ã€ŠI, a Water Snail, accompanying the Immortal Heroã€‹


 Ch. 1 - 100,000 Year Old Water Snail

    The thick and eerie moonlight shone brightly on a clearing in a vast and ancient forest. A young human boy, between perhaps six and sixteen years, fiercely pounded his fists against an enormous boulder. I had placed the boulder here for the boy to use as practice. It had only been a few weeks, but already cracks had formed. At this rate, he would pulverize this boulder in only a few more months¡­

    I sighed. Being the lazy snail I was, I grew tired from just thinking about carving out another boulder. However, if this boy were to keep knocking down trees for practice like he did before, it would be even more troublesome.

    I unhurriedly rearranged my resting spot on top of a tree. Laying here was really not as comfortable as sleeping in my damp and snug little spring cave, but I wanted to keep an eye on this human child. Somehow this boy had roused the interest of this hundred thousand year old me, called the laziest and most apathetic immortal of all the realms.

    I had been sleeping comfortably in my cave¡¯s water pool, as I had for the past nine hundred and ninety-nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine years, when boom! Crash! Thud! A great fervor disturbed my sleeping. The first time, I simply flipped over and went back to sleep.

    And when I did¡­

    Boom! Crash! Thud!

    I flipped over again.

    Boom! Crash! Thud!

    One more time¡­

    Boom! Crash! Thud!

    Eventually, I crawled out of my cave to take a peek at whichever meddlesome being disturbed my slumber. To my surprise, it was this young child. He was only a bit smaller than I, with inky black hair and fiery gold eyes. His tattered clothing clearly marked him as a peasant child from some nearby farming village, yet his comportment and expression showed a dignity far beyond his status. Not only that, he had toppled over the ten-thousand year trees with just his bare fists! While I had no contact with humans before, even I knew that they were too weak to perform such a feat without advanced cultivation. Humans, with their short lifespans, could only very rarely cultivate to this level. For this young boy to reach such a stage by himself, a small ripple of shock had flowed through me.

    Still, I had been annoyed to have been woken by this kind of ruckus, so in my anger I ripped out a chunk of mountain and dropped it in the field to keep the boy from reaching the larger trees. I then returned to my cave in a huff, and sank back down to my pool to sleep.

    But for some reason, I had become restless.

    No matter how much I tossed and turned, I couldn¡¯t fall back asleep again.

    Was it that I had slept too much? Was my organ for storing sleep already filled? I had never before been unable to fall asleep. A bit panicked, I ended up crawling back out to wander and work off some energy. It was then that I saw the boy again. This time, he started using the rock to train his fists. His tiny hands struck the rock again and again, blood and sweat pouring down, his stern face unknowing of the pain his body surely must have felt. I found myself watching the boy in a rapture, astounded by how much effort he put into his training.

    From then on, I had watched this boy train.

    Several years had passed since then. I changed my resting spot from the cave to this tree, and my naps lasted for only a few hours or days instead of thousands of years as they had before. I took it upon myself to place new boulders whenever the boy ground down the old ones, and watched as the boy sprouted from a tiny human to a young man whose height surpassed mine. His body filled with muscle, strength lining his thin frame, and his stoic, pointy face grew a bit of magnetism. He was a fine example of humanity. Looking at the biographical novels which my elder sister had brought me, this boy was an exact illustration of those human immortals who started low and ended with powers above the skies. I had great hopes for the future of this young man, and was a bit thrilled to think that, in my own small way, this lazy and sheltered snail me had been involved in such an exciting and passionate story.

    My keen eyes observed his cultivation leap from second rank of mortal cultivation, to third, to fourth, to fifth. Now, he was at the peak of the fifth rank, teetering on the cusp of sixth. I think that, by the end of tonight¡¯s training, he would definitely break through.

    The boy also realized this. He ended his physical training and sat down for his meditation routine. At this stage, I waved my hand and agitated the spiritual power in the area, making the density thicker than was natural. It only took the tiniest bit of effort from me but had significant effects on the speed of his cultivation, as if he were sitting not in an open forest clearing but an enclosed cultivation haven.

    Since he was just sitting and channeling power, it was a bit boring for me to watch, so I closed my eyes and rested.

    Hum hum¡­

    I lightly dozed for a few hours.

    The faint sound of screams reached my ears. I jolted awake, quickly expanding my spiritual sense to search for the cause of this noise. I saw the tiny mite-like flames of bandits raiding the nearby village, and the bright spark of the boy rushing back.

    Oh, it seems the tribulation has come.

    In all of the novels, the immortals wrote about how in their youth they encountered some traumatic and terrible event which pushed them past the limits of human cultivation. Sworn revenge was the top motivator for humans to cultivate to immortal power. It seemed that such an event had finally come for this little fighter.

    I stepped off the tree and floated away. In what was only an instant for humans, I reached the village and watched it from above. Houses lit on fire, bloodthirsty bandits wielding their weapons, terrified peasants stumbling as they attempted to flee for their lives¡­Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Hey, wasn¡¯t this a bit too brutal¡­

    With an awkward expression I watched one disgraceful bandit chase after a beautiful woman, his intentions written clearly on his face. That woman whose appearance was like a fairy was the young boy¡¯s mother. The father had gone a long time ago, and it was only this loving mother who raised the steadfast and determined young cultivator. If something were to happen to her, the boy would surely swear deathly revenge against the entire kingdom. With this motivating him, the boy would rise at a speed beyond mortal comprehension, topple countries and wreak havoc in the mortal plane before finally ascending to the heavens as an immortal.

    Or so the stories go.

    The mother struggled fiercely to escape, knocking over wood piles and throwing pots. She even brandished a pole against the soldier in a last-ditch attempt to beat him off. But obviously, this weak and frail woman wasn¡¯t a match for a fierce bandit. The craven man gripped the pole and yanked it out of her hands, laughing cruelly as he reached out his hands to restrain her¡­

    Ah, I really can¡¯t bear to watch this.

    Sorry, young boy. I¡¯ll make it up to you, but for now you¡¯ll have to cultivate without a reason for revenge.

    With just a press of my consciousness, I tore the man into the air and crushed him into a tiny, compact ball. He fell to the ground with a light smack. I did the same to all the other bandits in the area, including the leader who sat on horseback. When its rider disappeared, the confused horse stamped its foot and tossed its head around.

    The boy had arrived just at the right time to witness this. He stood, shocked, mouth gaping and eyes wide, then hurriedly snapped back to himself and searched for his mother.

    At this time, I felt guilty. Even though I disposed of the bandits in the end, there were a few villagers who had been injured before I acted. Well, if I was going to interfere, I should go all the way, I told myself. So I landed in front of the boy¡¯s shaken mother. She looked with wide and frightened eyes at the me who fell from the sky, then pressed herself to the ground in a kowtow.

    ¡°This servant thanks the heavenly Saint for saving my life!¡± she shouted. Whoa ¨C such manners. Though she named my cultivation wrongly, I didn¡¯t correct her and took out a bottle of medicinal salve.

    ¡°P-P-P-P-Prease wise,¡± I stuttered and shoved the bottle into her hands when she came up from kneeling. Ah! So embarrassing. I hadn¡¯t talked to anyone in thousands of years. My mouth already forgot how to shape sounds. My face flushed with heat. I slapped my cold hands on my red cheeks to help my head cool down and wilted into my clothing. If only I were still in my snail shape. I wanted so badly to shrink back into my shell!

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± the mother confusedly looked at the bottle in her hands. ¡°This¡­¡±

    Giving up on speaking, I directly transmitted into her head, ¡®That is a bottle of medicinal salve to use on the injured. They were hurt only because I hesitated to interfere, so please use this to amend my mistakes¡­¡¯

    The mother was the village¡¯s resident doctor and healer, so it was most efficient to give this salve to her. Also, because she raised such an outstanding child, I had no concerns that she would hoard the salve and sell the medicine I made out of my own body. It¡¯s embarrassing to find yourself on the market as a miraculous cure for all ailments and mortal wounds, after all.

    Having said my piece, I launched myself into the sky and hurtled my way back home, unknowing of the boy who just skidded to a halt in front of his mother, bright eyes tracing my path.

    For the next few months, the young boy didn¡¯t return to the forest.

    In my snail form, I nested under a roof tile of a village house. From my perch, I watched the boy diligently rebuild the burned buildings side by side with the adult men. The villagers took the wood of the ancient trees the boy had knocked down. The boy carried the huge logs here and there, cutting them swiftly with the power of his qi. The villagers took the planks and turned them into houses. When that was done, the boy took up a hoe and set to tilling fields.

    This kind of daily labor persisted for a while. I mostly dozed through it.

    All of the people who were injured in the attack quickly recovered with the help of the salve. The mother, called Miss Su by the villagers, made it clear that a passing Saint saved them and gave this salve for the villagers¡¯ recovery. Everyone praised the benevolent Saint many times¡­ Hearing this kind of thing was mortifying, so I retracted my senses to only follow the young boy, Su Yulin.

    He was, overall, a silent individual. He barely ever spoke, mostly nodding, shaking his head, or staring to communicate. I felt kinship with him because of this.

    At the same time, I was slightly worried. He spent so much time at the village, I wondered if my interference drove him from the path of cultivation back to farming. I comforted myself by keeping in mind that he had just broken through to the sixth rank of mortal cultivation, and might just be taking a rest before starting the long path of to the seventh rank.

    So I waited, and waited. And fell asleep a couple of times¡­

    When I woke, I heard the rare sound of Su Yulin¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Mother.¡± His quiet, solemn voice echoed in my head, rousing me from slumber.

    ¡°Welcome back, Yulin. Are you all done with today¡¯s work?¡± Miss Su asked, not pausing in her task of grinding medicinal leaves in a bowl.

    Yulin made a movement my senses showed as nodding. He had a stressed aura around him, seemingly nervous over some matter. I sharpened my senses.

    The sound of grinding stopped. Miss Su put down the bowl with a thunk. She stood and left the room, rustling around to take out what I felt to be a sharp and high grade sword from a hidden part of the house.

    Yulin¡¯s aura held a tint of shock.

    This sword had belonged to Yulin¡¯s father. Miss Su revealed that the father had been a cultivator of Saint rank, but disappeared before Yulin was born. Since then, she had held on to his only memento while raising Yulin by herself.

    She gave this sword and a pile of money to Yulin.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always known that you wished to train in a sect,¡± she said, neither sad nor happy. Simply straightforwardly, as if relaying a fact of life: the sun will rise in the morning, stars will shine in the evening, one day my son will leave. My heart stirred at the elegance of Miss Su. She had long prepared for her son¡¯s future.

    In a few weeks, a large competition would be held at the Kingdom¡¯s capital. At this event, many sects and schools would reward winning cultivators and examine potential recruits. This kind of thing was most beneficial for poor cultivators who weren¡¯t able to travel to faraway sects by themselves.

    Yulin wished to attend this event.

    From this small village to the capital was a traveling distance of exactly two weeks for a sixth-rank cultivator, so Yulin would probably get there just in time if he left immediately.

    ¡°The bandits¡­¡± Yulin was hesitant to leave his home behind unprotected.

    ¡°Yulin!¡± Miss Su¡¯s voice turned as sharp as the sword she gave. ¡°With your current strength, do you think you can protect us from everything? What will happen, will happen. There is no path for you if you stay here. As your mother, what I wish is to help my son rise to his fullest potential, not to chain him to the ground.¡±

    She took him into her arms and hugged him tightly.

    ¡°Even if I were to die right now, I would have no regrets. The world may be wide and treacherous, and the obstacles on your path will be many, but Yulin, be strong, be courageous. You have my heart, and your father¡¯s strength. There is nothing for you to fear.¡± Her voice trembled with just the faintest bit of tears. ¡°I believe¡­ I know that you can overcome anything. Do you understand?¡±

    Trembling, Yulin lowered his head while hugging his mother.

    ¡°¡­ I understand.¡±

    That day, Yulin left his village.

    Naturally, I came along with him.

    Under a flap of the cloth binding Yulin¡¯s sword, the two snail eyes poked out and waved.

 Ch. 2 - To Lamane City

    Yulin made the travel a part of his training. He ran swiftly toward the capital, circulating qi to pump his legs with power and speed. While not exactly the qinggong skill of lightening the body, Yulin¡¯s crude ability made him move much more quickly than a normal human. Carriage and caravan riders gawked at this skinny boy who sped past them faster than a horse¡¯s gallop. When Yulin required rest, he would sit off the road and meditate to restore energy. I also increased the quality of air around him to make this process even faster.

    We arrived at Lamane City in barely under two weeks. I excitedly peeked out of the sword¡¯s cloth as Yulin approached the city gates. Neither of us had stepped out of the village¡¯s area, so we both took our time looking around. My godly senses covered the entire continent, but I¡¯d had no interest in the world and so never bothered to examine its happenings.

    The path to Lamane City was paved with smooth grey stones. Neatly pruned and flowering trees stood at the sides of the path, their whitened pink and purple petals fluttering in the air. The scattered sunlight reflected gold off of the white surface of the upcoming city gate¡¯s Pixiu guardian statues. If one had to describe the impression of this grand city entrance, it could only be, ¡®Rich¡¯! What a wealthy place! Truly befitting of the royal city where the king of this country resided.

    A few passerby sent Yulin some odd looks. Yulin stopped gaping and continued on into the city. Passing the great golden doors of the gate, we came into Lamane proper. The tall, vividly colored, and decorated buildings completely contrasted the humble shanties I saw in Yulin¡¯s village.

    Yulin went to the city center and signed up for the competition at the administrative booth. After, he sought out various inns to accommodate him for the next few days. But, it seemed that every inn was filled to the brim. The ones that weren¡¯t, were far too expensive. There was one inn that had an open room, but even this rundown family-owned inn¡¯s price was so great that we could only afford to stay for a single night.

    Though, if Yulin had to spend a night outside, it would be fine since I was there to protect him.

    While Yulin thought over his choices, a group of four martial arts practitioners shuffled into the tiny inn. Their clothes were worn and dirty from the long roads, and they reeked of sweat. Even so, the aura of these youngsters wasn¡¯t bad. They had a friendly and hardworking look to them.

    The granny owner of the inn warmly greeted this group. Yulin regarded them with his unreadable expression.

    ¡°Hello, madam! Do you have a room for us to stay in?¡± a girl called. She had a short red ponytail and a fresh expression. Her charming smile won over the granny.

    ¡°Of course, we have just one room left. The price is 30 silvers a night,¡± the granny replied kindly.

    A relieved burst of chatters came from the group of practitioners. The girl smiled widely, apparently pleased to have found a place within her price range. ¡°Then¡­¡± At this moment, she caught sight of Yulin standing to the side. Her gaze took in his travel-worn appearance, and an intelligent understanding flashed in her eyes. ¡°This older brother, you¡¯re also here for the competition, correct? Would you like to share a room with our group?¡± she asked Yulin.

    Yulin looked at her with a conflicted and distrusting face, his mouth pursed with contemplation.

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t refuse, we¡¯re all brothers and sisters here!¡± A boisterous and thick youth stepped forward, clapping a hand on Yulin¡¯s shoulder. Yulin¡¯s nose scrunched funnily. ¡°Madam, please lend us your room!¡±

    The practitioners paid the 30 silvers and herded themselves up the stairs to their room, bringing Yulin with them. The smallest practitioner looked worried at the stormy-faced Yulin, but his fellows paid him no mind.

    ¡°This older brother, I am Vita of the Jade Sky sect,¡± the girl introduced herself with a smile, cupping her fist and bowing politely. ¡°My fellows are Troy,¡± the large and boisterous boy patted his chest and smiled, ¡°Lauran,¡± she pointed at a nervous and muttering young man in a corner, ¡°and Derrus.¡± The small and thin boy waved shyly. Smiling, Vita asked, ¡°Older brother, your cultivation is very high. May I ask which sect you belong to?¡±

    Vita herself was an impressive young girl, with a cultivation at the pinnacle of fourth rank. She was just able to sense that Yulin was stronger than herself. The others with her were a bit lacking, all at varying stages of third rank.

    Yulin shook his head. After a beat, he realized that it seemed as if he rudely wished not to answer them, so he grudgingly stated, ¡°No sect.¡±

    ¡°Clan, then?¡± Vita glossed over the previous tense air.

    ¡°None.¡±

    Troy asked, ¡°Oh! You can at least tell us your name, can¡¯t you?¡± Vita shoved her elbow in Troy¡¯s stomach without losing her smile. Troy gasped and bent over, suffering greatly. The two other practitioners had no reaction, evidently used to this.

    With a furrowed brow, Yulin introduced himself.

    ¡°Su Yulin?¡± The quiet and small Derrus looked interested. ¡°Your family name is Su, and your birth name is Yulin?¡± When Yulin nodded, Derrus smiled and explained to the confused Vita and Troy, ¡°This is an ancient-style name mostly found in families descending from the fallen kingdom of Xian. It¡¯s most common in small, rural villages¡­¡± he trailed off, glancing nervously at Yulin, most likely worried that he had offended.

    But Yulin only showed a spark of interest. He himself didn¡¯t know the origins of his name.

    The next day, Yulin woke early and went outside to begin his morning routine of exercise. He had left his belongings in his room. I stayed behind to protect his things. It wasn¡¯t because I was too lazy to get up before the sun rose.

    My light dozing was interrupted by the chatter of the practitioners.

    ¡°Elder sister, is his cultivation really that much higher than yours?¡± Lauran, who had been immersed in his own world yesterday, asked with open panic.

    ¡°Mm!¡± Vita nodded, changing out of her sleep clothes. Despite being in a room full of boys she showed no trace of shyness.

    ¡°W-W-Which sect could have such a genius? Is he Linius of Clear Water? Mayrelle of Ash Mountain?!¡±

    ¡°He said, no sect! No clan!¡± Vita stated clearly.

    ¡°No way!¡± Lauran bemoaned, ¡°Ah, there are too many impossible people here! How are we supposed to compete? Someone like me, challenging these monsters? No way! No way!¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    The other practitioners completely ignored him, going about their own routines. But I was annoyed. This guy, please someone shut him up. My eyes bulged out of my shell and waved furiously.

    ¡°He must be hiding his identity!¡± With that cry, Lauran launched himself toward Yulin¡¯s part of the room.

    ¡°Lauran!¡± Vita angrily grasped the back of his collar. Like scolding a dog, ¡°Stop!¡±

    Lauran whimpered.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Derrus suddenly said in alarm. Vita and Troy looked at him curiously. Lauran, hanging from Vita¡¯s fist, only whined at the floor.

    Derrus raised his arm and pointed at Yulin¡¯s sword. Specifically, he pointed at me.

    Ah, whoops!

    I shrank back into my shell, but it was too late. I had been seen. Vita, pale-faced, dropped Lauran with a thud and stumbled away. Troy and Derrus, on the other hand, shuffled closer with open interest on their faces. ¡°What was that?¡± Troy whispered loudly, unable to properly speak at a low volume.

    ¡°It looked like snail eyes.¡± Derrus¡¯s vision was really too sharp!

    ¡°I-If there¡¯s a pest in here, get rid of it!¡± Vita fervently looked around to make sure there weren¡¯t any crawlies near her. I was a little hurt. I¡¯m not an ugly, scary snail. Please don¡¯t call me a pest.

    Derrus and Troy inched closer while Lauran sat, rubbing his sore butt. Panicked, I crawled back further into the cloth. Thankfully, Yulin had finished his exercise. He bounded up the steps of the inn and into the room just as Troy reached for the flap of cloth.

    Everyone froze.

    Yulin took in this scene of the two practitioners huddling in front of his sword. He narrowed his eyes dangerously, mouth thinning in anger.

    At this moment, Vita shrieked, ¡°Did you guys get rid of it yet?!¡± She had cocooned herself in blankets as protection against this terrifying snail me.

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Derrus retreated, dragging Troy back with him. ¡°Brother Yulin, we saw some sort of bug on your sword, please check it out.¡± Crisis averted.

    Shooting them a suspicious expression, Yulin stomped to the sword and brazenly threw back the flap. Ah! I squirmed inside my shell. This was the first time Yulin had ever seen me. I really hoped he wouldn¡¯t exclaim in disgust and toss me away. Shivering, I waited for his reaction. Even though I was a god, my snail instincts took over and made me placidly curl up. Why didn¡¯t I run!

    Yulin gazed at me for a good few seconds. His fierce eyes softened. I was surprised to feel his fingers lightly stroke the pattern on the top of my shell. He flipped the cloth back to cover me and turned back to the other practitioners.

    ¡°It¡¯s mine,¡± he said.

    Dumbfounded, the other practitioners had nothing to say.

    After morning breakfast, Yulin took me and the sword out for a walk around the city. I was happy, so happy! I wiggled my eyes around the air. I didn¡¯t know why I was so happy, but I knew that if Yulin were to have rejected me earlier, I would have been unbearably sad.

    In my joy, I crawled onto Yulin¡¯s shoulder. He shot a curious glance at the feeling, but smiled when he saw me. See! My good mood was so strong that it could even affect this stone-faced little cultivator.

    It might have been strange to see a young man walk around with a snail on his shoulder in any other town. But, because so many cultivators had gathered in Lamane, everyone was used to seeing people riding or carrying around strange magical beasts. Only powerful cultivators could tame magical beasts to be their servants, so having an impressive beast was a sign of status, strength, or wealth.

    Yulin didn¡¯t waste his time. With only cultivation on his mind, he visited stores which sold spiritual pills. Even a bottle of the cheapest pills was worth several silvers, so he didn¡¯t buy anything. But it was a good reference for how much wealth cultivators were expected to have. Since cultivators were much more powerful than average humans, they were highly sought after for protection against magical beasts, demons, and other humans. Cultivators who specialized in pill-making could make cures for numerous diseases, and cultivators with magic could decimate cities if they so wished. Truly, any cultivator¡¯s services weren¡¯t cheap.

    Even if Yulin didn¡¯t get into a sect for some inconceivable reason, he could make a living as a roaming mercenary.

    While Yulin continued to browse the pills, a beautiful and heavenly man swept into the market. He was an adult, much taller than Yulin¡¯s half-grown state, with elegant flowing hair and a regal attitude. Many of the cultivators present bowed respectfully to him. Yulin, unaware, merely continued staring with frustrated brows at the two bottles held in his hands.

    I waved my eyes in the air, taking in the presence of this man. He had thick spiritual power. Actually, this man was a mid-level Saint. In a realm which hadn¡¯t produced immortals for thousands of years, he was a worldly treasure.

    But, compared to me, he was still very weak.

    His keen eyes took a fraction of a second to assess the market. When his gaze landed on me, a small flicker of interest passed through his face. He gracefully approached. Sensing something troublesome, I sunk back into my shell.

    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The man¡¯s voice was pleasantly deep. Just a little bit, I envied his confident and manly tone. My own voice was airy and timid. It was very vexing.

    Yulin, finally noticing the presence of this guy, turned around warily. He tensed with apprehension. Yulin¡¯s instincts were sharp enough to tell him how powerful this man was even if Yulin couldn¡¯t sense him.

    The man politely smiled, though his impression was entirely cold. He pointed lazily at the snail me on Yulin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°How much?¡±

    Yulin just stared for a beat, uncomprehending. His face flickered with sharpness. ¡°Not for sale.¡±

    Unperturbed, the man asked, ¡°Where did you obtain this creature?¡±

    Yulin shrugged warily.

    The surrounding cultivators sweated intensely. They knew that this elegant man was a Saint. If you offended someone with such power, you wouldn¡¯t even have time to say your regrets.

    The man¡¯s gaze turned colder.

    Just when I started to worry, a delicate and cute voice called out, ¡°Big Brother Zhen!¡±

    A breathtakingly pretty girl skipped into the market. Her hair was done up in the pattern of a butterfly, with many hanging ornaments and jewels shaking back and forth. Her pink robes made her look like a frilly flower, lovely and ephemeral. The girl latched onto the Saint¡¯s arm with a happy bounce. The Saint¡¯s coldness instantly disappeared, replaced with gentle warmth.

    The girl caught sight of me and beamed. ¡°Wow! That shell is so pretty!¡± She bent closer to take a look, admiring, ¡°The faint pink and blue color looks like the sky at sunrise, the white dots like clouds and the golden pattern the rays of the sun! I¡¯ve never seen anything so beautiful!¡±

    She said such an embarrassing description. It made the me inside flush. However, being praised was certainly better than being called a pest.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to see the snail which has this kind of shell! If it¡¯s not too much trouble, could you ask your magical beast to come out for me?¡± she asked cutely, tilting her head with wide eyes. Ah, this girl certainly knew how to use her looks to the fullest.

    Yulin looked annoyed.

    With a laughing voice, the Saint said, ¡°May, this little snail isn¡¯t a magical beast. It¡¯s just a normal snail.¡± And then, with glittering eyes, he turned back to Yulin. ¡°If you like it so much, as your older brother, I can give it to you as a present.¡±

    He silently put spiritual pressure on Yulin. Yulin hissed, bearing the bone-aching pressure. A normal human would have died immediately, but Yulin could just barely keep up without spitting blood.

    What a bully! This guy was so arrogant. Since he¡¯s only a Saint, he couldn¡¯t sense the spiritual power of this me who is a God in hiding. Because of that, he assumed that this me who exuded no power was just a normal pet, and thought he had the right to steal me away from Yulin.

    How could I let this tyrant bully Yulin? I dispelled the pressure and wiggled out of my shell, angrily waving my eyes at this stupid Saint!

    Shock crossed his ugly face. Humph!

    ¡°Waa~¡± The girl squealed. ¡°So cute! Look at how elegantly frilled its white body is. The snail looks like it¡¯s made of an elegant lady¡¯s dress.¡± She pleadingly looked at Yulin, unaware of the bullying her dear Saint just inflicted on him. ¡°Would you be willing to sell this snail to me?¡±

    Yulin, his mouth clenched to hold back blood, stiffly shook his head. ¡°Not. For. Sale!¡± he bit out.

    The Saint, recovered from shock, narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡­¡±

    The girl frowned and interrupted, ¡°Stop it, Big Brother Zhen. If he said no, it¡¯s no. It¡¯s not good to take things away from people.¡± Ah! What a good girl, what good common sense. If only this stupid Zhen had the same morals you have.

    With one last yearning glance at me, the girl bade goodbye and dragged the ugly Saint away. Good riddance. I crawled into Yulin¡¯s shirt, letting my slime sink into his chest. It was only a subtle thing, but my medicinal power would softly heal his internal wounds. Yulin sighed when the Saint left, rubbing my shell gently from the front of his shirt and setting off again. We returned to the inn, where Yulin sat on the floor and spent the rest of the day meditating.

    Tomorrow the competition started.

 Ch. 3 - Afraid of Snakes?

    In the morning, an amused giggling noise woke me up.

    Groggily, I stretched out my senses. But there was nothing there¡­?

    A hand plucked me from Yulin¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°So this is where you are, my dear little sibling,¡± a light and laughing female voice said. The voice belonged to someone who looked like a young woman. She had thick brown hair tied in a high bun, darkly tanned skin, and bright sea blue eyes. Her large lips were pulled in a mischievous smirk. She wore a functional navy blue robe over her curvy body, and around her thin waist was a belt with many pouches of medicines.

    ¡°E-Elder sister Harl?¡± I transformed back into a human, rubbing my eyes. I yawned. ¡°Wha¡¯s happening?¡±

    ¡°You silly little snail.¡± She gently smacked my forehead with her palm. ¡°I leave for just a few centuries, then come back to find you gone from your cave! What happened to my lazy Pipin? Who is this shameless snail who left home to sleep with young human boys? Did I raise this kind of child?¡± Despite the implications of her words, her tone was perversely gleeful.

    I sent Harl a flat look.

    I was too lazy to explain the situation, so I just sent over my memories of the past few years. Harl hummed thoughtfully and sent Yulin an appraising look. ¡°He has a spot of potential, I see.¡± But then she turned her eyes back to me, and grinned. ¡°So my little Pipin¡¯s type is handsome and hardworking men!¡±

    Ughh.

    I turned back into a snail and went back to sleep, ignoring Harl¡¯s laughter.

    Harl isn¡¯t my elder sister by birth. To be exact, she is more like my master or caretaker.

    Harl is one of the most ancient immortals in the Heavenly Realm. Her original form is a sea dragon, and a long time ago she cultivated to the highest peak of all, an Imperial Sovereign. In many lower realms, she is a deity of water, healing, and storms. Her hobby is medicine. For millions of years Harl has researched and refined cures for billions of diseases. In the process, she raised and experimented with the natural materials of various magical beasts. Recently in the last half million years she had begun breeding snails of my kind, the Seven Treasures Pipa Snail. Snails of my species are natural filters of spiritual energy so we¡¯re highly prized pet beasts and tools. We can naturally cultivate to eighth rank in a normal environment. In a good environment, ninth rank is even possible.

    From some strange circumstance ¨C perhaps because the spring I was placed in was especially rich in power, perhaps through some interference of fate ¨C this lowly snail me was even able to rise to the rank of a God.

    Harl, seeing this rare occurrence, didn¡¯t take advantage of me. She granted me freedom and took me in as her younger sibling, giving me books to familiarize myself with the world and inviting me to the Heavenly Realm to meet fellow gods.

    I never took her up on her offers. The thought of leaving my sheltered life scared me. I would rather continue my existence as I had been before becoming an immortal, simply sleeping and breathing and sleeping some more.

    That is, until I met Yulin.

    Yulin left before the Jade Sky cultivators woke, heading early to the competition grounds. As an unaffiliated cultivator he had to participate in preliminary elimination rounds. The elders of the sects looking for recruits only cared for the winners, so I cheered Yulin on inside my heart. He absolutely had to win!

    The sun was just breaking out of the horizon, color blossoming in the sky. Yulin looked up and watched solemnly. He stroked my shell once. When the sun fully climbed rose past the horizon, he resumed his steps.

    We met several other cultivators on the way to the arena. All of them were older than Yulin, but none had cultivation greater than his. Even so, I saw the keenness of experience in their eyes. This was something Yulin, who had lived in a farming village his whole life, didn¡¯t have.

    Yulin arrived at the grand arena. It was an enormous, red, palatial-looking building at the top of some stone steps. Yulin climbed the steps and walked past the red wooden pillars of the front entryway. The entry lobby of the arena was also impressive, the hanging lanterns casting golden light on the dark wood floor and the gilded red walls. Yulin stood in one of the reception lines to receive his match information, then sat down on an expensive-looking carved wooden bench at the edge of the large room. It would be about two hours until the time for his match.

    I snuck out of my shell and patted his cheek with my eye tentacle. You can do it! I tried to convey to him.

    Yulin smiled. Drawing his legs up onto the bench, he closed his eyes and entered meditation, not wasting these next two hours.

    The time for the match swiftly came.

    The Lamane Arena was shaped like a gigantic and tall siheyuan, or courtyard house. The four connected buildings surrounded the enormous inner courtyard where four platforms stood. Besides the entry building at the southern end, the three side buildings had five open floors for viewing. The first floor was open air, allowing for crowds to stand and pack together. Right now, there were about two hundred observers lingering in the shade of the building. While this was a fairly large number, this audience could only fill up a speck of space in Lamane Arena¡¯s first floor. One could see lush green gardens, benches, and walkways beyond these people and the red pillars. Each of the floors above grew more and more luxurious, and were separated into private rooms; the exclusive viewing spots on the final fifth floor were meant for especially esteemed guests. I sensed a handful of advanced cultivators on the third floor, but only one had come forward to watch the preliminary matches.

    Following the receptionist¡¯s directions, Yulin entered the courtyard and headed to the southwestern platform. A few cultivators were milling around the edges of the arenas, some of them avidly watching close up, others mingling in groups and chatting leisurely. I heard the loud cackling of a young boy, and a speedy figure dashed in the way. The boy gleefully looked backwards at the faces of the angry cultivators behind him, and didn¡¯t pay attention to where he was about to crash into Yulin.Stolen story; please report.

    It would be bad if Yulin were to get hurt by this careless guy, so I unhesitatingly used my spiritual force to trip him. The boy¡¯s face distorted with panic as he fell and rolled on the ground like a rice ball.

    ¡°Ow ow ow ow¡­¡± he whined pitifully, crocodile tears leaking at the corners of his phoenix eyes. Crying from just that type of thing, I didn¡¯t believe it. This pretty boy unexpectedly already had a mid-level fifth rank cultivation, how could he be hurt from such a little fall? I disdainfully swept my eye tentacles away.

    ¡°Mikael!¡± Came an angry roar. A big bear-like guy stomped forward, fury written all over his face. He picked up the pretty boy by the scruff of his neck, like a mother cat grabbing her mischievous kitten. ¡°You, you¡­¡± The man trembled with rage.

    ¡°Ehehe.¡± With a sheepish expression, Mikael pressed the tips of his index fingers together. ¡°Oopsies?¡±

    ¡°You dumbass!¡±

    With a vaguely annoyed look, Yulin ignored them and continued on. Ah, my cultivation-minded little Yulin had no interest in wordly dramas. I, on the other hand, happily observed the bear-like man shaking the pretty boy around as if trying to make something fall out.

    Actually, many things fell out.

    Talismans, trinkets, cultivation pills¡­

    ¡°Nooo, my hard-earned treasure!¡±

    ¡°What treasure!! You stole them!!¡±

    The crowd of cultivators which Mikael had been running from shuffled forward, each cultivator picking up their belongings with disgruntled faces. Mikael pouted and looked mournfully at the disappearing pile of loots.

    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± the bear-like man growled. ¡°We¡¯re going back. Right now.¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Mikael¡¯s wide eyes snapped back to the bear-like man. ¡°You can¡¯t do that! I¡¯m supposed to compete!¡±

    Scoffing, the man replied, ¡°Not anymore! We¡¯ll see what Master has to say about your behavior. Honestly, this little thief¡­¡± With that, he dragged the whining pretty boy away. Goodbye, my entertainment.

    I lazily yawned and settled back into my shell. Yulin¡¯s opponent had already arrived; he was only a third-rank cultivator, an older adult with sallow leathery skin and a wiry frame. His aura had no impression one way or the other. This kind of man hadn¡¯t encountered any life-or-death battles. While he may have more practical combat experience than Yulin, I was confident there was no way he could win.

    Yulin stepped on the stage. All of a sudden, he peeled me off his shoulder. E? Why are you getting rid of me?! I wriggled intensely in the air as Yulin took off his sword and put us both on the floor.

    He stepped forward, leaving me to watch his back, and stood in a basic horse stance.

    Ah. Right.

    Since Yulin had only been punching for all of his life, he didn¡¯t actually know how to use his sword. And having a snail on him would probably just get in the way.

    Still, I felt sad over being peeled off like loose skin. I sullenly bubbled on the floor.

    When the match started, Yulin and his opponent engaged in a short staring battle. Eventually his opponent moved first. The man darted in quickly, feinting in order to lure Yulin into a vulnerable position, but Yulin merely stood there and waited like a toad. The opponent feinted here and there, still trying to see if Yulin would attack. When nothing happened, the man dove in for the kill.

    As soon as the man came in range, Yulin blew him away with a single punch. It felt very heroic.

    I happily waved at Yulin when he came to pick me up. The encounter ¨C I couldn¡¯t seriously call it a fight ¨C lasted for only a few seconds, so we were done before everyone else in our bracket. Yulin¡¯s next preliminary match was tomorrow, so we were free for the entire day.

    Yulin started walking to the Arena exit. On the way, several cultivators were looking at him with strange eyes. They didn¡¯t look impressed? Even though my Yulin is so strong, you¡¯re not impressed? What a tough crowd! I shamelessly listened in on a faraway conversation from the third floor.

    The eighth-level cultivator who had been watching the preliminary matches muttered, ¡°Ai, his cultivation is frightening, but he doesn¡¯t know the first thing about applying it. I don¡¯t understand how that¡¯s even possible.¡±

    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s some rich young master who stuffed himself full of pills,¡± a careless voice said from the back, overlapping with the sounds of mahjong dominoes clacking on the board.

    ¡°No.¡± A sigh. ¡°He¡¯s clearly a peasant.¡±

    ¡°A dead dragon collapsed on his house and he drank a potion made of its blood. Oh, or a Goddess descended from the sky and blessed him with a secret cultivation technique.¡±

    The eighth-rank cultivator said to himself, ¡°Hm¡­ though perhaps it isn¡¯t all bad. He¡¯s a clean slate. With proper teaching¡­¡±

    ¡°Yo!¡± A cheery voice sounded as soon as Yulin entered the main lobby of Lamane Arena. ¡°Very impressive, young man! My, the youths of today have so much potential! Hardworking young men sure are the best!¡±

    Yulin glanced sharply at the source of the voice while I immediately froze.

    The owner of this voice was a tan-skinned, brown-haired, big-chested woman with a pretty face and a mysterious aura. She was exactly my elder sister Harl.

    Yulin obviously didn¡¯t know who she was. He tried to ignore her, but Harl fell into step with him as he walked. Annoyed, Yulin tried walking faster, but Harl kept up his pace. I waved my eye tentacles frantically at Harl from Yulin¡¯s shoulder and asked her spiritually, ¡®What are you doing, elder sister?!¡¯

    ¡®Oh, just felt like I¡¯d have some fun,¡¯ she replied ominously.

    ¡°Quite an impressive cultivation you¡¯ve got there,¡± Harl said to Yulin, who started to have a cold sweat down his back. Yulin sped up his pace again. Harl also sped up. At this point Yulin¡¯s walking speed was that of a brisk jog. As soon as he exited the Arena Yulin burst into a run, dashing down the steps and into the streets. Harl effortlessly kept up with him, her face still perfectly cheery as if she was completely unaware of how unnaturally fast she was walking. Bystanders gaped in awe at the sight of the young boy earnestly running as fast as he could while the pretty woman next to him walked yet somehow moved at the exact same speed.

    Meanwhile, I was extremely confused.

    ¡®Why is he so afraid of you?¡¯ I asked Harl. I had never seen Yulin being afraid of anything. For him to get so panicked, I completely didn¡¯t understand.

    ¡®He has keen instincts,¡¯ my elder sister replied. ¡®Also, he¡¯s afraid of snakes.¡¯ She gleefully cackled aloud, making Yulin flinch in fright.

    ¡®Please stop teasing him¡­¡¯

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll stop in just a little bit. We¡¯re almost there.¡¯ Again, Harl¡¯s ominous words sent a chill into my shell.

    Driving himself through the twists and turns of the city¡¯s alleys, Yulin slid into an empty patio in front of a shrine. The regal blue pagoda shrine, shiny and otherworldly, looked like the house of a god. Neat white stones paved the ground. Even though Lamane City was bustling with thousands of people, as soon as Yulin entered this area, a peaceful quiet fell. It was like we had been transported to another world.

    The twisted expression on Yulin¡¯s face made it clear that he had not intended to come here. Harl had shepherded him without his knowing. He tried to turn back and leave the shrine, but a powerful blue barrier blocked him.

    ¡°My, my. Looks like you couldn¡¯t get away.¡± Framing her face with her hands, Harl mockingly gasped in horror. ¡°Whatever shall you do? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that I won¡¯t just let you go¡­?¡±

    Yulin fiercely glared at her. He took a few steps back to increase the distance between them. For him, who knew nothing about the woman in front of him, this was probably a dire situation where he had been trapped by an overwhelmingly strong, unknown opponent. I sadly drooped on his shoulder. Sorry Yulin¡­

    Harl smiled. She tapped a finger against her chin. ¡°But,¡± she said, dragging the word out, ¡°If you can land a single hit on me, then maybe I¡¯ll consider letting you free.¡±

    Yulin narrowed his eyes in consideration.

    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Harl continued, a wide smirk growing on her face, ¡°If you really can¡¯t score a hit no matter how hard you try, then, I think I¡¯ll be taking that snail of yours.¡±

    ¡­

    You¡¯re bringing me into it¡­?!

 Ch. 4 - I Got Bored

    Yulin silently snarled. He placed both me and the sword on the ground. I frantically waved my eye tentacles, crying out, ¡®Elder sister Harl! What are you saying!¡¯

    ¡®What? A boy needs motivation. Besides, his stoic face is really pissing me off. Look, he¡¯s getting all protective over you. Isn¡¯t that cute?¡¯ Harl grinned.

    I took a peek at Yulin¡¯s face. It was true. When he looked so angry at the thought of someone taking me away, it made my little snail heart flutter just a bit. But I wonder if it said anything that Yulin had no human friends and was so attached to me, his pet snail.

    The image had an unpleasant atmosphere.

    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not bullying him for no reason,¡¯ Harl assured me. ¡°So! If you¡¯re just about ready, I think we can start, don¡¯t you?¡± Clasping her hands behind her back, she winked. ¡°Just one hit. Not so hard, is it? Unless you want me to take that snail from you?¡±

    His eyes twisting, Yulin charged at her.

    I shivered at the cold smile on Harl¡¯s face. When Yulin came into range, she moved at the speed of light. Blood choked out of Yulin¡¯s mouth as Harl rammed her foot into Yulin¡¯s stomach, launching him into the trees.

    ¡°Ohhh~ My bad~~ Did I make it seem like I was just going to stand there?¡± She laughed loudly while holding a hand to her mouth like a villainess. Yulin, collapsed on the ground and covered in tree branches, weakly flinched.

    Yulin! My immediate instinct was to race over and heal him, but an enormous pressure weighed me down. The message from Harl was clear: ¡®Don¡¯t interfere.¡¯

    ¡°Was that it? Oh well. Guess it¡¯s time for me to take my prize. And what¡¯s this?¡± Harl stepped forward to Yulin¡¯s things. She picked up the sword and unraveled the cloth around it. She held it up to the light, angling it this way and that. ¡°Oh~ Not bad. This is a pretty decent sword. I¡¯ll be taking this too.¡±

    In an instant Yulin appeared at Harl¡¯s feet, his hand outstretched to take back the sword. Without blinking an eye Harl backhanded him, sending Yulin tumbling onto the ground.

    ¡°What, are you stupid? Are you some brainless pig that only knows how to charge using brute force?¡± Harl clicked her tongue.

    Firmly gripping the sword, Harl waved it in the air. A trail of ripples followed the blade¡¯s path, making the world appear as if underwater.

    ¡°Since you don¡¯t know the first thing about using this sword, let me show you how it¡¯s done.¡± Grinning, Harl darted forward and flashily swung. Though it wouldn¡¯t be known to anyone else, I knew that she purposefully moved at an exaggeratedly slow pace. In this fraction of a second, Yulin rolled out of the blade¡¯s path. The ground below where he had been and the bushes and trees in the back erupted into a cloud of dust and mist, the force of the blade so powerful that it pulverized them.

    The water droplets in the air condensed into a couple of glistening pearls. The pearls orbited Harl¡¯s body.

    There was a split-second pause as Harl allowed Yulin to stare at the destruction in shock. She raised the sword again and struck. Channeling qi to his legs, Yulin jumped out of the way. Another explosion tore apart the ground and forest, and another few pearls rose from the remains to circle Harl.

    ¡°Is your qi only good for letting you jump like a jackrabbit? Ah! How disappointing. Like that, you don¡¯t even know how I¡¯m using my power to control the sword. You can run with your feet and punch with your fists, but you haven¡¯t bothered to train your eyes or your brain. With that kind of sightless and mindless life, you¡¯re not any better than a worm. In fact, you¡¯re not any better than an amoeba!¡± With a cruel laugh Harl continued to slash at the air, forcing Yulin to dodge and tumble across the increasingly scarred shrine yard. Sweat poured down his face, the intensity and pressure emanating from Harl putting his body under extreme stress. More and more pearls accumulated around Harl, looking like underwater bubbles frozen in the air. They moved in waves, swaying in a rhythmic pattern.

    Yulin¡¯s movements became strange, his focus seemingly diverted. He hesitated at some points, and moved jarringly at others. When he stood in front of Harl he darted toward her side, but before he could get within arm¡¯s distance of her his sleeve accidentally brushed one of the pearls. The pearl burst open, spreading ice across Yulin¡¯s arm. He fell to the ground and hissed in pain, the flesh turning a chilly dark blue.

    ¡°Ah~ That¡¯s bad for you~ Touching one of these li¡¯l things will give you frostbite. If you don¡¯t treat it you might even lose your limbs, you know?¡± Harl savagely grinned, twirling the shiny sword with a despotic air.

    ¡®Elder sister!!¡¯ I harshly bucked against the pressure placed on me, but Harl didn¡¯t relent one bit.

    ¡®Shut up, he won¡¯t actually lose an arm,¡¯ she replied with annoyance. ¡®¡­ Probably.¡¯ She considered, ¡®Well, even if he does, I can make him grow it back. My experiments with the newts and lizards turned out really well.¡¯

    Forget not knowing whether to laugh or cry. I was definitely crying.

    Yulin bowed his head, his dark bangs casting a shadow over his eyes. Crouched on the ground, he was unnervingly still. Harl merely gazed at him dispassionately, the sword still twirling around in her hand, the ripples flowing back and forth, the sea of pearls swaying in the air.

    I silently despaired. With that many orbs forming a cage around Harl, it would be impossible to reach her.

    Yulin¡¯s breathing picked up.

    A faint surge of spiritual power flowed around him.

    I stuck my eyes out as far as they could go. C-Could it be¡­?

    ¡®Why are you so amazed? He only figured it out because I pushed him so much.¡¯ Pouting, Harl slashed the sword again in Yulin¡¯s direction. Instead of dodging to the side, however, Yulin dove straight forward.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    It was at the moment that Harl swung the sword that the pearls around her parted, making way for the fan-shaped surge of energy which exploded from the sword. Yulin, charging ahead, angled himself to just barely scrape by. His clothes tattered and frayed from close proximity to the sizzling blast; small pinpricks of blood started to flow from his front; yet Yulin didn¡¯t waver, his gaze resolutely on Harl.

    A slight smile formed at the corners of Harl¡¯s lips. She slid backwards, deftly dodging Yulin¡¯s kick and releasing the sword. Yulin¡¯s hand, which had been reaching for her arm, changed direction and snatched the sword out of the air.

    A kickback of power burned Yulin¡¯s arm. Too much energy was needed to maintain the hundreds of orbs in the air. They exploded, popping like bubbles.

    ¡°Oh~ Not bad,¡± Harl complimented, smiling at the gasping and pained Yulin. ¡°So you finally figured out how to ¡®see¡¯ and ¡®think¡¯. How does it feel to use your neglected channels? It¡¯s burning you up inside, right? Makes you wanna die?¡± She giggled as if she had just said something hilarious. Trembling, Yulin tightened his grip around the sword¡¯s hilt. The energy he poured inside the sword spiked and quavered wildly, completely opposite to how Harl had dominated the sword with a control so smooth that it was as if the energy didn¡¯t move at all.

    But Yulin didn¡¯t give up. Gathering all of his strength, he swung the sword.

    Harl raised an eyebrow at the uncontrolled blast headed her way.

    ¡®I¡­ guess that¡¯s not too bad for a first try?¡¯ she asked indecisively.

    ¡®Of course it¡¯s good!¡¯ I hastily defended. However, I, who lazily dozed all my life, had never even held a sword in my hand. How was I supposed to know what a beginner¡¯s sword technique should look like?

    Holding a finger to her lips, Harl considered Yulin¡¯s attack. After a moment¡¯s deliberation, she judged: ¡®Eh, whatever, it¡¯s good enough.¡¯ She turned and flew off right before the blast struck her.

    When the dust cleared, Yulin stared in shock at the empty space in front of him. To him, it seemed as if Harl had completely disappeared.

    ¡°I suppose you had a decent performance,¡± Harl¡¯s voice echoed in the air. Yulin spun around, searching for the origin, but saw nothing. Harl was already far away. ¡°But really, you were taking too long. You didn¡¯t even get a hit in. You know how boring it is to beat up someone who can¡¯t fight back? It¡¯s so boring! I got bored! Next time you better make it more interesting, or I really won¡¯t hold back!¡±

    I wanted to faceplant.

    Elder sister¡­ You put us through so much trouble and now you¡¯re nonchalantly running back like it had nothing to do with you??

    ¡®Hey hey, I was doing you a favor,¡¯ she told me, feeling the conflicted emotions in my aura. ¡®You interfered when his village was getting ransacked by bandits. If it weren¡¯t for you, he would¡¯ve had his first kill already. He¡¯d know how it feels to take a life and the desperation which comes from almost losing his own. But instead, because of you, he ended up this wimpy and inexperienced of a kid! I¡¯m just giving him a taste of what he should aspire to, okay?¡¯

    ¡­

    After getting scolded with truths, I could only bow my head.

    The blue barrier shattered. The sound of the city¡¯s bustle returned: the murmuring of distant voices, the clatter of carriages on stone paths, the occasional strike of metal. Yulin stood alone at the ruined shrine, fatigued and battle-weary, his body wobbling and unable to stand upright.

    With Harl¡¯s pressure gone, I quickly crawled over to Yulin. Seeing my approach, a faint helpless expression crossed Yulin¡¯s face. He bent over to pick me up but lost balance. Fainting as he fell, Yulin collapsed in a sprawl on the ground. I just barely avoided getting smushed.

    This was no good¡­ Yulin wouldn¡¯t be able to properly rest if he slept out in the open here. I analyzed his state with my senses. When I was sure that he wouldn¡¯t wake up anytime soon, I changed into my human form and picked him up. I speedily flew through the city, landing outside the window of the inn room. That nervous guy, Lauran, was muttering to himself in the corner again. I sent a small mental push to make him even more absent-minded and quietly climbed in through the window. I laid Yulin into bed, carefully removing his tattered clothes so that they wouldn¡¯t get stuck in his wounds.

    He was in a sorry state, blood oozing from his front and his arm blue with frostbite. Pulling a bottle of salve from my sleeve, I applied the concentrated medicine onto his body. His wounds instantly began to seal, his body easily absorbing and making use of the spiritual power within the salve. This kind of medicine was most useful for cultivators; normal humans couldn¡¯t fully take in the medicine, meaning most of its effects were lost. Yulin was able to use this medicine at about 20% efficiency, so I was relieved that he would be fully recuperated by tomorrow.

    After slathering Yulin up with medicine, I waited for all of his surface wounds to heal. An hour or two passed until the last scar disappeared. I tucked a blanket around Yulin¡¯s shoulders and shifted back into snail, crawling onto the pillow to nestle in the crook of his neck. Warm and relieved, I easily fell into sleep.

    ¡°We¡¯re back!¡±

    Vita threw open the door, Troy and Derrus trailing behind her. She froze upon seeing Yulin in his bed. Her panicked eyes darted away and swiveled around the room.

    Stiffly backing away, Vita bumped into Troy, who craned his head around to peek at what startled her. He snorted and gave her a shove. ¡°Stop blocking the damned door.¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± she muttered nervously. Squeezing herself against the side of the hall, she gave a fake smile. ¡°You can go first!¡±

    Troy shot her a look which said, Seriously?

    Derrus sighed. Sliding past Troy, he entered the room and looked around for the heinous snail which caused their group leader so much discomfort. Spotting the shell peeking out past Yulin¡¯s shoulder, he turned and beckoned quietly. ¡°It¡¯s over here.¡± He pointed at Yulin¡¯s sleeping head.

    Vita cringed, a revolted expression on her face. Troy rolled his eyes and stomped into the room. Having been left alone in the hallway, Vita began to sweat. Troy and Derrus shared a look of vague disappointment and resignation.

    ¡°Okay, you can do this, you can totally do this¡­¡± Hearing the crazed muttering from the hall, they sighed in unison.

    Shaking his head, Derrus went over to Lauran, who hadn¡¯t reacted to their return but wasn¡¯t psyching himself out as usual, either. ¡°You feeling okay, Lauran?¡± Derrus lightly shook the limp Lauran¡¯s shoulder. The boy flinched and fell over, his limbs flying akimbo. ¡°Whoa!¡± Derrus quickly supported him.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Lauran blinked sleepily at Derrus¡¯s face. ¡°Wha? You guys¡¯re back?¡± he slurred. Right after saying that, he passed out, drooling like a sloven drunk.

    Troy whistled, already sitting and unraveling the bandages on his fists. ¡°Man, told you he¡¯d knock himself out one of these days.¡±

    Derrus sighed again. Dragging Lauran over to a bed, he said dismally, ¡°Even I¡¯m starting to think we¡¯re a lost cause.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Done taking off the bandages, Troy flexed his meaty hands, the scarred red skin rippling. The aura around him strengthened, clear and brilliant in comparison to the mediocre atmosphere he had before. ¡°We¡¯re not here to go all out. These dumbasses don¡¯t have to pull their shit together if they don¡¯t want to.¡±

    Derrus shrugged. ¡°Still, I don¡¯t like it. It sucks how the big sects are throwing their weight around. Half the preliminaries were cut because some jerks went around ¡®cleaning up¡¯ the streets last night. Two hundred people ¨C dead, just like that. And no one cares ¡®cause Clear Water passed over it and said it didn¡¯t matter.¡±

    Troy rolled his eyes. ¡°So Clear Water did it, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep,¡± Derrus said, popping the p. ¡°In hindsight, makes me glad that Vita invited that guy over.¡± He tilted his head in Yulin¡¯s direction.

    Glancing over, Troy nodded. ¡°Guy like that? They¡¯d have to get rid of him.¡± He snorted. ¡°Can¡¯t let the precious little geniuses get upstaged by a sectless cultivator. His level¡¯s as high as theirs.¡±

    Derrus grimaced in response. Really, Yulin sure was lucky to have dodged that blow. ¡°I just hope there isn¡¯t any more trouble for the rest of the competition,¡± Derrus sighed.

    With a distressed look, Troy helplessly said, ¡°Dude. You just jinxed it.¡±

 Ch. 5 - A Matter of Reputation

    Yawn.

    A brand new day. The sun peeked out of the horizon like a child under a blanket. Yulin steadily jogged through Lamane¡¯s streets with me on his shoulder. Barely anyone was out besides the guards and a few vendors getting an early start at setting up their wares.

    For Yulin, this was a perfect time for a morning jog.

    Why must you be so full of energy? You¡¯d just been beaten up yesterday, you know? Please sleep in more. I can¡¯t keep up this healthy lifestyle.

    When he had woken up this morning, Yulin had been completely bewildered. The moon had still been shining when he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up like a resurrected jiangshi, completely skipping the mm-I-should-go-back-to-sleep stage. The movement toppled me out of the snug corner of his neck and onto his lap, instantly waking me up too.

    That type of falling should only happen in dreams. I really didn¡¯t want to experience it in real life.

    Yulin had held his arms up to his face and turned this way and that, checking over his freshly-healed body. His clearly confused expression showed that he had no idea how he had ended up back in the inn. He got off the bed and picked up his sword. Standing nearly naked in the moonlight, he channeled his spiritual energy through the sword as if testing whether or not yesterday¡¯s events really happened.

    Yup. Don¡¯t worry, Yulin. They really happened.

    Yulin quietly stood there. He pulled on his spare set of clothes, his old ones being mostly torn up by Harl¡¯s attacks yesterday. Picking up his sword and me, he went for his morning run.

    We had meandered through the dark streets. Eventually Yulin¡¯s steps took him to the blue pagoda shrine. The surroundings were completely ravaged and blasted open, yet the shrine itself remained as pristine and elegant as ever. As expected of a shrine to Harl, even when no one comes it still exudes an oppressive aura. Yulin gave the stone serpent statues which guarded the shrine the evil eye and warily stepped forward.

    Taking the sword in both hands, Yulin began posing and channeling energy. The way he moved his body reminded me of how Harl had moved while fighting yesterday. His motions weren¡¯t as confident, and he was unable to bend reality around the sword like Harl had. Still, I was completely impressed that Yulin remembered enough of how Harl moved to imitate her. I completely didn¡¯t remember how she looked.

    Yulin practiced until the sun fully rose in the sky. Warm sunlight filled the air, swallowing the early morning¡¯s chill. I happily poked out of my shell to bathe in the toasty light. Yulin looked up, dripping with sweat. He wrapped up the sword and slung it over his shoulder, heading back to the main part of the city. Passing by a few stalls on the way, Yulin bought a couple of meatbuns for breakfast. He had his second fight soon, so of course he needed to keep his energy up. He wasn¡¯t at the level of cultivation where he could stop eating or drinking yet.

    We sat under a tree, Yulin slowly munching on the buns as we watched more and more people flood the streets. A few streets away I sensed the cultivator market area growing densely populated. Since tomorrow the main competition started, everyone eagerly wanted to stock up on last-minute supplies or chat about the sects. I heard a lot of eager gossip about Clear Water and Ash Mountain Sects. Hmm. Since those two were so good, it would be awesome for my Yulin to get picked up by them! Healthy cultivation comes from a healthy environment, after all.

    Do you hear that, Yulin? Do your best to attract a big sponsor! I patted his food-filled cheek with my head.

    The outside world at noon was glaringly bright. Yulin and I waited inside Lamane Arena¡¯s front lobby, wasting time until Yulin¡¯s second match began. Today the Jade Sky group had come to watch. When they¡¯d spotted Yulin, they cheerfully gave him words of encouragement before going outside to claim their spots.

    The receptionist called Yulin up to the front. After checking in, Yulin exited the side gate for contestants and into the arena¡¯s courtyard. Unlike yesterday, there wasn¡¯t any ruckus. The crowd along the three sides was a bit larger ¨C around 500 people this time ¨C but still didn¡¯t even fill the area even a quarter-way. I wonder if the crowd would be huge tomorrow, when the competition really started? Right now this audience was pretty sad.

    ¡°Heyyyy Yulin!! Fight!!¡± A booming voice erupted from the crowd. Yulin and I looked over to see Troy waving wildly, his enormous frame easily standing out from the people around him. Derrus and Vita next to him also waved. I sensed Lauran muttering somewhere in the back. What good kids! I happily waved my eyes tentacles back at them. Yulin nodded seriously and continued his way to his designated area.

    Today¡¯s opponent was another weakling. His cultivation was marginally higher, being early fourth rank. He also had sharper eyes and a deadlier aura than yesterday¡¯s opponent. This type of man had probably killed a few people here and there. He wasn¡¯t some bloodthirsty monster, though.

    Yulin, taking a look at the man¡¯s eyes, grew tense. Knowing that Yulin didn¡¯t want to worry about me getting squished in the battle, I crawled down his body and plopped onto the floor.

    I heard a faint strangled sound coming from the Jade Sky cultivators¡¯ location.

    ¡°Nope, nope, if she¡¯s gonna puke, point her in that direction.¡±

    ¡°Bucket, is there a bucket-¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s with those kids¡­¡± The crowd of watchers moved away from the green-faced Vita, who was crouched with her hands over her mouth. Derrus knelt beside her, worriedly patting her back while sliding a container in front of her.

    ¡­ That really hurts my feelings, you know.

    I turned my attention back to Yulin. He held the sword in his hands, his solemn gaze locked onto his opponent. Yulin, you¡¯re already going to try swordfighting? You only just started practicing this morning, you know? Yulin¡¯s opponent, a solid-looking man in his 20s or 30s, also drew his sword. The ease with which he held his weapon showed that he already had plenty of experience using it.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    The moderator indicated for them to start.

    Yulin dashed forward. In a second he arrived in front of his opponent. He slashed, raw power surging out of his blade. The wave smashed against the stone floor; the man leapt out of the way, barely dodging. Yulin turned, keeping his front facing the man, but didn¡¯t rush forward again. He quickly channeled energy back into the sword, charging it for another burst attack.

    The man took the initiative. He struck toward Yulin, who blocked but was forced back a step. The man relentlessly continued his sword assault, not giving Yulin a chance to focus on preparing his sword attack. He could only sloppily run out of the way or hold up the sword to prevent the opponent from slicing his body.

    Yulin, face darkening, forcefully blasted energy at his opponent the next time their blades crossed paths. The man flinched at the sting of the minor blast. Yulin took advantage of this split second to swing his sword up against the opponent¡¯s neck.

    No one moved.

    ¡°Winner, Su Yulin,¡± the moderator called in a bored tone. Yay! I knew Yulin would win.

    Yulin nodded and withdrew. His opponent grimaced, head bent in shame, and quietly left the stage. I scoped out the audience¡¯s reactions while Yulin walked over to pick me up.

    For example, that pretty young girl over there, who was looking as if a toad had come up and asked her for a kiss.

    Or that refined old man over here, who sighed like his deadbeat son had just returned begging for money.

    ¡­ W-Wait a minute, what¡¯s with those looks? Is it just me or are people even less impressed than they were yesterday?

    The eyes looking at Yulin were exceedingly cold.

    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± I heard Troy mutter from afar. Derrus made a noise of assent.

    From the third floor I heard an agonized groan. Further back, a person with a delighted careless voice said, ¡°I never imagined it could get any worse! Bravo, little boy, bravo,¡± followed by slow clapping.

    ¡­ I wanted to cry. Even though my Yulin is so hardworking, you want to mock him??

    ¡­

    Get lost!

    As Yulin left Lamane Arena, the hundreds of people behind him felt a stabbing pain in their bowels.

    Having won in the preliminary, Yulin had the right to compete in the main competition. Without even taking a break to celebrate, he immediately headed to the pagoda shrine to practice his sword swings.

    Meanwhile, I worried.

    The reactions to both of Yulin¡¯s matches were really, really bad so far. Going by the novels I read (which were all written by the most famous human immortals to reach the High Realm), people should be saying things like ¡°How is that possible!¡± and ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ such a powerful person¡­ Even though he was only a trash!¡± and stuff like that. Instead, people¡¯s reactions were more¡­

    At this rate, Yulin¡¯s reputation would be sullied. If people considered him a joke, how would he have enough face to join a sect? This was a dire emergency! With Yulin¡¯s future at stake, I couldn¡¯t just sit around and let things go on.

    I quickly composed a list of situations which could salvage Yulin¡¯s reputation.

    1) Have Yulin save Lamane City from a big invasion. For example, if I ordered a Saint-level magical beast to come stage an attack, and while everyone else is running away and getting squished, Yulin arrives and slices the beast to pieces! ¡°Wow! That amazing Yulin was able to singlehandedly defeat a Saint Beast! He saved us all! Hurray for Yulin!!!¡± is what people would say.

    Hmm. I thoroughly contemplated this plan. It has good drama and impact. However, there were several problems with it. Namely, a lot of people would probably have run away by the time Yulin won. Also, there was no guarantee that the human cultivators in the area wouldn¡¯t come and make a mess of things.

    2) Some influential cultivator vouches for Yulin. Like that young miss from yesterday who was all jingle-jangly. Since she was connected to that young and arrogant Saint, she must have a good position in some sect or another. I didn¡¯t really want to, but I could probably seduce her with my body. See this beautiful snail shell! This frilly snail body! If you want to look at it every day, take Yulin into your sect! ¡­ ¡­ But in the end I can¡¯t imagine myself ever saying that. Let¡¯s shelve this option for now.

    3) Have Yulin show off an amazing skill and completely beat up his next opponent.

    Well, but isn¡¯t Yulin already doing this kind of thing? I still don¡¯t understand why people aren¡¯t impressed with him even though he¡¯s so cool and hardworking. I suppose it¡¯s because he¡¯s not being flashy enough. In the books, it¡¯s all, ¡°Chaos Blade!¡± and ¡°Soaring through the heavens, Lightning Strike!¡± In that case, Yulin just needs to learn a few of those flashy moves and then people will look at him with proper respect.

    But where is he supposed to learn that kind of thing? Isn¡¯t some kind of amazing immortal mentor supposed to show up and guide him through his cultivation, teaching him incredible skills? Where is Yulin¡¯s mentor?

    I briefly thought about elder sister Harl. Ah, but instead of properly teaching him all she did was beat him up¡­ It¡¯s really too pitiful.

    The sun had already set while I was thinking. Yulin stopped his practice, the woods around the shrine even more destroyed than before. Under the dim moonlight Yulin walked back to the inn while I drooped tiredly on his shoulder. All that thinking wore me out, and in the end I didn¡¯t even come up with anything useful.

    Halfway through our journey back I sensed some malevolent auras approaching. They belonged to some piddly fifth rank cultivators. What are you guys coming here with your ill intent for? I remotely gave each of them a punch in the stomach. My mood improved by the way they curled up like pillbugs.

    Ahh, in the end, is it up to Yulin to decide his own future? Is there no place for a snail god like me to interfere? I sighed.

    While Yulin went to sleep, I, for the first time in my life, stayed up at night.

    After careful consideration, I came up with a plan.

    I spread my godly sense across Lamane. I sought out the eighth-rank cultivator who praised Yulin¡¯s potential the day before, and found him meditating in an upscale inn on the other side of town. That big ugly dumb Saint was there too, sprawled out and drinking wine on the rooftop. Humph! What a layabout.

    Shifting to human form, I flew to the gilded and luxurious multi-floor inn. The cultivators staying here could only belong to wealthy sects. My resolve strengthened, I dove into the eighth-rank cultivator¡¯s room through the window. The room¡¯s aesthetic quality was the complete opposite of the barren and functional appearance of Yulin¡¯s room. There were scrolls with paintings and carved room dividers and some kind of big jade pot in a corner.

    The cultivator sat cross-legged in the middle of the bedroom, his eyes closed. Spiritual energy flowed languidly around him. He still had quite a ways to go before he could break into the ninth rank, but I saw that he trained diligently to get to where he was. Mm! I had a good feeling about him.

    I stood very quietly out of his way.

    Wait. I came here to talk to him.

    I took a small step forward. The man¡¯s thick eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

    I hastily moved back.

    Ah, well. In cases like this I should call out to him first, right? I peeked at the human out of the corner of my eye. Memories of the last time I opened my mouth and spoke jumped out at me.

    Urk!

    Well, he¡¯s training so earnestly right now. It¡¯s rude to break someone¡¯s concentration. Also, I don¡¯t particularly want to be seen. Not even Yulin has seen my human form! How could I show it to some strange man whose name I don¡¯t even know. Yeah, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s better not to talk to him. It¡¯s not because I¡¯m too afraid to speak or anything.

    That decided, I rummaged around his room for materials. I couldn¡¯t find any writing utensils, so I left his room and searched downstairs. At the back of the inn I found a locked office with a bunch of stuff like papers, books, tea leaves, and a hidden basement full of gold and jewels. I happily returned with my loot of a brush, a blank scroll, and inkstone.

    I laid the scroll onto a desk and settled into a chair only a meter away from the meditating cultivator, and began the tedious process of grinding down the inkstone into usable ink. After a good few minutes, I was able to start writing my letter. I earnestly conveyed all of my emotions into the brushstrokes.

    Phew!

    After three hours, I finished writing a full page. Nodding to myself, I quietly passed the still-meditating cultivator and left the room without anyone noticing a thing.

 Ch. 6 - The Fourth Elder of Ash Mountain

    The crisp morning air carried the scent of pear blossoms. Bassem, the Esteemed Fourth Elder of Ash Mountain Sect, slowly opened his eyes. He released a deep breath, his lips pulled upwards in a rare slight smile. In this evening¡¯s meditation he had managed to cultivate over thirty times faster than the average night. This pace was unprecedented even in the sect¡¯s precious hidden sanctuary. Unfortunately, the rapid pace had only been maintained for a few hours; if not, he would have certainly continued cultivating for as long as it lasted.

    Bassem stood, stretching his limber muscles. Though this body was already sixty years old, his appearance remained that of a man in his mid thirties. With his stocky body and flat gorilla-like face, however, Bassem had no vanity over his comparatively youthful appearance. Adding along the fact that he resided beside some of the greatest beauties of the Origo continent, his already substandard looks became even less appealing.

    Even so, Bassem was not a man who cared for matters of love and warm beds. Rather, his looks were a blessing. He did not have to fend off the advances or fear for his virtue; he did not have to wonder about the intentions of any beautiful woman who approached him. Compared to the daily troubles Bassem¡¯s more attractive colleagues faced, being an ugly but carefree man suited him more.

    Bassem rearranged his robes, making sure there were no out-of-place details over which Second Elder Joslyn could mock him. Today the Sixth Origo Junior Cultivator Tournament officially began, and the elders of the sect who came to supervise in Lamane were holding a meeting to discuss the plans for the day, as well as formulating any last-minute advice and encouragement for the disciples. Bassem frowned. He had to remind the disciples not to underestimate their opponents. All too much these young cultivators believed the only true rivals could come from other large sects, such as the oppressive Clear Water. Bassem could only be grateful that the presence of Honorable Saint Zhen offset Clear Water Sect¡¯s influence.

    Turning to leave, Bassem noticed a scroll, brush, and inkstone on the desk which hadn¡¯t been there the night before. Only someone of higher cultivation could have entered his room and left this message without Bassem¡¯s noticing, so he assumed that either Honorable Saint Zhen or Second Elder Joslyn had stopped by and decided not to disturb his morning meditation. Before Bassem even picked up the scroll, however, he immediately knew that this was not the case.

    The words on the scroll seemingly leapt out at him, the force of power and energy contained within each enormous brushstroke enough to make his heart palpitate with tension. Fierce! The writing on this scroll was simply too fierce! The wild and untamed letters, huge and unwieldy, sprawled across the scroll¡¯s surface. With shaking hands, Bassem picked up the scroll and read:

    ¡°Dear mortal cultivator,

    Su Yulin has talent, hardworking, strong, cool, lovely. Please consider him as a disciple.

    Sincerely,

    Pipin.¡±

    Speechless, Bassem could only stare at the scroll¡¯s astonishing message.

    His first immediate thought was, which flighty senior cultivator decided to prank him?

    With the scroll tucked into his sleeve, Bassem descended to the Phoenix Pavilion¡¯s first floor private courtyard. Only a few of the sect¡¯s elders had arrived at this time. ¡°Greetings to Esteemed Fourth Elder Bassem!¡± They each stood and bowed to him. Bassem nodded in acknowledgment. He sat in one of the chairs surrounding the rosewood round table. One of the elders poured him a cup of tea, while another offered him dumplings. Bassem took the tea and waved off the food.

    Bassem leisurely sipped at the fragrant green tea, a small frown on his lips. When Second Elder Joslyn finally arrived, Bassem¡¯s frown deepened. He and the junior elders rose and bowed while calling out their greetings to the handsome and elegant Second Elder, who nodded absently at them. Joslyn slid into his seat; the junior elders rushed to pour his tea and place a plate of thousand-layer jelly squares, sesame balls, and steamed sponge cake in front of him. Joslyn smiled, his charming red lips causing the junior elders¡¯ hearts to flutter.

    Aiya, such a glutton¡­ Bassem couldn¡¯t help but scold in his head. The Second Elder was so close to purification, yet he continued to gorge on sweet foods.

    ¡°Your face is more terrible than usual today, Bassem,¡± Joslyn said, carelessly as ever. He held out a piece of sponge cake between his elegant, willowy fingers. ¡°Here, why don¡¯t you eat some.¡±

    Ignoring the proffered food, Bassem sighed. ¡°Second Elder Joslyn, I humbly ask that you cease provoking me in such a stressful time,¡± he said solemnly.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel like eating, you could just say so.¡± Joslyn retracted his hand, not having expected Bassem to take the cake anyway.

    ¡°I refer to the scroll you left me whilst I meditated in my chambers,¡± Bassem rumbled.

    Joslyn popped a sesame ball into his mouth. ¡°I have no idea what you mean,¡± he said.

    Exasperated, Bassem pulled the scroll from his sleeve.

    ¡°If you mean to deter me¡­¡± Bassem trailed off as Joslyn plucked the scroll from his hand. The bored-looking senior cultivator pulled it open. Immediately he flinched, his gaze flickering with unreadable emotions.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Joslyn muttered, his eyes narrowed as he peered at the scroll¡¯s contents.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t write it?¡±

    Joslyn didn¡¯t respond. Bassem watched him with a bewildered expression. If not Second Elder Joslyn, then who could have written this scroll? No other person knew that Bassem considered taking the embarrassingly inexperienced, yet highly-cultivated boy Su Yulin into Ash Mountain Sect. Moreover, to leave this without Bassem¡¯s knowledge, the only other person could be Honorable Saint Zhen who disregarded everything except his younger sister.

    Unless it was someone outside of the Sect¡­

    ¡°You said this was left in your room while you were meditating?¡± Joslyn asked. Bassem nodded. Joslyn¡¯s face darkening, he rolled up the scroll and stood. Beckoning Bassem, he said, ¡°Come, we¡¯ll consult Little Zhen.¡±

    Joslyn and Bassem stepped onto the roof of the Phoenix Pavilion, where Honorable Saint Zhen sat in meditation. His eyes opened before their feet even touched the tile. He gracefully stood and bowed. ¡°Nephew greets Venerable Uncle Joslyn, Fourth Elder Bassem.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Joslyn waved his hand. ¡°No need for formalities, nephew. Bassem and I have something to ask you.¡±

    ¡°Of course,¡± Zhen smoothly said. ¡°How can I help?¡±

    ¡°Last night, did you notice anyone enter Bassem¡¯s rooms?¡± Joslyn asked.

    Bassem wondered why Zhen cast such a suspicious look at Joslyn. ¡°No, I did not.¡±

    ¡°Are you aware of anyone who could do so without your noticing?¡±

    A slightly irritated expression formed on Zhen¡¯s face. A tinge of petulance could be heard in his voice, ¡°What is this about, uncle?¡±

    Joslyn handed him the scroll. Zhen opened it curiously. The fierce aura spilled from the scroll¡¯s surface, rising almost tangibly. Zhen shuddered, his face shocked. A mix of awe and worry formed in Bassem¡¯s heart. Even a Saint was affected by the writing?

    ¡°Elder Bassem, this?¡± Zhen looked at him with open inquiry. Bassem grimaced.

    ¡°I found it in my rooms this morning, along with a brush and inkstone which weren¡¯t there before,¡± he answered. Zhen exchanged a look with Joslyn, and the two of them jumped down to the window of Bassem¡¯s rooms. They swiftly entered, eyes zeroing in on the desk. Bassem entered after them, his body not as nimble as the two advanced cultivators.

    Zhen stepped forward, examining the brush and the inkstone. His finger dipped into the well of the tablet, and came away with flakes of recently-dried ink. Looking at the stiff black tip of the calligraphy brush, there was really only one conclusion to form.

    ¡°Even if it were a late-stage Saint, no one could have entered without attracting my notice,¡± Zhen said.

    A solemn silence fell over the three cultivators.

    ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a Demigod since the fall of Xian Kingdom several thousand years ago,¡± Joslyn murmured.

    Bassem frowned, thinking. ¡°The letter referred to me as a ¡®mortal cultivator¡¯. It implies that the writer himself is not mortal.¡±

    The cultivators exchanged incredulous looks.

    ¡°Who is this Su Yulin anyway?¡± Zhen asked.

    ¡°An unaffiliated sixth rank cultivator. He is obviously untrained and untaught, yet somehow he possesses such a high-ranking cultivation,¡± Bassem answered.

    Joslyn huffed. ¡°Perhaps I hit the mark after all,¡± he muttered, thinking about the inane comments he threw out earlier, specifically the one about a goddess. Turning to Bassem, Joslyn asked, ¡°Did you notice anything strange last night?¡±

    With a conflicted face, Bassem told them of the strange increase in the pace of his cultivation. ¡°I hadn¡¯t been aware of it at the time, but it was as if the air itself had become laden with spiritual energy, and my body took it in like breathing.¡±

    The elders took some time to contemplate this information. Eventually Joslyn concluded, ¡°Whoever this Pipin is, we shouldn¡¯t offend them. Taking in another disciple isn¡¯t even a trifling matter for our sect. The boy¡¯s utter lack of skills may be a stain on the face of cultivators, but as long as he doesn¡¯t stir up trouble, what does it matter?¡± At these words, Zhen and Bassem nodded in agreement. Joslyn took the scroll for safekeeping, intending to show it to the Grandmaster upon his return. With that decided, Bassem and Joslyn returned to the first floor courtyard to properly discuss the important issue of the day¡¯s competition, while Zhen stepped back onto the roof, his handsome face heavy with thought.

    At the end of the long meeting, the elders called Ash Mountain¡¯s disciples to meet in the Pavilion¡¯s large public courtyard. The seven young faces looked brightly at their teachers. Bassem stood back while Joslyn went through the speech the elders had prepared, essentially telling the disciples to fight well and honorably; to be graceful in defeat and humble in victory; and to never underestimate their opponents. Bassem was satisfied at having slipped that last bit into the speech. When Joslyn finished speaking, the disciples shouted in assent and bowed.

    ¡°Good, good, you guys are lively,¡± Joslyn said, reverting back to his careless tone of voice. ¡°Well, go on. Go chat with your masters.¡± He flapped his hand, and the disciples dispersed to meet with their teachers.

    ¡°Master Bassem!¡± A delicate, feminine voice rang out. Bassem smiled, watching his disciple Mayrelle skip toward him.

    ¡°Greetings to you, Little May. Did you sleep well?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Mayrelle smiled cutely. ¡°How was Master¡¯s evening cultivation?¡±

    ¡°¡­ It went well,¡± Bassem said, not intending to reveal any of the strange events to his disciple. She had more than enough to worry about right now.

    The Origo Junior Cultivator Tournament was divided into two parts. The first part consisted of single-elimination matches meant to weed out the weaker cultivators. If a cultivator lost just once, it was all over. The second half of the competition switched to a double-elimination setup where cultivators could still compete after taking one loss. This setup meant that even if a cultivator was severely outmatched, they would have another chance to show off their skills in the next battle.

    The most significant aspect of this tournament was not the first place win, but the chance to gain reputation. In battles between cultivators it was obvious that those with higher cultivation ranks would win, yet who could look down on a lower-ranked opponent who admirably fought to bridge that gap? This tournament was a chance to prove one¡¯s tenacity, character, ability, and most importantly: potential. That was why high-ranked cultivators who easily trounced low-ranked ones received no particular praise or admiration for their skills. Such an obvious outcome, who would possibly cheer for it? It was only when facing an equal or greater opponent that one could truly prove their worth.

    As such, Bassem had a few concerns for his disciple.

    Mayrelle was the second genius child of Ash Mountain Sect. Her brother, Zhen, was the first. Only thirteen yet already in the high stage of sixth-rank cultivation, it was certain that she would follow her brother in reaching Saint level. There were only a few junior cultivators who could be her match. Her foremost rival was Vinai of Clear Water Sect, a boy who was only two years older than her. There were only three sixth-rank cultivators from the other sects, and each of them was already over twenty-five years of age.

    That strange boy, Su Yulin, was also a sixth-rank cultivator, but his lack of training meant he was no match for even a third-rank cultivator properly trained by a sect.

    While Bassem could rest assured that Mayrelle would advance far in the competition, this also meant that she would have a difficult time balancing her strength for lesser opponents. If Mayrelle defeated her opponents too easily, her battles would be seen as boring and her memorability as a cultivator would decrease. If she artificially prolonged the battle, she might be seen as too weak for her cultivation, or worse: as an arrogant cultivator playing around with her prey. Common decency for high-ranked cultivators meant allowing lower-ranked opponents to display their skills, while also not looking down upon them. This contradiction always caused headaches for the teachers of high-ranked cultivators.

    ¡°Master, you¡¯ll grow wrinkles if you keep making that face!¡± Mayrelle leaned forward and poked the space between Bassem¡¯s brows. Smiling, she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I already have plans. I definitely won¡¯t let you down!¡± She made a manly pose, rolling back a sleeve and bending the arm as if trying to show off her muscles. Since she was such a slender and beautiful young girl, however, the action only served to show off the milky-pale, smooth skin of her arm.

    Bassem couldn¡¯t help but smile at the cheerful antics of his disciple, and reached out to pat her on the head. Another hand landed there before Bassem could reach it.

    ¡°Ah, little niece, you sure are shameless. Shouldn¡¯t you roll down that sleeve before your brother catches you?¡± Joslyn stood behind Mayrelle, heartily patting her head, his handsome face gently smiling. Mayrelle was also smiling, each heavy thump causing her hair ornaments to jangle like they were caught in an earthquake.

    ¡°What~ It¡¯s just an arm, uncle, don¡¯t be such a prude. Master doesn¡¯t think my arms are shameless, does he?¡± Mayrelle turned her wide sparkling eyes on Bassem.

    ¡°Of course not. There¡¯s nothing shameless about my disciple,¡± Bassem said calmly. Though she was a bit childish sometimes, it was a good thing that she could enjoy her youth. The greater tragedy would be for her to grow old too soon on her long road of cultivation.

    Mayrelle turned around to face Joslyn, her smile turning cold and triumphant. Joslyn clicked his tongue. Withdrawing his hand, he said carelessly, ¡°Fine, fine. In any case, it¡¯s time for us to set off. Little niece, do your best to represent Elder Bassem¡¯s teachings, all right?¡±

    ¡°Of course, uncle. I would do that even without your saying so!¡±

    Their two chilly gazes met, an intense energy sparking between them. Bassem felt the air turn inexplicably chilly and frowned. ¡°Come, we should get moving,¡± he said, ushering the pair forward. They joined the rest of Mountain Ash, and after one last cheer, departed from the inn.

 Ch. 7 - The Sixth Origo Junior Cultivator Tournament

    Yulin and I struggled to move through the crowded streets. Lamane City sprouted people overnight; you couldn¡¯t sneeze without hitting at least a hundred of them. Everyone bustled toward Lamane Arena like fish caught in a tide, and I did my best to shield Yulin from stray elbows and pushy shoulders, shoving others away until a small bubble of space formed around him. Somehow this slight gap in the crowd became quite conspicuous.

    ¡°Damn! We¡¯re going to be late!¡± A boisterous voice yelled. Behind us, the Jade Sky cultivators shoved their way forward. ¡°Yulin, wait up!¡±

    Yulin paused his steps, the crowd parting around him and allowing the Jade Sky cultivators to catch up. Troy led the way, his bulky figure cutting a path for his smaller fellows to follow. With this many people, it would be easy for them to get swept away. I graciously expanded my bubble of force to include them.

    ¡°We¡¯re both going the same way, so let¡¯s stick together,¡± Derrus said. Troy echoed this heartily. Vita and Lauran stayed behind, muttering to themselves with haunted expressions, though each for different reasons. Vita still couldn¡¯t look at me on Yulin¡¯s shoulder. I truly am such an intimidating figure.

    Yulin nodded in agreement. The five little cultivators moved together toward Lamane Arena. The crowd was so noisy that you had to yell to be heard, though for Troy, his natural voice boomed so loudly that he could just speak normally.

    ¡°Hey Yulin!¡± Everyone around glanced over with the interest of someone having just heard a distant explosion. ¡°You weren¡¯t being serious with yesterday¡¯s fight, right?¡±

    Yulin turned his head and nodded solemnly. A relieved expression broke across Troy¡¯s face, but it quickly disappeared when Yulin elaborated, ¡°I was serious!¡± Troy¡¯s face fell in sheer disappointment.

    ¡°What the hell!¡± Troy shook his head. ¡°Damn. When you said you weren¡¯t taught, you really meant it.¡±

    Derrus shouted, ¡°Then how did you cultivate? You must have some technique, right?¡±

    ¡°Meditation!¡± Yulin answered simply. What a cool answer! Though Troy and Derrus both looked unsatisfied. Hey, you greedy duo, if you want Yulin¡¯s talent you should just ask to be reborn.

    We had finally reached the plaza in front of Lamane Arena. The crowd thinned to only cultivators, the normal humans filtering into side streets which lead to the audience sections. It was no less noisy, however.

    ¡°Brother Yulin,¡± Derrus shouted. ¡°Our Jade Sky Sect isn¡¯t bad. After this is over, if you don¡¯t have any other place in mind, maybe you could¡­¡±

    Despite its low volume, a scoffing sound clearly cut through the noise of the crowd.

    ¡°Which person is so great that they¡¯re being recruited before the start of the competition?¡± A cold voice muttered.

    The chatter died down. Space opened up in front of us, revealing a group of almost-adult boys. All of them were tall and fit, clearly trained and strong. At the front of the group was a stern, haughty-looking boy. He had rich brown skin, braided dark hair, sharp features, and a pointy nose held up in the air.

    ¡°V-V-V-Vinai of Clear Water Sect!!¡± A tiny voice which stuttered itself into dying sounded behind me. It had been Lauran who released that ghastly proclamation as if announcing the rise of an ancient demon. I casually analyzed the boy in front of me and saw nothing particularly noteworthy about him. Though he was tall, he wasn¡¯t as tall as Troy; though he was cool, he wasn¡¯t as cool as Yulin. Everything about him screamed ¡®second best vying for first¡¯.

    While they put on scared faces, I felt the auras of the Jade Sky group shift to a sharp, deadly atmosphere. Oh, what¡¯s this? Even Vita wasn¡¯t looking away?

    Vinai¡¯s piercing gaze locked onto Yulin, looking him over from top to bottom. He narrowed his eyes. After a pause, he snorted derisively.

    ¡°Just this piece of trash can get someone so excited?¡±

    ¡­

    Oh, I¡¯m sorry, I must have misheard something.

    ¡°Acting this pridefully in front of his betters, this piece of trash sure has guts,¡± Vinai continued, already laughing with his friends.

    ¡­

    Haaaaaaaaa?

    Yulin didn¡¯t even answer. He acted like it had nothing to do with him. In fact, he was actually quietly glancing around, as if looking for whoever this guy was talking about.

    Ah, I get it. Yulin must be saying, ¡®Look, I¡¯m not even doing anything. You¡¯re the one stirring up trouble, dumbass¡¯. That¡¯s right! I glared at the chortling Vinai. You¡¯re the one stirring up trouble! My Yulin has nothing to do with fools like you.

    After a moment, Yulin resumed walking to the Arena. Good, good. We shouldn¡¯t let stupid people like this get in our way. Yulin still had to win the rest of the competition; it wouldn¡¯t do to get sidetracked before it started.

    Vinai¡¯s face turned splotchy at the way Yulin coolly ignored him.

    ¡°You piece of shit! You think you can act that way in front of me?¡± Vinai snarled, summoning an energy bolt to pierce Yulin¡¯s lungs.

    ¡­

    What did you just say?

    Is your mouth also an asshole for it to be spewing such shit?

    Let me help correct that for you!

    With the flames of anger urging me on, I sent a powerful stab into Vinai¡¯s bowels. The boy¡¯s eyes widened; his energy bolt dissipated with the loss of concentration. He crossed his arms over his stomach, his face paling, and dashed away before anyone could blink. Vinai¡¯s lackeys, seeing their boss run, hurriedly followed suit.

    Yulin blankly stared after them.

    Hohoho! See Yulin, you don¡¯t have to worry about these tyrannical young masters harassing you while I¡¯m around. I happily rubbed my head against him. Yulin blinked, and a slight expression of¡­ something crossed his face. It couldn¡¯t have been pity, I must have been imagining things.

    Yulin and the Jade Sky cultivators safely made their way to Lamane Arena and into the competitors¡¯ waiting lounge. All of the competitors had access to the second through fifth floors of Lamane Arena¡¯s main building, but staying there was optional. It was only when their matches were upcoming that competitors had to check in at the front desk and wait on the first floor. Since the upper floors had a good view of the fights, dozens of cultivators were already crowding the balconies.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°The match ups are over there.¡± Derrus pointed to an enormous board hanging on a wall.

    Vita jumped on Troy¡¯s shoulders to get a better look past the sea of people surrounding the board. Holding a hand over her eyes, she reported each of her fellows¡¯ and Yulin¡¯s opponents. ¡°Match 25, Derrus against Yoan of Blazing Cloud Sect. Match 37, me and Henning of Steel Fist Sect. Match 38, Yulin against Nanna of Cerulean Mist Sect. Match 54, Troy against Philo of Ash Mountain Sect¡­¡± Vita paused without calling Lauran¡¯s match up.

    ¡°H-H-How far am I from M-Mayrelle and Vinai?¡± Lauran demanded, tugging at Vita¡¯s sleeve with a wretched expression.

    Vita said clearly, ¡°Match 3, Lauran against Vinai of Clear Water Sect!¡±

    Gong! Lauran¡¯s knees knocked against the wood floor. Kneeling in despair, Lauran cried two rivers. Vita, Troy, and Derrus ignored the wailing Lauran as if this happened all the time and they couldn¡¯t be bothered to notice anymore. Derrus dragged Lauran to the receptionist¡¯s desk, checked him in for his upcoming match, then propped him up on a bench, leaving him to whimper by himself. I really wondered how this boy would survive.

    When we arrived on the second floor, the entire balcony was swarmed. I cheerfully pushed people away to make room. Cultivators found themselves tripping and falling until a spot opened up, where Yulin and the three remaining Jade Sky cultivators promptly settled.

    The arena¡¯s setup was slightly different today. There were only two large platforms today instead of four, and between them stood a tall tower. A couple of old men climbed up the tower to announce the start of the day¡¯s competition. They started giving boring some speech about integrity and sportsmanship, so I looked around the arena while they were talking. There were about fifteen thousand people crammed in the siheyuan¡¯s three spectator sides, and a few more thousand in the surrounding streets. I caught wind of the eighth-rank cultivator I¡¯d contacted earlier on the top floor of the western building. That Saint was there too, along with some other minor fogies. Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re all part of the same Sect? I drooped. No way, wouldn¡¯t it be troublesome for Yulin to have to hang around that Zhen guy¡­ I should have done a little more research.

    But, oh well!

    The speeches finished, and the old men cleared away. A head moderator took their place. He called out the two match-ups, and four bright-eyed youths went up to the platforms. The roar of an enormous crowd of cheers filled the air as the youths began to fight. Yulin watched avidly with determined eyes. Ah, my Yulin is studying so diligently, he¡¯s absolutely the coolest!

    The first batch of matches ended. The moderator called out for matches 3 and 4, and the little group of Jade Sky cultivators eagerly inched forward.

    Vita pointed at the shaking speck on the ground. ¡°There¡¯s Lauran!¡± She, Troy, and Derrus bellowed, ¡°Lauran! Fight!¡±

    Lauran flinched and turned his head to look up at us with an expression of deep despair.

    He stood on the platform like a man waiting for his execution. The contestants for Match 4 had both arrived, and they looked around impatiently, wondering when they could start their fight.

    The moderator frowned, and murmurs rose from the crowd.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Vinai?¡±

    No one had seen the famous rising cultivator. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed without Vinai showing up. And so, anticlimactically, the great young prodigy of Clear Water sect had been disqualified in the very first round.

    Upon hearing this announcement from the moderator, Lauran looked struck by lightning. He wandered back into the crowd with unseeing eyes, and quickly the flow of the competition¡¯s fights picked back up.

    A few moments passed where the young cultivators eagerly watched the sole ongoing match. Abruptly, the sound of a handsome man¡¯s laughter came from behind, and a strong aura spilled out.

    Oh? I peeked out. Yulin turned around to see the newcomer. The Jade Sky sect¡¯s disciples also turned to look, apathetic expressions on their faces.

    There behind us stood an extraordinarily handsome man with golden hair. He chuckled dashingly, posing with a hand under his chin. He exuded elegance and confidence. ¡°As expected!¡± he crowed in a deep, charming voice. ¡°Of course, there was no way the Heavens would allow this prince to ever lose!¡± He grinned, and through some trick of the light I thought I saw sparkles gleam off his teeth.

    Whoa¡­ how disgusting¡­

    Vita and Derrus sighed deeply. Troy stepped forward and slapped the man on the back. ¡°Good to see you¡¯re feeling better, brother!¡±

    Lauran sparkled up at Troy, a smug smirk on his lips. ¡°Of course! There¡¯s no reason for this prince to not be in a good mood after all!¡± He tossed his head back and laughed. ¡°Ahahaha!!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± Yulin turned back to watch the matches and I retreated to nap in my shell.

    Though I wasn¡¯t aware of very much while I was sleeping, a sudden roar of shouts and cheers disturbed me enough to come to consciousness.

    Spreading out my senses, I found that there was nothing unusual. Only, there was a single ferocious battle happening in the platforms. I heard the jingle-jangle of buyao as a girl swiftly spun through the air and swung her foot down in a fierce chop. Her opponent dodged, and the platform rumbled and cracked below the girl¡¯s delicate foot.

    The audience cheered and clapped. The girl, without pausing, spun around and chased her opponent. The boy panicked and gathered qi to his hands to redirect the girl¡¯s charge. Unfortunately for him, the girl dipped under his hands, her movements as smooth and flowing as water, and knocked him to the ground with a push of her palm.

    Her opponent gasped on the ground, spitting out blood. Though he tried to get up, his limbs had no strength and he simply collapsed.

    ¡°Winner, Mayrelle of Ash Mountain!¡± the moderator called out.

    A roar of cheers met his announcement.

    ¡°Hm, she¡¯s good,¡± Vita muttered under her breath. Her narrowed eyes tracked Mayrelle as the girl waved to her cheering fans.

    ¡°Dragged it out for just enough time to let her opponent show off. There¡¯s nothing anyone can begrudge her for,¡± Derrus said. He, too, regarded Mayrelle with an analytical gaze.

    ¡°Damn!! I wanna fight so bad!!¡± Troy bellowed, gripping his hands into fists. All around him, cultivators held their ears and leaned away.

    Lauran, sparkling in the background, twirled a rose between his fingertips and said nothing. Wait, where did he get that flower from¡­

    I checked up on Yulin¡¯s expression. His eyes were bright with eagerness, and his hands fidgeted. I recognized that expression ¨C Yulin really wanted to go practice chopping things up right now! Ahh, too bad there were still a few more matches before it was Yulin¡¯s turn.

    We waited half an hour more. Yulin¡¯s aura brimmed with quiet tension, which peaked when the time for his match came around.

    The Jade Sky cultivators wished him luck and patted him on the back. ¡°Fight on, Yulin!!¡± The group of them cheered, minus Lauran who was off in his own world. Ah, they¡¯re really such good kids after all! Yulin nodded and walked out to the platform. Under the gaze of the hundreds of cultivators and audience members, Yulin stood and faced his opponent.

    The girl had bright brown eyes and cute bobcut hair. A boisterous group of cultivator boys cheered wildly for her, making a small smirk appear on her face.

    The moderator glanced at the two competitors, and I took this time to obediently plop onto the ground and out of the way. I noticed the girl glancing at me from the corner of her eye, and turned my head away. W-why are you looking at me¡­ Even if you want to admire me, I won¡¯t agree to it.

    The match started. Yulin steadily held the sword in his hands and channeled energy through it. The girl looked at him with half-lidded eyes, not a trace of worry on her face. Yulin slashed forward, the wild wave of energy surging towards the girl, but she simply ducked to dodge. That arrogant little smirk came back onto her face, and she twirled close to Yulin, whose stance was still recovering from his previous action.

    Fast! This girl was super fast! I sensed her pull out a dagger and aim it at Yulin¡¯s stomach.

    As if I¡¯d let you do that! With just the slightest shove of my consciousness, the girl lost balance and swiped into empty air. Yulin recovered and leaped away.

    A small murmur ran through the crowd, but I didn¡¯t pay them any mind. I knew Yulin would win even if I didn¡¯t interfere, but I just didn¡¯t want to see him get hurt. It didn¡¯t matter if I pushed this girl around here and there since she was going to lose anyway. That said, I kept my eye on Yulin¡¯s opponent. After stumbling, she wiped the shock and confusion off her face and span around to face Yulin again. A dark emotion flashed through her eyes.

    Yulin held a tighter guard this time. He waited in his position and locked glares with the girl. They paused for two fraught seconds as they considered each other; then they leaped, weapons drawn. The girl raised her daggers while Yulin slashed his sword. Her daggers caught Yulin¡¯s blade, and his advance jarred to a stop. With a smile, the girl used the momentum to pull Yulin onto the ground while she positioned herself at his back. With a dagger raised, she prepared to strike.

    I intercepted again, my invisible shove throwing her off of Yulin¡¯s back.

    The girl rolled to her feet, and she looked at Yulin with glaring eyes full of accusation. ¡°What trick are you pulling!¡± she snapped.

    Yulin only looked at her with a stony expression.

 Ch. 8 - Opportunity after a Loss

    The girl¡¯s sharp gaze fell upon me. She quickly ran in my direction, and stuck her foot out as if trying to crush me like a common bug. Yulin¡¯s eyes grew wide. He began running toward us, but his speed was nowhere near fast enough.

    If I were any other snail, this girl would easily have killed me. Unfortunately for her, I was much stronger than I looked. Without even worrying, I watched the girl come closer. When she was about to step on me, I leisurely plopped to the side of her foot. She looked down in surprise. Hm? Did you expect me to just get stepped on? I continued dodging her feet and sailed my way to Yulin. He looked at me with heavy relief and picked me up.

    Uhuhu, that¡¯s right! Just let me stay by your side when you fight from now on. There¡¯s no point in us being separated. I happily leaned my head against his neck. Meanwhile, the girl turned and stared at me and Yulin with mixed emotions on her face. Ahh, she¡¯s probably jealous of the deep bond Yulin and I share.

    A cunning expression flashed through her eyes. ¡°Hey, you! What¡¯s with that snail of yours!¡± She yelled, pointing at me. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that spirit familiars are forbidden!¡±

    After the girl¡¯s yell came a pause as the crowd processed her words. Then, a wave of jeers and boos erupted. Between the shouts I heard various conversations and mutters:

    ¡°Is that a spirit familiar? Someone¡¯s actually trying to cheat at the Tourney?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t you see how Nanna¡¯s strikes had been interrupted? Obviously someone had to have been interfering¡­¡±

    From the third floor¡­

    ¡°Ai, so the Cerulean Mist sect is actually raising such devious children,¡± the eighth-rank cultivator muttered.

    The lazy man in the back said, ¡°Pretty girls have to have their thorns!¡±

    That Saint Zhen snorted. ¡°She¡¯s insulting the entire Tourney. As if any of us would let a spirit familiar slip into the matches.¡±

    So that¡¯s what¡¯s happening¡­ What an unlikeable girl! You can¡¯t win by force, so you¡¯re trying to slander my Yulin and have him branded as a cheater? Too bad for you that won¡¯t work. See, those high-level mortal cultivators know that you¡¯re just lying to get out of having to fight.

    The moderator stepped forward with a deep frown.

    ¡°Silence!¡± His voice boomed through the arena, quieting the crowd. He waved a hand. ¡°Continue the match!¡±

    The girl scowled for a fraction of a second before smoothing her face into a neutral, lovely expression. Yulin tightened his grip on the sword and raised it. I held onto his shoulder while Yulin dashed forward, pressing upon his opponent.

    The girl parried his sword slashes, her thin arms shaking against the force of Yulin¡¯s blows, but although Yulin hadn¡¯t landed a single hit he refused to give up. His indomitable strength pushed the girl back until finally she stood at the edge of the platform.

    ¡°Nanna, watch out!¡± some guy called from the audience. The girl¡¯s eyes widened when she realized her position, and she quickly dug her hand into a satchel. She took out a pair of spiky, dark walnuts. With just a sweep of my senses I identified them as highly toxic seeds. Before she could toss them, I pushed them out of her hand with a slight gust of wind.

    Her last-ditch move gone, the girl had no choice but to desperately struggle against Yulin¡¯s martial ability. Unfortunately for her, she just couldn¡¯t match up and got pushed out of the platform and out of bounds.

    ¡°Winner, Su Yulin!¡±

    The uproar from Lamane Arena shook the surrounding city.

    Yulin walked out of the Arena. Angry glares pressed down on us from all directions, but Yulin didn¡¯t pay them any mind. I would have cursed the lot of them, but Yulin reached up and lightly patted my shell. Forgetting my anger, I snuggled up to him.

    Before Yulin reached the exit, a worker of the Arena came up to us. The man bowed politely and said, ¡°The Officials of the Origo Junior Cultivator Tournament have something to discuss with you.¡±

    Hearing that, Yulin obediently followed the man through the siheyuan into an office. There, a group of stern-looking men and a beautiful big-breasted woman sat around a table. The woman was incredibly out-of-place, especially through her high cultivation: she had an eighth-rank cultivation, while the men only had up to fourth.

    Upon seeing Yulin, the woman¡¯s eyes narrowed slightly, and her seductive red-tinted smile grew cold.

    ¡°Su Yulin, welcome,¡± one of the old men said. He coughed lightly. ¡°Ahem. We have a few things to discuss regarding your previous match.¡± He shuffled through some papers on the table. I glanced at them and saw that they were a copy of the tournament rules, along with some tax papers on the bottom to help pad the stack. ¡°Now, our records say that you are an independent cultivator, yes¡­?¡± the man asked.

    Yulin held a trace of apprehension in his aura, but nodded truthfully.

    ¡°Do you have a master, sect, clan¡­?¡±

    Yulin shook his head.

    The old man hummed and stroked his beard. The other men around the table only looked solemnly off into the distance, as if the entire meeting had nothing to do with them.

    The beautiful woman¡¯s smile sharpened.

    ¡°Su Yulin. Unfortunately, the allegations against your performance are quite serious.¡± The old man folded his hands and sighed regretfully. ¡°We of the Origo Junior Cultivator Tournament are quite sorry to say that you have been disqualified due to infringement of martial integrity.¡±

    ¡­ Eh?

    Yulin and I had absolutely shocked expressions on our faces.

    What do you mean, disqualified??

    ¡°If you would, please exit the Lamane Arena peacefully. It was bad luck this time, but you¡¯re welcome to try again in the next run of the competition,¡± the old man said while smiling.

    W-what are you doing! I wanted to shout. My Yulin is the most hard-working, talented, and coolest cultivator here! How could you turn him away!Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Yulin¡¯s eyes turned dark. Gripping his fists, he bowed stiffly and exited the room. Standing in front of the closed door, Yulin looked down, body tense with disappointment.

    My heart trembled for him.

    Those cruel officials¡­ Yulin wanted to compete so badly, and now he was disqualified because of them.

    It would be easy to get revenge for him by chopping down those officials, but it wouldn¡¯t give him back the chance to be in the competition. There was nothing I could do; I was just a clueless snail god that had no idea how society worked. I cuddled against Yulin to give him comfort. Through my touch, I tried to convey: Even without this tournament, you¡¯ll still grow to become the greatest immortal hero in all of history!

    Yulin sighed and patted me. Gathering himself, he straightened his back and walked out of the Arena.

    The sky above was a clear bright blue. The sun shone down on us. Yulin held a hand up to block the light from blinding him.

    Standing at the entrance to the Arena, Yulin looked around listlessly, like he was unsure of what to do next. Hoisting his sword up on his back, he began to walk down.

    ¡°Hey, you!¡±

    A loud and resentful voice called out.

    Looking to the side, I saw the bristling figure of the other disqualified contestant, Vinai, marching toward us. A fierce scowl twisted his lips, and he glared at us like he could flay our skin with his eyes.

    Yulin glanced at him with offended confusion, his face silently expressing, ¡®What in the world do you want now?¡¯ Since he was bothering Yulin, I glared at Vinai, too. He paused for a split second, a shiver running through him, before he gathered himself and continued his stride toward us.

    I debated whether to just shove this boy away. On one hand, I wondered if maybe Yulin wanted to fight him to release his stress? But on the other hand, his foul mouth and disrespectful attitude was unpleasant to deal with¡­

    His scowl growing ever fiercer, Vinai snarled, ¡°I don¡¯t know what trick you pulled on me, but you¡¯re going to regret it!¡± He reached behind himself. Though there wasn¡¯t anything on his back, I sensed him open a dimensional pocket; from there he pulled out a sharp spear, and whipped it into his grip. The point gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting the blinding white light.

    Yulin tensed. His sword was wrapped up, so I crawled over and threw the cloth off of the handle. Yulin reached back and pulled out his sword, ready to defend himself.

    Ah, to think this guy already had enough mastery to open dimensional storage! He was just a bit dangerous compared to a normal 6th-rank cultivator, wasn¡¯t he? He still wasn¡¯t much, but he surely had much more knowledge than Yulin right now.

    I prepared myself to get rid of Vinai at any moment. Vinai sized Yulin up, and his muscles bulged as he leaned forward, preparing to strike.

    A fluctuation of energy caught my attention. The eighth-rank cultivator whom I had written a letter to this morning had exited the Arena.

    Vinai ran towards us, the bright sunlight flashing blindingly from the tip of his spear. Yulin swiftly moved to parry, and I watched for a moment to give Vinai a good kick in the stomach.

    But before Vinai¡¯s attack reached, a large hand reached down and grasped his spear.

    Vinai nearly fell forward from the sudden interruption, but channeled qi to his feet to stay steady. He and Yulin glanced at the eighth-rank cultivator in surprise. The man simply regarded them, his gorilla-like face unreadable.

    ¡°Tch!¡± Vinai clicked his tongue and straightened. Throwing an offended glance out of the corner of his eye, he asked in a strained voice, ¡°Elder of Ash Mountain Sect, may I ask why you¡¯re interfering in this duel?¡±

    The elder¡¯s heavy brows fell over his shadowed eyes. ¡°A duel is an agreed-upon match between two sides.¡±

    Vinai¡¯s face soured, but it seemed he didn¡¯t have any retort.

    The elder let go of the spear. He stared Vinai down until the boy stepped back and put his spear back into his dimensional pocket. Conceding defeat, that arrogant young master bowed to the elder and swiftly retreated.

    Seeing how this eighth-rank cultivator chased the unpleasant Vinai away, my liking of him grew much more. Certainly I was right earlier; this man had much better eyes than the average human.

    The elder turned back to Yulin, who looked at him with suspicion. Yulin had no idea who this man was, or that I had sent him a message the other day. The elder was very well-mannered, however, and introduced himself. ¡°Greetings, Su Yulin. I am Bassem, the Fourth Elder of Ash Mountain Sect. I would like to speak with you.¡±

    Yulin blinked, his eyebrows scrunching in confusion. Before he could reply, the sound of swaying buyao chimed in the air, and a cute girl popped up next to them. Mayrelle smiled, her bright-eyed and delicate face looking quite lovely, and said, ¡°Master, you disappeared so quickly! I was worried.¡± Her eyes swept over Yulin, and she blinked. ¡°Oh! I remember you. We met at the market the other day!¡±

    Yulin looked back at her with a complex expression, unsure of whether to be annoyed or wary now that he¡¯d seen her skill in battle.

    Bassem glanced at Mayrelle, his stern expression unchanging. ¡°Let us avoid blocking the entrance to the Arena. Follow me.¡±

    The elder led this group of two cultivators and a snail to a quiet teashop nearby. Sitting down at a bench, he motioned for Mayrelle and Yulin to also take a seat. An attendant quickly ran over to take his order, and in the meantime Yulin hesitantly lowered himself onto the seat. Don¡¯t be nervous! I wanted to convey, tapping Yulin¡¯s face. Yulin¡¯s shoulders relaxed a fraction.

    A strong gaze fell upon us. I turned and saw Mayrelle looking this way with an adoring expression. Her lovely cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright and sparkling.

    ¡­ Don¡¯t tell me you fell for Yulin? He¡¯s my cultivator!! I plastered myself onto his cheek.

    O-Of course, I knew that most godly cultivators had a huge harem of beautiful wives that they could go through like used tissues, but my Yulin was still only a young boy! I wasn¡¯t going to let some girl sink her hands in him that quickly!!

    While I panicked, Mayrelle sweetly smiled and gushed, ¡°Your snail is just too cute! She¡¯s even climbing your face!¡±

    ¡­

    I forgot. The one this jingle-jangly girl wanted to sink her hands into was me!

    Yulin hadn¡¯t forgotten; he glowered at Mayrelle while I was still hanging off of his cheek. He reached up, plucked me off his face, and put me on his other shoulder ¨C away from Mayrelle.

    Bassem quietly sipped his tea.

    He set down his cup with a clunk, catching the attention of the two young cultivators.

    ¡°Su Yulin.¡± Yulin regarded him warily. Bassem met his gaze and calmly said, ¡°I would like to formally invite you to become a disciple of the Ash Mountain Sect.¡±

    Yulin looked stunned.

    Mayrelle¡¯s jaw dropped.

    Meanwhile, I was quite pleased!

    Bassem continued, ¡°You would not begin directly under my tutelage. Your foundations are lacking; you must learn the basics of martial arts first and foremost. In this period, you would be among the outer sect. Should you prove your discipline and determination, you will reach the status of an inner sect disciple.¡±

    ¡°I- Master, I didn¡¯t know you wanted another disciple!¡± Mayrelle¡¯s smile looked a bit forced.

    Bassem dipped his head. ¡°I believe Su Yulin has potential,¡± he rumbled. He swiftly stood, startling the young cultivators, and motioned for them to follow.

    He led the way through thin back alleys to a spacious abandoned courtyard. Yulin and Mayrelle stood, looking around. It was an ordinary square with a tall tree and a well beneath the shade, enclosed by tightly-packed old houses.

    Bassem regarded the two of them, and turned his face to Yulin. ¡°If you wish to see the power of Ash Mountain¡¯s training, spar with Mayrelle. Though your level of cultivation is the same, you will find that you are not an equal match.¡±

    At this, Mayrelle¡¯s eyes flashed, and she turned toward Yulin. She pointed at Yulin¡¯s sword peeking out from over his shoulder and said, ¡°Go ahead and take that out if you want to, but I¡¯ll tell you now: you won¡¯t get a single hit in!¡± She had a neutral expression while saying such confident words, giving the impression that she was only stating facts.

    Though he was usually cool and unruffled, Mayrelle hit Yulin¡¯s pride, earning her a sharp glare. Yulin pulled out the sword; I crawled to the back of his neck to stay out of the way. He gripped it in front of him in his typical stance, and began charging qi through its blade.

    Bassem observed the two young cultivators, nodded, and stepped back. ¡°Begin.¡±

    Yulin stepped forward and slashed at Mayrelle. Without even changing the expression on her face, she swayed to the side, effortlessly dodging the blast of energy. She stepped forward and, in a moment, had her fist resting on the curve of Yulin¡¯s neck.

    Her abilities were actually so refined! Wrapped invisibly that fist was a fierce aura of qi; if her fist had met Yulin¡¯s skin, his head would have blown straight off. It was only after seeing she had no intention to harm that I decided not to interfere.

    A bead of sweat dripped down Yulin¡¯s head and fell Mayrelle¡¯s wrist.

    ¡°Your sword is sharp but does not cut. Your body is strong but has no finesse. Our Ash Mountain Sect can guide you on these things, if you are willing to learn,¡± Bassem said.

    Yulin stood there, frozen, until Mayrelle withdrew her fist and stepped back.

    His hands fell to his sides, the sword tip dragging on the dirt. He breathed in deeply, eyes closed.

    After repositioning himself, he sheathed his sword and faced the other cultivators.

    Yulin¡¯s eyes held a shining light as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll join.¡±