescent in its purity, multiplied several-fold by her Creation Essence Flame born from her grasp on all soul affinities and Qi elements.
Picking it up, Lin-Lin smiled at it, using the precious few seconds she had to treasure her first creation, feeling every single side of it.
Her play-time was cut mercilessly short as the memory of her ailing father took precedence. Steeling her expression, she swallowed the pill, noting how it almost exploded with energy as it ran down her throat.
It took all of her mental strength and will to direct every ounce of it within her away from her own pseudo-soul and towards her father.
The energy took time to settle before penetrating into her father¡¯s soul, lighting it aglow once more.
And finally, Lao Chen regained consciousness.
Projecting his soul out of her body, wearing the same clothes as the ones he died with, Lao Chen hugged his daughter. ¡°I am so glad that you¡¯re safe,¡± he whispered, wiping away a tear as he assessed her. ¡°You didn¡¯t come to any harm?¡±
¡°No, father,¡± Lin-Lin hugged back, crying as well. ¡°I thought you were going to die!¡±
Kissing his daughter on her forehead, Lao Chen nodded. ¡°I need to recreate my body. Then, I shall meditate and increase my strength. They think I am dead, so we shall have some peace for the time being.¡±
Lin-Lin nodded. ¡°Don¡¯t scare me like that, again. That was awful of you.¡±
¡°I apologize,¡± Lao Chen chuckled. ¡°It seems this old man still has a thirst for glory and excitement.¡±
Lin-Lin just groaned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry me like that again, promise?¡±
¡°I cannot,¡± Lao Chen sighed. ¡°But I¡¯ll do my best.¡±
Returning to the safety of Lin-Lin¡¯s pseudo-soul, he set to creating a corpus for his body, somewhat hoping that he would make a younger version of himself.
--
While her father concentrated on crafting himself a new body, Lin-Lin decided to pursue the emanations that she had felt initially upon entering the mountain.
After having recovered her Qi, she burrowed herself further into the mountain, expecting to find the source of the Qi at any moment, but as the power signature grew and grew with no end in sight, Lin-Lin began to dig faster, intent on sating her curiosity.
Eventually, she ran into a wall that she couldn¡¯t dig through using normal means.
The wall was a solid, smooth black metal and no matter how much pushing on her side using air pressure, it remained still and unblemished.
Using a larger portion of Qi, she attacked the wall using an orb of pure Qi, foregoing any need for a technique. The golden orb flew straight towards the metal wall, and phased through it, leaving it undamaged.
¡°Strange,¡± she noted, approaching the wall slowly before shoving it with her hand. Surprisingly, it slid straight through along with herself.
What awaited her on the other side was anything but normal. She was on one end of a large antechamber stretching on for what seemed like several li. The walls were lined with blue-fire torches lining the walls at regular intervals, illuminating just enough to see the floor, but not the endless darkness that was presumably the ceiling.
Taking in the beauty of it, Lin-Lin took her time as she walked through the antechamber, towards the tremendous Qi signature that was still so far away.
Chapter 28: The Cave
Only after a li did Lin-Lin really come to wonder about the inside of the mountain. The outside was wholly insignificant, not a single trait to separate it from the millions of mountains in the Empire.
Details were fuzzy, really. All she concerned herself with was fleeing at the time, but she got a somewhat good look at the mountain. One li tall approximately, and maybe twice that wide, but even then, it was impossible for it to be that large that it could host an entire underground hallway system like the one she was currently in.
Moreover, she was aware of how far low she had descended when burrowing, and the distance she traveled didn¡¯t add up if this place existed underground.
¡°Bizarre,¡± she whispered under her breath.
The mountain was like any other. Insignificant, of a relatively shorter height compared to the ones she had seen in her travels that were easily twice as tall on most days. No energy emanated from it that she could sense, yet she had been unwittingly drawn towards it.
¡°Is this fate?¡±
The object which she was pursuing had magnified in its energy signature almost a hundredfold, and it would easily choke a human cultivator of her level with the purity and velocity of the swirling Qi wisps, but she was no human. Her body allowed her to simply put ¡®eat¡¯ her way through the fog of Qi, having the added benefit of growing her core ever so slightly.
After the seventieth li, the Qi almost became too much for her to effectively bear and settle into her core seamlessly. It took much more concentration to integrate it, and the amount of Qi coursing through her meridians was definitely enough to cause some damage if mishandled. Other than the added concentration on integration stealing some mental capacity away from wondering aimlessly in her mind, it was of no real inconvenience.
One thing remained true. The object, or even person for that matter, at the end of the hallway, had so much Qi that even a trickle for them was enough to put someone on par with a late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator out of commission.
The thirty last li of her journey was the most difficult. After twenty li, every step was laborious and required a herculean amount of mental effort to redirect the Qi and fill her core. At some point, she tried to bend the Qi around her to miss her, but it was too obtrusive. Integrating it safely was the only option that she could think of. At this point, turning back was no option either. Whatever lay at the end of that hallway was much too important to turn her back on.
The last ten li, the Qi was too much and she stopped to sit down and meditate. Around her, torrents of raging Qi as pure as anything slammed at her paltry meridians. They coursed violently through her body before crashing into her Core, causing cracks to appear on it. More large wisps of raging Qi slammed into those cracks and used themselves as repairing material. Rinse and repeat.
Lin-Lin remained as such for an indeterminate amount of time, though she was sure that it was most likely the duration of a night.
After meditating, the process of absorbing the Qi automated itself somewhat, only requiring some output from herself. Her Core had grown dramatically, and after compression, the Qi she possessed was only that much more potent.
fifty more li eventually, the Qi became so thick that Lin-Lin couldn¡¯t bear walking. After meditating for a day, she continued on her way. Twenty-five li later, the same occurred.
After one and a quarter hour, Lin-Lin noticed a pattern. The amount of time it took for her to reach her absolute limit would halve every time.
That would make sure that no matter what, mathematically, she would never be able to reach the two hundred li mark. No matter how much she meditated, she couldn¡¯t stop it as half a li and some change later, the Qi stopped her like an impenetrable barrier.
¡°It¡¯s futile,¡± she murmured, her eyes taking on a dangerous glint. All that way and he was inhibited from going forward.
At any rate, it wasn¡¯t quite that much of a waste of time. Her core had already grown considerably, and it was on a magnitude that was nothing to really sneeze at. To bide her time, she could spend it on something worthwhile, if a little tedious like walking through a wall of suffocating thick Qi.
Days went by. Lin-Lin approached ever-closer to the object, building a tolerance to the thick Qi as she approached closer and closer. Days went by as Lin-Lin lurched ever-forwards, reaching closer and closer to the source, but never quite touching it, but that was fine because that wasn¡¯t her objective.
Days blended into weeks as she moved closer, and when she reached to such a point where she could swear that she could see the object past the dim torch-light, she hastened her pace.
Not that far ahead, approximately a quarter li, a giant wall stood, and below, in the middle of the wall where it touched the ground was an upright rectangular entryway that lacked a door.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
A few days later, she arrived right outside the door and peered in to see a bridge leading to a circular platform standing above sparkling azure water. Above, in the center of the platform was a pedestal where an orb rested.
Ever closer she arrived at the source, and every ten steps became just five steps which became two and a half. Eventually, she was so close, if she stretched her hand out, maybe just an errant little lurch forwards, and she could touch it.
Of course, the more rational part of her knew that the orb would blow her corporal body into pieces, reducing her into nothing but a defenceless Nascent Soul that couldn¡¯t protect her father in his time of need, the only time he ever, truly, really, without question needed her for a specific time. Platitudes aside, her father could have lived a happy life without her. Now was the time to truly put her everything plus that again into her inborn function and protect the devil out of him.
Another moment of tolerance-building, absorption, integration, and a fraction of a step was all that brought her closer to the damn orb, but from where she stood, roughly a meter or two from it, she could see it.
Craning her neck, she read the two characters on each side of the orb, written in fiery silver that shone the cushion on the pedestal. On one was the word ¡®Mountain¡¯ and the other was, pulsing with Qi and the Primordial Dao in its script, the word for ¡®Immortal¡¯.
An Immortal¡¯s Mountain.
An Immortal¡¯s Cave. The meditating grounds for a true Immortal¡
Lin-Lin had struck a goldmine.
Days almost felt like minutes as she waited patiently to acclimatize and move closer so she could maybe touch it. She tried every way to get as close as possible, even risking a tiny amount of injuries just to lurch even a centimeter ahead. Even that would make a difference in the end. Halfing the initial number in a series, she had surmised, indefinitely and adding all those numbers up would never make it double the original number, truly. Just a figure so close to the double, it¡¯s indistinguishable.
Infinitely close, yet separate.
A single extra lurch, even by the breadth of a dust mote would put her ahead.
Even a-
From within her soul, Lin-Lin could feel a bulging sensation. Her father was ready.
Sitting and crossing her legs, Lin-Lin separated the torrential Qi from her immediate surrounding, laying a gentle cove in the wrathful streams where her father could come in peace.
Guiding his soul gently, Lin-Lin separated him and laid him bare, staying close. Her instincts were screaming at her to hug him and protect him from even an errant mosquito, but she needed to concentrate to keep her father from suffering from her mindless greed.
Surrounding his soul like a dutiful shell was father¡¯s corpus. An energy-construct that would imitate, and later become flesh.
Gathering its energy, the corpus spun around itself several times before giving off a bright flash of light.
It faded to reveal the image of an old, naked man.
Lin-Lin could do nothing but smile, decidedly content. ¡°Father!¡±
Feeling at his face, Lao Chen pouted. ¡°Still an old geezer, huh?¡±
Realizing that he was naked, Lao Chen quickly protected his modesty and gave an embarrassed smile. ¡°Do you mind helping your old man with my bags?¡±
Lin-Lin fumbled a little before tossing both her bags towards him.
¡°Be careful, father. There¡¯s a lot of Qi here that might take you by surprise if you¡¯re not ready.¡±
Her father pulled out a near-identical set of robes and clogs from the bag before taking a minute to wear them. Donning his metal ring once again, he simply had to smile.
¡°Being alive is wonderful. Now, what are you saying about this Qi, and where are we at the moment?¡±
Lin-Lin shook her head. ¡°I do not know. In a mountain much bigger on the inside than the outside is what it is, but anything more specific, I cannot say, though my theory points to it being an Immortal¡¯s cave.¡± sighing, she continued. ¡°I will let in the Qi in small increments until you cannot bear it.¡±
Lao Chen stood stock still, waiting as Lin-Lin turned up the Qi in the small cove, but he didn¡¯t shift as much as an eyebrow as almost fifty percent was let through the proverbial floodgates.
Sighing, Lin-Lin smiled. ¡°I should have known.¡±
Releasing her hold completely, Lao Chen staggered somewhat but remained standing. ¡°What the devil? Why is the Qi here so thick?"
Lin-Lin pointed behind herself. ¡°It¡¯s all coming from that stupid orb. It must be an Immortal¡¯s artifact.¡±
Lao Chen raised an eyebrow before approaching the orb, furrowing his eyebrows as every step forward became more labored.
¡°Whoa¡¡± he huffed.
Lin-Lin raised an eyebrow, slightly askance. ¡°Did¡ did you siphon some of the Qi I collected out of my core? Was that why I couldn¡¯t approach it fast enough?¡±
¡°Yes. I needed it to create me.¡± he smiled. "You really quickened the process!"
Approaching the orb, Lao Chen picked it up. Dropping it as though it was hot, Lao Chen clutched at his arm, grimacing in pain.
¡°Father!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Lao Chen bit through the pain. ¡°This is incredible¡¡±
Lao Chen took a few moments to process the pain before rational thought took precedence. ¡°If someone that has gone through Immortal Ascension had the Qi of a hundred thousand Dao Seekers, this single orb is more extraordinary in every way possible! It is easily the equivalent of a¡ million¡ million Dao Seekers! Even in its most restricted form, it still leaks so much Qi, it''s ridiculous! This hurricane of Qi isn''t even a droplet in an ocean!¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s fascinated smile dropped slightly. ¡°If that is true, then this orb belongs to an individual far past the realm of Immortal Ascension. Impossibly far away¡¡±
The orb began to vibrate slightly, shocking Lao Chen out of his thoughts. From the orb, two projected words shot out.
Xian Seal.
¡°What is this thing¡?¡±
The vibration sped up in the blink of an eye until suddenly, it ceased to exist, and in its place, the image of a glowing white, naked human with no identifying features stood tall, tens of meters high.
Crossing its arms, the creature opened its mouth to speak.
¡°You trespass, trifling Dao Seeker.¡± His voice was layered and intrusive, as though he couldn¡¯t shake it from his mind no matter how much he tried.
Lao Chen and Lin-Lin both swallowed.
¡°Prepare for utter annihilation.¡±
Just as the creature was about to wave his hand, he stopped.
¡°My scions¡ You have them. I can sense their presence with you.¡±
Chapter 29: The Paragon
The white-blue glowing apparition stood before Lao Chen, arms crossed, scrutinizing the old man.
Lao Chen¡¯s breathing hitched. ¡°Your sons?¡±
¡°Yes, my sons. I can feel the emanations of their Xian Dao within your right-most bag of holding. Release them for me.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s mind raced back to that fateful night ten years. The two heaven-defying experts that changed his life forever.
Seeing no sense in delaying their reunion, Lao Chen pulled out both corpses, a solemn expression on his face. Presenting the two tattered corpses, Lao Chen noted how impossibly heavy they were for people of their build.
¡°It is with great regret that I inform you of your sons¡¯ passings.¡±
The giant apparition ignored him, willing their bodies to float in front of him.
With a breath from the apparition, the air seeped into the nose and mouth of both the deceased cultivators, shining a light on their inside which eventually gave them life.
They both stirred before their eyes shot open, gazing at their father reverently.
Both took control of their bodies again and bowed at him.
¡°Jin greets Ancestor!¡± The armoured cultivator roared.
¡°Kai greets Ancestor!¡± The robed cultivator echoed.
¡°Why are you here?¡± The Ancestor spoke. ¡°After seventeen thousand years, you dare disrupt me so early?¡±
Jin stood tall. ¡°I came to you to present a solution to your unjust imprisonment. A Heaven-Defying Spontaneity Ring was what I wished to show you!¡±
Kai sneered. ¡°A Heaven-Defying Spontaneity Ring that the Immortal Doyen bequeathed upon my family! At any rate, the ring was a test, and I am certain that in the event of you trying to liberate Father, the Hellguard would appear.¡±
Ancestor wasn¡¯t convinced. ¡°A Heaven-Defying Ring? What is the function of this ring?¡±
Jin grinned smugly. ¡°Forged from a fraction of the very Metal that the great Dao presented the universe as one of the five Qi Elements, powered by the Tribulation Lightning issued by the Dao, the Ring was designed to grant its wearer a single profound wish. If you had wished for your freedom, you would finally be free of this dreary duty!¡±
Ancestor shook his head sternly. ¡°My duty is a punishment which I must serve out. Your presence is unwanted. Bring this ring with you and inter yourselves in Kunlun once again. I am quite displeased by both of you, showing up dead as corpses. What if you had not found your way here?¡±
Jin smirked. ¡°I tied a Karmic Line such that we would reunite at least before a decade had passed.¡± Looking down at Lao Chen, Jin smiled. ¡°And from the looks of it, our courier benefited greatly from our presence.¡±
Kai flew down at Lao Chen and looked at him intently. ¡°Hmm¡ this one is quite strange.¡±
Ancestor huffed impatiently. ¡°Leave. Now. And as punishment, you shall leave all of your possessions with the Dao Seeker. I will NOT repeat myself.¡±
Both Jin and Kai stiffened. Sighing, the robed cultivator opened a portal and walked into it, along with his brother.
Finally, the room contained only Lao Chen, Lin-Lin and the Ancestor.
¡°It would seem that your presence was not such a bad thing, Dao Seeker. And now that I have had a good view of you, killing someone of your Karmic value would be a grave mistake.¡±
The Ancestor touched both Lao Chen and Lin-Lin, poking both index fingers at them. ¡°An external Nascent Soul of exceptional Qi purity, possessing its own Dao. Interesting.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Lao Chen raised an eyebrow.
¡°What is more interesting, however, is your Dantian. It would seem that you aren¡¯t quite human.¡±
Lao Chen didn¡¯t find his voice.
¡°You¡¯re a creation of the Shaolin. A human weapon that even the Xian Seal cannot confine. And from the looks of your Karma, you managed to inspire another Dao Seeker.¡±
Lao Chen had completely fallen off the conversation, not knowing anything about what was happening. After gathering his thoughts for a moment, he took a deep breath and spoke.
¡°Forgive my ignorance but I am unaware of certain terms which you were using. Among these are Shaolin and Xian Seal. And for the record, I am quite human. I can assure you of that.¡±
The Ancestor huffed. ¡°You might think you are human, but your soul says it all. Instead of the seven traditional Soul Elements, you draw strength from the Wuji. A Shaolin experiment gone right for once, it would seem. The reason you might think you are human is because you have lived in a community of experiments. The only remaining community after all those years ago, it would seem. You are quite the specimen.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Was I¡ created?¡±
The Ancestor shook his head. ¡°Inaccurate. After the fall of the Shaolin uprising, humans with modified souls were scattered across the Land of Mortals. Most of these were defects and unable to sustain life, but you were different. You are among the successes. Powerless with regular cultivation methods, but all you needed was a Primordial-Class scripture to awaken you. Heaven knows what the Shaolin would have done had they known you were alive.¡±
¡°So the Yin Phoenix and Yang Dragon scriptures are Primordial-Class?¡± Lao Chen asked.
¡°Yes.¡± Ancestor nodded. ¡°As for the Xian Seal, it was ordained by the Immortal Doyen that the Immortal population had to be culled using indirect means. Kunlun is crowding and as long as the death-rate heavily outweighs the birth and ascension-rate of new Immortals, peace might become a feasible part of Kunlun¡¯s future.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Does that make you an Immortal guarding this seal?¡±
Ancestor nodded. ¡°The first thing a child like you should learn is that you will never be an immortal. Death always comes, no matter how much a Daoist would wish otherwise. You merely stop abiding time. That is all there is to Immortality.¡±
Lao Chen raised his eyebrow. ¡°What about the power?¡±
¡°All superficial,¡± Ancestor waved his hand. ¡°Spirit Realm, Soul Realm, Paragon Realm and then Golden Immortality. The Four Realms of cultivation. The Immortal¡¯s Codex that descended ninety-nine million years ago that detailed the first method of cultivation was designed by a single cultivator who glimpsed a tiny pinhole into the Great Dao and gleaned such an amount of truth. Truly, what is it that you want as a cultivator? Speak.¡±
Lao Chen didn¡¯t have to think for a while. ¡°I wish to explore every corner of the world.¡±
Ancestor nodded. ¡°As do many people. Adventurous minds like you are nothing special, but what is it that made you seek the pleasure of cultivation? A universal truth among cultivators is that might makes right. Is that what drove you?¡±
Lao Chen frowned. ¡°Experiencing it firsthand, I have seen the tendency for powerful people to dictate others morals, and it is true that you are allowed freedom from earthly consequences, but Karma makes right.¡±
Ancestor nodded proudly. ¡°It¡¯s a logical fallacy that many cultivators fall into. While might may allow you to defeat anyone, Karma is formless and indomitable. Did you wish for power, however, so that you could explore?¡±
Lao Chen shook his head. ¡°I cannot lie to you without lying to myself. I feared adventure, and it took me a decade until I worked up the courage to step out of my boundaries. It has been a rewarding journey so far, with my son who is not here and my daughter,¡± he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Ancestor nodded. ¡°You are wiser than most cultivators. Truly, what you did was not cultivate just Qi, but your mind. Is that not much more important?¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°I found myself defeated utterly in front of an assailant not too long ago. While power is not necessary, I would not wish for a repeat of the same circumstance.¡±
¡°You seek power?¡± He asked.
Lao Chen nodded.
¡°You will find it in your travels, explorer.¡± Ancestor nodded. ¡°Do not treat the Immortal¡¯s Codex like a guide, but rather anecdotal evidence of what the path truly is. Tread the path on your own and you will undoubtedly grow stronger.¡±
Both Lao Chen and Lin-Lin bowed. ¡°Thank you for your wisdom,¡± Lao Chen smiled gratefully.
Ancestor nodded. ¡°A Paragon Realm Expert like me should only know so much.¡±
Before Lao Chen could continue posing his questions, the Paragon Realm expert decided to silence him with a flick of his wrist. ¡°The knowledge you have received is a courtesy of bringing my sons to me. Seventeen thousand years is a long time, and I am grateful to have seen them. Because our Karma has been rebalanced, I am no longer obligated to answer your questions. Begone.¡±
And like that, Lao Chen and Lin-Lin were warped at the foot of the insignificant mountain that housed a Paragon Realm Expert.
Lao Chen knew that although this experience was the biggest thing that could have happened to him, it was only the beginning of a new path where no Dao Seeker could destroy him arbitrarily. While might didn¡¯t make right, he would use his power to fend off anyone willing to destroy his dreams.
¡°Hey, father,¡± Lin-Lin tugged at his robe. Lao Chen looked down with a raised eyebrow.
¡°What is it?¡± He asked.
¡°Where¡¯s west?¡±
Lao Chen could only sigh. The sky was clouded and the sun was nowhere to be seen. They would have to fly through the thick, disappointing cloud to see the sun.
The first drop of rain hit him on his nose, and Lao Chen could only sigh once again. ¡°Through the rain cloud it is.¡±
Book 2 - Chapter 1: Azure Empire
Adventures of an Old Dreamer
Book 2 - The Azure Empire
Among a few things, Lao Chen could now catalog the knowledge he had gained that completely destroyed his prior belief system.
The Immortal¡¯s Codex was referenced in several manuscripts which Lao Chen had read over the years, and from what he gathered, it was the account written by a Daoist several million years ago, the progenitor of cultivation.
And strangely enough, the path that everyone had usually come to take was the path of a single person, a path so trodden that there was no real point in continuing to walk down that path.
Lao Chen knew that he would have to branch outwards eventually, on his own. While it wasn¡¯t mandatory to follow cultivation methods to the letter, something he hadn¡¯t really done up until now, what with his dual core, he did have physical clues manifesting in his body to tell what the next step would be, and currently, that was gathering enough insights into his Dao such that his Heavenly Meridians are cleared, and only then will he be able to breach into the Soul Realm as an authentic Immortal.
The matter of a Karmic Line had also somewhat rattled Lao Chen¡¯s psyche, but not in a way which made him question all of his past actions because truthfully, even without the Karmic Lines, Lao Chen would have been there.
Karmic Lines made no real sense, truly. To be reunited with someone within a given timeframe no matter what occurred was overly convenient and almost reality shattering, but if he had to describe it with his limited exposure to it, the two Immortal cultivators had managed to bend the lines of Karma to intertwine with their own lines without disturbing the general destination of any of the lines.
A convoluted solution to a mundane problem, really, but nonetheless left Lao Chen in awe, almost inspiring him to just sit down and ponder on Karma in general.
But until then, it was best to keep a low profile. Standing on a wide expanse of grasslands, Lao Chen and Lin-Lin looked wistfully at the horizon.
¡°Just a few li more and we¡¯ll be within Azure soil,¡± Lao Chen sighed. ¡°A different country. Different people.¡±
¡°Different fragrances,¡± Lin-Lin grinned.
¡°Different flavors,¡± Lao Chen added.
¡°Different cultures,¡± Lin-Lin added to the roster.
¡°I can barely even wait!¡± Lao Chen felt giddy.
¡°What are we waiting for?¡±
Lao Chen smirked. ¡°Last one¡¯s a rotten egg?¡±
Before Lin-Lin could protest, Lao Chen shot off, leveraging the full power of his cultivation base to zoom forwards, making sure not to ruin any plantlife as he outstripped his daughter in speed. In moments, he had crossed the border and was heading quite swiftly towards the nearest concentration of ambient Qi where he was sure to find a town.
True to form, Lao Chen finally found the first sign of a settlement in the form of a rice farm tilled by two water buffalos. The man tending to the water buffalos already inspired a feeling of awe within Lao Chen. He had snow white facial hair and mahogany-tanned skin and was middle-aged.
Lao Chen decided to approach the man. Once he got around twenty yards close, the man looked up and gave him a nod.
¡°Hello, elder!¡± He spoke in another language altogether, exciting Lao Chen so much more.
¡°I apologize for my ignorance, but I am not well-versed in the Azure language,¡± Lao Chen admitted. The middle-aged man laughed.
¡°You¡¯re a Jade immigrant, then? Do you have your flair on you?¡± The middle-aged man asked, somewhat suspicious. Lao Chen raised an eyebrow.
¡°I¡¯m afraid I do not at the moment. Actually, I wanted some directions for the closest city.¡±
The man¡¯s demeanor took a complete turn as he furrowed his eyebrows and stroked at his white mustache. ¡°A Jadeite with no flair asking for directions near the border city¡ You put me in an extreme position, friend. While I have little love for our country¡¯s warlike ways, it is abundantly clear that you¡¯re not a legitimate immigrant.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s smile faltered. ¡°Is that a problem.¡±
¡°The short answer is yes. While I would love to help a fellow human being out, in the event that you are caught and you sell me out, I will be implicated for having aided an illegal. Please be understanding.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°Have a nice day.¡±
Overhead, Lao Chen could sense Lin-Lin, watching the intercourse in amusement, covering her mouth as she chuckled. The old man couldn¡¯t help but do the same as he walked away from the rice farm and tread a beaten path. While it would be nice to have gotten help from the rice farmer, he could already sense the clump of Qi in the distance.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Lao Chen began to ponder at his problem. He was obviously a high-profile illegal immigrant. Staying away from authorities would be his number one directive unless he would be forced to draw the ire of the 9 Dharma Seekers in the Azure Empire.
With a determined expression, Lao Chen resolved that he would dream-manipulate his way to getting a flair and becoming a legitimate immigrant.
And towards that end, he decided that his entrance should happen in a monumental fashion. After all, Lao Chen had always dreamed of abusing his power for silly reasons way before he even had any. Turning night into day so he could read for longer would have to wait when he could diddle with everyone¡¯s dreams.
An act of random kindness, perhaps?
--
Near the threshold of the open city, in the dead of night, far past the time most businesses are open, Lao Chen took hold of the sea of unconscious consciousnesses, simultaneously inserting happy dreams into them all.
Without the added pressure of trying to inspire them towards a better way or trying to make their lives miserable, Lao Chen found the activity extremely simple. Without even micromanaging their dreams, Lao Chen only had to push happy emotions into their existing dreams and the dreamers would do the rest for them.
As far as pranks go, this was wholesome and Lao Chen could whole-heartedly approve of such mischief.
Lin-Lin stood on air, blocking out his moonlight, shaking her head good-heartedly. ¡°What was the point of that?¡±
Lao Chen smirked. ¡°I¡¯m building a rep, Lin-Lin. While I know that I¡¯m not very strong, if word of my abilities spreads, at least that could do something to ameliorate my shattered ego.¡±
Lin-Lin raised an eyebrow. ¡°There are better ways to do that than to make everyone happy.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°That wasn¡¯t really the reason, though. While I have this power, shouldn¡¯t I go out of my way to do this to as many people as possible? While getting some training in, I could make a difference.¡±
Hours passed just like that and by first light, Lao Chen ceased sending happy emotions and marveled at how his third heavenly meridian was half unclogged, a blessing unto itself.
And with that, as father and daughter, the duo entered the busy streets of Gudalkan City.
A barrage of new smells crashed towards them, smiles and laughs all around as rickshaw drivers ran with all their might and carriages waited for each other to cross intersections in an orderly manner. The vegetable vendors were alive and energetic and the children were all playing. Not a single soul in the vicinity seemed downtrodden, and Lao Chen knew then that he did well after all.
Looking at the myriad brown faces, Lao Chen finally managed to find someone of his own complexion. Wearing an armband with the symbol for Jade on it with a minute inscription, Lao Chen smiled when he spotted a fellow Jadeite.
¡°Hello, countryman. I would like to know where you got your armband,¡± Lao Chen approached him. The man bowed and Lao Chen bowed back.
¡°Twelve blocks south and three westwards, you¡¯ll find the immigration office. You will be detained unless you can prove that you have lived in the Azure Empire for three generations.¡±
Lao Chen rolled his eyes. ¡°Why so strict with these rules?¡±
The man furrowed his eyebrows. ¡°It¡¯s only natural. We¡¯re at war.¡±
Lao Chen bade the man farewell and headed towards the office. Once there, he could only take comfort in that there was barely anyone present but a female receptionist on the counter.
Lao Chen approached the lady, eliciting a smile from her. ¡°How may I help you?¡±
Lao Chen flicked his wrist. ¡°I¡¯d like an armband.¡±
The woman smiled. ¡°Evidence of three-generation residence, please?¡±
Lao Chen produced the necessary papers from his bag of holding, and as she sifted through them, she found no issues.
¡°Mr¡ Yi Ming? Evidence of three generations of residence has been confirmed. You are eligible for an immigrant¡¯s flair. Long live Azure!¡±
Lao Chen took the papers and after storing them away flicked his wrist again. The receptionist gifted him two armbands and after tying one on his daughter, then himself, he was off.
Lin-Lin couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter. ¡°You don¡¯t realize how stupid that looked on my side!¡±
Lao Chen chuckled. ¡°Pray tell.¡±
¡°She just went limp after asking you, and then she goes completely rigid, smile and all, and gifts you the armband!¡±
Lao Chen laughed. ¡°I can see why that would look funny to you.¡±
On a nearby soapbox, a man seemed to be shouting loudly in the Azure language, but only after he switched to Jade did Lao Chen¡¯s attention suffuse into his speech.
¡°¡Fusang Expedition requiring only the toughest of explorers and adventurers! We accept all ages and go through a rigorous vetting process!¡±
Before Lao Chen approached them, he could hear another crier, one with a much more powerful voice.
¡°Fusang Expedition for only the most powerful of warriors out there! If you think you¡¯re up for the challenge-¡°
More and more town criers made their place in the town square, and after only a few minutes, the whole square became a bunch of shouting matches with some random participant nominating themselves for whatever impromptu admission exam the criers had in mind.
Suddenly, Lao Chen didn¡¯t feel very up to heading with an expedition crew.
Until the final soapbox was placed on the floor by a Kawan, but the man who stepped on top of the soapbox wasn¡¯t a Kawan, but rather a man in strange, black and gold dress-like armor with rectangular plates covering vital areas and simple leathers between plates to allow for better movements. He wore a near-conical helmet which was open on his face and on the forehead of the helmet was the insignia of a crescent moon with both prongs pointing upwards, and finally, on his side was a long, narrow sword, nearly two meters long with a diamond-patterned hilt.
Around the Kawan and the armored man was a hodge-podge group of what seemed to be warriors from all kinds of ethnicities and specializations.
The armored man spoke with an aura that outstripped the rest of the criers, penetrating the din. The first part of the man¡¯s speech was in Azure, but when he finished, Lao Chen could finally hear the message.
¡°The Sunrise Seekers have room for only two people for a future Fusang Expedition.¡±
The words were clear and concise, but already then, a bunch of the spectators crowded around that particular soapbox, and some strongmen pushed themselves ahead to the foot of the soapbox.
A female from behind, a Kawan, produced some flyers and threw them at the crowd. ¡°Selection process will be held at that venue in that time. Be there or relinquish your chance to join us.¡±
And for whatever reason, it was that group of ragtag adventurers that spoke to him the most. Here was to hoping that their old man and young girl slots were still open. Grabbing the dual language flyer, Lao Chen vowed to show up.
Book 2 - Chapter 2: Selection examination
Chapter 32 ¨C Adventures of an old dreamer
The sun was rising, signifying the beginning of a new day, and the reawakening of life. Truly, it was an auspicious moment of the day.
At least that was what Lao Chen thought as a band of hardened warriors made their presence in the untouched grassland, the sun slowly rising up from the boundless horizon.
The Sunrise Seekers stood tall, and the other warriors gave them a wide berth. They were nine in total. One wore that black and gold armor, another was a Kawan woman of great physical strength and a man wearing a towel-like clothing wrapped elaborately around his head with a sapphire embedded right in the middle. Those three were at the forefront while the six others behind stood watch.
Before Lao Chen could get a better look at them, the man in the black and gold armor spoke up.
¡°My name is Yamikaze. My colleague on the left,¡± he gestured at the Kawan woman. ¡°Is named Neressa. My colleague on the right is called Aboud. We will be presiding over this selection examination.¡±
Dead silence.
¡°As for what you shall do,¡± he gestured towards Aboud who pulled out a pin from his head-wrap, making it extend into a staff. He threw the staff into the air as though it were a spear, and after a moment, it flew down towards the Earth in a vertical plane, embedding itself deeply within. The staff suddenly began to extend, growing taller than the average tree before stopping.
Aboud removed the sapphire and flicked it upwards, hitting the top surface of the staff.
¡°Collect the gem,¡± Yamikaze spoke loudly. ¡°The one closest to the person who collected it shall reap the same benefit of joining us.¡±
A man raised his fist. ¡°May we fight our competitors?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the most effective tactic, yes?¡± Yamikaze replied. ¡°You may fight your competitors. Also, to isolate personal strength, you shall not be allowed to utilize any magical treasure. If we catch you, we will blacklist you from any future recruitment. Do not kill, either. We do not have a permit for lethal events.¡±
The silence stretched on.
¡°Begin.¡±
Contrary to what Lao Chen expected, the burly men around him didn¡¯t jump at the chance to climb the staff. Rather, they started pummeling those around them. Lao Chen and his daughter remained untouched around the pandemonium.
¡°Unsightly,¡± Lin-Lin sneered. ¡°Should I make quick work of them?¡±
¡°That won¡¯t be fun,¡± Lao Chen tutted. ¡°Let¡¯s constrain ourselves. No flight.¡±
¡°Even with a single leap, we could get up there,¡± Lin-Lin argued. ¡°Face it, father. This test was simply not meant for people like us.¡±
¡°Hey!¡± A man approached the two of them. ¡°This place is dangerous. Leave before somebody accidentally hurts you.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s expression was fearful. ¡°Really, now? Hurt me?¡±
¡°Yes! Please lea-¡± The poor man couldn¡¯t finish his sentence before a fist slammed into his cheek. The man was promptly reabsorbed into the chaos.
Lao Chen faced his daughter. ¡°Let¡¯s pretend we are actually one thousandth of our actual strength.¡±
¡°One thousandth?¡± She asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡ it sounds challenging.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the point, daughter,¡± Lao Chen winked.
He spotted a man who had just defeated another. Lao Chen rushed towards him, delivering a punch to the gut. The man staggered backwards before trying to land a similar punch to Lao Chen, who dodged easily and got in several more hits before the man gave in and fell.
Lao Chen turned around to see Lin-Lin having adopted a hit-and-run tactic, delivering a series of swift, but ultimately weak hits in order to wear down enemies. Death from a thousand cuts, Lao Chen thought eagerly.
Lao Chen spotted a burly man climbing up the staff, only for him to get dragged down by some other contestant, and then get beaten into submission. The man who defeated the other was spry, covered in sinewy muscle which he showed off quite shamelessly. He would get to the Sapphire at the rate at which he was climbing.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Lao Chen sped past the contestants and ran up the staff vertically for as long as gravity didn¡¯t take over. He reached just high enough to grab onto the man¡¯s leg, yanking him off the staff and throwing him down on the ground.
The man recovered mid-air and pulled Lao Chen with him. Lao Chen, with the strength he was limiting himself to, had no way of getting off the man¡¯s hold.
Lao Chen sighed. He had him beat already.
Lao Chen scaled up some of his strength and flipped the man over just as they landed. Lao Chen¡¯s fall was cushioned by the man, lying broken and battered on the grass.
Getting up, he looked towards his Nascent Soul, directing a need for attention towards her. Her head snapped towards him and they both set out for the staff.
The burlier men who had come, thinking that muscular strength was all that was required to brave the wonders of the world, were mostly defeated, replaced by warriors of true strength. They came in several shapes. Extremely muscular to extremely sinewy. Some were even fat, but they all had the spirit to compete.
Lao Chen and Lin-Lin ran up the staff, twisting and dodging past the other contestants who sought to ruin their chances.
With a final heave in which they pulled themselves up, they both reached the Sapphire before the closest contestant could reach them.
The darkly armored man clapped his hands twice, and all noise ceased.
¡°This year¡¯s recruitment has concluded. The rest of you may disperse. Take your wounded with you. There shall be none remaining within this field within a hundred breaths. You two,¡± he pointed at the pair. ¡°Descend and introduce yourselves.¡±
As Lao Chen and Lin-Lin descended, spinning around the pole, they watched as all the myriad warriors crawled up from the ground and ran.
When they finally touched the ground, the pole shrank in on itself and the turbaned man came to retrieve his sapphire before bowing out. The darkly clad warrior approached them, now.
¡°Names?¡±
¡°Mine is Lao Chen,¡± he replied. ¡°This is my daughter, Lin-Lin.¡±
She bowed.
¡°How old is your daughter?¡± He asked darkly.
¡°Eighteen,¡± Lao Chen lied. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±
¡°We do not allow children with us,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s all. Only people that are fifteen and older make the cut. She is safe. How old are you?¡±
¡°Eighty-five,¡± he replied.
He nodded. ¡°Sunrise Seekers assemble. Introduce yourselves.¡±
Six other people stepped forward, all significant in their own strange way. Aside from the woman named Neressa, there was another Kawan in the group, one much thinner and more wiry. He wore no shirt and had baggy pants and a bald head. The only bright thing about him was his eyes, and even they had spots as dark night in the middle.
And the raised markings on his skin coiled and snaked around his torso in several windings before tapering off at his arms, altogether disappearing by the time they reached his hands.
¡°My name is Nyoka.¡±
Another was strange. His skin-color was a pale pink, he wore a strange, black cylindrical hat with a horizontal brim, a black coat with two points at its back, a white shirt with buttons and a pair of black pants.
¡°John,¡± he said.
A woman caught Lao Chen¡¯s eye, brimming with fierce passion and determination. She had long, maroon hair flowing to her waist, black, tight and shiny leggings and eyes that told of many years of living.
¡°Roni.¡±
Two similar-looking males stood by each other, both wearing a standard white martial arts outfit, but one¡¯s hair was black while the other was white, making it all the more easy to distinguish them.
¡°I¡¯m Li Du Yi,¡± said the one with the black hair. ¡°And I¡¯m Li Ren Min.¡±
The last was a bulky man, taller than anyone else in the group. His head was bald, but he had a large mustache that reached all the way down to his chin. He wore no shirt, either, and had a large sword strapped to his back.
¡°I¡¯m Viktor.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. He was going to forget all of their names pretty soon.
¡°We are happy to be here,¡± said Lao Chen. ¡°Where do we go from here?¡±
¡°Our destination is Fusang,¡± he said. He gestured towards Aboud, who removed a map from¡ somewhere. Huh. That was strange. He unfurled the map and laid it flat on the ground. The title read ¡®Azure Empire¡¯ in both common notation and in Azurish. There were several dots on it. ¡°We are currently here,¡± he pointed at the dot closest to the right edge of the map. ¡°Our destination is here,¡± he pointed to the exact opposite end, at the leftmost edge of the map. ¡°We¡¯re stopping here, here and here for important issues that we need to iron out. We travel during the day, and during the night-time if the need arises. If we run out of money, we will have to do jobs while we travel.¡±
Lao Chen nodded. ¡°That seems fair.¡±
¡°But that¡¯s only the first half of the journey,¡± Yamikaze said. ¡°Make no mistake, there will be dangers, but none as threatening as those we may find once we enter the threshold of Fusang, especially the threats we may face as we attempt to recover our quarry.¡±
¡°And what is that, may I ask?¡± Lao Chen asked curiously.
¡°You are a Sunrise Seeker for as long as you may have us, so naturally, we¡¯d have to tell you. We seek the child of a Divine Beast.¡±
Lao Chen¡¯s heart palpitated in excitement. A divine beast? From legend?
¡°Which one?¡± Asked Lin-Lin, equally excited. ¡°The white tiger? The vermillion bird?!¡±
¡°Any that we may find,¡± Yamikaze replied. ¡°The era of gestation is ending, and the gods of the forest are about to give rise to their pups. The Black Tortoise, Vermillion Bird and Azure Dragon lays many eggs, and the White Tiger births many cubs, but most of these beasts do not live far enough to see adulthood due to the harshness of their environment. It is neither unfair nor unlawful if we take these children. Even the runts can carry devastating power, but the Divine Beasts are spiteful creatures. They will not let what is theirs go so easily. It will be dangerous, and you may die.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t care!¡± Lao Chen exclaimed. ¡°Divine Beasts?! Ah, how amazing!¡±
Yamikaze grinned. ¡°You have an adventurers soul. We can use someone with your strength and ambition. The day is very young, so we shall head out immediately. We pack light. Is that a problem?¡±
Lao Chen held up his bags of holding. ¡°No problem at all, sir.¡±
¡°Great. Let¡¯s move.¡±