《The Heavens Shall Fall》 Prologue: Great War Gods, Human, Demons, Elves, Spirits and Many other Races thrive and live on a vast space. Wealth of every being is at its peak and strength are without bounds. In an age where strength is law, wars often breaks out at every corner of the world and millions of creatures die every day. Those at the peak of strength wishes to rule the world. By utilizing every power they have, the biggest war broke out.
Chaos was everywhere, dying was as normal as breathing. Being born in this war filled world was the worst fate. Hundreds of Gods have fallen, many Demons were sealed to suffer for eternity. Humans, Elves and other lower races almost became extinct. The lands were filled with blood, all the riches were lost andmany regions became uninhabited. The war continued for centuries but no race chose to surrender. In the year when the six suns appeared, the final struggle for concluding the war occurred.
To stand on top of all creation, all races gathered all their forces. The gods descended from the heavens, the demons opened opened all their gates, the races who lived on the plane stood their guard and the biggest fight occurred! Ninety five percent of the warriors died or was sealed. All the leaders died and the remaining forces gave up on the war. All the remaining beings went back to their territories and sealed the path leading to their plane. The clans and families of the dead wept for decades. Many monsters were born from their sorrow and rage. These monsters became the strongest and most feared creatures in the lands. Years passed and the humans prospered along with other races. The gods and demons stayed hidden. Hunting for lost art became a sensation which made empires grew strong, and with their strength peace was maintained. Chapter 1: Encounter "Thief! Thief!" Shouted by an overweight middle age man while chasing a boy frantically, "Catch that brat, he stole a loaf of bread!¡±
The boy ran like the situation was a normal routine for him. He continued to flee by entering various streets while slowly outrunning his pursuers. When he was about to lose the guards, a tall old man suddenly appeared in front of him. With his momentum, he had no way to avoid the person, so his body bumped the man, which made him fall on the ground on his back.
All the guards caught up in the chase including the fat middle aged man. While panting, the man shouted ¡°You dirty brat, We finally caught you! Arrest him! Thieves must suffer even if they are kids!¡± The guards glanced at each other then nodded. They proceeded to arrest the boy, but suddenly the old man stepped in front of the boy blocking the path of the guards. "Hohoho.. Please excuse this old man for interfering, but I know this young lad. I will pay for the thing he stole." He waved his hand, then a soul ore flew out on the direction of the furious merchant. Staring at the piece of soul ore he got, the side of his lips slightly raised and said "This soul ore might be more than enough to pay for the bread, but is it enough to pay for the crimes of that brat?" "Oh. I''m sorry. How low of me to offer a piece of soul ore for a bail in such a crime. You are right, I think a piece of soul ore is not enough" By waving his hand once more, a pill flew out from the old man''s hand landing directly into the palm of the merchant.
"I cant believe this old guy is so rich! I hit the jackpot! Hahaha!" While talking in his mind, he glanced at the kid then left without saying a word. The two guards were left speechless and clueless on what to do.
Then the young young boy suddenly shouted. "My name Ming Li, I am grateful for what you did, but I will ensure to repay you someday!"
.... A while later, near the outskirts of the town, an old man was walking while glancing at the surroundings while enjoying the fresh air.
After he said those words, a boy slowly came out from the back of the tree. The boy was none other than Ming Li who continuously followed the old man for several kilometers.
"kid you can pay the debt when you are more capable, there''s no need to rush things. I can see hatred and rage in your eyes but you are honest. So I believe you will pay what you owe. You can go now and take care of more important matters." The old man said while laughing. "No! I may be a thief, but I will pay you as fast as possible. I will follow you weather you like it or not. You don''t need to mind me." Ming Li replied while giving the old man a cold stare. "Suit yourself young one. Hoho. this old man will head to the next town." Chapter 2: Doctor
While walking at the mountains, Ming Li survived by eating various fruits while keeping a good distance at the old man. "Young one, the forest is getting thicker and the night is near, you should walk closer to me."
The dangers in any forest are always present. Even Ming Li as a kid knows of this fact. Several humans gets attacked by monsters every time they wander in the forest especially at night. There are different type of monsters on every place, and the place they were in, was popular for black wolves that attack in packs. "hmpp. Are you saying that I''m safer when I''m near an old guy? You don''t even look strong. But don''t worry, I will save you when I have an opportunity and this will make it up for my debt." The old man laughed and continued walking deep into the forest. As night came, howls of wolves could be heard from different directions. Ming Li and the old man were slowly walking deep in the forest when they heard a scream not far away from the east. The old man looked at the direction of the sound, he grabbed Ming Li and suddenly rushed trying to follow the location of the scream. "Wha!? So fast!" Ming Li said with eyes wide open while being carried by the old man.
At the side of the man, a young girl could be seen on the ground panting heavily due to various wounds. The girl''s age seem to be twelve or eleven years old. Even weakened by multiple wounds, her face looksas white as snow and her eyes wereas blue as the vast ocean. With her gaze, anyone will feel the calmness in her hearth. Even faced with great danger her expression remained serene. She also wore elegant clothes thatreflected her extraordinary background. The old man''s figure flashed and appeared near the warrior, he waved his handswhich caused a light mist to appear that coveredthe area. When the wolves felt the mist, they retreated a few steps causing Ming Li and the warrior to be shocked. "Wow that old man knows some amazing tricks, so that''s why he''s walking without care deep in the forest." Ming Li thought to himself. Facing the old man, the warrior saluted "Senior, I thank you for your assistance, I am Xi Fan a warrior of the Xi Clan and this young lady is Xi Nan." "Hoho, young man, I believe you can defeat all those wolves on your own. Those wolves number a lot but they are weak. The reason why I interfered is because of the poison on your body. The area is known for the black wolves, but the scariest thing in this forest are not the wolves, it isthe poison that randomly appears in the forest. This poison will extremely lower your strength by ninety percent! This poison should not exist in this plane but it is commonly used for sealing techniques" The old man replied while staring at the two. Upon staring for a while, the old man slowly approached the little girl and said "Little one, you are affected with a different type of poison which caused the different illness in your body to occur. This poison is quite rare and hard to detect." The warrior''s face changed, he looked at the old man with a slightly confused expression and said "I know the young lady is sick since birth, but there were several doctors that tried to cure her illness, however no one succeed. Also, no one mentioned that the young lady was poisoned on any occasion since birth." The old man grabbed the empty space on his side, and a pill appeared floating towards the warrior "Here consume this pill, It will make you feel better. Also, carry this young lady and I will help you cure her."
"May I know the name of Senior?" The warrior asked respectfully. "My name is Chao Shi, a wandering doctor and this boy is Ming Li. Since you feel a lot better, let us look for a nice place to stay." said the old man. The warrior nodded and carried the young girl on his arms following the old man.
The warrior replied "It is because Senior spreads the same mist he used earlier around us everytime and that kept us safe in our journey." "What? So that''s why! hey old man I can''t repay you if you keep this up. We should get attacked or something so I can get an opportunity." Ming Li exclaimed. The old man laughed and said "Hoho. you will get your chance young one. Patience is always a good thing." Ming Li clicked his tongue expressing his irritation but did not say a word.
"Maybe I''m a bit interested. Since I want to become the strongest person. So naturally a strong person needs to have a little knowledge on alchemy." Ming Li replied proudly. "Good.. Good. Since you are interested, how about learning a bit of of my arts? Since it must be destiny that brought us together" He waved his hand throwing a book a Ming Li. Ming Li got startled and caught the book. "What is this book about?" he said
Ming Li arrogantly replied"Reading this simple book and understanding it will be easy. I do not need your help." He then flipped the pages of the book and started to study every page.
Ming Li looked at the book, he cleared his thoughts, and in a short while, his consciousness was drawn to a vast world. Chapter 3: Enligntenment
On a nearby area, one can see an open circular space with only a single shining flower at the very center of it. The glow of it was extremely bright, but Ming Li can clearly see the flower even with the blinding light from the plant.
When the tip of his fingers touched the flower, it emitted a blinding glow, and a small seed floated out of the flower causing all the flowers in the surrounding to sway like they were overjoyed by something. The trees even started to sway, then next the grasses and until every sort of plant existing in the space appeared to be delighted. Ming Li was dumbfounded for some time. He cannot comprehend everything that was happening and he always had this feeling that his body was acting on its own touching stuff in this unknown land. He thought for a while and asked himself. "Is this some sort of trial? I heard when comprehending some arts a trial will be given." After giving it some thought, he gave up since he wont know a thing if he didn''t do anything. He quickly grabbed the seed and felt unbelievable amount of information flowing through his head. He experienced extreme pain while all the information passed though his consciousness.
The information flow did not stop and the pain he felt continued to grow. He realized that all this information are characteristics of different plants used for medicine, and that he needed to memorize as much as he can from this sea of information. He focused on the information, and every piece of information he understood got imprinted in his soul. He gritted his teeth and continued with the process while withstanding the pain. ...
Chao Shi smiled and stood up, as he stood up, he waved his hand and some sort of invisible barrier appeared around Ming Li surrounding him at every direction. Then the old man knocked on the the door of the hut and said "Xi Fan I have finished the medicine. We can now start the treatment of your young lady." Xi Fan opened the door and said "Senior Chao my young lady is awake, you can see her now." Chao Shi smiled and went to the girl. He pointed his fingers near the pulse in her hand, but he did not touch her. "Young girl, Is it alright to start the treatment now?"
"This poison should not exist on this plane but why is it here? This girls background must be extraordinary" Thought Chao Shi. After three hours, he finished restoring the organs of the girl. The girls face showed a bit of amazement. For her organs to be healed at a mere three hours was almost a miracle, since she knew how bad her condition was. Even Xi Fan was shocked when Chao shi said "her organs are all now back to normal but the poison is still there and it will damage her organs again"
"Just who is this genius" thought Xi Fan "Little girl consume this pill. It will get rid of the poison on your body and nourish your soul. After three days the poison will be gone and your soul and body will slowly recover. The little girl consumed the pill without asking anything. Then she closed her eyes to stabilize the pill''s effect. ...
After five hours, a flash appeared in his eyes and he said "So that''s how it is. Since i can''t get it all. I''ll focus on the basics and use it as foundation and work things out from there." He then closed his eyes and focused on the information coming into him. He tried to pinpoint everything regarding the basics and disregarded any complex information. The morning came and Ming Li suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes were clear as crystals and one can clearly see great wisdom from it. Behind him he heard a voice saying "Good... good... So you got something from the book." He looked behind him and there he saw Chao Shi. He nodded and said "I haven''t paid my previous debt and now I owe you another one." "Let''s put what you learned to use and head to the village." Chao Shi said.
Chapter 4: Pill
Xi Nan stretched her arms pointing on Ming Li''s forehead and a blue marble light appeared on her fingers which entered Ming Li''s forehead directly entering his core. Xi Fan was shocked on the actions of her young lady and he asked "Young lady why did you give him that?" The girl ignored Xi Fan and said "Senior Chao, will this be enough as primary payment for your assistance?" Chao Shi nodded "Young Xi that is more than enough payment"
Ming Li stared in shock again, because crazy things keep happening so fast he has no time to react to anything. When he came to his senses, Chao Shi was already walking far from him going in the direction of the nearby Village. "Hey slow down and wait for me! I haven''t slept. I''m so tired" Ming Li shouted. "Hoho, how can you repay me if you''re acting like a wimp. Use what you learned to cope up with your lack of sleep". Ming Li Glanced at several plants while walking and he was shocked, because it was like he instantly knew the basic composition and uses of all the plants he see. "Wow this is like a cheat! I don''t even need to study for years to know these plants. Also I can''t believe such common plants can have so many uses!"
"Seems like you''re more lively than usual. Since you are full of energy, you will cure the citizens here of the poison plaguing the entire village. You already have all the basics. All you need is practice and a little guidance" Chao Shi talked with Ming Li and taught him some basic methods to detect illnesses while walking heading to the village. ... Village Entrance: Flame Dragon Village
"The plague here has spread for years and seems like the residents has no cure for this." Chao Shi explained and he pointed at an old man sitting on a bench not far away, then said "Ming Li, try healing that old man over there." "Me? Heal someone? I''m not a doctor I just know some random herbs." Ming Li said in an uninterested tone. Chao Shi stood beside him and held his shoulder with one hand "Curing every sort of illness is the goal of all doctors, and since this will be your starting point, its better to cure everyone here."
The old man stared at him blankly and laughed loudly then end up coughing "Boy, so you want to play doctor? Come this uncle will play with you."
Upon finishing, he retracted his energy and sweats filled his forehead. His energy was too minuscule to be circulated on someones body. So he was mentally strained with just a simple diagnosis. "Senior Wan, do you often sit here on this spot?" "Yes.. Why?" Wan Long smiled "Senior Wan I will look for you here after a month when the third sun is at its peak. In the coming days I will create a pill to cure you." without waiting for a response Ming Li left.
"Are you thinking of giving up?" Chao Shi suddenly appeared beside him. "No, of course not!" Ming Li arrogantly raised his chest. "Are you thinking of asking me for herbs? Chao Shi said with a smirk. "Damn this old man is such a smart ass." Ming Li thought. "Since you promised to heal your first patient, you need to look for all the required herbs. I believe all these herbs are present within the nearby forest, some are rare but you can find them if you try hard. Also since it is highly possible that you will fight with random monsters you will need these. Take these three scroll and study them. It will be useful. Also take this furnace and use it for training. Then I will see you when you come back" Chao Shi Slowly disappeared while talking and only his words could be heard until it faded. "So how do I use these scrolls to fight with monsters? I hope this is a cheat like the previous book" Ming Li sat at a corner crossed legged and opened one of the scroll. Written on the top part of the scroll is ''Water Cannon''
''Water Barrier'' and ''Water Healing'' "Oh seems like this heal is something unique." "Hmm.. I''ll Study the attack skill first." After five hours.. "What!? why is my water cannon so small!?" With depressed and shocked look he thought "Maybe I''m really useless and can''t achieve anything in this lifetime. What the hell did I do in my previous life to receive such fate."
The small water ball which is almost invisible became as big as a fist. Ming Li stared at the ball in shock and concentrated to find out what made the ball bigger. His consciousness drifted within his body until he reached his core. He saw a blue glowing orb and he suddenly remembered that this was the orb given by the little lady they met a while ago. "So that orb was something useful after all. I don''t know if this is all that It can do, But it did increase my energy significantly" He then retracted his consciousness and looked at the ball again and smiled. "It took me a day to just to create a single orb." I guess I''ll continue training till I pass out and hunt in the morning.
Ming Li continued the process for several hours and he became faster at extracting the essence and mixing the ingredients. On his fifth attempt, extreme heat could be detected on the furnace, humming sounds could be heard and the furnace was glowing brightly. After ten breaths there was a small explosion, but this time a pill went out of the furnace and Ming Li caught the pill. "Success! I Made my first pill"hewas so happy that the shout echoed in the forest.
After three breaths, howls could be heard in the forest and steps of monsters could be heard rushing in Ming Li''s direction. Chapter 5: Kill ince blue wolves are known for their agility,the wolf dodged the strike easily. While the wolf was dodging, Ming Li created another water ball and shot at the wolf. It scraped the blue wolf''s feet but it did not do much damage.
Ming Li tried for several times, he was exhausted and pale due to blood loss. "I am seriously going to die if this continues"
Again, he took the monster cores and kept it. He ignored the meat, thinking he would still kill a lot of wolves before dinner.
After a while of struggling to stay floating, He felt his body suddenly falling from unimaginable height. "Oh %#*@ a water fall!" He was smack by water, continued falling and hit the water at an odd angle. Then his vision went dark as he lost consciousness. Chapter 6: Fruit
Chapter 7: Thief
When he came out of the cave, the second sun was already starting to rise. "I guess I overslept." "Only one day and I have experienced countless things. I need to be extra careful or I''ll surely die."
The peaceful harvest lasted for four days straight. In these four days, he focused in harvesting during the morning and creating pills at the afternoon. While gathering herbs Ming Li stoppedin frontofadilapidatedbridge. Below the bridge was abottomlesscliff. Currently, he had no idea where he was and how to go back to the village. His only hope of going back was to find a local from the village possibly wandering in the forest. Chapter 8: Cliff
.... When he woke up, it was still the same time as he lost consciousness, but he was starving. "I guess I slept for a whole day or even two days. I lost track of time."
It flew at fast speed immediately arriving at the top of the cliff, and then continued to fly at amazing speed above the forest.
Ming Li swam as fast as he could at the shore of the lake. He immediately looked for safety before catching his breath. Upon series of dangerous encounters, he developed an instinct to only rest when the area is safe.
He grabbed the map and thought "I''m almost there. The reward is at hand." Near the outskirts of the town, Ming Li saw an old man standing with a smile on his face. Ming Li stopped his steps and slightly nodded and said "Thank you." "You did good kid". Chao Shi said and walked to the nearby hut. Ming Li followed while dragging his battered body into the hut. Chao Shi handed him a pill and the first thing he did was inspect the pill. He focused for some time, but he gave up since he could not detect what sort of herbs were used to create the pill.
It was a failure! Ming Li stared at the pill turning to ash and sighed. He realized that the pill cannot be made easily and the process which he was using was probably not the best one. When the pill completely vanished, he closed his eyes and began to formulate processes which will improve the success rate of the pill. He meditated for full five hours until he gave up.
Ming Li slowly started to enter into meditative state while staring at the plants. All the information of the plants slowly started to form inside his head. It was a weird state where he was like communicating with the plants. Multiple information rushed into him. It was like the time he grabbed the seed of the art, but this time the information was lesser and easier to grasp. There were also multiple false information. It was up to Ming Li to select all the true information based on his own understanding. One wrong information could lead to failure. The art is only a guide. It would be up to the user on how proficient he would be able to use it. Chao Shi stood nearby looking at him with warmth a master would have to his beloved disciple. Then after a while, he waved his hands causing mist to appear and cover a 30 meter area. This was the same mist he used at the wolves to save the warrior. When the mist completely filled the area, Chao Shi faded and completely disappeared. After a while Ming Li''s eyes glowed with golden light. The light did not stop and only grew stronger until Ming Li slowly closed his eyes. When he suddenly opened them, the light was gone, but an obvious enlightenment can be seen on his face. Chapter 9: Miracle
He continued the concoction and created a third pill, It only lasted for twenty breaths before it completely turned to ash. Ming Li closed his eyes and said "Now I am ninety percent sure of my procedure!"
When he started extracting essence and controlling natural energy, everything around him became blank. The only thing he could see was the furnace and the herbs. He could not hear or smell anything other than the herbs and the pill. All his five senses was only directed to the pill creation! Because of his extreme focus he came into an advanced state of pill creation. The process went smoothly, the natural energy he used to control the concoction covered the whole furnace, but it was extremely calm. The sight of it can make anyone experience peaceful state. After a while, the pill floated out of the furnace and it emitted blinding light.the light was extremely bright that it covered everything. When the light subsided, Ming Li was holding the completed pill smiling wide as he gripped the pill, threw his head backwards and laughed loudly then shouted "SUCCESS!"
When he regained his senses he asked "What is that pill?" "This is a cure to the poison on your body. I think you can tell its effect. I will give this pill to you, but you have to take me to the leader of this place." Chapter 10: Hero
The crowds gasped and different conversations could be heard. Most of them expressed their gratitude but a few was doubtful about it.
He called for a guard to attend to Ming Li and gave him the best room in the building. He also notified the guard assist Ming Li on his every needs. Ming Li did not refuse the offer and bowed to the Chief as he headed to the room to rest.
The room was wide and luxurious, It was filled with different ornaments which made it seem elegant. The Guard offered him food and stood near his room. Ming Li was extremely satisfied even though he did not receive any reward yet. Being extremely poor a month ago, he felt that he was already reaping his rewards. Ming Li stayed in the room and ate luxurious foods and slept for a while.
He continued this for several days. He felt gratified with the feeling that he owns the village. As he was walking proudly like a prince, he almost tripped when he saw Chao Shi nearing him. Chao Shi laughed and said "Seems like you are enjoying your time here." Ming Li replied shyly like a kid who has been caught doing something embarrassing "No I am just trying to help the villagers."
"Do not worry, It is Ming Li who decided to help the whole town, no need to treat me in such a way, but I would gladly accept your offer since I am a bit tired."
Ming played with the cube until he got tired. Chao Shi on the other hand has entered deep meditation ignoring Ming Li.
Ten days passed and the Village Chief along with the Village Elder came back to the town. They have five sets of the ingredients which can create fifty pills! Ming Li was surprised on how these mere three people gathered these many herbs at a mere ten days. The Village Chief handed him the herbs as he looked at Ming Li happily. Chapter 11: Disciple
He learned music, arts and even agriculture. Since he was being treated as the young master, he was spoiled and taught by the best people in the Village. Chao Shi noticed his unique thirst for knowledge so he decided that they should stay. His knowledge in herbs grew more but his level did not increase. He was more interested in learning than getting stronger. Chao Shi did not mind this and taught him various things. As months passed by, he decided to put his knowledge into use. He developed a way to help people grow herbs faster and better. The people respected him more with his innovations. Everyone started to consider him as one of the pillars of the Village. The market was also improved because of him. He sold several pills which attracted tourist and adventurers to enter the town. The Village became popular for its pills.
One day Ming Li respectfully came to Chao Shi. His eyes was full of respect and admiration. He said "Senior Chao we have been together for two years now. You have guided me countless times. Everything I know, I owe to you. I also never repaid my debt to you, instead you nurtured me to who I am today. You have given me priceless gifts but most importantly is that you treated me well. So well that I felt I am unworthy of your kindness."
Then Chao Shi replied as he reached for the wooden tablet. "This treaty has not been used for ages. I never expect I''ll see this from you. Showing me your resolve is enough. Also I have long since considered you as my disciple. You can stand now my disciple." Tears appeared in Ming Li''s eyes. It was the first time that someone accepted him. He has been treated roughly by most of the people for as long as he can remember. His parents died when he was still very young. He has been begging or stealing food since he was a little boy. He was also homeless and lived at the outskirt of the town where he was born. His tears continued to flow without him knowing. Then he kowtowed again "This kowtow is to show my gratitude for being accepted as your disciple. Master please continue to guide me" Chao Shi nodded then helped him up as he gently looked at Ming Li. ...
...
Another one wearing a mask spoke "Follow him." Then one figure carrying five swords disappeared. No one seems to notice his disappearance. The remaining four continued to discuss the matter regarding the poison, then a person with a huge scar from his forehead down to the side of his lips said "Let''s just turn this town upside down and interrogate everyone."
The man wearing a mask nodded with a sinister smile. ...
When the fifth sun sets, Ming Li was already tired and decided to go back to his mansion. The black robed man stood up and his eyes gleamed as he thought "At last this bastard finally finished doing useless things. He made me wait for a whole day. I''ll slaughter him if I get the chance."
Again he noticed Ming Li start studying magical items. He got pissed and said "This kid does nothing but study instead of train. I''ll just kill him now. He''s pissing me off"
His eyes gleamed as he retracted his senses and fled far away while grabbing a pearl. He then imprinted some information on it and crushed the pearl. As soon as the pearl was crushed, the four black robed man looked at his direction and rushed towards him. The black robed man with five swords stayed hidden at a distance. He made sure that Chao Shi would not notice him until all his comrades came. But suddenly he felt a weird chill behind him as an old man materialized! Chapter 12: Danger!
The black robed man''s eyes went wide as he felt an attack directed at him. He tried to block the palm strike from Chao Shi, but with a huge boom, he was sent tumbling backwards. The four black robed man felt this, and all of them released their sealed aura. The Village Chief along with other warriors in the town felt the aura and rushed outside of their respective residence. They all took out various artifact, and began transmitting messages. After which, they all decided to head at the direction of the sound.
Ming Li got startled with the change in aura outside which made him look out the window. There, he saw the giant sword and Chao Shi at a distance.
When he saw the sword, his body went stiff and coughed up a mouthful of blood. Blood also oozed from his eyes as he fell on his knees panting heavily. Chao Shi stood motionless looking at the black robed man. He then released his own aura which caused the heavens to rumble the earth to quake.
While the fight was ongoing, the four blacked robed man appeared nearby observing the situation. The masked man pulled out the bone relic which glowed brightly as it pointed at Chao Shi!
Chao Shi said "What are you people after?" The man with mask then appeared near the man with scar and said."You do not need to know. You will die here." While they were talking, the dark bald man put his palm together, which caused his golden bracelet to emit a blinding light. As he floated in the air, he then punched the air as a golden fist materialized and headed directly at Chao Shi. At the same time, the solemn faced man opened his eyes, it was pure black with a small white retina. His face then distorted, transforming into a devilish face. After which, he roared, and a violent energy was created from his roar combining with the fist of the dark bald man. Chao Shi stood his ground and circulated his energy supporting the orb. The two attack made the shield crumble and created an ear piercing noise. However, Chao Shi still stood at the same spot looking at the masked man.
Thereafter,the five black robed man panted and grouped together. Chao Shi was also breathing heavily extremely worried of the situation. The experts of the village now arrived at the area watching the scene unfold. They tried to approach the area but they were deflected by the strong aura of the battle. They were all shocked at what they were witnessing. They do not even know what realm these people are in, and the only thing they were sure about was that, they will die with a single wave of a hand of these people. Ming Li was also extremely amazed at Chao Shi''s strength. It was his first time seeing Chao Shi fight. He never thought that his master was monstrously strong! However, even with the strength he saw, he knew that his master was at a great disadvantage. The five Black robed man all released their energy, everyone nearby couldn''t breath and coughed up blood. Some weaker people bleed at their eyes nose ears and died a horrible death. The one who were lucky enough to be not affected gaped in shock, and immediately retreated backwards. They have no choice but to escape. Chapter 13: Death!
When the explosion was at its peak, it was suddenly sucked inward like the time was being reversed. The explosion which was sucked inward, formed a red glowing orb emitting terrifying destructive force!
The eyes of the black robe men went wide when they saw the void, and immediately, they created energy barriers to escape the void. After the attack, obvious signs of exhaustion can be seen on Caho Shi''s face. Again, he produced a set of magical items and bit his fingers. Then he wrote a magical symbol in the air causing the magical items to churn and melt to form into a single wooden dragon.
The Villagers started to rejoice because Chao Shi wasgaining the upper hand even though they can see him breathing heavily with blood oozing from his mouth, and his clothes were torn apart. However, when everyone was rejoicing, another wolf came out of the rift! And then another one, until four wolves came out! The Villagers faces fell, as fear struck their body. The man with mask said with a smile "Why are you shocked? Wolves always attack in packs." The enormous wolves then pounced at the dragon which caused Chao Shi''s face to fall and Ming Li to feel extremely worried.
As he stared at Chao Shi''s shield being destroyed one after another, tears started to flow from his eyes. He punched the window with all his strength but it did not even move. He also tried attacking it several times with his skill but nothing happened. Chao Shi was now kneeling with one knee. He was totally devoid of energy as he stared at Ming Li on a distance and smiled gently then he said "Live my disciple and never allow revenge to ruin you" With his last layer of shield remaining, he pressed his dantian with his thumb. A small flame passed through his skin and came out of his dantian!
Ming Li did not understand what Chao Shi was doing, but he felt unexplained sadness and he started crying while shouting asking Chao Shi to stop.
Inside the barrier, only the man with mask and devilish face could be seen. Chao Shi on the other side was kneeling lifeless staring at the direction of Ming Li. The flame from his dantian slowly flickered until it was completely gone.
The two remaining black robed men sighed in relief and sneered at Chao Shi. They turned their gaze at Ming Li and sent out magical skills to destroy the mansion. When their skill hit the mansion, it didn''t even gaze the roots surrounding the mansion.
The masked man then said "That dead bastard probably used an extremely rare treasure and poured every last bit of his energy to complete that skill." He then turned his gaze to the nearby villagers and made a sinister smile Chapter 14: Mourn
Everyone present felt chills run through their bodies when the masked man directed his aura to them. They started to retreat, but everyone felt the heavy pressure which caused their bodies to freeze. The masked man floated and tapped his Cube. As he waved his hands, hundreds of black feathers floated around surrounding him. From afar, the scattered feathers seem to form a giant crow. With the giant crow formed, themasked man grabbed a single feather and threw it at the direction of the villagers. All the feathers then followed the single feather creating an image of a crow attacking its prey. Most of thevillagers circulated their energy as fast as they could to block and flee from the attack. Everyone formed various shields while fleeing with everything they got.
The sight of the massacre was extreme. Blood and gore was everyone. Deafening screams of terror could be heard everywhere. Even with all the scream for help, no one could help them. Not even the tourist and adventurers where spared. The streets was filled with bodies as black feathers was now drenched in red blood. Ming Li was motionless inside the mansion. He was staring at Chao Shi and the direction of the village on a daze, but tears continuously flowed from his eyes.
After some time, the black feathers stopped moving and returned to the masked man. The masked man smiled in satisfaction and flicked his sleeve. All the blood on the feathers were scraped away with the flick of his sleeve as it returned to his cube. He used his conciousness looking for survivors, then he looked at Ming Li and gave a cold snort. The roots were still growing and protecting the mansion, so he did not try to attack one more time, since he knew that it will be useless.
In the past seven days, Ming Li did not eat or drink anything. His life force became extremely weak. In the tenth day, his eyes started to turn white. Aura of death emanated from him, and something inside his cube started to glow. It was the wooden slip! The wooden slip vibrated and shot through the space inside the Cube directly appearing outside. Ming Li did not notice this happening because he was still in deep thought.
On the thirteenth day Ming Li''s eyes suddenly flashed with life as he started to breath heavily while waking up from his long trance. The wooden slip also fell from his forehead and he felt the tears on his cheeks, when he noticed this, he wiped them without thinking. After wiping his tears, he looked at his hands, it was covered in blood. He then realized he was crying blood the past days. He felt extreme hunger, thirst and fatigue. He haven''t slept and consumed anything. With all of his might, he slowly raised his hand tapping the cube weakly. Food and fell out from the cube and a pill which he immediately consumed as he regained a bit of strength. After eating, he noticed the wooden slip on the floor, then picked it up and entered it using his consciousness. Inside the it was still vast and dark, but nearby, he saw a sphere floating covered on black mist. The sphere gave of the feeling of sorrow; the very same feeling he experienced these past days.
When everything became clear to him, he said while staring at the wooden slip "So does this thing create an art based on my deep understanding of something?" After that he was quiet for a moment then put away the wooden slip. Having an art embedded in his soul, he did not feel happy or satisfied. Since he only achieved this because of the death of countless people. He also felt extremely useless that he cant even protect anyone.
Chapter 15: Torment
Chapter 16: Splurge
He immediately formed his water barrier to block the attack, but it wasn''t much use since it was instantly destroyed. "Second brother we should kill him fast to save eldest brother." Said the skinny man.
Ming Li became tired because of the continuous usage of water shield and dodging, but he noticed that the two did not use any skill while fighting him. "Are they waiting for the right moment to utilize their skill? Or are their skills too weak?" They fought continuously, Ming Li wasn''t easily pushed back since he can use his shield and the two did not even use a single skill. Ming Li tried to use torment several times but he was unable to do it. He realized that his level was too low to cast it on another person. So he decided to pull out the torment affecting the man with a scar. The man became too weak and his skin have signs of rotting. When Ming Li retracted the skill, the deteriorated part of his body did not recover and he could not gather his strength to move. Ming Li then pointed his hands at the huge man and the sphere of symbols formed at the tip of his fingers. The man was startled and he tried to dodge, Ming Li then smiled and thought "So that''s how it is. You guys have no skill."
Ming Li''s eyes flashed with killing intent as he lifted his hands. The man shouted in terror "No! Young Master please do not attack me with that skill." "And why should I not attack you?"
Ming Li smiled and said "Ok give me all the soul ores." The man rushed his two brothers and collected the soul ores, then he tossed it below Ming Li. Chapter 18: Demon "Me a demon? I haven''t even seen a demon my whole life." Ming Li said without care. "Your core is red right? The spirit asked.
Ming Li''s eyes went wide and said. "It just turned red recently when I ate some fruit. That doesn''t make me a demon." "If you say so. But natural energy seem to stay away from you like it would to a demon. You can try absorbing demonic energy. Maybe that will make things clearer" The spirit then moved away and disappeared at the river.
Are one of my parents actually a demon. Ming Li thought then he asked "Are half demons like me?" Chapter 18: Demon "Me a demon? I haven''t even seen a demon my whole life." Ming Li said without care. "Your core is red right? The spirit asked.
Ming Li''s eyes went wide and said. "It just turned red recently when I ate some fruit. That doesn''t make me a demon." "If you say so. But natural energy seem to stay away from you like it would to a demon. You can try absorbing demonic energy. Maybe that will make things clearer" The spirit then moved away and disappeared at the river.
Are one of my parents actually a demon. Ming Li thought then he asked "Are half demons like me?" Chapter 19: Choice Ming Li woke up from his daze and looked at his body. He felt better and his wounds were almost healed. Something inside him changed and he instantly knew that he increased his level! He stepped at the sixth level of the beginners realm. "Just how many days has passed!? That was dangerous. It''s a good thing those guys didn''t find me or else I would have died without knowing why." Ming Li immediately leaped and tried to get further away. Meanwhile, Gui Mo was furious, since he has been searching for three whole days, but he didn''t find Ming Li. He already beat out some of his men out of anger. A mere fifth level escaping from him was a huge blow to his pride. One of his trusted follower was also badly wounded during the chase. He never expected such outcome. His men continued to search the forest. He deployed additional manpower just to ensure his success.
They concluded that he used a high level healing skill or pill to heal his wounds. What they didn''t expect is that Ming Li continuously refined demonic energy while avoiding them. While escaping, Ming Li found a small cave with a bit of demonic energy. He tried to study the demonic energy and control it. When it comes to natural energy Ming Li can utilize it freely but he can''t refine it. His recent observation revealed that he can refine demonic energy and control it as well. Demonic energy refinement can increase his level and with that his control over both demonic and natural energy will increase. His eyes shone brightly as he took interest in demonic energy. He wondered how many more different type of energy exists in the world. He also realized that demonic energy cannot be easily found just anywhere. There are specific conditions for it to be produced. When he couldn''t get any more deeper understanding of demonic energy, he gave up studying it for the mean time and started refining it. It just took him a few hours to completely drain the demonic energy in the small cave. "This isn''t good. I can refine demonic energy and I feel that it does help me get stronger, but there isn''t enough. I only broke through last time because I was almost at the sixth level." He stood up with determined face "I need to look for more information about demons and find a clue to help me get stronger fast." After a while, he sat down again and scratched his head "I can''t even go back to the town because of those crazy people, and I have no idea where the next town is." He stood up again with gleaming eyes "That''s it! I need to join a sect or some organization like those guys so I can hide." But not even five breaths of time passed he lost his determination and said "In the end I need to go back in the town or find another town to accomplish this"
He chose this sect because they have groups who have members weaker than 5th level. Also he kept observing them and realized that they form groups to specifically gather herbs. This only proved that they have a lot of information about herbs which Ming Li could use. Near the outskirts of the forest Ming Li can be seen suppressing an 9th level armored bear using torment. He already knew that suppressing a 9th level was his current limit. He could not fully suppress the monster, but he can weaken it to the point where he could tie it up by using magical chains he bought in the town earlier to tie the armored bear. He hunted this monster for several days deep in the forest. It took him one whole day just to drag it near the outskirts of the town where the group from crystal leaf sect always pass by. Chapter 20: Sect Ming Li passed through the town without problem and went directly into the sect. Duan Ho and the group were very nice to Ming Li, they told him a lot about their sect and the town "Our sect is just a branch sect located in this town, but we are treated as an important part of the major sect since we are the best producers of pills, Nature''s dew, and Crystal Leaf, second only to the major sect. Also our sect has three pavilion which serves as our sect''s pillars, they are Apothecary Pavilion, Magic Skill Pavilion, and Weapons Pavilion. We are proud members of the apothecary pavilion, that is why our levels is a bit lagging compared to others. Unlike the disciples in other groups, we have to put a lot of time in studying plants. It was the first time that Ming Li heard of Nature''s dew and crystal leaf, but before he could inquire about it they were right infront of the sect entrance. The sect has a huge metal gate and brick walls which was covered in vines of various poisonous plats. Inside, Ming Li saw a giant crystal leaf hovering at the center of the sect. The leaf looked extremely elegant and perfectly carved. Even though it was made of crystal, Ming Li can''t help but think that it wasa real leaf of a giant tree. Everywhere, there were many people walking around holding plants, weapons, or crystal leaves. "Why are the people holding many items, and what are those crystal leaves, it looks like the one hovering over there." Yu Lan chuckled and pointed at the giant leaf "That giant leaf is said to be brought here by an ancestor from the main sect to protect this branch sect. Those crystal leaves are created by the Apothecary Pavilion. Crystal leaves is created from various plants combined to create a magical item that can execute a magical skill on its own. The Apothecary Pavilion specialize in growing and hunting various herbs but the thing that makes the apothecary pavilion unique is not only our crystal leaf, but we also have a special method to mix several plant extract and create a liquid which is concentrated natural energy! Unlike pills which just allows someone to improve natural energy absorption and refinement, this liquid can directly give the core pure and refined natural energy! The only downside is that the method in creating the liquid is more rigorous." Ming Li listened carefully to every word of Yu Lan as his interest kept growing, and could''t help but grin unconsciously. Duan Ho added "Also, those disciples are holding those items because today is the weekly trade, where disciples exchange goods and also sell to the people in town. I will teach you about that stuff next time, Let me first introduce you to my father." Without much delay, they all went to the Apothecary Pavilion. Inside, strong scent of plants covered the whole place. They entered several doors and hallways until they arrived at garden filled with plants. The sight was refreshing, there were a lot of variety of plants and even trees. At the edge of the field, he saw a man on his forties. He was tall and slender with long beard and brown eyes, the same brown eyes as Duan Ho.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Father! Father!.. I brought a friend over who wants to join the sect." Said Duan Ho. The man smiled lovingly and said "Is he your friend? If he is your friend of course your father will consider." Duan Ho replied "He is not just our friend, He saved our lives from a rampaging armored bear near the outskirts of town. Even though he is the same level as me he is much stronger!" The man looked at Ming Li "Young man my name is Duan Che, second head in the of the Apothecary Pavilion and I thank you for saving my son''s life." Ming Li was taken aback and slightly shivered, he knew that Duan Ho has good connection in the sect since he have been observing their group for several days. However, he never thought that Duan Ho would actually have a high ranking father in the sect. "Holy @$*@, if this old man knew that I planned everything I will be screwed." Ming Li saluted and replied "It is nothing Senior Duan Che. Your son and his friends treated me well along the way and taught me many things, that is enough payment for me." "Ming Li, my son said you wish to enter the sect. Which pavilion so you wish to serve?" Duan Che directly asked. "Senior it would be best to join the Apothecary Pavilion since I have interest in plants and herbs." Ming Li flatly answered. Duan Che laughed "Good. Well I won''t be strict with your requirements since you saved my son, so I will allow you to join the sect under my special privilege as the second head of the apothecary pavilion." Duan Che tapped his cube and a crystal leaf flew out "Take this crystal leaf, it will prove you are part of the apothecary pavilion. Also Ho''er take him to the earth disciples area and show him his room. After that come back here to me." Duan Ho escorted Ming Li at his room "This is the area you will stay. Earth disciples stay in this area. Each one are given their own room, you can study plants outside at the yard for the earth level disciples. Do not worry I''ll teach you more stuff later. For now read this book its a guide for new disciples. I need to go now, since father is waiting." Ming looked out the window "Alright this place is great and the view outside is also good. Thank you." When Duan Ho left, Ming Li started studying the book. In the book, the history of the sect waswritten up to the rules in the sect and how it operates. "So I need to either grow or hunt for plants and exchange them for soul ores. The sect basically manages a fair market. Anyonecan earn any amount if you just work hard. Also there are three level of disciples here, the earth, mountain and sky. I am currently at the lowest level right now and since this is the Apothecary Pavilion, I have two choices to become a mountain disciple and that is to either become extremely rich and buy my spot or achieve the required skill level." "For now I''ll observe outside and see what I can buy or sell." "This place is interesting. I''ll walk out for a bit to look at the plants being sold and the quality of pills." Chapter 21: Poor Since it was the weekly trade day, the market inside the sect was bustling. Thousands of items were being traded or sold for soul ores. When Ming Li saw these, his eyes shone with excitement "This is amazing! There are so many items here! I think I really made the right choice." Ming looked around for a bit and saw a lot of rare herbs. His mind was like an encyclopedia identifying the herbs with a glance. It took some time for him to analyze rare herbs, but he still identified almost all of it. He kept observing many herbs and their prices until he saw one particular plant. When he saw this plant, he felt his core vibrating, and he sensed rich demonic energy from the plant. "What is that plant?" Ming Li asked the disciple who was selling it. "Oh! You got good eyes. That plant is the legendary Demon''s Grace plant. It is said that back in ancient times many good demons brought this to the humans land, and allowed the humans to plant them. Legends say that these plants absorbs demonic energy and stores them in their roots completely cleansing the surrounding of demonic energy, which creates an environment that the demons would not like. Well, we cannot confirm if those legends are real since there is no way to identify demonic energy. However, these plants are extremely useful to supplement some plants for pill creation. Sadly these plants became rare now and expensive, because of its diverse uses." "If I use this plant and create a nature''s dew, I can probably advance faster!" Ming Li thought. "So how much is that herb?" The disciple answered with enthusiasm "Twenty thousand soul ores." Ming Li''s jaw dropped and exclaimed "Twenty what!? Isn''t that a bit too expensive!?" The disciple frowned and said "You can ask other disciples for their demons grace and lets see if you get a cheaper price." Ming Li left and looked for other stalls who sells the same plant. He found some store but their prices were more expensive and varies up to 25 thousand soul ores. "Why the hell is it extremely expensive!? Fruit of Divine Blessing my ass, it''s more like eternal curse. Because of that fruit I have no choice but to refine demonic energy which is extremely scarce!" Ming Li sighed and said "Since the village used up most of its resources to heal all the villagers, I only got around one million soul ore from the village. I''ll get broke before I can even reach Body Tempering realm. I am not even sure how much demonic energy I can get from that plant. Also I haven''t seen any other plant which has demonic energy on it. So I guess I have no choice." Ming Li bought one demons grace fortwenty thousand soul ores with a pained expression. He never thought that he''ll spend so much for a single plant. He directly went in his room and refused to spend more soul ores within the day. He studied the plant the whole night and understood a lot about it. After studying the plant, he confirmed that it has a high concentration of demonic energy, but he needs more of it if he wish to rapidly increase his level. He kept the plant and laid down on the bed "I need to learn how to create nature''s dew!" Early in the in the next day, Ming Li decided to visit the garden to plant herbs and accomplish his task as a sect member. The garden was vast and areas were given to disciples for them to tend to. He went to the nearby booth and he saw a man sitting lazily. He has a big build and looks uninterested in his duty. When he saw Ming Li, he didn''t even glance at him and started explaining the rules without even introducing himself "A disciple can plant whatever herb they can grow, but they need to meet the weekly quota set by the sect. The sect gives a list of plants that the disciple should grow, the list varies every time which helps the disciples learn more about plants. Do not worry too much, we have a nature''s dew that can speed up the growth of the plants. However you also need to learn how to createnature''s dew since some plants requires a different type ofnature''s dew to achieve good growth. You can learn that later at the creation hall, so for now go plant those. Oh! and here are the list of your quota for the week." The man threw a small sack full of seeds and a scroll with information and the map of his plot. Ming Li has a dumbfounded look while leaving carrying all the seeds. He directly went to his plot of land and started planting. He dripped a bit of Nature''s dew on a seed and planted it. After a while, his excitement grew when he saw a bud sprout from the ground. He waited for several breaths with a wide smile, and the bud slowly kept growing. "If this continues, this plant will fully mature on just three days! Wow this Nature dew is really amazing!" Ming Li continued planting every seed and proceeded to the creation hall to immediately learn how to make Nature''s dew. He was very curious about it, since It was not like pill creation where it almost came naturally to him like it was part of his art. When he entered the inner part of the creation hall, he saw a large space with three huge pillars supporting the dome ceiling. He saw various murals of plants in the ceiling and walls. A lot of disciples were sitting crossed legged infront of a magical symbol with floating plants inside of it. Ming Li observed the plants and he noticed that the plants started to slowly wither. In a short while, he realized that the plant''s energy was slowly being sucked out and started to condense at their leaves, forming a drop of liquid that looks like a morning dew! the droplet then combined into a single drop which the disciple then collects. Ming Li''s eyes glittered with excitement. "So its not like pill creation. It is an art! maybe a minor art. So that''s why I did not know how to do it unlike pill creation." An old man wearing pure white robe with black long beard and thick eyebrows approached him then sized him up. The old man suddenly scoffed "I see you are the disciple that entered without a test. Using connection to enter the sect rarely happens and is not encouraged, but since the second head recommended you, I have no choice but to teach you the art. Here take this scroll and study it. It contains the art you just saw. It is called plant core manipulation art, That is a secret art of the sect, so you better return it after you learn it. Well that is if you can learn it. I have nothing against you but I am a man who values talent more than connections."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Ming Li didn''t even care about what the man said. He was too excited to see and learn the art. He felt like this art is somehow connected to the art given to him by his master. Ming Li went away when he got the scroll and found a spot to study it. The old man''s eyes gleamed with fury for Ming Li''s lack of respect and just glared at him at the side. He can''t do anything to Ming Li since he was brought in by the second head of the pavilion. As the master of the hall, he was the type that hates people who uses connection to gain advantage. So for him Ming Li was just like any other useless people who relies on others to achive his goals. When Ming Li opened the scroll, he felt deep connection and his consciousness instantly went in the scroll. The master of the hall did not notice this because of his hate for Ming Li. Since he never believed that Ming Li can learn the art, because if he has talent, he would chose to enter the sect by passing the test instead of using connections. Ming Li''s consciousness entered a space, there are a lot of plants just like the first time he learned his art. The difference was that he can see the boundaries of this area. It was small but the energy in the place is somewhat different. Since he has his own art regarding plants, he easily understood that this art is really a minor art derived from his art! He also gained more understanding between the difference of minor art and a pure art. Currently, he has two pure arts and this is the first time he saw a minor art. If anyone knew he has two pure art, they would be extremely shocked. He sat crossed legged and studied the space. The energy in the space constantly varies, as if hundreds of plants energy fills the space at different intervals. Ming Li stared at the space for hours. The plants swayed as it absorbed and disperse energy. Slowly, he understood the plant energy. When he fully grasped the concept of the energy, his eyes went blank and the energy in the surrounding rushed through his eyes directly entering his soul merging into his first art. "So plants has their own way to refine energy just like a living being, by pulling that refined energy out and combining various energy of other plant around it, I can create a specific type of energy that I can use. The one who created this minor art has such a deep understanding of plants!" He opened his eyes and beams of light shone from it. The hall master was startled and he stared at Ming Li with deep expression. "He understood it in such a short amount of time, I think he is the first one to grasp the art below three hours! So I was wrong... I guess the second pavilion master did not just randomly recommended someone." Ming Li tapped his core and twenty five various plants came out. In front of him, a circular symbol with various glyph flowing on it appeared. Several lines was created inside the circle forming various shapes. Every line glowed with golden light, when the symbol was completed, the plants slowly drained it''s energy and formed a dew. The hall master''s eyes went wide when he saw Ming Li extracting several plant dew in one attempt. Normally, beginners can only extract up to three plants and end up failing several times. The dew that formed at each plant became threads of liquid which combined in a single point, then slowly created a single drop of liquid which emitted a purple luster! The process went smoothly and almost perfect unlike the time he was learning alchemy. He needed to train for alchemy since it isn''t an art, even though his art gave him an easy way to understand the basics of alchemy. However the minor art he used was part of his pure art so executing it was easier. While staring at the process, the hall master''s jaw dropped when he saw the purple dew. Even he was not capable of creating such nature''s dew in his first attempt. Everyone in the hall also turned their attention to Ming Li who just created such a pure nature''s dew. Different expression could be seen but Ming Li wasn''t even aware of it. He was completely indulged in creating the dew that he lost senses of the things happening around him. Ming Li smiled when he saw the completed dew. Then he sucked in air causing the dew to rush into his mouth. When he ingested it, a strong surge of energy rushed through his veins and circulated through his whole body, but as usual he failed to refine the energy and it dissipated in the air combining with the natural energy in the area. Ming Li sighed, because he felt that what he made could boost his level, however because of his demonic core, he can''t even refine it. "I need to try it with the demon''s grace plant." Ming Li then stood up, swept his gaze at the disciples and approached the hall master as he extended both of his hands holding the scroll for the plant core manipulation art. "Hall master, I thank you for your personal guidance. I have comprehended a small portion of this great art. I wish to return the art to you and offer my gratefulness on being bestowed by such an art and being guided by such a talented person." Ming Li bowed his head waiting for the sect master to take the scroll. The master felt weirded out with Ming Li''s sudden display of respect, but he still took the scroll. "Hall master since I feel that I am yet to fully master the technique that was given to me, I wish to train alone. This young disciple wishes to depart now and hone my skills so that when I come back I will be worthy of this gift bestowed upon me." Then Ming Li bowed deeply again and left. Everyone was clueless on what happened. Even the hall master as speechless. Many chatters could be heard when Ming Li left. "Did you see that he combined twenty five herbs just like that." "I think he said the hall master specifically guided him." "Maybe that''s why he was able to do it. The hall master probably trained him secretly." "I think he was the one recommended by the apothecary pavilion second head." "Really!? Both the pavilion second master and hall master treats him in a special way? So he has such a high standing!" Everyone created their own speculations and the hall master also realized that he was somehow used to gain respect from the disciples. Since geniuses without background are often ganged on by other strong disciples, he used the hall master and the recommendation given by the second pavilion head to warn the students that he is backed up by people in high position. With this, no one would openly dare to do underhanded things to him, even with people with good background. The hall master stared at the students blankly as he tried to accept that he was somewhat used. He can''t deny what Ming Li announced since Ming Li showed such a rare talent and the disciples already seem to have created their speculations on the matter. It would do no good to anyone if he denied Ming Li''s claim. On his room, Ming Li brought out the demon''s grace and hundred of other plants. "The process is just like pill concoction, but it only deals with the energy in the plant. I need to create a formula specifically for me!" He closed his eyes and focused on the energy of the plants. As he tried to control the energy using the art, the energy of the plants passed through him. The sensation he felt every time an energy swept through him made him understood the specific energy. He did this for several hours with hundreds of plants until he opened his eyes, his eyes was filled with various energy swirling inside his pupils. A circular symbol appeared with various lines in the ground creating various shapes as glyphs flowed around it. Ming Li waved his hands and about twenty different plants went inside the circle. The plants glowed as it was slowly drained with energy forming a dew at its leaves. Each dew in every leaf turned into thin energy threads which converged to form a black drop of liquid. The black drop felt demonic and wild, normal humans would not dare to consume it. People who drink the liquid would surely be corrupted with demonic energy and suffer energy poisoning. It was extremely concentrated, and weird cries could be heard from it. Ming Li got goosebumps by seeing his own creation, but his core felt resonance with it as if it wished to absorb the dew immediately. He also used several other plants to improve the effects of the demon''s grace so that it could be easily absorbed by his human body. Ming Li gulped his saliva as he stared at the hair raising pill. He gritted his teeth and stretched his hand out as he guided the floating nature''s dew into his mouth and he gulped it down without hesitation. Chapter 22: Business
Five hours passed by, he was drenched in sweat as the demonic energy swirled inside his core, and natural energy swirled outside of his body. He opened his eyes and the black part of his eyes slowly evaporated revealing bright luster. The swirling energy stopped and busted in every direction causing his bed and chair to be thrown away.
The demon''s grace was expensive, and he had to use 19 more plants which are equally rare and might be expensive too. His thirst for growth was boundless but his soul ore''s were limited. When everything was over, he popped two pills to ease his hunger and fatigue for lack of sleep. He decided not to sleep and eat from now on and just rely on pills. .
Luckily hedidn''tgain much attention, since he kept changing the color of his robeevery timehe purchased a demon''s grace. The people might recognize his aura but it isn''t important since there arehundredsof peoplespendingmore than him.
Chapter 23: Competition
Since he has been extremely busy creating nature''s dew and talks to no one, he never knew that his divine nature''s dew would be a hot topic the past week. The divine nature''s dew was all sold in a flash. Many still wanted it but all sixty were sold off just minutes after he opened his stall. Some people bought more than five which caused the others to even fight over it. Ming Li was amazed on how popular it was, but he can''t do anything about the production capacity. He simply stared with amazement at the people who still asked him if he still have more. He even thought of increasing the price but that would affect the popularity of the product.
A male blue robed disciple with long hair and feminine face around 17 of age eyed him with murderous intent and said "Observe him for three days and report to me" "Yes young master." The young man around the same age with thick lips and brows nodded.
Ming Li on the other hand walked happily buying thousands of various ordinary herbs. His ability to select plants improved a lot when he entered the sect. The only thing he did was deal with plants so his art improved rapidly. The disciple following him saw him buying thousands of useless ordinary plants and even went as far as buying grasses. His expression was of pure shock. "Why is this idiot buying all of those useless plants? Did he notice me and decided to do that? No that''s not possible, I made sure to keep my distance."
After completely buying thousand of cheap plant and grasses. He returned to his room and shut himself in. The disciple following him has no choice but to stay outside and observe his next move.
After three days, the disciple got nothing from him. He only got the exact time when Ming Li would go out and the fact that he bought a lot of useless plants. He even saw Ming Li plant random grass which caused him to think that those cheap plants and grass might actually be useful. But being a disciple of the sect and knowing how to create nature''s dew, he dismissed the idea of that being possible. He concluded that it was all a diversion to avoid his formula from being exposed. The disciple decided to leave after the third day and he reported everything "Young master, he only go out at specific time and locks himself up on his room, probably to create nature''s dew. He also bought thousand of cheap plants spending around 150 thousand soul ores. That is all young master." "What? He spent that much to cover up his formula? Is he an idiot. Well he think his formula is so great, and he dares to open a stall near to us who sells the same type of nature''s dew and claim it is better. Prepare a group to teach him a lesson next week." "But.. Young master, he is backed up by people who we do not wish to offend." said the man with thick brows and lips.
While creating divine nature''s dew, he never stopped creating demonic nature''s dew when he had the chance. He also continuously absorbed demonic energy from his demonic nature''s dew. Nobody noticed his rapid growth since the disciples only knew him for his nature''s dew and he never attended classes in the sect. Disciples are not required to attend classes and are free to do whatever they want as long as they produce the quota set by the sect, and never break sect rules. Sect rules also allows minor fights within the sect, but killing or crippling someone is not allowed. Also fighting is only allowed in the open and not inside any infrastructure. On the next trade day Ming Li was as groggy as usual, he never rest and always overwork himself so that he could create as much divine nature''s dew as needed. He walked like a zombie and the demonic energy around him is still fresh. It seems like he just absorbed large quantity of demonic energy the past few days. Luckily humans can''t sense the demonic energy, so they can only feel the eerie dark vibe coming from Ming Li. He easily sold sixty divine nature''s dew. It only took him an hour to sell everything. The neighboring disciples who sells nature''s dew looked at him with shock on how much he earns. However they did not dare to cause trouble for Ming Li. Chapter 24: Leaf
So when the two disciples approached him he knew that they are from the same sect, since people in the town won''t dare to offend members of the crystal leaf sect who is the sole supplier of nature''s dew.
Ming Li didn''t respond and only stared at them silently.
After almost losing his life several times since he met his master, Ming Li became wary of his surroundings. When he felt the energy of the two disciple, he ran away without even analyzing if they were actually planning to harm him. Chapter 25: Poison After crushing the leaf, a concentrated mass of energy appeared in his palm, and he immediately directed it to the sturdy looking wall beside him. BOOM! The energy caused an explosion creating a huge crater on the wall. "What was that?" The hall master immediately rushed to Ming Li and saw the damaged wall. He frowned and looked at the remains of the cheap plants beside Ming Li. "Did you create that using those plants?" Ming Li simply nodded bashfully. The hall master was shocked on what Ming Li created with what they consider trash plants. "The crystal leaf you created seems to be powerful, however you damaged sect property so you need to pay for it. You can continue but avoid damaging anything." "Pay!?" Ming Li felt down when he heard the word pay. The hall master left without saying how much Ming Li has to pay and just smiled at Ming Li. "His talent is really rare." The hall master thought while walking away. On the other hand, Ming Li was deeplyregretting his action on damaging the wall. He was just too excited to test out his creation that he never thought the wall would actually cave in. The wall seems to have been reinforced by natural energy, so he casually directed the energy into it. Wallowing with regret, Ming Li created several different crystal leaf. He focused on creating attack based crystal leavesand stayed in the creation hall for several days, focused on creating strongercrystal leaves. Meanwhile outside the sect, the person who saw him wastalking with the member of the crystal leaf sect. "Zhang Da, my master requested you presence today since I saw your underlings, the Wei brothers chasing after someone from your sect earlier" "Ru Gao, what do you care about the sect''s internal affairs?" Zhang Da frowned. Ru Gao smiled and said "We have a common enemy right now, so I seek your cooperation. A member of your sect has offended us in some ways and we wish to get rid of him, However we saw him carrying a crystal leaf badge which means he is your fellow disciple thus making things complicated." Zhang Da''s expression changed "So that''s why! I wonder what that brat Ming Li did to the Black Spider Guild?" "Nothing much, if you can just lure him out of the sect so we can get rid of him. It would be the best for both of us." Rug Gao replied Zhang Da nodded and they continued their plan on luring out Ming Li. ... After several days, Ming Li went out to go to the weekly trade. He causally strode in town like he has no enemies. He set up his stall in his usual spot and sold divine nature''s dew. It was sold faster than usual. It only took a few minutes for him to sell all sixty of it. In the past few days inside the creation hall, he made divine nature''s dew along with crystal leaves. However he never had the time to absorb demonic nature''s dew.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. On the nearby store, many people eyed him with hostility. They kept waiting for Ming Li to leave his spot and proceed with his usual routine on buying plants outside the sect. However, this time Ming Li didn''t go outside, instead he patiently bought what he needed inside the sect. He also felt the killing intent from the people at the nearby store, so he decided to provoke them a bit by arrogantly exposing himself in the streets for some time without any caution. After that, he proceeded into seclusion inside the creation hall. The place was his safe haven. No regular disciple can bother him and fights are not allowed inside. He continued this routine for another week, but still, no one dared to attack him openly. Silently, his level increased to 8th level. Nobody noticed the change, since his aura was always weak from fatigue. His ability to create both nature''s dew and crystal leaf became unbelievably fast. Even the hall master was shocked when he saw Ming Li mass producing crystal leaves. Even with his daily stay in the creation hall, Ming Li never showed the hall master how he created the divine nature''s dew. On the next trade week, Ming Li sold all his nature''s dew with ease. However this time some people looked at him with anger and some with pity. "Something is not right." Ming Li thought. While walking on the market, he noticed that two specific plants which is necessary to create the nature''s dew were out of stock in every store, and one plant he needs for the demonic nature''s dew is also missing on the market. He also heard people talking about him on the streets. It was about his divine nature''s dew being fake and causes severe damage to the core after several usage. This rumor was being talked about by everyone everywhere he go, but he was curious how his nature''s dew became sold out fast despite of all the rumors. He then concluded that the rumors weren''t as severe as he thought. He even saw people trading his nature''s dew. However, when the man who traded for the nature''s dew ingested and absorbed it, he coughed out a mouthful of blood and his energy suddenly weakened. Many people who saw this was shocked. Then someone suddenly said "Isn''t that the person who always buys divine natures dew. I believe he already had consumed around eight divine natures dew and he kept boasting about it. But it seem like the rumors are true that it can damage your core." Many people heard this and glared at Ming Li. Ming Li tried to ignore this one but several people blocked his path. "Fellow disciple it is a crime to plot against majority of disciples by selling unsafe nature''s dew. This is the tenth case this week!" People started to gather, then another group shouted "Since you created that nature''s dew, you should know how to cure the side effects." "Yes! You should cure him!" More people demanded that Ming Li should help the man. The man was pale faced facing the ground with pained expression. Ming Li approached the man and he circulated his energy in the man''s body. Ming Li frowned as he lifted up his hands away from the man. "Someone tampered with my nature''s dew! Some type of poisonous energy was added into my natures due which caused these symptoms." Another voice came from the crowd "Then cure him if you are so sure about your claim!" "Alright I will cure him, but I''ll need some Blue star flower, green glazed grass, Midnight rose, burning petals flower and a lightning leaf! I''ve been walking around in the market for some time but I have not seen a single Midnight rose, blue star flower and lightning leaf. If there are anyone of you who have this I would like to buy them." Someone shouted " If you need them then go out of the sect and search for them in the town market" "Yeah go and look for it yourself!" "You should do it!" Many people voiced their complains and tried to have Ming Li leave and look for the plants. Ming Li felt something was wrong, but he can''t act rashlyat the moment. These disciples wereready to attack him anytime, since incidents like mass poisoning in the clan wasa grave crime. Most of these disciples were the ones who envied Ming Li the most. They kept expressing their hatred on Ming Li and influenced other disciples. More and more voices could be heard until Ming Li sighed and decided to head out of the sect to look for the plants. Right now he had no choice, no one would dare to help him in this situation since he have no actual connection in the sect. Duan Ho and his group was in the main sect training and the Apothecary Pavilion second head wouldn''t help him with mere earth disciples problems. Chapter 26: Eliminate Ming Li stepped out of the sect''s gate and directly headed to the town market. When he was about to enter the town''s market, he felt chills run through his body. He looked around and saw no one, however the killing intent directed to him didn''t vanish. After several more steps, three people appeared behind him and two people infront. He also saw four more people on the roofs of the houses. Ming Li felt extreme sense of danger and without hesitation crushed two crystal leaves! Energy appeared within the crushed leaves and floated in his palms. Ming Li immediately directed this energy in the two people infront of him. Their face flickered and jumped backward trying to dodge the attack, However they were caught off guard and huge explosion resounded in the town. Ming Li leaped forward as soon as he released the energy. The path was opened because of the explosion and the people blocking him was startled. Ming Li crushed another crystal leaf and a thick smoke appeared around him. It spread fast and covered a whole 30 meter radius in an instant. Ming Li started running as fast as he could away from the pursuers. Each and every one of the people who blocked him was stronger than him. The weakest was eight level and the strongest was at the tenth level. The people in the town was startled because of the large quantity of smoke. Fighting was common inside the town, however using such a method wasn''t common, so it attracted quite a lot of attention. However, no one dared to interfere in the fight, ?and just turned a blind eye to what was happening. Ming Li saw the reaction of the people in the town and he frowned. "So no one dares to help me." He decided to change his direction and ran at the nearest boundary wall of the town. The people chasing him easily caught up, but they could''t approach Ming Li easily, since he has been using crystal leaf whenever someone tries to get near. Soon Ming Li reached the borders of the town and jumped over it. Since he is now at the eight level his speed doesn''t pale in comparison to the people chasing him. The crystal leaves he made also proved useful. All the crystal leaf he made was the only reason he decided to risk going out of the creation hall, and even going out of the sect. He knew that his crystal leaves could save his life, It is his ultimate weapon. He made hundreds of it, thinking that he might get attacked again, but he never thought he would get attacked by so many people outside the sect. Ming Li thought "These guys doesn''t seem to be from the crystal leaf sect. If they are not from the sect, that only means they are those assholes that attacked me before." He escaped through the forest and used crystal leaves to create thicker smoke. He never stopped running until he felt that the people chasing him were gone. When he was about to start running at a different direction to ensure he can escape safely, a silhouette of a young man suddenly appeared not far away infront of him. It closed in at a fast pace. Ming Li felt a familiar aura and said "So it is really you guys!" The young man replied "Oh, so you remembered me. It took me a while to recover from the wounds you gave me and was at loss when we never found you again. Luckily I saw you being chased by those people from the crystal leaf sect. That gave us the chance to meet again." "I should have killed you back then!" Ming Li glared viciously and golden symbols appeared around him. Ru Gao felt the familiar skill Ming Li used to attack him, so he jumped backwards trying to avoid the skill from Ming Li. Ru Gao tapped his Cube and a sword appeared in his hand, It was the the same sword he used to stab Ming Li. He slashed his sword in the air, wind slashes appeared in the air directly toward Ming Li. Ming Li crushed another crystal leaf and energy blasted from his palms causing the wind slashes to dissipate. The two stared at each other for a while, then they both erupted with all of their energy. Ru Gao is now at the ninth level while Ming Li is at the eight level. Ru Gao''s energy surged as natural energy swirled around him. he waved his hand and blade several times creating a form of incantation, which seemed to be his strongest attack.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. On the other hand, Ming Li opened his right palm and the symbols surrounding his body flowed into his palm creating a spherical group of symbols. On his left hand he crushed a crystal leaf, and great amount of energy erupted from it concentrating in his palm. He took the initiative and quickly rushed to Ru Gao, Ru Gao saw Ming Li rushing towards him and he stopped the incantation, then red glow appeared in his sword. His sword seemed like a molten metal where unimaginable heat emanated from it. It felt like one swing could cut anyone in half like a butter. When Ming Li saw this he did not stop and continued to rush forward, he didn''t want to waste time since he knew that other persuers might catch up, and the only way to escape was to end this fight as soon as possible. He clenched his teeth and when he was five steps infront of Ru Gao, he stretched his arms forward releasing the energy in his hands. Ru Gao also raised his sword over his head, made a single step and slashed downward swiftly. The slash was so fast and perfect, it only drew a straight red line. The red line expanded and advanced forward into Ming Li''s attack. On the moment of impact Ming Li didn''t back down and continued rushing forward, It was like he was fully confident he would win the exchange. Ru Gao''s eyes went wide when he saw his attack slowly crumble and disappear. Ming Li also appeared directly from the collision of the attack and jumped towards Ru Gao. He tried to slash Ming Li with his sword, but before his sword could touch Ming Li. A palm was already touching his chest and he heard the word "Torment". Suddenly symbols erupted at the point of contact spreading throughout his body. He felt extreme pain which he had felt before. He kneeled in the ground trying to overcome the pain, however the pain was greater compared to the last time he felt it. Back then Ming Li was just at the fifth level, which made his torment weaker. With Ming Li at eight level, he could not even move from the pain. Ming Li breathed heavily as he looked at the pained face of Ru Gao and said "You lost because you underestimated me. I knew that your attack''s are flame based, so I prepared a crystal leaf with high concentration of cold energy. Last time I allowed you live, but right now you should die so I can avoid further trouble!" "I already learned my lesson and would not allow enemies to just walk away with injuries." Ming Li produced another crystal leaf, crushed it then directed it at Ru Gao''s head, Ru Gao''s pupils constricted as he screamed in fear. BOOM! Ru Gao''s head was blown into bits since he can''t defend with natural energy because of the pain caused by torment. Ming Li felt heavy and he shivered. This was his very first time actually killing a human. He felt bad for it, however he had no choice but to continue killing anyone who came after him. His lack of resolve last time led to this predicament, so he made up his mind to eliminate anyone so he can survive. His pursuers heard the noises of fighting and went to his direction. Ming Li looked at Ru Gao''s corpse and saw a cube fell beside it. He picked it up and ran away. Ming Li was still affected by his first time killing a human, It wasn''t the same as his first time killing a monster. He decided that he should treat his enemies like monsters so that he could kill them easily. He continued to flee nonstop. He remembered the time when he was last fleeing in the forest where he was in a hopeless situation, however this time he has the ability to fight back. After a while he saw a man not far away. Ming Li immediately recognized the man as one of his pursuers. Luckily the man did not notice him and continued his search. The man was at the same level as him and seems to be alone. Ming Li''s eyes flashed with killing intent as he slowly followed the man. When he got around 30 steps away from the man, he crushed another crystal leaf and rushed forward, he pointed his finger while running and said "Torment". A ball of symbols appeared instantly and flew towards the man. When the man noticed the sphere he quickly created a shield and saw Ming Li. The spherespread to the shield and stayed over it. Ming Li directed the crushed crystal leaf creating a huge fire ball. It burned everything along it''s path and didn''t slow down one bit. The man''s expression changed and felt the danger from the attack. He never thought that a person on the same level as him could create a scary attack and whats bothering him more are the symbols attached around his shield. He tapped his cube and a talisman flew out. He blew on the talisman and a sharp arrow of water flew out from the talisman. Ming Li stopped his advance when he saw the water arrow. He pulled out another crystal leaf and crushed it. Another ball of fire came out following the first attack. The water arrow extinguished the ball of fire. However a second fire ball was behind it. The man doesn''t have another talisman to protect him from the attack, so he tried to dodge it. When he dispelled his shield and tried to run away, the symbols flowed trough him. His eyes widened as one symbol after another attach itself into his skin. He felt extreme pain adding up every time a symbol touched his body. He felt like his bones shattered and eyes was gouged out. Different type of pain flowed into his body. It was worst than death. As he felt the ball of flame hit him and instantly burning him to ashes, he felt relived that it ended the unimaginable pain he experienced. He had a weak mind which made him chose to die than to experience the unimaginable pain he felt. Chapter 27: Purpose That was his second kill. He didn''t feel much comfortable killing the second time, but he accepted it easier compared to the first. Again he picked up the cube of the man and felt someone closing in. "Another one?" ...This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. His persuers also completely lost track of him and decided to give up for the time being. They never expected that a single person could cause numerous deaths in their ranks. Chapter 28: Cave
Without even thinking much about it, Ming Li strode into the forest of rocks. Inside the forest, the natural energy seemed to lessen as he goes deeper. He didn''t even see any animals or monsters along the way. Even animals would not like to live in a place without natural energy.
For Ming Li, demonic energy is extremely precious. Even though the monster seemed weird and scary, he doesn''t care much. All he wanted to do was to exterminate the monster as soon as possible, so he can absorb all the demonic energy in the cave.
He was surprised that after a long time nobody took the corpse. Also it seems like only a few people ever stepped into the cave. He came to a conclusion that maybe the humans who came to this cave cannot feel demonic energy, and was unable to identify the terrifying nature of the corpse. "Is this a demon?" Ming Li deeply wondered.
Chapter 29: Strength?
His core was like a vortex absorbing demonic energy at a rapid rate. Even though he has a demonic core, his body was still human, so great stress fell into his body and veins. He doesn''t know if the rate his core absorbs demonic energy was normal or not. However at this rate, he felt that he would explode before he could even refine the all of the energy inside the cave. Ming Li emptied his mind and closed all his senses. He focused on refining demonic energy since his core was acting like a hungry beast devouring demonic energy on its own. Time slowly passed as he entered a meditative state. His body calmed down a bit, he lost track of time and continued the refinement.
He slowly opened his eyes and it emitted a blinding glow. The blood covering his entire body rapidly evaporated and formed into a red mist. He slowly stood up and when he clenched his fist, the excess demonic energy erupted from his body. It was an invisible blast of energy shooting in all direction forming a spherical blast from his core. Boom!
He contemplated the actions of the deer which led to its demise. Scenes from his past flashed over his mind as he think about the circumstances of the deer. He involuntarily compared his situation with the deer, then he slowly shook his head. He realized that when he was a kid, he was too busy trying to find food and he had no time to dream. His only goal back then was to survive each day. If he hadn''t met his master, he would probably be still stuck to his miserable life. Because of his background, he thought that what if his goal is to simply survive. Become strong enough to survive anything. "Is it really to survive? Is that what I truly seek?" Ming Li pondered for a while, however he thought about his life with his master. During those three short years he felt more alive, he had found out many things he liked to do. He felt good when he found friends and when people respected him in the village. Then he thought "Maybe what I seek is to have prestige to rule over men? Or to be respected?" After a little while, another thought came to him. "Or is it riches?" every man seek to be wealthy. Also, since Ming Li was born poor and his parents died at an early age, Ming Li has always been dreaming of becoming rich. He sighed the shook his head. "Yes I definitely want to be rich, but I don''t feel right that its actually what I seek." "Humans really have too many desires that it''s hard to even know what your heart really wants." He slowly walked away from the cave and glanced at his surroundings, he stared at the plants then another thought came into his head "Do I want to pursue alchemy or medicine and follow my masters dream? I do have the qualification." After a bit of thinking, he went to a nearby tree and touched it as he remembered his master, then he said "My master would be shocked if I actually followed his steps. I believe he would agree more if I wish to seek riches."
He stayed calm and deeply thought of the path of getting strong. It is a path that many seeks, a path of blood and tears. Many people with the same desire battle it out achieve what they seek. He became immersed with the idea of getting strong. If he is strong, he can gain riches, glory, and anything he desire. It is one of the most ideal thing to seek, and seems like it is the most logical step to take. During his deep contemplation a strand of demonic energy passed through his body. The demonic energy was so little it is almost non existent, however it still broke his train of thought and caught his attention. He looked at the source of demonic energy and saw the dead body of the monster he killed earlier. "Demonic energy?" he calmly said. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.After several questions, he lifted his feet and made his first step. His eyes was focused on the cave slowly radiating a sense of understanding. Chapter 30: Step With his first step, the land around him trembled, his veins expanded and became thicker. The demonic energy in his core circulated through his veins nonstop. Amazingly, his thicker veins withstood the pressure from the demonic energy. Then he glanced at the side looking at the setting sun. Another question popped in his mind "Why are there six suns and three moons?" While asking the question, he took his second step. The land below his feet rumbled and cracked. Small stones floated then shattered. His muscles tightened and hardened. It did not became thicker however the hardness became greater than its previous state. He became a bit taller and his scrawny appearance transformed into a dignified look. Again, he took his third step and asked "What lies beyond this boundless plane?" When his feet landed on the ground it caved it. Every bones in his body became thicker and harder. It emitted a metal like luster which is far from the bones of a mortal. Even boulders would not be able to crush his bones easily anymore. On his fourth step, he murmured "what is art?" After that one sentence, everything around him slowed down. He noticed that his senses were greatly enhanced. Not only his five senses, even his consciousness became clearer. It was like he can feel things happening fifty meters away from him. He immediately took his fifth step while asking another question "What is our origin?". After this question his organs evolved into something stronger and more efficient. He did not waste time and asked more questions as he took his sixth step. His sixth step made the space around him distort allowing him to appear directly in front of the cave. His eyes shone with profound glow as if he understood what he seek. "Is what I seek the truth?.." "Is it the answer to all of my questions?" "NO! What I seek is much simpler than that." Rumbling echoed out below him as he said"I simply wish to seek knowledge! Knowledge to answer my questions! Knowledge to arrive at the truth! I do not wish to know everything, I simply wish to have knowledge to satisfy my curiosity!!" His mind trembled, he raised his head, and profound glow from his eyes shot through the sky which pierced through the clouds. It was like telling the heavens that he stepped out of the mortal realm and started his path as a seeker! He laughed proudly which echoed towards the sky, then he slowly closed his eyes. Everything around him was filled with silence for a while. The wind ceased to blow and the trees stopped moving. It was like time actually stopped around him, and everything ceased to exist. When he suddenly opened his eyes, everything came back to normal. He probed his body and realized that great change occurred in it. Also, he was greatly shocked when he noticed that he seems to be on a different realm than before. Earlier, he never noticed that he was stepping into another realm. He was only immersed on knowing what he seeks. He never thought that he would actually step into the body tempering realm while gaining his enlightenment. However his core remained the same color, but he was still satisfied with what he achieved. His face brimmed with joy. Many people failed to enter this stage and remain on the beginners realm for the rest of their lives. With his body strengthened, his lifespan was increased to one hundred fifty years. However he felt that his life force would quickly diminish if he betrayed his heart and did not continue to chase for what he seek. Only by cleaving his path and pursuing what he seek would allow him to grow stronger. Refining energy would only allow someone to increase their level, but it will not allow them to step into another realm.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. With his new found strength, he tapped his cube and pulled out the skill book he got from Ru Gao. He flipped the pages of the book and smiled. "Now that I entered the body tempering realm, I realized that this is such a useful skill." Back then he didn''t bother to learn the skill since he was busy running away. Also with his two art, he didn''t think highly of the skill. He has no weapon mastery either and has no inclination towards it, so the skill would probably be less useful on him. However, with his improved constitution, he theorized that the skill could possibly be used on his body. This was only his theory, but he has high hopes that it could be achieved. In spite of all his gains, he felt somewhat bothered of Ru Gao''s status. He felt that Ru Gao wasn''t a simple lackey of the black spider guild. It seems more like he is a disciple of a strong expert who is not a member of the guild. All of this was only his speculations, so he didn''t bother much about it until he had more clues about the situation. For now, he only wish to study the skill on hand. Several days passed, he did not leave the spot where he gained enlightenment, instead, he stayed on that very spot and continuously tried to learn the skill he got from Ru Gao. He never imagined that it would take him too much time to learn the skill. It seems like the blue orb inside of him does not support this type of skills, so he had to rely on his own ability to learn the skill. The book only contained images of a sun and a person. There are no text on the book, only dozens of images of the person portraying his devotion to the sun. It was like a story book, however the profoundness of the images could instantly make anyone realize that the book contains a skill. For days, Ming Li tried to understand the images and what it signifies. Occasionally, he would stare at the sun and feel its presence. One time, while closely observing the suns for more than a week, he realized that the six suns where not actually identical! There were very small differences on each sun. If he have''t observed each sun, he would never realize this small difference. Every day he would look at the sun, He would identify more difference. Difference in its flame, difference in intensity, difference in heat, difference in size. Anything he could get he would deeply imprint it in his soul. It was a new experience for him. Since what he seeks is knowledge, He was eager to know more about the sun. He was absorbed into gaining more insight of his observations. Time slowly passed by as he understood more about the sun. He also realized that the sun on the book was exactly the first sun. It has the same characteristics as what was portrayed in the skill book. It seems like the first sun is the source for the skill in the book, and the other suns have nothing to do with it. Despite knowing the exact sun which he needs to study, he continued to study all of the suns! His desire for knowledge kicked in, and he did not stop until he got something that could quench his curiousity. Even when it rained, or the suns were covered by the clouds, Ming Li never stopped looking at the sun. It was like his gaze could see through the thick clouds. His thirst for knowledge allowed him to see what lies behind the clouds. On his eyes, clear skies could be seen, the scorching sun deeply burned in his pupils. It is something that only happens during a certain enlightenment. On his cube, the wooden slip suddenly vibrated as if it was being summoned. Whenever Ming Li gain more enlightenment the vibrations of the wooden slip gets stronger. After two weeks, his eyes was as clear as water. In it, the first sun was blazing fiercely. His body started to glow in red, even the skill book started to float. The grass around him started to wither from heat and pulsing heat wave radiated from his body. He was still in the midst of gaining enlightenment, however the blaze of the sun on his eyes started to grow stronger. Slowly the image of the sun became extremely violent and his eyes erupted with red flames. His sight went white as flames tried to devour his vision. Ming Li groaned from pain, his breathing became rugged, and he felt nervous because he was loosing control of the situation. Because of his desire, he still tried to comprehend the sun and didn''t give up even he was losing his sight. The flame in his eyes blazed fiercely as it started to devour his face. Ming Li was still focused on gaining enlightenment, however, when he felt that his vision was almost at the point of disappearing, he slowly closed his eyes and gave up on understanding the suns. Inside his cube the vibration of the wooden slip also stopped, and the image in his eyes completely dissappeared. Plop! The book fell to his lap as he woke up from his trance. When he gave up, he coughed up several mouthful of blood. Blood also oozed from his ears and nose. He lost several years of life span when he gave up on his desire to gain knowledge. It is the unavoidable outcome whenever a seeker gave up on what they seek. Luckily, Ming Li does not have extremely strong desire this time, or else he would have instantly died. He sighed, and slowly closed the skill book. He realized that he is still far too weak to fully understand the suns. That is why his enlightenment failed. Today he understood what a seeker actually means. A seeker would rather die than give up what he seeks. Chapter 31: Persevere Luckily, he completely learned the skill despite failing the enlightenment. It took him more than two weeks to finally learn the skill. When he grasped the basic of the skill, the skill name appeared on his mind. "Sun''s wave" It was a skill closely related to flames and the sun. However, it does not actually create a real flame. It is purely based on intense heat. Also, he realized something, In the whole two weeks he never felt hungry or tired even without using his pills. Normally, he would use his pills to ease his hunger or fatigue, but this time he even forgot his hunger! He probed his own organs and realized that he could now survive without food and water. His enhanced body could now survive without a wink of sleep. For the past months, he have been relying on pills so that he can avoid sleeping and eating. However, making these pills also requires a bit of effort, so he felt really delighted when he realized that he is now free of his worry on food and sleep. The six changes that occurred in his body allowed him to become a being above a normal mortal. He had seen several people on this stage and also seen stronger people, however, those people still ate like normal humans. He thought that maybe they were still attached to the pleasure of eating nice food and could not let go of this pleasure. On the other hand, Ming Li has decided to stop eating even before he entered the body tempering stage, so adapting to this new realm was easier for him. He was also annoyed by the fact that humans needs to occasionally eat. He has been poor since he was young, so sourcing out food was extremely hard for him and in many times caused him to get beaten. Since he has been sitting on the same spot for days, he decided to continue his travel to the Main Crystal Leaf sect. He knew that he would still pass through some towns before he could actually arrive on the sect. Right now, what he needs are resources to continue his growth. He never knows when those people from black spider guild would attack him again, so he immediately ran at the direction of the next town to get more details on the location of the Main Crystal Leaf sect. .... On a shop at the Earth Hive town, Ming Li can be seen holding his chin and frowning several times as he observed a pill floating above a crystal prism. Around the pill, text floated in mid air where it states that "Whoever can re create this pill shall be allowed to enter and choose an item in the Holy Inventory of the Ten Great Merchants Union. The Holy Inventory of the Ten Great Merchants Union consist of rare treasures that has been collected by the Ten Great Merchants. Most of these treasures were extremely expensive that the Ten Great Merchants Union refused to sell them so they kept them in the Holy Inventory as their collections. Being able to enter and get an item from the Holy Inventory is like a dream come true for most people. This offer has struck Ming Li''s curiosity when he entered the town. He was just passing by several shops when he saw a huge crowd of people gathering around a merchant shop. This merchant shop is owned by the Ten Great Merchants Union. When he saw the pill, he got extremely curious about it and started inquiring on the details of what was going on. His eyes sparkled when he heard about the Holy Inventory, his curiosity and greed erupted at the same time. He then paid the necessary amount to have a chance to observe the pill. The amount was one thousand soul ores, so at first Ming Li was a bit hesitant, but when he heard people gossiping about what is inside the Holy Inventory, he could''t help his curiosity and paid the one thousand soul ores immediately.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! One thousand soul ores would only let someone observe the pill for hundred breaths of time. After the hundred breaths, that person should leave the area and let the next person observe the pill. If someone wish to observe the pill again, they have to go to the furthest portion of the line and wait until their turn. Anyone can go on unlimited number of times, but it will cost another one thousand soul ore per observation. At first, the queue was long since there were a lot of alchemist who wished to test their skills and reap the rewards, but after a single try, almost everyone gave up and didn''t bother coming back on the line. However, Ming Li was different, he has been on the line for 2 days now. He already observed the pill for about twenty times and spent 20 thousand soul ores. His hair was in disarray as he refused to give up on observing the pill. He also heard that the Ten Great Merchant Union will only stay on the town for thirty more days, so he have to complete the pill by that time. The time limit made him agitated and almost made him give up, but he already paid a lot of soul ores so he decided to gamble it until he gets broke. On his 30th try, his eyes were bloodshot and his frown was more evident. The people guarding the pill felt his unusual aura. Whenever he stares at the pill, everyone became wary that he might actually do something stupid. Deep inside, Ming Li was extremely depressed from the loss of his soul ores, and the fact that he still haven''t had any clue on how to make the pill made him slightly regret his decision. Something inside him wants to just grab the pill and run away, however with all the powerful seeker around, he won''t be able to do that. He kept trying to understand the pill and its use. Thirty tries and he still have''t found out the actual use of the pill. He started to think that the pill might actually be fake and the Ten Great Merchant Union was playing a fool of him. Ming Li brushed away that thought, since he heard the good reputation of the Ten Great Merchant Union when he entered the town. Whenever he asked for a rare herb, everyone would say that he can probably find it at the Ten Great Merchant Union. So he gritted his teeth and tried several more times. Five days passed and Ming Li had been going back and forth in the line for a hundred times. He spent a hundred thousand soul ores, and everyone from union guarding the shop already knew who he was. They were amazed that Ming Li was willing to spend so much just to observe the pill. Many people who were watching laughed at him for his crazy determination. Anyone who could see him would think of a gambler who has already lost it, and decided to bet his life just to get another chance at victory. He continued doing this until he spent around 300 thousand soul ores. When Ming Li spent around 100 thousand soul ores, he already threw away the idea of giving up. The people who were laughing at him started to get amazed by his determination. Some of the few determined people gave up at their 100th try. The queue for the pill observation grew shorter, there are times where only Ming Li was on the line, so he had the chance to view the pill for as long as he want. On the tenth day Ming Li''s eyes were extremely bloodshot, his hands were trembling, his hair was a mess and his lips were awfully dry. He has been staring at the pill for some time now and people on the queue started to grow longer. The guards were reluctant to disturb him, since he has been emitting murderous aura and he seems to be gaining enlightenment. The people on the line also didn''t dare bother Ming Li, since they saw him day after day trying to figure out the pill nonstop. His perseverance somewhat scared them. After a bit of time, Ming Li''s eyes started to glow with a bizarre light, his aura fluctuated, and his lips slowly turned into a smile. Then he raised his head and started laughing. His laughter echoed out in the entire area near the Ten Great Merchant Union. The elders who are in charge of the shop was startled with his laughter, the laughter was so profound and creepy. They thought that something might have happened to the pill, so they quickly went out and they saw Ming Li laughing like a fool and constantly looking at the pill. They remembered him since he has never left the shop ever since he started the challenge. They became curious if Ming Li actually found something about the pill. They were also informed that Ming Li spent around 500 thousand soul ores for the challenge. He is the only person who spent so much just to take a look at the pill. After laughing for some time, Ming Li strode away and left without a word. Everyone was dumbfounded on what exactly happened to Ming Li for him to react like that. Chapter 32: Information!
Ming Li kept shouting outside the shop that he would create the pill if only the shop gives him enough supply of the plants needed for the concoction.
"So that''s how you will play this huh." Ming Li thought with an evil grin on his face. Chapter 33: Devour Ming Li understood what Elder Han meant when he emphasized about the shop keeper. It was about the shop keeper monitoring whatever herbs he requested. Ming Li was a bit disappointed that he can''t squeeze more herbs than he wanted to from the Merchants Union. He decided not to think about it much, and just accept the fact that merchant are stingy and would do anything to avoid losses. He left the room and directly went to the shop keeper to ask for herbs. When the shop keeper saw the medallion, he didn''t hesitate to assist on anything that Ming Li needs. After the transaction, Ming Li was guided to stay on a room in the shop where he was left alone to create the pill. In the room, he pulled out the herbs he got from the shop keeper and studied them. His eyes sparkled as he held each plant while smiling. Each one of the herbs he held was rarer than every plant he have seen so far. After enjoying his plentiful harvest, he kept the herbs in his cube and meditated for a while. A whole day passed when he opened his door, he went directly to the shopkeeper and said "I failed my first attempt. I have 80 percent confidence I can create the pill this time." The shopkeeper looked at him a bit suspiciously, however he was still given the same herbs as before. Ming Li cleared his throat and said "I discovered that my failure was because I lack the White Heavenly Lily." The shopkeeper knitted his brows and thought deeply for a while. When he was about to hand over the White Heavenly Lily to Ming Li. Ming Li cleared his throat again and said "I need five demon''s grace to balance the effect of White Heavenly Lily." The shopkeeper stared more suspiciously at Ming Li trying to see if he''ll have any change in reaction. However Ming Li''s expression remained the same. He was used at tricking people regarding plants. The fact that he tricked the village chief and elders for a whole 3 years just to get all the plants he want made him the perfect liar. Seeing that there was nothing suspicious on Ming Li''s expression and movement, he gave him the needed plants. Ming Li took the plants and directly went to his room grinning as he looked at the demons grace. Another day passed, again he came back at the shopkeeper and told him that he is 90 percent sure he would succeed. He was given the same plants, however he asked for additional 2 more demon''s grace. The shopkeeper have been more suspicious of him, but he can''t accuse Ming Li of anything since he was given the medallion from the great elder. Ming Li shut himself in the room for another day and went out the next day to claim that he still failed this time. The shopkeeper was obviously furious on Ming Li. Every plant he was given is extremely expensive and would cause anyone to think twice before buying it, however Ming Li kept on wasting it like it was nothing. When he was about to scold Ming Li. Ming Li suddenly said "Today I am 100 percent confident in the pill creation, however I require a total of ten demon''s grace to succeed." The shop keeper swallowed his words when he heard 100 percent success rate. It means that they will be able to finally re create the pill. If he offends Ming Li, it might cause him trouble and lose his position. So he willingly gave Ming Li every herb he needed and threw away the idea of complaining.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. This time, Ming Li came back to his room completely prepared to create the pill. He used the past days to study the plants at hand. By using the information from the plants, he simulated different situations in his mind to avoid failure. This is a new technique he just thought of recently. To minimize the losses, he would first do a mental simulation of the pill creation by using his art. Since he has the art, he can create a mental image of the plant and mix them together in his mind. Only people with extreme knowledge with plants will be able to do the technique. Ming Li then started extracting the essence of the plants. Thinking how expensive each plant is, Ming Li was a bit hesitant on using them, but he had no choice since he needed to create the pill so that he could enter the Ten Great Merchants Union Holy Inventory. When he started Mixing the essence of the plants, his body became full of sweat, he felt extremely nervous that he might fail. Even though he simulated how to create the pill hundreds of times, it was still his first time creating a pill as expensive as this one. His concentration was extremely high as he started focusing energy on the furnace. The level of difficulty of creating the pill was above Ming Li''s skill, but he was still sure that he could overcome his lack of ability and create a pill exactly like the one he saw. Hours passed as he mix different essence at different time, and adjusted the flame of the furnace accordingly. Slowly the essence in the furnace started to merge and form something like an illusory pill. The pill would sometimesform and sometimes fall apart. This scene repeated for hours. Every time it would form, a stronger aura came out of it. If one would look at it closely it was not falling apart, but instead a new illusory pill would devour the newly created pill and completely form a new pill! It was a scary sight, the pill seems to have life of its own. Ming Li felt goosebumps when he sawhow the pill grew stronger. It was like the pill will devour him once it gets strong enough. Even though he was scared of the pill, he was still excited of the outcome of his concoction. Since he chose to seek knowledge, he would not let anything hinder his path to get the knowledge that he wants. When he saw the pill, he made up his mind that he would find out exactly what the pill is about. Only by creating the pill himself would allow him to fully understand the pill. His eyes shone with bizarre light as he got completely immersed in creating the pill. It was at this moment that his furnace disappeared! Ming Li gaped in shock when he saw the pill devour his furnace. It didn''t stop there, the pill devoured the natural energy inside the room making it completely devoid of natural energy. Next, the floor below the pill slowly caved in as if it was being devoured. While all of this was happening, Ming Li did not stop and wished to fully complete the pill. The pill devoured everything near it. Soon the space around it distorted and disappeared. Ming Li stepped back several times as he tried to avoid being consumed. Meanwhile, on one room inside the Ten Great Merchant''s Union shop the shopkeeper is reporting everything that Ming Li said. "So he failed three times." The man frowned. "Yes Elder Lou, However he claimed that this time he is 100 percent sure that he can create the pill." Elder Lou''s eyes became a bit viscous as he said "If he fails to create the pill bring him to me." Elder Lou was the one who was about to drag Ming Li away when Ming Li started selling information regarding the pill. .. After a bit of time, Ming Li lowered his hands and stared at the pill. "I completed it!" He was a bit in daze for everything that happened. The pill just floated in a blank space in font of him. He carefully observed the pill and decided to risk it. He used natural energy to grab the pill on the empty space. It flew towards him without much resistance until it landed in his palm. His eyes glimmered with excitement as he studied the pill. "So the person who consumes this will devour his old self countless times based on his ability, and become stronger in the process!..However.. He can also be fully consumed and die!" At first Ming Li planned to create another pill for himself, but when he learned the effects of the pill, he put the idea aside and decided to use it if he can somehow find a way to avoid death. Chapter 34: Deal?
Ming Li then created another pill and kept it on his cube. He decided to leave the remaining herbs for future use. He glanced at the medallion and studied it for a bit. After a while, he found nothing special about it then decided to transmit a message to Great Elder Gu. When he finished transmitting the message, a person knocked on his door. Ming Li was taken aback on how fast the Ten Great Merchant''s Union responded to his message. When Ming Li opened the door, he saw Elder Han together with the shop keeper. Ming Li then slightly bowed to them and asked "Can I meet Great Elder Gu?" Elder Han nodded in response and said "Follow me."
Ming Li didn''t care much about the two, all he cared about was the reward he will get, but he stillgreeted them respectfully. Elder Lou suddenly said "Let us see the pill." Ming Li didn''t hesitate and pulled out the pill, when he pulled out the pill viscous energy swept around the as if the pill was looking for something to devour. Great Elder Gu''s expression flickered and raised his hands. The pill flew towards Great Elder Gu and landed on his palm. Great Elder Gu deeply observed the pill as his eyes gleamed with satisfaction "You actually managed to re create the pill. We will fulfill our promise and reward you."
Elder Lou''s brows knitted and was about to say something when Great Elder Gu stood up and slowly walked towards Ming Li. When he was a step away from Ming Li, he pointed at Ming Li''s forehead and a Hammer symbol appeared on it. "This will symbolize our friendship. You can use that symbol once to call out to my soul to protect you for a short moment when you are in trouble. I will also send the nearest and strongest seeker we have to aid you." Ming smiled when he felt the symbol attach itself to his soul. He felt that he could use this power anytime. Elder Lou didn''t say anything and remained silent while looking at Ming Li. Great Elder Gu then said "Let us discuss the formula for the pill." Ming Li''s eyes shone with anticipation as he said "Elders, as agreed I will be rewarded with an Item from the holy inventory if I re created the pill. However the formula for the pill would require another reward." The elders expression flickered, they knew that Ming Li would surely ask for another compensation, but he asked it straight away when the pill formula was mentioned. Great Elder Gu replied "What could we give you?" "Another treasure from the Holy Inventory." Ming Li answered quickly. "Preposterous, Items in the Holy Inventory are extremely rare and priceless! We would not dare reward two of them for a single item!" Elder Lou shouted with fury. "Ten Million Soul Ores." Ming Li casually said. Chapter 35: Treasures
Ming Li''s excitement grew even more when he heard that only Great Elders can enter it. It means that the items inside might be rarer than what he initially thought. He immediately nodded and didn''t say a word trying to hide his enthusiasm. Great Elder Gu did some incantations and dripped his blood on an altar full of symbols. When the drop of blood touched the symbols, a small rift appeared above it. Great Elder Gu then stretched his arms towards the small rift and used his energy to forcefully rip the space to increase the size of it. The space was slowly teared and the size of the rift became larger than a full grown man.
"We can only stay inside the inventory for quarter an hour, so be sure to decide quickly." Great Elder Gu said.
Great Elder Gu then wrapped Ming Li using his energy and guided him to enter the rift.
There were various items inside the holy inventory. Ming Li''s eyes glittered every-time he saw something that looks expensive. He could not identify all of the items inside, but the feeling that every item gave him was extremely strong. It was like any item inside can easily slaughter him if it was used against him. There were many books and weapons inside the holy inventory. There are also armors and random scrolls. Even the Ten Great Merchants Union does not know the use of all the items stored inside, that''s why they were reluctant on giving away any treasure inside. Each treasure might hold a deep secret that they have yet to discover. Ming Li''s gaze swept over all of the item. He felt dangerous energy from some items, so he chose not to get close to them. On the midst of his joyful search, he felt something unusual. On a desolate side of the holy inventory he saw a tattered book. When he saw the book his core thrummed with excitement. It was the same feeling whenever he see abundant amount of demonic energy.
However Ming Li felt different about the book. He can clearly see traces of demonic energy on it. It was different than normal demonic energy, it was something profound. Ming Li stared at the book like he found a great treasure. When he opened the book, he saw some normal text, but along those normal text were some inscriptions written in demonic energy!
Before choosing the book, he glanced at several other treasures he had set his eyes on and sighed with deep regret. "Too bad I can only take one." Ming Li thought. If he knew that there would be tons of rare treasure beyond his imagination inside the holy inventory, he would have fought for another item. However a deal is a deal. So Ming Li could only stare at all those treasures and say his goodbyes. When he closed the book Great Elder Gu said "Is that what you picked?." Again Ming Li gazed around and felt his heart starting to swell. He looked at Great Elder Gu with eyes full of pleading as if he wanted to tell him that he wants another item. When Elder Gu saw Ming Li''s weird gaze he slowly shook his head without even knowing why. It was like Ming Li''s longing for another treasure was transmitted to his body and he rejected it unconsciously. Ming Li''s eyes became slightly wet with tears when he saw Great Elder Gu shaking his head. It was like a scene of being rejected by someone you love the most. Ming Li then slowly closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened his eyes, he took a last look at the treasures then said "Yes, this is what I want." Great Elder Gu was a bit dumbfounded on Ming Li''s weird reactions but he didn''t say a word. He was also curious why Ming Li picked something not noteworthy, but he also didn''t comment on that, since it would be beneficial for them if Ming Li didn''t pick something rare. Ming Li then closed his eyes as he walked towards the rift. He already checked all the items and even checked the holy inventory itself to satiate his curiosity, and decided to avoid looking at other treasures to avoid greater feeling of loss when he leave the holy inventory.
After a bit he continued his steps and left the shop. Chapter 36: Possess On his room, Ming Li sat crossed legged while staring at the tattered book and the medallion Great Elder Gu gave him. He purposely didn''t return the medallion thinking that it would be useful someday in other branches of the Ten Great Merchants Union. He wasn''t sure if Great Elder Gu forgot about the medallion, since they have been too absorbed about the pill and the reward for Ming Li, or if Great Elder Gu actually allowed him to take the medallion. He then kept the medallion and flipped the pages of the book. Every-time he stares at the inscriptions written in demonic energy, his core would thrum nonstop. He knew that when his core acts like this, it means that it is related with demons. He studied the book for hours, however he didn''t progress one bit. He wasn''t sure how to decipher the inscriptions, but he wanted to know what the book is about. After pondering for a while, he tapped his cube and took out the wooden slip. He has no other item more mysterious than the book except the wooden slip. Also he was aware of the ability of the wooden slip to create an art, so it would be his best item to decipher the book. He held the wooden slip on one end and tapped it in the book like some form of magic wand. Ming Li waited for a few breaths for something to happen, however the book did not react to the wooden slip. He did several actions trying to get some reaction for the wooden slip or the book, sometimes he would place the wooden slip on top of the book and focus on it. He also placed the book on the top the wooden slip, and he also did some random gestures which made him look stupid, but nothing happened. After an hour, he realized that he was acting funny, so he decided to stop and think of a more reasonable way to get some form of resonance between the two items. Suddenly his eyes gleamed and he slipped his consciousness into the wooden slip. Inside the wooden slip he deeply contemplated the items written in the book, since he has been staring at the contents of the book for several hours, he have almost memorized it. So he tried to push his luck and try to gain enlightenment regarding the book inside the wooden slip. After a day, his eyes were still closed, however veins can be seen on his forehead. It was not some reaction to some enlightenment, rather it was just him being annoyed by the fact that he cannot slip into a meditative state. After another hour, he finally gave up and withdrew his consciousness. He held the wooden slip on one hand, while holding the book on the other hand. This time he thought of having the book forcefully enter the wooden slip, or the wooden slip into the book. Since he knew that the wooden slip can enter his forehead, he thought that it could also enter the book or the book could enter it. He took a deep breath and shoved the wooden slip into the book with strong force, his eyes gleamed with determination as he do a stabbing motion.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Upon contact, the wooden slip slowly pushed the book inward. It slowly pierced the book page by page. When Ming Li saw this, he gaped in shock and felt extremely stupid for trying something really childish. Seeing the wooden slip punctured at the center of the book left his heart broken. He did''t know if the book would be still useful after he remove the wooden slip. He hurriedly removed the wooden slip with teary eyes. When it was fully removed, he tried to repair the book with demonic energy. Since it is a demonic item, he thought that it could be repaired if it absorbed his demonic energy. When his demonic energy touched the book, it slowly covered it. After being completely covered with demonic energy, it suddenly erupted with black flame. Ming Li''s eyes went wide when he saw the book in flame. He wasn''t sure if the flame is some sort of good reaction or if the book is really burning. He felt the need to extinguish the flame, but he also wanted to know what will happen after the flame settles down. He felt tense the whole time, ready to extinguish the flames when he see some more damage to the book. Several drops of cold sweat rolled through his face. This is the part of his life where he felt most indecisive. Suddenly the flames flickered, It instantly grew wild. When Ming Li saw this, he immediately lifted his hands trying to blow away the flame with his energy, however he was a moment too late. With a single eruption of the flame, the book was instantly turned into ash. His eyes widened to the extreme and his mouth fell open in shock. The book worth millions of soul ore which he painstakingly obtained through great hardships was burnt into crisp without him even saving a single page. Tears rolled down from his eyes. He cannot stop the feeling of great loss as he shouted "NOOO!" The entire room quacked from his scream. Everyone near the room was startled and stopped what they were doing. Inside the room Ming Li stared at the ash of the book slowly dropping into the ground. He slowly reached out for the ash trying to collect it. It is the most expensive item he earned in his life. So the pain he experienced was so great that he even want to collect the ash of it. When he was deep in sorrow from his loss, the ash suddenly glowed and flew towards his forehead. He was caught of guard and every piece of ash entered his forehead before he could even react. His eyes went blank as his consciousness entered into another space. Inside the space, he saw the same demonic inscriptions written in the book. It floated in the empty space as if it had been there for countless of years. When Ming Li stared at the inscriptions his mind was filled with rumbling as inscriptions flowed in his soul. It was like he was being sealed! When he opened his eyes he saw a giant puppet tearing through space. He panicked, but for some reasons he felt that he was bound by numerous strings. His body trembled when the puppet''s hand slowly entered his body. He felt grave danger when he realized that he was slowly being possessed! The puppet is trying to take over his entire body. Ming Li fought back with his will, which made the hand of the puppet to halt and started to be pushed out of his body. Ming Li doesn''t care anymore if the situation is related to gaining an art, he only cares about surviving. The puppet and Ming Li fought for possession of his body for hours. Strangely the puppet wasn''t able to fully exit the tear in space, so it can only use one of its arms to possess Ming Li. While using his will to keep the puppet into pushing further, he kept staring at the puppet trying to study it. He also probed the strings binding his body, and realized that they were from the puppet. When Ming Li noticed that the puppet cannot push further, his eyes flashed with desire as he stared at the puppet pervertedly and he said "Now I''m curious about you. I want to rip you open right now and study you." Chapter 37: Escape!
When those words came out of his mouth, he used his will to fully push the hands of the puppet away from his body. After an hour of battle of will, Ming Li fully knew the capacity of the puppet. He tried to use his will to subdue the puppet, however he got no result. Ming Li started to get impatient, so he pointed his fingers at the puppet and activated "Torment". Numerous symbols flew towards the puppet as it covered its whole body.
Ming Li didn''t hesitate and pushed his will to the limit as he tried to take control of the puppet. "You''re a puppet, so you are supposed to be controlled!" Ming Li didn''t stop until the threads holding him slowly began losing power. The puppet also tried to flee, however Ming Li gripped its hands tightly and said "You are now my puppet!" When he was about to subdue the puppet, Ming Li suddenly woke up and saw the previously burnt book in front of him. The book was now in good condition. In fact it is in better condition than its previous state. Ming Li felt the connection between him and the book, however it was just a very small connection. He realized that he only scraped a very small portion from the contents of the book. He looked at the book and thought that, the puppet threw his consciousness out when it was about to be subdued. When he was about to stand up. A huge boom suddenly sounded from his side. Debris of wood and dust flew towards him, and a figure emerged from the hole torn on the wall of his room. The man wore a black robe with a spider engraved in it. He waved his hands and a strong wind bombarded Ming Li. Ming Li was caught off guard as he was slammed by the wind and passed through the wall, landing on the streets outside. He was slightly injured with the surprise attack, but he immediately recovered his senses and attacked back using sun''s wave. He waved his hand and extreme heat radiated from him flying towards the black robed man.
The black robed man blocked his attack and his eyes went wide. "This is sun''s wave!" the man shouted in fury The black robe man was an acquaintance of Ru Gao. When he heard about Ming Li, and that Ru Gao was killed by him. He immediately tried to find Ming Li''s whereabouts. Being on the same town as Ming Li, he heard rumors about someone named Ming Li creating a scene at the Ten Great Merchants Union. Because of his fury, he didn''t wait for reinforcement to come and decided to attack Ming Li as soon he got news about his location. When he saw Ming Li fleeing, his rage doubled as he used his wind attack to propel him towards Ming Li. Ming Li felt the incoming black robed man and he pointed at him then hurriedly said "Torment". The face of the black robed man flickered as he tried to block Ming Li''s attack. He was shocked that the attack slipped through his wind cannon with ease. The symbols surrounded him and etched itself in his skin. The man felt extreme pain through his body, however he was still able to move. Ming Li stepped back when he saw the man enduring torment. It just meant that the man in front of him is significantly stronger than him. His mind spun as he looked around if the man was with someone else. Luckily he sensed no one coming near them with killing intent. Again he focused at the person in front of him and noticed the spider mark on his robe. Then he thought with hatred "It''s them! I saw the same robe in Ru Gao''s cube." The man then attacked Ming Li with wind cannon while trying to withstand torment. He felt grave danger while facing Ming Li. It was his first time experiencing a skill like torment. If his level was equal with Ming Li, he would have been unable to fight it. Ming Li swiftly dodged the attack while attacking back using sun''s wave. Every time he waved his hands, extreme heat would be sent to the direction of the enemy melting anything it touched. Ru Gao was only able to use it to enhance his weapon. However, Ming Li can use it as a long range attack, because he is already a seeker at the body tempering realm. Ming Li and the black robed man exchanged attacks several times, but they weren''t able to deal fatal damage to each other. The townspeople started to observe their fight, but no one stopped them. In every town fighting is a common occurrence. Fighting to determine who is right is a rule in a world of power. As the fight drags on, the black robed man became weaker since torment has taken more effect on him. He growled with pain struggling to fight with Ming Li.
The hands grabbed the man as the man bombarded it with wind cannon. However, Ming Li suddenly appeared beside him and touched his shoulder making him experience extreme heat. The heat of sun''s wave and the pain of torment combined caused him to lose focus which enabled Ming Li to fully grab him by using the wooden hand. The hand forcefully pulled him into the rift where he vanished from everyone sight. Everyone who witnessed the fight was a bit astonished on how Ming Li overpowered someone with higher level, they were also amazed of his art. Not everyone can beat someone two levels higher than them. Also the way Ming Li beat his opponent was too bizarre. The opponent vanished from thin air and no one knew where Ming Li sent him. Even the Ten Great Merchant Union who was watching the fight seemed to be in awe of Ming Li''s combat ability. They chose not to lift a finger to help Ming Li, instead decided to observe Ming Li''s skills. But If Ming Li used the symbol Great Elder Gu gave him, they have no choice but to assist Ming Li. They also felt perplexed about the last skill Ming Li used, the energy it emitted was close to the book Ming Li got from the holy inventory. Since it wasn''t long when Ming Li took the book, it would be unthinkable that Ming Li already mastered the art within the book.
The town was like a bee hive with numerous caves on the sides of the mountains as houses and shops. Since these caves are connected inside the mountain with tunnels, Ming Li used them to hide as he tried to exit the town. After some time, he made his way out of the town and started running through the forest.
Chapter 38: Puppet
He observed the man and the puppet for a while and noticed some strings attached to the man. He realized that the man has been possessed by the puppet! He tried to transmit a command to the puppet using his consciousness. The puppet fought back a bit, but in the end it still complied.
However, right now if he dared to use the puppet again, He would be surely drained and would not be able to use a single bit of demonic energy for some time. It could also damage his core and affect his growth.
Also to increase his level, he needs to boost the demonic energy of his core to a greater amount than the current capacity it has to achieve a breakthrough. This is why he needs demon''s grace to push his demonic core to its limit and allow it to transcend to the next level. The higher his level gets the more demonic energy he needs. Demon''s grace contains concentrated amount of demonic energy which allows him to quickly boost his level, unlike normal people absorbing natural energy. Normally absorbing natural energy would take years to just achieve a single level. It would also depend on the size of the core on how much natural energy they can refine. So everyone resort to using pills or nature''s dew to hasten their growth. If there is a demonic energy on the surroundings he could actually control it to use it for his skills instead of forcefully using the demonic energy inside him, but sadly there are no demonic energy present almost at every place. The good thing is that he can still control natural energy and use it to fight. After learning many things inside the book, he decided to continue crossing the mountains.
Every time an enemy finds his whereabouts, he had no choice but to flee. So a strong desire to increase his level surged from him, if he gets stronger, he can freely seek for knowledge without worrying about someone trying to kill him.
Right now, he would even kill for a single demon''s grace. He also started to regret not accepting the fifty demon''s grace offered to him by Great Elder Gu. Suddenly, while in the midst of thinking about demons grace, he heard hooves of horses hitting the ground. When he heard this, he immediately rushed to the location and saw a carriage full of supplies. "They seem to be merchants!" Ming Li thought while breathing deeply as if he found a treasure trove. Ming Li rushed to the merchants like a hungry wolf. The seeker guarding the merchants were shocked from his sudden appearance and attacked him. Ming Li saw the attack coming and he waved his hands in defense, sun''s wave activated creating a huge heat wave to block the attacks. The attacks collided and the land below the collision melted. Ming Li then shouted "I am not a bandit! I am here to purchase some goods!" The merchants was a bit wary of Ming Li, but they ordered the seeker to cease the attacks. When Ming Li noticed everyone starte to calm down, he walked towards the merchants then asked "Do you have some Demons Grace?" "Yes we have some, but it is meant to be delivered to someone in the Earth Hive town." A young man with lofty appearance said. Ming Li felt pissed for some reason that the demon''s grace he longed for was already sold. A complicated feeling arose from his chest when he thought about offering a higher price for the demon''s grace. He wanted the demon''s grace so bad, but he also don''t want to uselessly loose soul ores. He glance at the group, as if he was assessing if he can use force to just grab the demon''s grace and run away. He has robbed food on many occasions before he met his master, so he instinctively thought of resorting to theft. When he saw that there are two seeker in the same level as him and one at the second level of body tempering realm, he disregarded the idea and asked. "How much will they pay for each demons grace?" The man with lofty appearance answered "25 thousand soul ores each." Ming Li felt annoyed because 25 thousand was obviously not the price offered by the person in the earth hive town. Despite being openly offered with a high price, Ming Li calmly replied "I will buy all of your demon''s grace for 28 thousand soul ores each. Also I will buy some more herbs in the list." Ming Li threw a list towards the man. When the man saw the list, his expression brightened up and said. "All of these are also reserved by someone on the earth hive town." Then he told Ming Li the price of each herb. Ming Li suppressed his rage when he heard the prices. "So you are trying to sell even those herbs at staggering high price? You dare trick a thief" Ming Li thought with rage.
The three seekers were a bit scared when they felt that the man was at the third level of body tempering realm. However, they immediately gained confidence when they thought they canwin if they cooperate and attack the man simultaneously.
When everyone heard this, they looked closely at the man and noticed the spider logo embroidered on his robe. One man exclaimed while stuttering "He... He''s from the black spider guild!" Everyone also knew the black spider guild. So they started to back away and hesitate if they will attack. Since the man is stronger than them, he has a possibility of escaping and seek the guild for reinforcement or worst case there are already people surrounding them. They knew the cruelty of the black spider guild, and would chose not to offend them if they have a chance. Chapter 39: Dippy
Everyone trembled when they heard Ming Li''s words. The black robed man stood with imposing aura as if he was waiting for everyone to kneel and beg for their lives. Ming Li knelt and threw a cube towards the black robe man as he said "Young master, please spare my life." The black robe man nodded in response and took Ming Li''s cube. Everyone that saw his actions felt that they should do the same to save their lives. One by one they knelt and begged for their lives as they offer their cubes. Ming Li grinned while facing the ground as the black robed man collected their cube. The black robed man then looked at everyone with a cold gaze and said "I am aware that this is not everything you have, however I will make sure that you suffer if I am not pleased with the contents of your cube. So make sure that the amount in here is worth your life!" Ming Li didn''t want to corner the merchants more, but he already robbed the group out of rage and could only see it through the end. He already robbed them a bit so he thought, why not get the most out of it. Everyone shuddered and some pulled out another cube and passed it to the black robed man. They were a bit hesitant and suspicious, because they cannot find any other person accompanying this person from the black spider guild. However they did not dare to act rashly and end up regretting their actions in the end, so they willingly cooperated.
The good thing is that he does''t require demonic energy to just casually control the man. The man seems to be too weak compared to the puppet, so it could not even dare to fight back the puppet.
There are random herbs and items in the merchant''s cube, but it wasn''t much. Even the demon''s grace inside of it was only six. He never expected much out of those merchants, but for them to act so conceited and charge him with unfair price made him think that they might have a good amount. Overall he got six cubes, which didn''t make him feel satisfied. He resorted to robbery and would only gather so little.
Ming Li then tapped his cube and gathered all of his demon''s grace. He glanced at the demon''s grace and with a resolute expression, he started creating demonic nature''s dew. While traveling, he would often absorb demonic nature''s dew. This continued for several days which made him increase his level by one, however this increase in level was achieved by completely consuming all of his demon''s grace. Ming Li felt crestfallen, he never thought that his need for demon''s grace would dramatically increase when he became a seeker. If he could only puke the fruit he ate just to get his normal core back, he would do it without a second thought.
Ming Li rushed near the outskirts of the town and had Dippy check around. Everything that Dippy saw were transmitted to the puppet where Ming Li could also see it through their connection.
Dippy walked around the town and asked around if there is a base of black spider guild nearby. Luckily, even the town has members of black spider guild they were only passing by and they have no power in this town. Ming Li brimmed with joy when he discovered that this is the place where the Main Crystal Leaf sect is located. He had long since decided to go to the main sect to boost his strength while hiding from the Black Spider Guild. When he confirmed his safety in the town, he entered it and made dippy go back to the puppet. Along the way, he saw that the town is named Garden of Life. Ming Li thought that the whole place was too big to be considered a garden, but he can''t do anything about the name of the town. He felt bothered with this because he was unusually proud of his naming sense, and felt that he could name the town better.
The amount of crystal leaf he can see may reach millions! Ming Li could''t help but be amazed on how long it took the sect to create so many crystal leaf.
The man looked at Ming Li deeply and said "Entry Denied." Chapter 40: Reunion "Denied!?" Ming Li shouted in shock. The man simply stared at him and nodded once, then looked away. He travelled a long way and fought his way to reach the main Crystal Leaf sect, but he was not allowed to even step foot inside tehe sect. His excitement almost faded away and turned into madness. He thought about using the marionette art by sacrificing the demonic energy from the demon''s corpse in his cube just to control the man. He wasn''t even sure if the demonic energy inside the cube was enough to activate the skill, but he was willing to risk it because all of his efforts were rejected by two simple words. He slowly reached out his hand trying to tap his cube with a bit of hesitation, when suddenly, he heard a surprised voice behind him. "Ming Li?" Ming Li stopped his hands and looked behind him. "It is really Ming Li!" Ming Li heard a sweet feminine voice. When he recognized the people behind him, his face brightened and said "Duan Ho! Yu Lan! How are you?" "We''re doing good. Why are you here standing outside the sect?" Duan Ho asked. "I travelled here from the branch sect hoping that I could enter the main sect." Ming Li answered in a low tone. Duan Ho strode forward and stood directly infront of the man guarding the gate. "Senior, this is Ming Li, a member of the Crystal Leaf branch sect. I would like to request him to enter the sect as a visitor upon my rights as a member of the sky disciples." The man looked at Duan Ho expressionlessly and waved his hands. Upon a single wave, the crystal door slowly opened. Ming Li was a bit shocked on Duan Ho''s connections even in the main sect. "I am glad I chose him." Ming Li thought. Duan Ho smiled at Ming Li as he guided him inside the main sect along with Yu Lan. When he entered the sect he immediately looked around trying to find something. Yu Lan got curious and asked "Ming Li what are you looking for??" "Ah, It''s nothing. I''m just curious if there is a bigger crystal leaf here like the one on the branch sect, but it seems like there is none in this place." Ming Li answered. Yu Lan and Duan Ho slightly chuckled when they heard Ming Li''s words. "Look below you, there you will find the thing you''re looking for." Yu Lan said playfully. Ming Li stared below him and his eye went wide in shock. Below him was pure crystal platorm. It was so big there are even buildings built on it. It did not cover the whole sect but it was several times bigger than thhe branch sect''s iconic crystal leaf. The crystal leaf floated at the entrance which served as the platform upon entry on the sect. The whole land area of the sect is several meters recessed compared to the town''s floor. So the crystal leaf hovered at the entrance steadily like it was there since the beginning of the sect. Ming Li stared at the crystal leaf in daze thinking what would happen if he actually activated this crystal leaf. He immediately thought of himself using it making a whole army of enemies explode. "Ming Li, let us tour you around." Yu Lan said. Ming Li was startled and he woke up from his daydream then followed Duan Ho and Yu Lan. The two explained a lot of things to Ming Li regarding the sect. "The Main sect is basically the same as the branch sect. The only difference is that it has more resources and a lot of talented indivuduals."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. While walking around, he saw more of those floating crystal leaf platforms. He saw a total of ten floating at random places in the sect. He thought about how those crystal leaves were created but he could never think of a way to replicate them. Duan Ho suddenly cleared his throat as he boast "As I have said earlier at the entrance I am a sky disciple, which gives me privilage to have you enter as a guest and Yu Lan is also at the same group as me." Yu Lan interrupted and said "Both of us were selected to be disciples of amazing masters here at the main sect, but the main sect does not just allow anyone to enter, even people from the branch sect." Then she paused for a moment. When Ming Li heard this, he knitted as brow as if he will hear some bad news. "You can only stay here for ten days at most as a visitor. If you wish to stay here permanently, you need to pass the test given by the sect. You are lucky that next week would be the day of the test and you can still join!" Duan Ho looked apologeatic and sighed. "I feel bad that I can''t help you stay permenently without taking the test." Yu Lan patted Duan Ho''s back while comforting him "Come on! Ming Li has been on the branch sect for several months, I believe he already mastered oursect''s art and could pass the test easily." Ming Li didn''t think much of the situation as a problem. He simply smiled and said "Yes, I have learned a lot in the branch sect, and I think I can easily pass." Becuase of her positive personality Yu Lan simply gave a bright smile, but on the other hand, Duan Ho was still worried on Ming Li''s chances of passing, since it hasn''t been long when Ming Li joined the sect. He was sure that Ming Li''s mastery of the art wouldn''t be at the level where he could pass the test. Since they can''t do anything about it. They just toured around the city the whole day. While going around, Ming Li couldn''t help but eye on the demon''s grace being sold on the market. He memorized all of their location so that he could buy some whenever he was free. On one street, Ming Li noticed that the people were acting weird. All of the merchant''s were not making any noise and the people who were on the street started to disperse. "What is happening on that street?" Ming Li curiously asked. Duan Ho answered. "Look over there, that girl is Chao Mei, she is the granddaughter of the current sect master. Beside him is Ying Hung, the one who is considered to be the most talented at his age group. The seemingly playful boy with them is Chao Fuhua, I don''t know much about him. However I am sure he is the brother of Chao Mei who is rumored to be a genius at all the arts of the sect." Yu Lan added "I heard that Chao Fuhua would take the test to officially enter the sect next week, the sect master required him to take the test even though he is from the same family, so that he could set a good example for the sect." Ming Li didn''t care much and just walked away. Duan Ho started to tell random stories again while walking, after a bit, he said "While staying in the main sect our levels increased significantly, I think it would be good if you can enter the sect too." Yu Lan pinched him as she said "You are boasting of your level again, just because you rose to 9th level extremely fast with the help of some nature''s dew." Then Yu Lan glanced at Ming Li while squinting her eyes "Ming Li, Why is it that I can''t determine your level?" Duah Ho also looked at Ming Li and he noticed that he can''t also tell Ming Li''s level. This gave him some unusual feelings, while waiting for Ming Li''s response. Ming Li then said with a smile "Oh that... I am a seeker, currently at the 2nd level of Body Tempering Realm. I consumed a lot of nature''s dew to achieve my level." Duan Ho''s and Yu Lan''s eyes went wide when they heard this. They thought that their growth was abnormally fast compared to others, however Ming Li became a seeker in just a short while. "Ar..aren''t you at the fifth level when we met?" Duan Ho asked while stuttering. "Yes, but I decided to focus on my level since I was being left behind." Ming Li smiled then walked away towards one shop. Duan Ho and Yu Lan sighed and thought that there was really something amazing about Ming Li. On the shop that Ming Li went, he saw a single demon''s grace. This demon''s grace was of higher quality compared to anything he have seen so far. Every leaves of it was full of vigor as if it absorbed enormous amount of demonic energy. When Ming Li was about to reach for the plant, he heard a voice behind him. "I would like to buy that demon''s grace." Ming Li looked back furiously and was about to say something when he saw the beautiful woman behind him. She had a skin as fine as jade, with perfect phoenix like eyes, and fierce red lips. Her slender body extruded elegance not seen on normal women. The young woman looked back at Ming Li and said "I said that I want to buy it first." Chapter 41: Commotion?
Because of his extreme need for demon''s grace, he considers each demon''s grace with extreme importance.
Duan Ho and Yu Lan felt tremors ran through his body when they saw Ming Li causing a scene with Chao Mei.
This time Chao Mei''s face flickered. Both of them does not even know how much the other person paid, but each of them seemed confident that they paid higher than the other. Chao Mei didn''t move for a while and stared at Ming Li, on the other hand Ming Li threw another cube which made everyone shocked. "He did it!! He actually tried to offend someone like Chao Mei!!" Duah Ho thought while breathing deeply. Even Yu Lan''s carefree expression was now replaced with a hint of worry.
Ming Li waved his hands and collected the demon''s grace into his cube, then he also left at a different direction together with Duan Ho and Yu Lan. When they all left, the shopkeeper checked Ming Li''s cubes and found out that only the first cube contains 25 thousand soul ore. The second and third cube both contain 1 soul ore.
If she didn''t go away, Ming Li would''ve continuously tossed out empty cubes just to intimidate her. Because of Ming Li''s frugality, he would never actually pay more than what the item was worth if he has nothing special to gain. The shopkeeper stared at all the cube with complex expression, then decided to not talk about what happened with anyone else. ....
"Don''t worry, the looks in her eyes made me realize that she doesn''t care about me. So he probably forgot about everything when she walked away." Ming Li has been looked at exactly the same way by rich people when he was a kid. Those people does not even care if he exist and would not waste their effort to make a nobody like him suffer. So he was confident in his judgement and proceeded with his act. Yu Lan then asked "By the way how much did you pay?" Ming Li went silent for a moment then replied "It''s better if you don''t know." ... Duan Ho and Yu Lan guided Ming Li towards the hall where he could register to be a member of the sect. Upon registration, he was given a scroll with information on the date of the exam.
He truly cared for Ming Li since Ming Li saved their lives, but he doesn''t know much about Ming Li so he decided to stay and get to know him better. Day and night they talked about alchemy, creation of natures dew and other things related to plants. Ming Li was amazed on the dept of knowledge of Duan Ho. Even though Duan Ho does not have the same art as him, his knowledge far exceeded Ming Li''s expectation. He even learned a lot of new things from Duan Ho. So he decided to listen and exchange knowledge. Yu Lan would sometimes drop by and share her knowledge to Ming Li. It seems like they were just chatting about plants, but the two decided to do this to prepare Ming Li for the exam. They could not do much about Ming Li''s skill, however, they could boost his knowledge in the short amount of time.
Ming Li chose to enter the Apothecary Pavilion and proceeded to the line. The first level of the test was simply knowing the art. Every student who was called should create the nature''s dew or crystal leaf required by the examiner. If he can make it at the minimum time required, that person could continue to the next test. There were three test in total and the last test would be observed by the sect master himself. "Number 135 step forward, when Ming Li heard this he knew that his turn was near. He picked number 150 which made him the 150th person to take the test.
After a total of twenty breaths Ming Li heard "Number 135 failed. Number 136 step forward." After another 20 breaths "Number 136 failed, Number 137 step forward."
After five consecutive people failed, Ming Li suddenly heard people getting excited about something. So he asked "Why are they getting excited?" "Don''t you know that number 145 is Chao Fuhua, the grandson of the sect master." Ming Li looked at the stage and observed how Chao Fuhua would pass the test.
The examiner waved his hands and the plants appeared. Chao Fuhua stared at the scroll for around 3 breaths then started creating the nature''s dew. Everyone gaped in shock when they saw him create a nature''s dew at less than two breaths of time. It was so fast that no one was able to react instantly. Even Ming Li was amazed of the boy''s skill. "He is young yet he has that much skill." Ming Li thought. Chao Fuhua was only around thirteen years of age. He was basically the youngest taking the test, but his skills were top notch. Even Ming Li wasn''t confident that he could do the same when he was younger, even with the art from his master.
Duan Ho and Yu Lan along with the two other people from the branch sect watched Ming Li''s exam. "Number 150 step forward, create a red flame nature''s dew." Ming Li went forward then grabbed the scroll and looked at it for two breaths then waved his hands. After waving his hands, shockingly a nature''s dew was already floating in mid air. Everyone didn''t know what happened. Even the examiner was startled, it took him three breaths to realize everything and said. "Number 150 passed." When everyone heard the word passed. They went into a buzz "Did you see that!?" "Yes I saw it clearly, he just waved his hands and a crystal dew appeared!" "Is that real? He''s even better than the grandson of the sect master." Duan Ho and Yu Lan were shocked to the extreme. They know that it hasn''t been long since Ming Li entered the branch sect. So creating a nature''s dew at a wave of a hand should be impossible, even if it was just a basic nature''s dew. Chapter 42: Petals
On the second test''s waiting area, a boy approached Ming Li with glittering eyes. "Big Brother, how did you do that??"
Ming Li smiled and said "When you reach my age you can probably do it too." "Really!? I will try harder, I will beat you on the second test." "Alright.." Ming Li replied without much interest.
After some time, a bell rang which indicated the end of the first test, then a voice resounded in the hall. "The first test ended, there are one hundred ninety people who passed out of five hundred twenty. The second test will start after a short while." "So the passing rate is actually low." Ming Li thought.
On the other hand Ming Li kept observing everyone since he doesn''t know anything about the test. Even Duan Ho and Yu Lan didn''t tell him what the test would be, mainly because they have no idea, since they didn''t take the test and was only selected from the branch sect.
"Number one step outside of the waiting area."
When this happened, everyone''s face turned serious and tense.
After grabbing he scroll, he heard a voice of an old man echo through his mind. "Create a crystal leaf within hundred breaths with the most destructive force and you shall pass."
Ming Li immediately glanced at all the plants then waved his hands. After waving his hands all of the 100 plants came rushing towards him. When everyone saw this their faces flickered. "Everyone only chose around 20 to 50 plants at most. Is he really going to use all of those?" An old man on a balcony said.
While creating the crystal leaf, Ming Li imagined the gigantic crystal leaf he saw. He wanted to create something enormous and powerful like the leaf he saw. He thought of using the gigantic crystal leaf and crushing it at the center of the black spider guild, where it exploded with unimaginable energy that swept the whole guild into nothingness. Ming Li''s craze for creating something extremely destructive slowly showed in his eyes. His face turned a bit maniacal as his hands moved at faster speed.
Not even thirty breaths of time, a single plant formed at the center of the symbol. Ming Li stepped forwards then plucked a leaf from the plant which made the plant suddenly wither, then the leaf in Ming Li''s hand slowly crystallized to create a crystal leaf!
After creation of the crystal leaf, a strong force from the altar pulled the crystal leaf from Ming Li''s hands. The crystal leaf landed on the altar then it floated there surrounded by a clear barrier.
Chapter 43: Again!?
After the flower vanished, he heard the same voice inside his head "Passed" Then he walked out of the stage seemingly disappointed. However, on the seats, everyone was discussing about him.
On the waiting area, Chao Fuhua came to him again with glittering eyes. This time, his expression was full of awe towards Ming Li. He never saw anyone more skilled than him near his age group who wasn''t a member of their family. "Big Brother, You are suuuper amazing!!" Chao Fuhua said. "Tell me how you did it! The way you mixed those 100 plants were like child''s play. It felt as if you mix 100 plants on a daily basis." Chapter 44: Nutty
On the balchony, the sect master had a strange look in his face as he said "Bring the boy to me." Chao Mei and the two old men was startled as one of them said "Sect master, an elder should be enough to deal with his faults." "Yes he acted rashly, however he did not kill anyone, so he has no fault." Chao Mei suddenly interjected "Grandfather, he cheated and used more plants than what the exam allows." The sect master laughed and looked at her grand daughter. "You should learn something from that young man. He did not cheat, he only used his resources wisely."
The man seemed like he already expected Ming Li to use torment and was mentally prepared to face it. When Ming Li noticed this, he immediately said "Dippy grab him." A black robed man appeared behind the green robed man. And grabbed both of his arms from the back.
Ming Li instantly noticed this and decided to risk it. He tapped his cube and pulled out the corpse of the demon. Along with the corpse, demonic energy followed along from his cube.
Suddenly, a hand came out from the body of the corpse, seemingly splitting it apart. The hand grabbed the green robed man and tightly held him in place. The green robed man''s face fell when he saw the puppet''s hand. He never knew about this skill. He was only informed about Ming Li''s torment and his use of crystal leaves. So he felt confident that Ming Li could do nothing to against him.
When he tried to take one step forward, his nose suddenly felt warm as blood flowed from it. Blood also flowed out from his ears and mouth. His face turned pale as he lost his balance and fell on his knees.
The test continued as if nothing happened, but the remaining battles wasn''t as fierce as Ming Li''s fight. In the end only thirty people passed the test and Ming Li was also included in the list of the people who passed, however he was nowhere to be found. People also created several speculations and rumors on what happened to Ming Li. Some says he was punished for trying to kill a disciple of the sect. Others says that it''s not possible that he was punished since he passed the test with highest mark, so he was probably taken in by an elder of the sect and went into secluded training. Even the sect master was clueless on Ming Li''s whereabouts. He was actually planning to take Ming Li in as a sky disciple and have the apothecary pavilion head train him directly.
He remained in a secluded area in the sect trying to stabilize his condition.
With a wave of his hands, a figure wearing a green robe emerged from the rift. He walked towards Ming Li with an expressionless face. Ming Li then said "I will name you Nutty." He ordered Nutty a mental command to walk around the sect so that Ming Li can find out people from the black spider guild.
"Seems like the stronger the person is, the harder it is for me to control. It also seems like the puppet is also trying to resist my commands." Chapter 45: Infiltrate
Nutty has been wandering around for the sect for an hour and this was the first time that someone showed him such deep respect. Nutty then said "Where are the others?"
When Ming Li heard this through Nutty, his smile grew wider and he commanded Nutty to say "I already captured Ming Li, go bring him to the main guild."
Nutty then did a grasping motion from an alley nearby where Ming Li came rushing forward as if he was being pulled by some invisible force.
The two walked for days. Ming Li would often randomly ask the man questions regarding the black spider guild, but the man would only sneer at him then ignore him. Once he was ignored, he would tell stories about himself trying to ease up the tension between the two of them. This routine continued for more than two weeks, until for some unknown reasons the man actually started to answer some of Ming Li''s questions. It can be because of boredom or because he thought that Ming Li will probably die anyway, so why worry about sharing information with him. Even Ming Li wasn''t sure why the man started answering him, but he took the opportunity to push his luck and ask for more information. Ming Li got a bit of information from the man which allowed him to create a plan when he entered the guild.
The man excitedly said "We are here!" In the mountain, he saw several buildings scattered around. The whole mountain was surrounded by seemingly naturally dense forest as its walls. On one side of the dense forest, he also noticed something that looked like an entrance of the guild. When Ming Li saw the entrance, his eyes flashed with killing intent, then he grabbed the man accompanying him at his neck, and said "Torment". The man screamed in pain, Ming Li attacked him suddenly making him unable to fight back.
The man wailed in agony, then after a few breaths, Ming Li decided to kill him to end his suffering. Ming Li held his hands forward towards the man''s head and used sun''s wave. The blood in the head of the man boiled as his eyes exploded, then next his lips and after a while his head exploded with boiling blood scattered all over the place. Ming Li quickly burnt the corpse then summoned Nutty. He issued several commands ensuring his control over Nutty was sufficient, then he turned his head towards the location of the black spider guild and he wore a mask.
People who saw Nutty greeted him happily. Some people were even shocked why Nutty suddenly came back.
Nutty introduced him to be his sworn brother and asked some people seemingly close to Nutty to take care of Ming Li. He said that Ming Li wanted to join the guild, however Nutty can''t take care of him since he is on a special mission, and he only came back to assist Ming Li on joining the guild.
...
Pan Bo and Ming Li walked around the guild. The guild seemed to be a sect, but everyone does not seem to communicate with each other much. Ming Li noticed that there seem to be many different factions in the guild which creates the hostile environment.
Again Ming Li only nodded as response. Pan Bo stared at him blankly then said "So you are a man of few words eh. Ok since you are too shy to ask I''ll explain more. The guild has a fewer rules compared to sects, fighting against the three group are a common occurrence. The fighting is not forbidden since the competition allows to strengthen the guild. However, do not hope that the group will take revenge for you if you lost in a fight. This makes sure that the fights does not go out of hand and would not affect the guild as a whole. Since you are new I advise you to stay in our group and do not offend anyone until you''re strong enough.
"Why is the guild so dark?" Ming Li couldn''t suppress his curiosity and asked. "Oh! So you can talk!" Pan Bo said excitedly. "Actually no one knows the reason, they say that the guild has been like this since the time of the founders of the guild. Maybe the founder chose this place because it gives off the aura that could represent our guild." From Pan Bo''s answer, he knew that he could not get deep information from him, so he asked instead. "Do you know people surname Ru in the guild?" Pan Bo pondered for a bit then said "Yeah, I heard that surname, I think they are the lackeys of Gui Mo, the young master of the Gui Group. He is someone really viscous so stay away from him." Chapter 48: Surprise
In the scroll, he saw several orders from the guild written neatly. The scroll seems to be from the higher ups and wasn''t limited to the Mao Group. What caught his eyes was a line saying "In one year from now, the three way war against the Crystal Leaf Sect and Golden Phoenix Order will start. No alliance has been made since each side do not agree with each other''s terms. We will eliminate everyone who go against the Black Spider Guild! Prepare for war!"
.... With his continuous killing of Black Spider Guild members, his soul ores grew exponentially, unlike his time at the crystal leaf sect, he was earning much more than he could imagine. "So criminals do earn a lot, that''s why they never stop."
Because of Tu Biming''s actions, Ming Li became more vigilant in his missions. He lessened the killing and studied the guild more. Whenever his thirst for knowledge kicked in he absolutely must satisfy it. Currently he became really indulged in studying the dark aura surrounding the guild. He was a bit bothered by the aura when he first entered the guild, but because of the circumstances, he wasn''t able to focus in studying it. However, with enough soul ores gathered that could last for a while, and the guild slowly being suspicious of his mass murder, he now has the time and opportunity to study the dark aura. This will also allow him to lay low for a while. He went on a secluded location on the guild near the Gui Group then waved his hands. Suddenly, a man wearing a black robed appeared, It was none other than Dippy. He was sure that Dippy is part of the Gui group since he reacted furiously about Ming Li killing Ru Goa.
Ming Li used Dippy to enter the Gui Clan and look for some information regarding the dark aura in there. Many people greeted Dippy with respect inside the Gui Group main residence. Ming Li could not believe that the person he beat was probably from the main bloodline. He made Dippy venture further, then a man wearing elegant clothes carrying a fan came towards Dippy. "So the rumors were true. The truant young master came back." Ming Li had no idea who the person was, so he tried to ignore him.
"Gui Jie, I''m not bothering anyone, I''m just greeting Gui He." Gui Duyi said with a light smile.
Dippy was dragged into a room far away from their original position. The room looked luxurious and wide. Everything was neatly placed in order which made it seem more elegant. After a few breaths upon entering the room, Gui Jie suddenly hugged Dippy tightly and kissed him. Ming Li''s eyes went wide, he never thought that Dippy would have a relationship with such gorgeous woman. "I have missed you so much." Gui Jie looked at Dippy with loving eyes as she caressed Dippy more. On a place far away, Ming Li was stupefied and had no idea what to do. He has no experience in woman, however, it does not mean that he have never thought of it.
He breathed ruggedly after what he saw. Without much thought, he gulped a pill to calm his mind. "This isn''t such a bad development. With this, I will have a good source of information." After waiting for an hour, he connected his consciousness to Dippy. Just when he was about to issue an order, he suddenly shouted "What the #?!+ Dippy!!! You''re still not done?!!" Ming Li immediately retracted his consciousness and breathed heavily, he was confused on what to feel with what he saw. It was a mixed feeling of pleasure and disgust.
"I have my ways." Dippy replied with confidence. "I see. Since you''re a member of the Gui Clan, you have the right to know. The war will start exactly eleven months from now. We have already sent commands to loyal guild members informing them to prepare for war. As you probably know, this will be a three way war between our long time enemies. I hope the Crystal Leaf Sect and Golden Phoenix Order would not go into an alliance before the war." "Hmm, how about the power struggle in the guild?" Dippy asked
"That''s good, So what is the plan for war?" "I have no complete details, however it seems like the leaders are planning to stay on the guild and use our guild defenses as the main weapon for war. Our guild is also located at the center of our two enemies, so the war would probably end up in our territory." Gui Jie explained. Dippy was silent for a moment and said. "I wish to be alone for now." "I know that you don''t want this war to happen since you have a good relationship with the Golden Phoenix Order, however the decision came from the leaders of each group. There seems to be a power we cannot even comprehend pulling the strings. So I would like you to prepare yourself mentally." "I understand." Dippy closed his eyes then nodded. Gui Jie went out of the room and left Dippy alone. Chapter 47: Seal Behind his mask, Ming Li was sweating nonstop. His eyes stayed focused, but he wasn''t sure how long he could act. "Answer my question!" The voice lashed out. Ming Li was startled and immediately responded "Yes Elder, this junior would willingly die for the guild!" The voices then stopped, however the oppressive energy directed at Ming Li was still present. After three breaths, another voice said: "If so, absorb this." From the dark, a small bottle flew towards Ming Li. When Ming Li opened the bottle, his body trembled, he instantly knew that the substance inside the bottle was dangerous, however he had no choice but to absorb it. Again, he glanced at darkness, but he could only sense the presence of three strong seekers which made him feel stiff from fear. After thinking of the consequence of not doing as the elders commands, he made his resolve. "Since I have no way to escape these oldies, I''ll have to play along." He thought. Sizzle.. Ming Li absorbed the substance then his skin started to burn. All of his senses started to weaken, and something inside his core formed. A seal slowly materialized inside of him. He felt that it was a control type seal. If the seal completely formed, he realized that he would die if he betrayed the guild! He gritted his teeth and endured the pain of his core being sealed. Hopelessness filled his heart, fighting back against the seal felt meaningless. Everything around him became hazy, as he grasped for breath. When he was about to give up resistance, his core erupted with demonic energy. The demonic energy inside of him raged as if it does not wished to be suppressed. After he felt this, he realized that the seal was meant to control natural energy, not demonic energy! The elders didn''t notice the thing happening inside Ming Li''s body. They were sure that anyone who absorbed the substance would definitely have the seal in their core. Everyone who was a core member of the guild have consumed the substance, which allowed them to gain complete control over the guild. The seal will kill anyone who did anything to betray the guild, even the elders have consumed this to gain complete trust of the guild. Being a group of random people thrown in together with different beliefs, they needed this seal to create a strong foundation with unwavering loyalty to the guild itself. Their trust to the substance was enough to make them careless in observing its effects. Demonic energy rushed through him wildly tearing every part of the seal. The explosive nature of demonic energy made it impossible to be controlled by the seal. On the outside, Ming Li seemed to be suffering from being sealed, but in reality he was pained from his own demonic energy going on a berserk inside his own body. After a while, he stood up slightly panting and bowed to the elders. A smile appeared on the elders face when they said "You are now officially part of the Mao Group, your standing would be higher than ordinary members, since your loyalty would be eternal." Ming Li strongly kneeled in front of the elders and said "Thank you Elders! I am proud to be bestowed of such honor!" "You are dismissed." When he heard the voice, the presence of the three seeker in the darkness completely faded away. Ming Li stood up and went out the place, he was escorted back to his place by the same man who escorted him earlier and was left alone without a word. Ming Li felt baffled by what happened. However, he was sure that the elders had some suspicions in him, which made them decide to seal, and gain complete control over him. With them believing that Ming Li has been completely sealed and would eternally be loyal to the guild, Ming Li smiled maliciously and said "Now I can kill more of you idiots!" ... Ming Li continued his assassination of the guild members. Months passed, and his kill count easily reached hundreds. Since there were hundreds of thousands of guild members in the Black Spider Guild, a loss of a mere hundred insignificant weak members would not cause much of a commotion. His hands were now filled with blood, He had long since gotten used to killing, which in fact, made him extremely efficient in assassination. Most of his targets didn''t even know how they died, and people who luckily noticed Ming Li also died without being able to fight back. His strength also steadily reached the fifth level which made his tasks easier. Each time he gained a level, he noticed his body becoming significantly stronger. Unlike in the beginners realm where only a slight increase in physical capability was evident, and the boost in strength was more about the control of natural energy.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. In the body tempering realm, his body was the main focus of his growth. Being in the fifth level made it impossible for people in the beginners realm to kill him. His control of natural energy also increased with every increase in level, however, it wasn''t as much as compared to the physical enhancement of his body. One day, when he was about to kill someone on the first level of body tempering realm, a strong energy suddenly rose from behind him which made his attack miss. When he glanced around, He saw a seeker with round eyes and huge built who was at the sixth level of the body tempering realm. He felt a sense of crisis since it was the first time he was discovered in such a way. Without thinking much, he immediately rushed again towards the man at the first level of the beginners realm. When the seeker with huge built saw Ming Li''s actions, his face flickered. He never thought that Ming Li would again decisively attack the weaker target instead of running away. The man with huge built waved his hands, then a twenty meter lightning dragon flew towards Ming Li when he was about to reach the weaker seeker. Ming Li gritted his teeth and crushed two crystal leaves to block the lightning dragon, which materialized a giant sand attack that come flying from his palm directly colliding with enemy''s attack, making it dissolve into nothingness. On the instant of collision, the seeker with huge build was pushed back a few steps, however on the other hand, Ming Li continued rushing towards his target. "Torment", the two seeker heard Ming Li said a single word, then the seeker at the first level of body tempering realm suddenly screamed in intense pain. Ming Li did not stop his attacks and lifted up his arms then decapitated the seekers head, before the stronger seeker could even react. "So there was really someone killing members of the guild, However you are too weak to be doing this. You shall die by my hands." The man said with furious tone. Ming Li looked at him calmly and recognized the man, He was named Tu Biming. In the guild, he was popular for being righteous and would end conflict by helping weaker guild members. He was good natured, however his loyalty towards the guild was unwavering. No words were heard from Ming Li, Instead his energy surged madly as his concealed strength exploded without restrain. Tu Biming eyes went wide when he saw Ming Li rise from the 2nd level until 5th level. He was extremely confident earlier to beat Ming Li, however when he saw that they were only one level apart, he started to be more vigilant and carefully backed of several steps. On the other hand, Ming Li strode forward overbearingly, Despite their levels being different. Ming Li''s oppressive killing intent made Tu Biming suffocated. Ming Li have already killed hundreds in just a few months. This made his aura extremely dark, coupled with his demonic energy, Tu Biming felt as if he was being stabbed by invisible needles just from Ming Li''s aura alone. Tu Biming gritted his teeth and decided to attack Ming Li first. Being on the a higher level made him confident enough to fight with Ming Li head on. He pulled out a one handed axe then made a horizontal slash towards Ming Li. A sound of thunder rang out from his slash then lightning crackled along with the attack. The attack was larger than the previous lightning dragon, It contained no shape, however, it ferociously swept everything on its path. Ming Li was shocked on Tu Biming''s art, and this was his first time battling someone on the sixth level of body tempering realm. He gritted his teeth and used both of his hands to employ the sun''s wave. A visible red wave materialized in front of Ming Li moving towards the lightning attack. When Tu Biming saw Ming Li''s attack, his eyes went wide as he shouted "Why are you using Sun''s wave!? are you from the Golden Phoenix Order!?" While shouting, he made another wide slash, creating a larger lightning wave. Ming Li''s pupils constricted when he saw the attack, however he did not back down and also waved his hands several times creating another set of heat wave. Also, he crushed several crystal leaves directing the attack towards Tu Biming. When the various attacks collided a thunderous boom echoed out. The trees were uprooted and the wind turned into a gale of force which shot out from the collision. Ming Li was swept backwards several meters with blood oozing from his mouth. On the other hand Tu Biming also seemed injured from the attack and was heavily panting. "Golden Phoenix Order!? I have never heard of that" Ming Li said while wiping the blood on his mouth. "It seems you are really not from the Golden Phoenix Order, since you also used Crystal Leaves, I do not know how to got your hands on those arts, however I will make you confess after I beat you to pulp." Ming Li was also confused of what Tu Biming was saying, however he had no time to analyze Tu Biming''s words, since the possibility of them being found out fighting was high, if the battle last longer. Even with both of them injured, Ming Li leapt forward towards Tu Biming without a hint of fear. He was like a wild beast that would do anything to kill his prey. Ming Li opened his palm and casted torment. A sphere of symbols flew towards Tu Biming at amazing speed. Tu Biming coldly snorted and waved his axe, three lightning dragon materialized beside him. With another wave of his axe, these lightning dragon flew towards Ming Li with unprecedent speed. One of the lightning dragon changed its path towards the sphere of symbols, however upon collision the sphere of symbols only scattered and continued towards Tu Biming. Tu Biming have seen the attack in a brief moment, but he was not entirely sure of what the symbols could do, so he was extremely cautious towards it. He leaped at his side trying to avoid the symbols. While Tu Buming was about to dodge the symbol, Ming Li moved his hands then unleashed a ray of sun''s wave. The wave directly collided with the two dragon melting everything on it''s path. The two dragon disappeared along with the heat wave which left a huge crater in the ground. However, a blast of energy from a crystal leaf stopped Tu Biming''s movement allowing the sphere of symbols to slightly touch him. The sphere of symbols etched itself on Tu Biming''s body, where he felt extreme pain. He tried to wave off the remaining symbols floating towards him, however he failed to do so. Ming Li dashed forward and seized the opportunity. He crushed several crystal leaves and directed it towards Tu Biming, which caused Tu Biming to be severely injured. Tu Bimming kneeled on the ground while breathing gritting his teeth trying to withstand the extreme pain. Ming Li approached Tu Biming and said "You are strong, however not strong enough." Then he lifted up his hand preparing to kill Tu Biming. When his hands was slashing towards Tu Biming''s neck, Tu Biming shouted "The Golden Phoenix Order will kill you!" then his hands come in contact with Tu Biming''s neck completely decapitating Tu Biming''s head. Chapter 48: Surprise
In the scroll, he saw several orders from the guild written neatly. The scroll seems to be from the higher ups and wasn''t limited to the Mao Group. What caught his eyes was a line saying "In one year from now, the three way war against the Crystal Leaf Sect and Golden Phoenix Order will start. No alliance has been made since each side do not agree with each other''s terms. We will eliminate everyone who go against the Black Spider Guild! Prepare for war!"
.... With his continuous killing of Black Spider Guild members, his soul ores grew exponentially, unlike his time at the crystal leaf sect, he was earning much more than he could imagine. "So criminals do earn a lot, that''s why they never stop."
Because of Tu Biming''s actions, Ming Li became more vigilant in his missions. He lessened the killing and studied the guild more. Whenever his thirst for knowledge kicked in he absolutely must satisfy it. Currently he became really indulged in studying the dark aura surrounding the guild. He was a bit bothered by the aura when he first entered the guild, but because of the circumstances, he wasn''t able to focus in studying it. However, with enough soul ores gathered that could last for a while, and the guild slowly being suspicious of his mass murder, he now has the time and opportunity to study the dark aura. This will also allow him to lay low for a while. He went on a secluded location on the guild near the Gui Group then waved his hands. Suddenly, a man wearing a black robed appeared, It was none other than Dippy. He was sure that Dippy is part of the Gui group since he reacted furiously about Ming Li killing Ru Goa.
Ming Li used Dippy to enter the Gui Clan and look for some information regarding the dark aura in there. Many people greeted Dippy with respect inside the Gui Group main residence. Ming Li could not believe that the person he beat was probably from the main bloodline. He made Dippy venture further, then a man wearing elegant clothes carrying a fan came towards Dippy. "So the rumors were true. The truant young master came back." Ming Li had no idea who the person was, so he tried to ignore him.
"Gui Jie, I''m not bothering anyone, I''m just greeting Gui He." Gui Duyi said with a light smile.
Dippy was dragged into a room far away from their original position. The room looked luxurious and wide. Everything was neatly placed in order which made it seem more elegant. After a few breaths upon entering the room, Gui Jie suddenly hugged Dippy tightly and kissed him. Ming Li''s eyes went wide, he never thought that Dippy would have a relationship with such gorgeous woman. "I have missed you so much." Gui Jie looked at Dippy with loving eyes as she caressed Dippy more. On a place far away, Ming Li was stupefied and had no idea what to do. He has no experience in woman, however, it does not mean that he have never thought of it.
He breathed ruggedly after what he saw. Without much thought, he gulped a pill to calm his mind. "This isn''t such a bad development. With this, I will have a good source of information." After waiting for an hour, he connected his consciousness to Dippy. Just when he was about to issue an order, he suddenly shouted "What the #?!+ Dippy!!! You''re still not done?!!" Ming Li immediately retracted his consciousness and breathed heavily, he was confused on what to feel with what he saw. It was a mixed feeling of pleasure and disgust.
"I have my ways." Dippy replied with confidence. "I see. Since you''re a member of the Gui Clan, you have the right to know. The war will start exactly eleven months from now. We have already sent commands to loyal guild members informing them to prepare for war. As you probably know, this will be a three way war between our long time enemies. I hope the Crystal Leaf Sect and Golden Phoenix Order would not go into an alliance before the war." "Hmm, how about the power struggle in the guild?" Dippy asked
"That''s good, So what is the plan for war?" "I have no complete details, however it seems like the leaders are planning to stay on the guild and use our guild defenses as the main weapon for war. Our guild is also located at the center of our two enemies, so the war would probably end up in our territory." Gui Jie explained. Dippy was silent for a moment and said. "I wish to be alone for now." "I know that you don''t want this war to happen since you have a good relationship with the Golden Phoenix Order, however the decision came from the leaders of each group. There seems to be a power we cannot even comprehend pulling the strings. So I would like you to prepare yourself mentally." "I understand." Dippy closed his eyes then nodded. Gui Jie went out of the room and left Dippy alone. Chapter 49: Broader
On the room, Dippy searched around for some information about the guild. Ming Li''s aim was to find information about the dark aura surrounding the guild. There were several scrolls and books lying around in Dippy''s room. Ming Li checked each and everyone of them using Dippy. He was shocked from the abundant information he got from Dippy''s books and scrolls.
With all of the unexpected information he got, he was flabbergasted and could not digest the information properly.
His eyes shone with interest as he made Dippy walk out of the room and investigate more. Days passed, however he did not get much information on the dark aura. Also, he never found any new information regarding the other planes. It seems like the information was limited to what he already knew.
When Ming Li came across the word "Demon" he instantly felt the urgent need to find the source of the aura. If he could use the demonic energy of the demon just like the corpse he got, he would become more powerful which could help him in his fight with the Black Spider Guild.
Time passed, and he rapidly grew stronger. With his constant gathering of soul ores through killing, he became rich enough to buy tons of demon''s grace. The current amount of demon''s grace on his possession, could allow him to skyrocket to the tenth level of Body Tempering Realm. Never in his wildest dreams would he expect that he could reach such a level in a short amount of time with his crappy core.
On a room at Nutty''s place, Ming Li sat crossed legged surrounded by dozens of demonic nature''s dew. Chapter 54: Divine The man said "I am not sure If I can ascend into the Heavenly Realm, however I am sure I have a higher chance with my new body." "I am also curious, since I have used this pill to different people three times already. I wish to know if there are noticeable changes in you. Like changes in your core?" Ming Li never want to let the man know that he was the first test subject for the pill, so he decided to lie about using the pill on other people. He only cared about determining the changes in the man''s body and if it specifically changed the man''s core. If it did do something to the core of the man, it would be his best chance to change his core back to normal! The man closed his eyes as he thoroughly checked everything about his body. after a few breaths, he opened his eyes and said "There are no changes in my core, It is still the same, it is only at a better state than before. Also my soul body have improved a lot. I can feel as if I was actually reborn into a stronger soul body." Ming Li felt dejected when he heard that it did nothing to change the core. "So It can only really devour your previous self and allow you to grow stronger and start anew." Ming Li forced a smile and said "Since you are already well, I will take my leave now." The man looked at him seriously and said "I owe you my life, so if you wish anything in return just tell me." Ming Li flicked his sleeve and looked back at the man as he replied "No, I am glad that you are alive. Seeing you alive is the best reward I could get." The man''s eyes was full of respect towards Ming Li as he pulled out a golden plate filled with ancient symbols then threw it to Ming Li. The golden plate emanated an aura similar to that of the third sun which proved its rarity. When Ming Li saw this, he almost wanted to jump from joy, but he still maintained his composure and had the same unwavering expression. "That is my most treasured possession, kindly accept it a a token of my gratitude. I wish to give you more but, I have kept most of my belongings somewhere far away since I thought I was about to die and most of the items I have will be useless for you." Ming Li simply grabbed the treasure as if it was nothing special and nodded. Then he turned his head away as he continued his steps slowly away from the man. The man felt deep respect for Ming Li and said "Even though you do not wish any more payment, I will still remember this kindness and pay you back someday. You are also free to enter our Golden Phoenix Order anytime you want, just present the emblem I gave you and I will personally welcome you!" Upon hearing the man''s words, Ming Li did not look back and simply waved his hands trying to look as cool as possible while thinking "It worked! This guy will now owe the cool me his life! Hahaha!" By weird coincidence, the sun illuminated his figure making him appear divine as he walk away without any trace of arrogance which could make anyone mistake him as some sort of divine being who descended on the mortal plane. The man didn''t say a word, instead he looked at Ming Li''s back with deep gaze filled with strong emotion until he could no longer visibly see him, then a smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes and silently continued his meditation. .... Below the hill, Ming Li walked leisurely with a wide smile. He can now arrogantly enter the Golden Phoenix Order and be treated with respect whenever he wants to. Even though he killed a member from the Golden Phoenix Order, he knew that it wouldn''t be much of an issue since he was a savior of such a strong person.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. With all of his lucky encounters, he decided to come back to the guild and continue his search for the dark energy. From all of the information he got, he was now ready to find the location of the dark energy. On his way back, he saw several seekers from the guild investigating something. Three seeker at the body tempering realm came to him and said "Have you seen anything unusual around? We have cases of guild members missing." Ming Li thought deeply for a moment as he held his hands on his chin then said "I think I felt a weird energy coming from the a hill on the east. I did not check it out since It felt a bit dangerous so I decided to ignore it." The three seekers looked at Ming Li with doubt, but based on Ming Li''s level he has no way to eliminate thirty seekers on the same realm and one person at the fusion realm. So they simply shoved Ming Li to the side and walked away. Ming Li also stumbled as he walked away as if he was scared of those seekers, but his smile was that of pure evil. The hill he pointed was the exact hill where the old man from the Golden Phoenix Order meditated. By using the old man to fight with the seekers, he can push all the blame to the old man for the missing seekers on the forest. It would also be known that there is a powerful expert hiding near the Black Spider Guild which could shift everyone''s attention away from Ming Li. Ming Li continued traveling towards the guild in a bliss while holding the golden plate that was given to him. By simply putting his energy on the plate, he gained insight on its use. The plate can be used in combat which could display amazing strength. He was eager to try using the golden plate, but he did not want to cause trouble at the moment, so that he will remain unsuspected the by guild. After keeping the golden palate, he proceeded to his place in the guild and there he saw Pan Bo still boasting about his growth. Ming Li thought that Pan Bo was somewhat simple minded, but he was actually amazed by the speed of his growth. The speed was abnormal that it could almost rival Ming Li. "Pan Bo, how did you increase your level again?" Ming Li asked while walking towards Pan Bo. "Hahaha! Are you jealous my friend? This is the effect of my continuous effort and loyalty to the guild!" Pan Bo shouted while tapping his chest. Ming Li raised an eyebrow to Pan Bo and thought "So the guild is really not holding back on using its resources to raise the strength of everyone in preparation for the war." "My friend come with me, we will hunt monsters for the guild!" When Ming Li heard this, he ignored Pan Bo and continued inside his place, he knew that Pan Bo was simple minded. However, it was obvious that his loyalty towards the guild is worst than everyone and only uses the guild for his own gain. So he chose not to listen to him and focus on his own matters. He locked himself and resumed his soul connection with Dippy and decided to finally find the exact location of the demon spider''s corpse in a month! .... On the hill, the man still sat crossed legged meditating, when suddenly, he sensed people coming to the hill from afar. It was not a few people, but instead a hundred people along with powerful seekers with them. He felt the hostility of the people coming and said "Those damn Black Spider Guild are just in time for me to test my new body!" He stood up and made a single step. His single step allowed him to appear directly outside the cave. Then he looked up and massive energy emanated from him while his feet slowly inched away from the ground. When his body was a feet above the ground, he laughed uproariously and shot towards the sky at amazing speed! Everyone approaching the cave was startled by the sudden change in energy of the man. Their faces turned serious as they pulled out various magical weapons. Some who were in the soul realm started to float and was a bit hesitant to approach the man. They knew that the man was a realm above them, which they did not expect! They wanted to turn back and seek reinforcement since the strongest person leading them was only at the fifth level of soul realm. His strength was not enough to battle someone who already achieved Soul Ascension! The man stood at a high point in the sky staring at the people approaching the hill at a distance. He didn''t stop laughing as he pulled out a spear from his cube and waved it towards the group of people. A single wave of his spear created a huge flame heading towards the group of people. It was no ordinary flame, those flame was only lit because of the extreme heat from the spear of the man! The man was using the exact same skill as Ming Li. Sun''s Wave! Everyone who saw the incoming flames from the sky felt alarmed and used various arts to block the flame. However, most of the weaker arts only crumbled when it touched the scorching wave. Five people on the soul realm used their arts as they block the attack from the man which made everything quake in all direction, that caused a thunderous boom to echo out! BOOOOM! The two attacks collided and crumbled. However, the people on the soul realm who blocked the attack were all panting heavily with blood oozing at the corner of their mouths. On the contrary, the old man was''t even affected a bit from the massive collision. It was as if the attack he used was his weakest skill. While looking at the man in the sky they simultaneously shouted: CHARGE! Chapter 57: Underground
In the poison hall, Ming Li sat crossed legged unmoving covered in hundreds of small flowers and vines. There were hundreds of flowers which actually made it difficult for everyone to completely see his mask. He became some sort of attraction in the poison hall, some people would enter the hall just to see him. It was already two months since Ming Li entered that state and the flowers surrounded him never stopped blooming.
He sighed then came back to the first flower and plucked it. Outside, a big illusory flower bloomed above him when he plucked the flower, Information about poison flowed through his mind which made him learn the first part of the art. Everyone smiled, and waited for Ming Li to finally open his eyes, They knew that when the illusory flower bloomed, it is the time someone finished the enlightenment. Which in the history of the guild only five achieved. So they were joyed that there was another skilled guild member who could rival those people in the legends.
When the second illusory flower started fading, Ming Li suddenly opened his eyes and started panting heavily. It was as if he was severely injured, but no injuries manifested in his body. He sat there panting for several breaths until the vines slowly disappeared along with the flowers. Then his complexion became ashen as he felt his body almost slumping towards the ground. By using his hands to lift his body, he noticed that there were a lot of people already watching him. Each one of them were giving him stares of amazement and curiosity, but no one uttered a word. "Come with me." a voice behind Ming Li suddenly resounded. The voice sounded familiar, it was as if he heard the voice somewhere before. When he thought about it deeply, he suddenly realized that the voice was from one of the old man who tried to seal his core to become a loyal member of the guild. Ming Li slowly turned his head along with his body towards his back, and saw a Middle aged man with noticeably brown hair with hands full of burns. Since he knew that the person talking to him was one of the leaders of the black spider guild, he immediately stood up and endured his fatigue to follow the man. The man didn''t stare at him for long and immediately turned away to walk out of the hall. Seeing the old man walk away, Ming Li did not hesitate to follow him. While they were walking away, everyone began murmuring random thoughts. "After contemplating the art for 2 months straight, of course he would be admired by the Elders." "So Elder Mao Cheng is taking Ming Li as his personal disciple?" "Maybe! There had been no one who have succeeded in mastering the art the way he did." Another man said. "Or maybe he will be asked some special task since the war is near." Ming Li heard some of these and kept in mind the name of the elder, but the way they walk was fast, so he could only hear so little about the random conversations of the guild members.
Ming Li looked at the two man deeply and said with respect as he clasped his hands "Yes elders!" "Do you know why you are here?" An archaic but calm voice resounded from the remaining old man at the center of the room. Ming Li felt strong power just from his voice and he replied "Elder, actually I do not know why I am taken to this place, however, I will do whatever the elders want me to."
When Ming Li heard this, his heart thumped as he smiled and replied slowly "Of course I will create a poison for the guild!" When he said those words, a weird flash appeared on his eyes. The elders didn''t find anything unusual on Ming Li''s expression so they simply smiled back and took Ming Li on a room deep in the guild.
He immediately stepped back and moved away from the door while looking at the three elders walk towards it without much of a problem. Chapter 52: Despair
The six changes he experienced made him more powerful as he stepped into the Fusion Realm. He clearly felt that his soul was fully merged with his body. "So the body tempering realm prepares our body to be strong enough to properly host our soul. If the body is not properly strengthened, one will surely die if the soul is forcefully fused with the body." Ming Li''s eyes gleamed with understanding as he slowly checked his own body.
He walked towards Gui Zhong, then extended his arms.
Ming Li looked at him deeply and replied "Do you know where the demon spider is located?" Gui Zhong trembled as he shook his head. "I do not know of it''s exact location, however, with my connection. I can help you look for it." Ming Li then continued to reach towards Gui Zhong''s neck while saying "I have better connections." Ming Li squeezed Gui Zhong''s neck and with a calm expression pulled out his soul. "Souls.." "Now that I look at it closely, I can understand it clearly."
Ming Li kept staring at the soul of Gui Zhong. Hours passed, when a flash of clarity appeared in his eyes. "Soul... Torment... Suffering... Art..." Inside his Cube the wooden slip hummed nonstop then it shot out towards Ming Li''s forehead. Ming Li was still deep in thought, when suddenly the wooden slip entered his forehead and observed his thoughts. In his thoughts, Ming Li saw the souls he devoured. He replayed the scene of them being devoured repeatedly. He saw the terror of each soul and the suffering it went through. The misery of the souls left a great impression him. Every time he looked at the souls, mixed emotions rise from within him. These emotions made his understand the souls more.
"Souls.. So fragile yet strong. It is the essence of our life." The wooden slip fell out of his forehead and the bright glow stopped.
After a few breath, the soul wailed as it slowly turned into motes of light and vanished into thin air.
Ming Li threw away Gui Zhong''s body towards the pile of corpse he defeated earlier, collected their cubes, and burnt the bodies to ash. Then proceeded to a far away cave to meditate and adjust to his new realm. After a few days, Ming Li went out of the cave and swallowed a pill which lowered his strength to the third level of body tempering realm. He then decided to kill some more time before coming back to the guild.
Monsters tried to kill him along the way, but they were not a match for Ming Li. So he slaughtered his way towards a small hill far away from the guild.
Ming Li''s face flickered when he felt this. When he was a bit far away from the cave, he thought that the energy was from an item. However, now that he saw the cave with his own eyes. He was certain that it is from a seeker! Ming Li quickly saluted in front of the cave, then sat crossed legged. "Senior, I apologize for bothering you, but it seems like you have encountered some sort of misfortune."
"I may not look like it, but I am an alchemist. I might know a way to help you." Chapter 53: Experiment! Ming Li was astonished by the energy the old man was emitting. He stood in frontof Ming Li with a noticeable expression, an expression who accepted certain death. His beard was long and his hair were all white, even though he looked old with dwindling life force, a vigorous feeling still spreads out from him. What seems to be different about him was one of his eyes, It has a peculiar scar on it that has a shape of a rising phoenix. Ming Li involuntarily stood up while walking away from the man. It was as if his own body was scared to offend a powerful person. When he regained his composure, he stood straight and looked at the man straight in the eyes. The man didn''t look much at Ming Li and shifted his gaze at the pill. When he saw the pill at a close distance, he felt tremor ran through his spine. "It is really something amazing!" The old man exclaimed in surprise. "Yes, as I said it will let you be reborn, the pill will help you devour your previous self and will allow a new you to emerge. With that new self, I believe you can proceed with the new thing you seek." When Ming Li heard the story of the old man, he now knew the exact purpose of the dangerous pill and why the Ten Great Merchant Union was willing to expend so much effort to recreate the pill. It was possibly because someone in the Ten Great Merchant Union experienced the same thing as this old man! Actually, the main reason why Ming Li wanted to give the pill to the old man was not because of the reward he will get form saving a powerful seeker. It was because he wanted to know what will happen if someone actually uses the pill! He wanted to see it with his own eyes! Even though Ming Li was willing to give the pill to the old man, he would never tell the old man that the pill has a high chance of devouring him! "The old man will eventually die anyway, so dying from the pill would not be a big issue. He would be a good experimental subject!!" That was what Ming Li though. Also, he would want it to appear like he was helping the old man because of his kindness, and giving out such a rare pill with sure shot at recovering will make the old man owe him more than giving him something that could possibly cause his death. The old man held the pill in his hands and said "Young one, My name is Ji Chanming, I will die anyway, so I will risk it and try your pill. If It heals me, then I will owe you my life. If not, I ask you to bury my body at this hill where I first gained my enlightenment to what I seek. In return you can have everything inside my cube." Ming Li nodded and said"Senior Ji Chanming, my name is Ming Li and I assure you, you will survive!" Ming Li''s expression remained the same when he said those words, however, he thought how lucky he was that he could gain something even if the devouring fails. He does not care one bit about the old man, but he does care about the old man''s cube and the effects of the pill! The old man looked at him with resolve and swallowed the pill! After swallowing the pill, the old man growled in pain and quickly fell on his knees. His previously domineering energy slowly faded away with only a trickle remaining. Below him, a black shadow spread out covering a five meter diameter space. Where, suddenly, a mouth emerged from the shadow on the ground swallowing the old man! Ming Li fell on his butt from the shock as he stared at the scene. It was beyond what he imagined. He never thought that the devouring effect would be extremely bizarre as this one! After the mouth devoured the old man, It slowly melted and turned into a figure of a human! This figure looked exactly like the old man, except he felt more alive than before! Ming Li looked at the new body with glittering eyes. His expression was of full joy as he observe everything closely.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. When the body fully formed, another mouth came out from the shadow in the ground and devoured the newly formed body. After a few breaths another body formed from the mouth. This process continued as Ming Li enjoyed watching with excitement. "Succeed! Succeed! Hahaha! I want to see the results." Ming Li thought while laughing lightly like a madman. On the fourth time the mouth devoured the body. Ming Li''s eyes turned bloodshot as he laughed wickedly. "Come on test subject. You can do it." The progress of forming of the body slowed down on the fifth devouring process. Ming Li felt worried that the experiment might fail, and that he would not see the result. If he could not see the outcome, he would be forced to find another test subject until he successfully creates a reborn body. When he saw the devouring process, he became curious of the result which made him unable to stop his desire to see the end outcome. Knowledge was after all what he lives for and what he seeks. On the sixth time the mouth devoured the body, the devouring process seems to slow down significantly and it was as if it is about to end. This is the moment where failure and success would be known. Ming Li bit his lips as he inhaled deeply and could not hold back his excitement from the suspense of what was happening. Currently, Ming Li was acting like a mad scientist who would kill to achieve his goal. Slowly, the mouth melted and a new body formed. The process was slow, however it looked more profound. Light emanated from the body as it slowly formed. Eyes, Mouth, Ears, and other parts slowly became discernible as the lump of meat slowly turned into a human figure. When it was fully formed, the body started to inhale its first breath, which caused Ming Li to feel emotional. "Is it a success!?" Ming Li said loudly. After its deep breath, the body exhaled slowly as it opened its eyes. Its eyes were extremely clear; It felt like the eyes of a newborn baby. Eyes which have yet to see the evil of the world. This made Ming Li smile wide, he could not control his excitement and ask the man how it feels to be become a new person after devouring your old self. The man looked around, then sighed in relief. But suddenly, a sharp pain hit his head then made him unconscious. Ming Li immediately checked his test subject for any abnormalities. After a while of thorough diagnosis, he found something different about the body. The body was made of soul! It has the same characteristics as human body, however it clearly felt that it was made from soul. This is his first time thoroughly inspecting a body of a person who possibly reached soul ascension, so he never knew if it was normal for someone who reached such a high realm. Ming Li, inspected the body for several hours until the man woke up. When the man woke up, Ming Li assumed some distance and pretended to be watching over the man. He then said "How do you feel?" The man looked at Ming Li in reverence as he said "I feel alive and stronger than my previous state. I can feel that I can now proceed to seek a different goal than what I previously had. Your pill is certainly amazing!" Ming Li smiled and asked another question "What did you feel during the devouring process?" "When I consumed the pill, my consciousness went into a space where I saw myself threading a path, the path seems to lead to my previous actions in my life. Every time I chose a path more paths opened up. I felt confused, but I trusted my instincts and continued threading what I feel is the right path. Every time I pick a path I felt unimaginable pain, however I cannot voice out my pain and I had to endure it for me to survive. There were many times that I felt that I will be completely devoured by the pain, but I had to carry on. I do not know if I can actually die and be devoured, however, luckily it did not happen. It''s a good thing I trusted your pill. The last choices had hundreds of paths, each path would lure me into going into them but I remained firm and followed my instincts, after entering the last path, I was awakened an saw you observing me." "It only felt that way, however I assure you that there were zero chances of you dying." Ming Li said proudly. Then the man checked his body and smiled. "By the way, It is the first time I saw someone on your realm. Is it normal to have a body like yours?" The man chuckled and said "Maybe you already know about this but, in the Beginners Realm, you will focus on achieving enlightenment regarding what you seek. Once you achieved enlightenment and entered the Body Tempering Realm, you will temper your body for it to be able to contain your soul. When you are ready, your body will fuse with your soul which will allow you to enter the Fusion Realm. In this realm you will prepare your soul to have a form similar to your body. After that you can reach soul realm, where you will shed your mortal flesh and become a soul which will form into a soul body. That is why people who enter that realm can fly. The next realm is the realm I am right now, It is called soul ascension, In this stage I have to prepare my soul to ascend to the heavens and If I succeed I will be able to travel other planes beyond the void." Then the man became silent for a while and said "Have you heard of the Heavenly Realm?" Ming Li simply nodded and waited for the man to continue. "So you know about it. That will be the next level after soul ascension, however, no one in this plane has ever reached that level. We only got the information from legends and people from other planes actually visiting our plane!" Ming Li then asked "So with your new body, do you think its now possible to ascend that realm?" Chapter 54: Divine The man said "I am not sure If I can ascend into the Heavenly Realm, however I am sure I have a higher chance with my new body." "I am also curious, since I have used this pill to different people three times already. I wish to know if there are noticeable changes in you. Like changes in your core?" Ming Li never want to let the man know that he was the first test subject for the pill, so he decided to lie about using the pill on other people. He only cared about determining the changes in the man''s body and if it specifically changed the man''s core. If it did do something to the core of the man, it would be his best chance to change his core back to normal! The man closed his eyes as he thoroughly checked everything about his body. after a few breaths, he opened his eyes and said "There are no changes in my core, It is still the same, it is only at a better state than before. Also my soul body have improved a lot. I can feel as if I was actually reborn into a stronger soul body." Ming Li felt dejected when he heard that it did nothing to change the core. "So It can only really devour your previous self and allow you to grow stronger and start anew." Ming Li forced a smile and said "Since you are already well, I will take my leave now." The man looked at him seriously and said "I owe you my life, so if you wish anything in return just tell me." Ming Li flicked his sleeve and looked back at the man as he replied "No, I am glad that you are alive. Seeing you alive is the best reward I could get." The man''s eyes was full of respect towards Ming Li as he pulled out a golden plate filled with ancient symbols then threw it to Ming Li. The golden plate emanated an aura similar to that of the third sun which proved its rarity. When Ming Li saw this, he almost wanted to jump from joy, but he still maintained his composure and had the same unwavering expression. "That is my most treasured possession, kindly accept it a a token of my gratitude. I wish to give you more but, I have kept most of my belongings somewhere far away since I thought I was about to die and most of the items I have will be useless for you." Ming Li simply grabbed the treasure as if it was nothing special and nodded. Then he turned his head away as he continued his steps slowly away from the man. The man felt deep respect for Ming Li and said "Even though you do not wish any more payment, I will still remember this kindness and pay you back someday. You are also free to enter our Golden Phoenix Order anytime you want, just present the emblem I gave you and I will personally welcome you!" Upon hearing the man''s words, Ming Li did not look back and simply waved his hands trying to look as cool as possible while thinking "It worked! This guy will now owe the cool me his life! Hahaha!" By weird coincidence, the sun illuminated his figure making him appear divine as he walk away without any trace of arrogance which could make anyone mistake him as some sort of divine being who descended on the mortal plane. The man didn''t say a word, instead he looked at Ming Li''s back with deep gaze filled with strong emotion until he could no longer visibly see him, then a smile appeared on his face as he closed his eyes and silently continued his meditation. .... Below the hill, Ming Li walked leisurely with a wide smile. He can now arrogantly enter the Golden Phoenix Order and be treated with respect whenever he wants to. Even though he killed a member from the Golden Phoenix Order, he knew that it wouldn''t be much of an issue since he was a savior of such a strong person.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. With all of his lucky encounters, he decided to come back to the guild and continue his search for the dark energy. From all of the information he got, he was now ready to find the location of the dark energy. On his way back, he saw several seekers from the guild investigating something. Three seeker at the body tempering realm came to him and said "Have you seen anything unusual around? We have cases of guild members missing." Ming Li thought deeply for a moment as he held his hands on his chin then said "I think I felt a weird energy coming from the a hill on the east. I did not check it out since It felt a bit dangerous so I decided to ignore it." The three seekers looked at Ming Li with doubt, but based on Ming Li''s level he has no way to eliminate thirty seekers on the same realm and one person at the fusion realm. So they simply shoved Ming Li to the side and walked away. Ming Li also stumbled as he walked away as if he was scared of those seekers, but his smile was that of pure evil. The hill he pointed was the exact hill where the old man from the Golden Phoenix Order meditated. By using the old man to fight with the seekers, he can push all the blame to the old man for the missing seekers on the forest. It would also be known that there is a powerful expert hiding near the Black Spider Guild which could shift everyone''s attention away from Ming Li. Ming Li continued traveling towards the guild in a bliss while holding the golden plate that was given to him. By simply putting his energy on the plate, he gained insight on its use. The plate can be used in combat which could display amazing strength. He was eager to try using the golden plate, but he did not want to cause trouble at the moment, so that he will remain unsuspected the by guild. After keeping the golden palate, he proceeded to his place in the guild and there he saw Pan Bo still boasting about his growth. Ming Li thought that Pan Bo was somewhat simple minded, but he was actually amazed by the speed of his growth. The speed was abnormal that it could almost rival Ming Li. "Pan Bo, how did you increase your level again?" Ming Li asked while walking towards Pan Bo. "Hahaha! Are you jealous my friend? This is the effect of my continuous effort and loyalty to the guild!" Pan Bo shouted while tapping his chest. Ming Li raised an eyebrow to Pan Bo and thought "So the guild is really not holding back on using its resources to raise the strength of everyone in preparation for the war." "My friend come with me, we will hunt monsters for the guild!" When Ming Li heard this, he ignored Pan Bo and continued inside his place, he knew that Pan Bo was simple minded. However, it was obvious that his loyalty towards the guild is worst than everyone and only uses the guild for his own gain. So he chose not to listen to him and focus on his own matters. He locked himself and resumed his soul connection with Dippy and decided to finally find the exact location of the demon spider''s corpse in a month! .... On the hill, the man still sat crossed legged meditating, when suddenly, he sensed people coming to the hill from afar. It was not a few people, but instead a hundred people along with powerful seekers with them. He felt the hostility of the people coming and said "Those damn Black Spider Guild are just in time for me to test my new body!" He stood up and made a single step. His single step allowed him to appear directly outside the cave. Then he looked up and massive energy emanated from him while his feet slowly inched away from the ground. When his body was a feet above the ground, he laughed uproariously and shot towards the sky at amazing speed! Everyone approaching the cave was startled by the sudden change in energy of the man. Their faces turned serious as they pulled out various magical weapons. Some who were in the soul realm started to float and was a bit hesitant to approach the man. They knew that the man was a realm above them, which they did not expect! They wanted to turn back and seek reinforcement since the strongest person leading them was only at the fifth level of soul realm. His strength was not enough to battle someone who already achieved Soul Ascension! The man stood at a high point in the sky staring at the people approaching the hill at a distance. He didn''t stop laughing as he pulled out a spear from his cube and waved it towards the group of people. A single wave of his spear created a huge flame heading towards the group of people. It was no ordinary flame, those flame was only lit because of the extreme heat from the spear of the man! The man was using the exact same skill as Ming Li. Sun''s Wave! Everyone who saw the incoming flames from the sky felt alarmed and used various arts to block the flame. However, most of the weaker arts only crumbled when it touched the scorching wave. Five people on the soul realm used their arts as they block the attack from the man which made everything quake in all direction, that caused a thunderous boom to echo out! BOOOOM! The two attacks collided and crumbled. However, the people on the soul realm who blocked the attack were all panting heavily with blood oozing at the corner of their mouths. On the contrary, the old man was''t even affected a bit from the massive collision. It was as if the attack he used was his weakest skill. While looking at the man in the sky they simultaneously shouted: CHARGE! Chapter 61: Clash
The new group of seekers clashed causing deafening sound to spread out. Everyone was strong, stronger than the previous seeker who fought. Each one also survived longer and killed many from the previous group. "Dogs of the Black Spider Guild, Die!"
"A fake?" Suddenly, the seeker from the Golden Phoenix Order was unable to move!
"Hahaha, you feel for that? You people from the Golden Phoenix Order are really stupid and simple minded. All you know is to attack, we from the Black Spider Guild also specializes in traps."
"The Crystal Leaf Sect also has three pavilion which can match yours, so now die!" Suddenly, poison spread out of the place, the Golden Phoenix Order protected themselves with heat, pushing away the poison. The Crystal Leaf sect members also popped a pill which caused some of the poison to be ineffective. All side seem to have a way to counter their enemies. No one was able to take the flow of the fight to their advantage. Some soul realm seekers would bash the shield whenever they got the chance which caused the shields to tremble. When the elders from different groups saw the shield tremble, an elder from the Golden Phoenix Order suddenly rushed towards the shield. His movement was extremely fast; the seeker at the soul realm wasn''t able to react and some of them were beheaded by the elder.
The faces of the Black Spider Guild''s elders became more serious as one elder flew at the direction of the man attacking the shield.
Both of the elders looked at each other and after a single breath, they clashed nonstop. The soul realm seekers and weaker who were caught in the fight were either incinerated or were riddled with holes. The display of strength of the two proved the difference between the soul realm and those who stepped in the soul ascension. When the fight was getting intense, an elder from the crystal leaf sect appeared beside the two then waved his hand causing vines to materialize entangling the two opposing elder.
Then on his other hand, he pulled out three crystal leaves and crushed it, causing a violent wind energy to accumulate in his palm. Chapter 62: Destoy
"Activate formation! Rain of Spear!"
All of the illusory spears then simultaneously came falling towards the two group. The speed it fell was extremely fast; air splitting sound could be heard everywhere as the spears descended. The scene could cause any mortal to scream in terror, and could even make medium sized guild tremble in despair.
Both sides remained calm as the more people joined their formations. The triangular symbol on the Golden Phoenix side became bigger as it unleashed a blinding ray of red light towards the sky incinerating all of the spears on it path.
"Unleash another attack!" An elder shouted with all his might using natural energy to have his voice echo throughout the guild.
The numerous spear again descended without pause. The sky looked like it was being split in thousands of portions as the spear pierced downwards.
The scene seemed like the two group were actually ganging up on the Black Spider Guild. More cracks on the shield appeared which made them attack more decisively. Several seekers at the soul realm and two who reached soul ascension came towards the shield from the Crystal Leaf Sect bombarding it with enumerable attacks.
With so many extremely strong seekers attacking the shield, cracks rapidly spread out as the shield became thinner. Five Elders from the nine elders in the Black Spider Guild made a single step. With a single step, they directly appeared outside the shield waving their weapons and skills towards the elders from the two group. BOOOOM! Thunderous sounds spread through the air creating an invisible force pushing everyone on the lower realm one step away from the location of the clash. Just the sound and energy from the clash made almost all of the seekers tremble in fear. Several more clashes happened as lower realm seekers coughed out blood and tumbled backwards as if they were being attacked by invisible force. The battle of the elders made it impossible for seekers at the body tempering realm to get near the location of the fight.
As the battle was getting fierce, the shield seem to be rapidly weakening as it was randomly hit by attacks from the elders. When an elder floating at the camp of the Golden Phoenix sect noticed this, he threw his head back and roared. His body quickly turned red as he erupted with flames. His eyes then narrowed as he stepped forward towards the shield. When he was directly in front of the shield, he assumed a punching stance, then pulled his hand back. His muscles bulged in an exaggerated degree which caused the onlookers to gape in shock. Then he punched forward causing the lands to quake and the the clouds to spread out away from his location. The punch was filled with all of his power as flames from it grew larger while the punch moved forwards at unimaginable speed. BOOOOM! Chapter 57: Underground
In the poison hall, Ming Li sat crossed legged unmoving covered in hundreds of small flowers and vines. There were hundreds of flowers which actually made it difficult for everyone to completely see his mask. He became some sort of attraction in the poison hall, some people would enter the hall just to see him. It was already two months since Ming Li entered that state and the flowers surrounded him never stopped blooming.
He sighed then came back to the first flower and plucked it. Outside, a big illusory flower bloomed above him when he plucked the flower, Information about poison flowed through his mind which made him learn the first part of the art. Everyone smiled, and waited for Ming Li to finally open his eyes, They knew that when the illusory flower bloomed, it is the time someone finished the enlightenment. Which in the history of the guild only five achieved. So they were joyed that there was another skilled guild member who could rival those people in the legends.
When the second illusory flower started fading, Ming Li suddenly opened his eyes and started panting heavily. It was as if he was severely injured, but no injuries manifested in his body. He sat there panting for several breaths until the vines slowly disappeared along with the flowers. Then his complexion became ashen as he felt his body almost slumping towards the ground. By using his hands to lift his body, he noticed that there were a lot of people already watching him. Each one of them were giving him stares of amazement and curiosity, but no one uttered a word. "Come with me." a voice behind Ming Li suddenly resounded. The voice sounded familiar, it was as if he heard the voice somewhere before. When he thought about it deeply, he suddenly realized that the voice was from one of the old man who tried to seal his core to become a loyal member of the guild. Ming Li slowly turned his head along with his body towards his back, and saw a Middle aged man with noticeably brown hair with hands full of burns. Since he knew that the person talking to him was one of the leaders of the black spider guild, he immediately stood up and endured his fatigue to follow the man. The man didn''t stare at him for long and immediately turned away to walk out of the hall. Seeing the old man walk away, Ming Li did not hesitate to follow him. While they were walking away, everyone began murmuring random thoughts. "After contemplating the art for 2 months straight, of course he would be admired by the Elders." "So Elder Mao Cheng is taking Ming Li as his personal disciple?" "Maybe! There had been no one who have succeeded in mastering the art the way he did." Another man said. "Or maybe he will be asked some special task since the war is near." Ming Li heard some of these and kept in mind the name of the elder, but the way they walk was fast, so he could only hear so little about the random conversations of the guild members.
Ming Li looked at the two man deeply and said with respect as he clasped his hands "Yes elders!" "Do you know why you are here?" An archaic but calm voice resounded from the remaining old man at the center of the room. Ming Li felt strong power just from his voice and he replied "Elder, actually I do not know why I am taken to this place, however, I will do whatever the elders want me to."
When Ming Li heard this, his heart thumped as he smiled and replied slowly "Of course I will create a poison for the guild!" When he said those words, a weird flash appeared on his eyes. The elders didn''t find anything unusual on Ming Li''s expression so they simply smiled back and took Ming Li on a room deep in the guild.
He immediately stepped back and moved away from the door while looking at the three elders walk towards it without much of a problem. Chapter 58: Ash
Elder Mao Cheng was slightly panting as he regained his composure and strode along with the two elders.
The light from the garden were only from natural crystals in the enormous room. It was an amazing sight of plants spanning far and wide deep underground, however, each plant seem to possess a sealing mark so that no one could touch them. Chapter 59: Preparation
It was impossible for him to remain calm, 500 rare plants meant so much even for him. It could cost millions of soul ore, if not for the upcoming war, he would not dare to be rash and give Ming Li all of those 500.
When Elder Mao Cheng heard Ming Li''s sorrowful words. He decided not to severely punish Ming Li, but instead, give him another chance. Even though they lost a lot, Ming Li showed great potential which could be useful later on, and the five poison spirit he actually created was something that could greatly help them in the war. Elder Mao Cheng was strict but, he was not stupid to waste a talent like Ming Li. So he remained silent for a few breaths to completely calm himself before approaching Ming Li. When he calmed down, he patted Ming Li''s back and said. It''s alright. Let''s go out now since the war will begin in a few days. Along with the three other guild members on the garden who created their own unique poison spirit, they went out of the Garden of Death with Ming Li and Elder Mao Cheng. Passing through the same path, they arrived at the same room and directly went outside, where Ming Li saw a lot of guild members positioned in some sort of formation. "So they are almost done preparing huh. I will leave you here, you are all free to do whatever you want until the war. You have contributed a lot for the guild and would be honored from today onward." Elder Mao Cheng said in a serious tone.
After being left completely alone, Ming Li immediately went to a secluded spot and summoned Dippy, then he commended him yo meet with Gao Jie. Being away for so long, Ming Li expects good news from Gao Jie. If he can find the body of the demon spider before the war, it would be the best result for him. ... "Gao He! Where have you been!? I have been worried." Gao Jie ran towards Dippy with eyes filled with concern. "I have just been busy on something, did you get any information about the thing I asked?" While holding onto Dippy''s arms, Gao Jie answered with confidence "Yes, I found the exact location through some close friends and by paying other people. The guild was a bit suspicious of me, however they ignored it since I am after all a member of the main clan and contributed a lot for the guild."
in the room, Ming Li was in a daze when he heard what Gao Jie said. "What the hell is wrong with this woman! Dippy looks like a complete idiot, but she''s head over heels for him."
When Dippy and Gao Jie was about to head to Dippy''s room, a voice suddenly came out from a hallway not far away. "Gao He, you are still here. I thought you ran away to the Golden Phoenix Order. Hahaha!" "Gao Duyi, stop bothering us. We have no time for you" Gao Jie responded furiously. "Why are you defending this traitor? He obviously have connections with the Golden Phoenix Order, that''s why he ran away because he can''t go to war with his friends!" When Gao Jie was about to defend Dippy, Dippy pulled Gao Jie''s arm and eyed Gao Duyi with contempt, before turning his head away and dragging Gao Jie with him. Gao Duyi''s eye flashed with killing intent as he look at Dippy leaving along with Gao Jie.
Ming Li had a bright smile on his face as he got on his feet, and went out of his place to observe the preparations for war. While walking around, he saw Pan Bo walking around not in any skill formation, It was as if he doesn''t even care about the war. "Why are you not included in the formation?" Ming Li asked while walking near Pan Bo. "Oh, there you are Jin! Of course I won''t be included in a silly formation. I am strong enough to be part of the people who will go on the front lines to battle. I am so cool right?" Pan Bo said while laughing proudly. "Oh ok." Ming Li felt stupid for asking someone like Pan Bo as he tried to walk away.
Even though Ming Li was''t interested and threw out several reasons not to come, Pan Bo still managed to made him come. In that place, Pan Bo and Ming Li slowly made their way, it was as if they were avoiding to be spotted by the guild members roaming around. Noticing the actions of Pan Bo, Ming Li became slightly interested on what he was about to see. On a desolate part of the guild, Pan Bo pointed at an odd tree not far away, it arced towards another tree seemingly forming an entrance. "That is a secret entrance into the guild, there are some other entrances like that, but most are guarded. This one seem to be meant to be used only by high ranking people in the guild and only known to them. I found it by chance, but I think it will serve its purpose well during the war!" Pan Bo told Ming Li with a smile. Ming Li looked at the direction of the entrance, then pondered for a while before replying "Why are you telling me this? Also are you planning to run away?" Pan Bo cleared his throat and said "Of course I wont run away. Also, I''m just sharing this to you since you seem like a nice guy. It would be bad if you died without even knowing where to escape." Then he laughed awkwardly.
"Haha, that''s good to know! Let us live and die together for the guild!" Pan Bo said with a bit of hesitation then walked away along with Ming Li. When they came back to the more populated area in the guild, Ming Li left Pan Bo alone while Pan Bo was busy boasting his strength to weaker guild members. Ming Li doesn''t really like hanging around Pan Bo since Pan Bo seemed really easygoing and a bit stupid, but something about the man bothers Ming Li and he just can''t tell what it is.
Ming Li made Dippy come out of the place and come to him. He wanted to check the place on the scroll immediately. When he got the scroll, he felt excited and quickly made his way towards the path indicated on the scroll. There weren''t much people guarding the spot, but Ming Li knew that it would not be wise to push his luck this time. Many spies were being caught while the preparation for war was ongoing. They were now being extremely strict on everyone to minimize the trouble during the war. Those people who were wearing disguises or mask like Ming Li were forced to reveal their real faces to ensure safety of the guild.
Days passed and many more spies were revealed. Ming Li felt a bit nervous, but he chose to remain calm in his residence. A cube was also sent to him containing several soul ores from Elder Kang, It was a gift to help him increase his level for the war. Inside the cube were some natures dew and pills to increase his refinement ability for natural energy. Chapter 60: WAR From the east, many seekers were flying in the sky and more were on the ground. They were all emanating bizarre heat from their bodies. Looking from afar, their image becomes blurry from the combined heat they were emitting. Everyone were wearing golden robes and some were clad in golden armors. Some were carrying spears, and some were swords. Even though they were carrying different weapons, they all radiated the same aura, as if their fighting style was one and the same. There were also several monsters along them. These monsters seemed to be tamed by these seekers. Some were used as mount; Most were used to pull something like a gigantic Phoenix Totem. The totem span hundreds of meters high, as if it was a tall tower moving along with the group. Every tree along its way burns to nothingness as soon as it touched the totem, so the gigantic monsters could pull it easily. From time to time, they would all cheer as if praying at the totem they were carrying. These people were exactly the Golden Phoenix Order! The time for war has come and they were marching towards the Black Spider Guild. Before the Golden Phoenix Order could reach the Crystal Leaf Sect, they needed to pass through the Black Spider Guild, which ultimately decided the location of the war to be at the territory Black Spider Guild. On the opposite side, far away from the Black Spider Guild, there were also thousands of people marching towards the direction of the Black Spider Guild. Everyone were wearing green clothes and green armor. Along with the group, many flying monsters were pulling five gigantic crystal leaves hovering in the sky. The crystal leaves were not as large as the one on the guild, but it was still an eight of its size. Several people were flying, and at the highest point, a single person floated with great might. The natural energy around him seem to be extremely concentrated, as if it was being pulled towards him. This caused the natural energy to become actually visible to the naked eyes. Slightly below him, a White Death Eagle spanning 10 meters in length flew at the same speed as him. The eagle was carrying two people, they were Chao Fuhua and Chao Mei, both of them wore a serious expression with unwavering gaze. This was their first war, and it might also be their last. So they were prepared to lose their lives when they left the sect grounds. Duan Ho and Yu Lan were both mixed in the crowd, however, being a member of the sky disciples and personal disciples of elders, they were placed at a special position on the back of the thousands soldiers to first observe the war, before going to war themselves. With the marching of two strong powers from opposite corners of the Black Spider Guild, the pressure in the whole guild was getting intense. They all received news that in just 5 days the war would start. Even though it was still 5 days, everyone was already fully prepared and did not move from their position. No one wanted to be the reason for the guild to lose the war, so everyone assumed their responsibility with all their resolve. On the other hand, Ming Li was sitting on top of his place yawning and waiting for the war to start. He already discovered how to get to the location of the demon spider and he was also done with his preparations. So he had nothing much to do, also, he could not purchase any demon''s grace in the time of war making him more bored. His plan was to first observe the war, then when it was in a critical point, he would go to the location of the Demon Spider, and look for good fortune there. After he got some good fortune, he planned to collect some cube from the defeated and slay as much as he can from the member of the Black Spider Guild and run away, to live a happy and peaceful life. If the Golden Phoenix Order wins, he also thought of going there to be a member, since he knew that he would be treated pretty well in that place.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His face slowly showed signs of glee as he waited for the war to start. Days passed, everything was calm, however everyone was stiff. It was the day of the war! After a few hours, rumbling could be heard at the both sides of the guild. Slowly, hundreds of thousand of seekers became visible on both sides radiated extremely frightening energy. Energy that was so strong, everyone had a hard time breathing just by feeling the incoming surging energy. "Activate the barriers!" A man wearing a black armor shouted! This man was Mao Cheng, There were eight other people with him observing the scene. These people were the leaders of the Gao group, Yi group, and Mao group. With this great war, everyone in the black spider guild united as one with the same interest to protect the guild. A gigantic shield surrounding the whole guild activated. There were three layers of the shield, each layer was maintained by each group. These shields were proud treasure of each group which was their main defense for the guild. Both the Golden Phoenix Order and Crystal Leaf sect stood their ground near the Black Spider Guild. The Gigantic Phoenix totem and the Five Crystal Leaves were at the center of each camp. Even though the Black Spider Guild was at the center of the war. They weren''t much at a disadvantage, since they have the advantage of being able to use the terrain and the protection in their guild. Also, since this was a three way war, It was actually more advantageous for them be have a place to retreat from the random killings that will happen. When everyone was prepared and stood at their positions, silence filled the air. Nobody uttered a word, even everyone''s breathing seemed to stop. It was as if time actually stopped. The leaders of each group looked at the their enemies with penetrating gaze as they all slowly opened their mouths and shouted at the exact same moment "Everyone, Attack!" Rumbling sounds filled the air, as thousands of seekers from both sides charged at the Black Spider Guild. The Black Spider Guild members also flew out and rushed out of the shield waiting for the incoming opponents. BOOOOM! Thunderous booms echoed everywhere, as different skills clashed. Many seekers instantly died from all forces. It was a random slaughter from three sides. All of them were enemies, whenever someone showed an opening, they will be attacked by two opposing enemies at the same time. So each group never dared to show such weakness. The lands quaked and the air split. The surrounding trees were uprooted and most were pulverized. The monsters surrounding the guild were brought to an uproar as they joined the battle, however they were also butchered mercilessly by anyone they encountered. Flames were utilized by the Golden Phoenix Order, however it was countered by Crystal Leaf Disciples with their seemingly unlimited amount of Crystal Leaf. The Black Spider Guild also showed their terrifying spear skills, which made the fight on equal grounds. With the initial clash, the land were dyed red, as the air were filled with mist of blood from the fallen seekers on the sky. Roars of aggression could be heard at every corner of the place as the fighting continued taking hundreds of lives at each bout. Inside the shield of the Black Spider Gild, Ming Li was shuddering in excitement. This was his first time seeing a war, and the way so many Black Spider Guild members were dying made him weirdly happy. "Die!!" One seeker from the Golden Phoenix Order bellowed while swinging his sword towards a disciple of the Black Spider Guild, creating a pillar of flame. The opposing Black Spider Guild member also roared as he pierced his spear transforming into hundreds of spear flying towards the Golden Phoenix Order disciple. When the skills clashed, both were thrown away wildly and slammed on the ground. Those two were both in the soul realm, However they could not last long in the three way consecutive fight that was happening. Similar exchange could be seen at different locations around the barrier of the Black Spider Guild. Skills, Art, Items, and Weapons clashed nonstop. It was a bloodbath! Many seekers attacked the shield of the Black Spider Guild. If the shield lost their function, everyone on the Black Spider Guild would be thrown into chaos. Booms could be heard as skills slam on the shield. There wasn''t much damage in the shield, but being damaged in a small amount proved that if the enemies continuously battered it with attack, it would eventually break. After hours of repeated exchange of attacks, the Sect Leader in the Crystal Leaf Sect eyed everything calmly as he said, "Second Group attack!" His voice was not a shout, however it resounded in the whole area which each member of the crystal leaf sect heard. Several Seekers at the Soul Realm flew towards the battle and slaughtered anyone in their way. They were a group of fifty Soul Realm seekers all possessing unbelievable might. On the opposite side, The Golden Phoenix Order also made their move and ordered a second group to attack, these group are also composed of Soul Realm seekers who seem to be as powerful as the ones on the Crystal Leaf Sect. The Black Spider Guild did not allow themselves to be left behind as several Soul Realm seekers flew out of the shield to face the seekers from their enemies. Chapter 61: Clash
The new group of seekers clashed causing deafening sound to spread out. Everyone was strong, stronger than the previous seeker who fought. Each one also survived longer and killed many from the previous group. "Dogs of the Black Spider Guild, Die!"
"A fake?" Suddenly, the seeker from the Golden Phoenix Order was unable to move!
"Hahaha, you feel for that? You people from the Golden Phoenix Order are really stupid and simple minded. All you know is to attack, we from the Black Spider Guild also specializes in traps."
"The Crystal Leaf Sect also has three pavilion which can match yours, so now die!" Suddenly, poison spread out of the place, the Golden Phoenix Order protected themselves with heat, pushing away the poison. The Crystal Leaf sect members also popped a pill which caused some of the poison to be ineffective. All side seem to have a way to counter their enemies. No one was able to take the flow of the fight to their advantage. Some soul realm seekers would bash the shield whenever they got the chance which caused the shields to tremble. When the elders from different groups saw the shield tremble, an elder from the Golden Phoenix Order suddenly rushed towards the shield. His movement was extremely fast; the seeker at the soul realm wasn''t able to react and some of them were beheaded by the elder.
The faces of the Black Spider Guild''s elders became more serious as one elder flew at the direction of the man attacking the shield.
Both of the elders looked at each other and after a single breath, they clashed nonstop. The soul realm seekers and weaker who were caught in the fight were either incinerated or were riddled with holes. The display of strength of the two proved the difference between the soul realm and those who stepped in the soul ascension. When the fight was getting intense, an elder from the crystal leaf sect appeared beside the two then waved his hand causing vines to materialize entangling the two opposing elder.
Then on his other hand, he pulled out three crystal leaves and crushed it, causing a violent wind energy to accumulate in his palm. Chapter 62: Destoy
"Activate formation! Rain of Spear!"
All of the illusory spears then simultaneously came falling towards the two group. The speed it fell was extremely fast; air splitting sound could be heard everywhere as the spears descended. The scene could cause any mortal to scream in terror, and could even make medium sized guild tremble in despair.
Both sides remained calm as the more people joined their formations. The triangular symbol on the Golden Phoenix side became bigger as it unleashed a blinding ray of red light towards the sky incinerating all of the spears on it path.
"Unleash another attack!" An elder shouted with all his might using natural energy to have his voice echo throughout the guild.
The numerous spear again descended without pause. The sky looked like it was being split in thousands of portions as the spear pierced downwards.
The scene seemed like the two group were actually ganging up on the Black Spider Guild. More cracks on the shield appeared which made them attack more decisively. Several seekers at the soul realm and two who reached soul ascension came towards the shield from the Crystal Leaf Sect bombarding it with enumerable attacks.
With so many extremely strong seekers attacking the shield, cracks rapidly spread out as the shield became thinner. Five Elders from the nine elders in the Black Spider Guild made a single step. With a single step, they directly appeared outside the shield waving their weapons and skills towards the elders from the two group. BOOOOM! Thunderous sounds spread through the air creating an invisible force pushing everyone on the lower realm one step away from the location of the clash. Just the sound and energy from the clash made almost all of the seekers tremble in fear. Several more clashes happened as lower realm seekers coughed out blood and tumbled backwards as if they were being attacked by invisible force. The battle of the elders made it impossible for seekers at the body tempering realm to get near the location of the fight.
As the battle was getting fierce, the shield seem to be rapidly weakening as it was randomly hit by attacks from the elders. When an elder floating at the camp of the Golden Phoenix sect noticed this, he threw his head back and roared. His body quickly turned red as he erupted with flames. His eyes then narrowed as he stepped forward towards the shield. When he was directly in front of the shield, he assumed a punching stance, then pulled his hand back. His muscles bulged in an exaggerated degree which caused the onlookers to gape in shock. Then he punched forward causing the lands to quake and the the clouds to spread out away from his location. The punch was filled with all of his power as flames from it grew larger while the punch moved forwards at unimaginable speed. BOOOOM! Chapter 77: Chance "If I can only absorb this natural energy around me, I could probably be one of the strongest seeker on this plane." Ming Li said with deep regret. He doesn''t know if he should feel thankful that the Fruit of Divine Blessing increased the size of his core tremendously, or if he should feel mad that even with the increase in its size, he cannot refine natural energy. Sighing, he continued to observe Sappy flying towards the east mountain. Many people began to fly with Sappy, also behind him, some seekers who seemed to have passed the test also tailed closely behind. Many people already gathered to the east mountain to witness the test. Even Ming Li was curious on the second test so he quickly interfered with Sappy''s thinking and ordered him to take the second test immediately. Sappy suddenly felt the urge to take the test, so he walked forward and proceeded to the platform where a middle aged man was standing beside a large bowl of filled with dark blue calm water. When he stepped foot on the platform the middle aged man started explaining "This water is a dense water which came from the buttom of the holy river. only a small amount of it emerges once every 100 years. It is extremely tolerant to natural energy so making it move with the use of natural energy is extremely hard. "In this test your natural energy control will be measured. If you wish to proceed with the test please try raising a portion of the water in this bowl as high as you can in ten breaths. This will determine if you can proceed with the last test." Sappy didn''t waste time and immediately stood infront of the large bowl of water and closed his eyes. Inhaling deeply, he tried to remember the skill his brother taught him and the steps in it. He knew that those steps could not only execute the skill. It could also improve his control of natural energy. He lifted his hands with closed eyes and moved them according to the first step, where a beautiful movement was seen by everyone. Quickly he proceeded with the second step and the natural energy quickly erupted. Without delay, he opened his eyes and looked at the water in the bowl, which he focused all of the collected natural energy into it trying to make it float as much as he can. The water in the bowl started shaking as small ripples appeared at the surface of it. After a bit, It began shaking more violently and a small drop started to rise at the very center. Sappy has his teeth gritted while focusing at the single drop that was starting to rise. Soon, larger amount of water began to bulge at the surface of the water and slowly rose upward. Everyone was amazed that Sappy can move the water. Not many people can actually move it even with large cores, which means the steps his brother taught him was something that exceeded the normal skills of the tribe. After three breaths, the water rose by 5 inch which then quickly fell as Sappy breathed heavily from simply controlling that 5 inch water pillar. "Passed! The three inches is the passing mark." The examiner said. Ming Li also breathed in relief when Sappy passed, he wanted to see the last test badly so if Sappy failed he don''t know what to do next. The examiner handed Sappy a scroll which looked like an invitation to the third test. He quickly stepped down on the platform and flew away. Many people tried the test after Sappy but most of them failed. Some wasn''t even able to move the water even a bit. The second test actually proved to be very diffucult and has a passing rate less than 5 percent. This means that the participant in the third test would be decreased to a very small amount of seekers. Up above, Sappy opened the scroll to check the contents of it and know about the third test. In it, stated that the third test will be battle ability. The examinee will proceed to the first level of the first tower, where the first disciple of the Tribal Chief will test everyone''s battle potential. Also, all of the Tribe Elders and Tribal Chief will watch each fight and they will choose the five seekers who could participate in the tournament."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. While reading, Sappy felt tense, being judged by all of the Tribe Elders and including the Tribal Chief was a big thing. Even though the upcoming tournament was something really big in the whole plane, the tribe does not want to create such a grand selection process. The whole process was actually simple and fast. Not much grandeur was put into it, only selecting the necessary participant was needed. Watching the test was not really encouraged, so the last test would not be open for everyone to witness. Only the Elders and the Chief would be able to see each and every participants ability. Since he was the one to finish the first and second test, he gritted his teeth and directly went to the last test. He has no idea how much people passed after him, however, he was determined to be included in the top 5. This will prove that his talent does not pale in comparison with his gifted brother. The location of the third test was the wooden tower of the Tribal Chief. It was the tallest tower in the whole island, and the tower that looked most ancient of all. Waves were carved on every corner of it signifying the tribe''s affinity with water element, and wooden sculptures of deities were carved at the corners of it. Since Sappy was the first one to pass, no one was at the area yet, proving that only those who passed the test would be informed of the location of the third test. Sappy approached the wooden door of the tower where he clasped hands and said "Seniors, I am here to take the test. The door slowly opened revealing a large platform, It was as if the entire first floor of the tower was made of this platform. Surrounding the platform at its corners were four stone carving of a flood dragon which emanated strong natural energy. At the center of it, a man stood with a light smile on his face. He wore a bronze armor with waves of water carved on it. His hands were clasped behind his back, however, even with such stance, Sappy felt no weakness on the man''s bearing. Up above, he saw three figures who sat crossed legged. Shockingly all of them emanated terrifying aura. Each one of them was familiar to Sappy, so he clasped hands, bowed and said "Greetings to the Elder Hu Shoushan, Elder Hu Tao and Chief Hu Goutin!" Elder Hu Shoushan looked at him viciously and said. "Enter the platform, You have thirty breaths to show us what you can do." When Sappy fully stepped inside the platform, a giant transparent shield appeared from the four flood dragon sculpture surrounding the platform. Now that he was closer to the first disciple of the tribe chief, he started to tremble. Even though he can''t tell the level of the person in front of him, he was sure that he was at the Soul Ascension realm! He then gritted his teeth clasped hands and introduced himself. "Senior Hu Liwei, I am Hu Quan, allow me to show my skills!" But, with Ming Li''s influence, he immediately attacked his enemy without much notice.This didn''t faze his enemy, instead he raised is hands facing downward as a ball of water floated below it. Sappy was extremely aggressive as he tried to maximize the thirty breaths of time given to him. Using what he learned from his brother, energy swelled up in him while performing the steps in an extremely fast fashion where everyone watching would not be able to tell the difference of it from ordinary skills. Strong energy exploded from his skill which created blades of water that directly shot towards the examiner. The faces of the three seekers above flickered when they saw the attack. It was extremely strong, strong enough to overpower a seekers three levels above Sappy. Unfortunately, Hu Liwei already reached soul ascension. The level of his attack could barely harm the examiner. Boom rang out as the blade of water collided with the floating water ball in front of Hu Liwei which became a shield that covered the whole space in front of him. Splashes of water flew everywhere, but Sappy did not stop his attack as he rushed closer to Hu Liwei and did the same attack. This time the attack was much stronger and more concentrated. The elders and the chief were now looking at Sappy differently. Even though the skill was not as beautiful as how Hu Siyu executed it, Sappy did it in his own unique way, which displayed his aggressive and explosive nature. Several skills were executed by Sappy afterwards, but he could not make Hu Liwei budge. Hu Liwei stood at his spot blocking every attack that came to him without much effort. No one expected him to actually deal damage to Hu Liwei, but still, Sappy was persistent to do just that. Before the thirty breaths passed, He gritted his teeth, eyes glowing with the desire to fight, he lifted up is hands and did the same skill his brother taught him. However, this time, it was more profound and it feels like the skill was more like his, and conferred with his own personality. Surging energy came from him, as a giant water blade shot toward Hu Liwei. This time, Hu Liwei was a bit startled and breathed deeply as he pushed his hands forward. Causing water to form in front of him, transforming into a giant wave directly headed towards the water blade. The two attack clashed and extreme energy erupted from the impact which made the shield tremble and a small crack appeared above it. Hu Liwei was pushed back a few inch, However, Sappy was thrown away outside of the platform where his clothes were torn and and his breathing turned rugged. "Three breaths have passed! You can now leave, we will announce the result after three days." Hu Shoushan said. Sappy was a bit dissapointed by his performance, since he could not stay in the platform until the fight was over, but he could not do anything about it anymore so he simply sighed and stood up to walk towards the exit of the tower. Chapter 78: Mark With the test, Ming Li determined the actual fighting capability of the tribe. In his estimate, the tribe could actually be stronger than the Black Spider Guild. The three elders he saw through Sappy were incredibly terrifying. Each one of them felt stronger than the leader of the three group in the Black Spider Guild. His fear of being hunted down grew more as he think of a way to get out of his current predicament. There was no way to do what he did in the Black Spider Guild, since every member of the tribe was from a single bloodline, and their appearance were all quite similar. There was also no way to resolve the conflict through discussion, since the way Elder Hu Shoushan acted way beyond enraged. It felt like he would torture Ming Li forever if he had the chance to do so. While feeling more depressed, Ming Li had no choice but to observe for now and avoid any exposure outside. On his way home, Sappy was also depressed as Ming Li when he thought about how he was thrown out of the platform, but he has a bit of confidence on his performance. That was the first time he fought with such strength, so he still wish to pass the exam. Along the way, a seeker flew towards his direction. This person seemed to be going to the last test and was brimming with confidence as he stopped near Sappy when he caught sight of him. "Hey. So you actually took the test. Hahaha! I bet your brother will be proud." The man said provokingly. "What does my brother have to do with this?" Sappy replied with a fierce expression. "Oh. So you actually didn''t know?? Your brother gave up his spot for the tribe successor. Do you know what that means?" Sappy''s eyes went wide when he heard this. The man continued and said "It means the mark of a successor will be forcefully removed from him which could actually kill him, also, will lead to him not being able to participate in this test to represent the tribe. Hahaha!" Sappy''s breathing became heavy as he looked at the direction of the Tribute Hall. He ignored the man and shot directly at the Tribute Hall. He understood what the man said, giving up the tribe successor slot almost means death because of the pain from removing the mark. However, gaining it means a sure future for yourself. The tribal successor mark was a form of item that is fused with the core to achieve greater strength. Anyone chosen to possess it, could participate in the selection to be a future Elder or future Tribal Chief. Ming could feel Sappy''s emotions as he shot at incredible speed disregarding anything. In no time, he landed on in front of the Tribute Hall and entered it quickly. There, he heard the screaming voice of his brother, which made him immediately rush to the voice. After entering a chamber, he saw his brother chained at both arms, raised high at an altar which was surrounded by a shield where five seekers stood on guard. Three old man sat crossed legged around him, and one man stood directly in front of him. The hand''s of the man was shockingly inside Hu Siyu''s diantian while chanting some sort of spell along with the three people surrounding them. The scene made Sappy gape; The face of his brother was twisting from pain and sweats filled his body while breathed heavily. "Brother..." "why..?" That was the only words Sappy could utter when he saw the whole scene and heard the screams of his brother. He tried to immediately rush towards the altar, however, the seekers guarding around the shield caught him and locked him in place. There was no way to get away from those several stronger seeker, so he had no choice but to watch as his brother undergo excruciating suffering for his sake. The way he treated his brother wasn''t that great, however, his brother was always kind and caring towards him. That attitude made him think that his brother was acting that way since he was more blessed than him and it was only pity that was driving his brother to act that way towards him. But watching the state his brother is in. He could never think that this decision was only out of pity. It was pure familial care and love. Tears rolled down his eyes as he watch his brother suffer more and more as the formation surrounding him became more complete. Also, the hands which was in his brother''s dantian was slowly being pulled out, as if something in his core was being forcefully ripped away.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Seeing his last family member suffering and could possibly end up dying right in front of him, made him feel frightened. He started to struggle from the seekers, however, their energy have already suppressed him disabling all of his control for natural energy. He could not help but to cry and simply watch as the scene unfolds. In the cave, Ming Li was also affected by Sappy''s emotions as he felt sorry for the state of Hu Siyu. He did nothing wrong and was entitled a high position in the tribe, but suddenly, his world flipped upside down and ended up in a miserable situation only for his brother. This was an emotion something Ming Li also experienced while watching his master die. The exact same feeling of helplessness made him remember the miserable fate of his master and of the villagers. Pity welled up in him as he also waited for the result of the ritual. The moment he saw Sappy''s brother, and the way he treated Sappy made Ming Li feel deep respect for the Hu Siyu. He had never respected anyone in his life except for his master, however, currently, his respect for this person who he have not even personally encountered yet would be so deep that it could cause him to sympathize with him. Slowly, the hands of the old man in front of Hu Siyu pulled out a mark, the mark passed through his skin as if it had no physical form. It looked something like an emblem which depicts a river that has existed for countless of years. While it was being pulled out, it slowly manifested its physical form, turning into a metal with deep blue luster. Hu Siyu screamed in pain as the it was being pulled out. His eyes were already all white and his body was trembling as if it would give in any moment. Sappy stared in a daze while watching and waiting for the mark to be fully pulled out. Slowly, seventy five percent of the mark was already pulled out and only a bit of time was needed to complete the ritual. Two breaths... Three Breaths... Four Breaths... Five Breaths... Then the mark was completely pulled out! Blinding light came from the mark which illuminated the whole area. When the light subsided, Hu Siyu was already unconscious, only being held by the chains in his hands. The old man in front of him looked at him deeply and extended his hands to feel his pulse. After a while, a weird glow appeared in the old man''s eyes as he said "He is alive..." Sappy breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, however, when he was about to wipe his tears away. The old man said "But, his core have been severely damage which means, he could no longer control or absorb natural energy." Sappy''s eyes went wide when he heard this as he said while stuttering. "No... My brother cannot become a cripple! He is a genius of his generation! That is impossible." The old man ignored Sappy as he waved his hands completely shattering the chains holding Hu Suyi in place, then made him float towards Sappy and the guards. Those people holding Sappy in place caught Hu Suyi and lifted him up to quickly go to the medicine hall. ... In the medicine hall, Sappy stood beside his brother who was already conscious while lying on a wooden bed. "Brother. I am sorry." That was the only thing Sappy could say. He knew that he was not very nice to his brother and that it was his fault everything turned out this way. Hu Siyu checked his condition, then he said without a change in expression. "Do not feel sorry about it brother, at least I am alive." "But..." Sappy could not say it, he could not dare to say that his brother who was once a genius was now a cripple. Instead, Hu Siyu looked at him deeply and said "Brother, since I am already at this state. The tribe has no more use for me. I believe people who have enmity with me in the tribe would drive me out. So I have decided to go out on my own tomorrow. "My current condition might also affect your standing in the tribe. It is better for me to leave as soon as possible." Sappy waved his hands strongly as he shouted. "No! I will help you recover!" A bitter laugh came from Hu Siyu while saying. "There is no way to cure this." Sappy opened his mouth to say something, however there were nothing he could say. He felt guilty of what have happened and even though he was claiming to help his brother recover, he does not even know where to start. ... In the cave, Ming Li already have a high regard for Hu Siyu, but on the contrary Ming Li only viewed Sappy as a stupid self centered brat.So it helped his guilt ease a bit. But having someone as righteous as Hu Siyu end up in such a miserable state really made him feel remorseful about the situation. He have already mercilessly killed several people without knowing their story and background, but for some reason Hu Siyu''s righteousness came close to that of his master, so the events had some emotional effect on him. ... While this was all happening, far away from the tribe, and at the south most part of the plane where there was a seemingly never ending void, three terrifyingly strong seekers were flying at extremely fast speed in the void towards the plane. "Sister Ren Xian, it is good that you came with us this time. I can''t believe the White Serpent Sect began to have interest in this small plane. Hahaha!" "Ku Sying, I only came here to observe and choose someone worthy from the tournament." Ren Xian coldly replied. "Hahaha. Don''t be too uptight sister Ren Xian, you should have more fun in this plane. The people here treat us so highly and they would do anything to gain our attention. So you can do anything in this plane. Right Brother Ku Zixin?" Ku Sying said while laughing loudly. "Yes brother, I still remember fifty years ago, when we last went to this plane. We invoked a conflict between three groups by tricking the idiots on that Black Spider Guild. I believe it was the Crystal Leaf Sect, Black Spider Guild, and Golden Phoenix Order that was part of that small ploy of ours. And five years ago, when we came back here, we killed several elders in each group then framed each of them causing the decades of sleeping hatred to erupt again with better results. "Sadly, we were called back before the war even started, I hope we could still watch their war unfold. I remember telling the Black Spider Guild that if they can take over the whole north region, we will bring them to our plane. The weaklings in this plane are really stupid." Ku Zixin said while laughing heartily. Ren Xian, only eyed two to and ignored them. Chapter 79: Representative A day have passed after the ritual, and Ming Li still sat crossed legged inside the cave while watching Sappy''s actions who was frantically going around the tribe. The reason for his weird behavior was that because his brother already left without a word while he was unaware. Nobody could tell where he went, and how he got out of the tribe, It was as if he suddenly disappeared without trace. ... Not too far away from the tribe, Hu Siyu stood at a hill along with another person. This person was none other than Elder Hu Tao. He was the one who helped Hu Siyu get out of the tribe. Without his help, it would have been impossible for a crippled person to get out of the tribe unoticed by anyone. "Master, Now that I am crippled, I would only hinder my brothers growth. I hope you understand my decision. Even though I will be gone from the tribe, my heart will forever remain in this place. "My last request would be for master to watch over my brother." Hu Tao looked at him affectionately then sighed. Even after being crippled all he could care about was his brother''s future and safety. This was why Hu Tao viewed Hu Siyu in such a high regard. Even with his strength, he could do nothing for his disciple which pained him. Also he knew that cripples were not treated well in the tribe and were commonly chased out. Their tribe was a tribe which was defined by strength, so someone in Hu Siyu''s state would eventually meet the same fate. There was nothing he could do but sigh and nod to the request of his disciple. "Master, I need to go now. I hope you can find a good disciple to nurture." Hu Tao bowed deeply for a long moment. Then after a while, Hu Siyu looked at the direction of the tribe full of emotions as he closed his eyes and shifted his head towards the opposite direction while walking away. Tribe Elder Hu Tao did not say anything and just kept watching his disciple walk away for the last time. .... While the drama was taking place in the hill, Ming Li was trying his hardest to suppress his energy and hide his presence. He even took several pills for this. The reason behind was because he was also located at the hill where those two were standing. Thanks to the puppet blabbering nonsense about useless seekers coming his direction, he had time to prepare and hide. If not, he would have been caught by the two. Strangely, the puppet had far better ability to spread out its consciousness and stay undetected. Even though the two Hu Siyu and his master was still several hundreds of kilometers away, the puppet easily detected them and only muttered "Why are those useless idiots coming here of all places. Are they going to challenge the great me into a fight?" When Hu Tao flew away back to the tribe, Ming Li sighed in relief. He also looked at the direction where Hu Siyu was going and kept it in his mind. .... Sappy, was at a loss on what to do, when suddenly, Elder Hu Tao flew in his place and said "Do not worry about your brother, he will be safe." Then without waiting for Sappy''s reply, he disappeared and appeared far away continuing his flight towards his tower. When Sappy heard that short statement, his heart felt at ease. He knew that Elder Hu Tao was the master of his brother and fancied him more than anyone else. So if he said his brother was safe then he had no choice but to believe his words. With his brother gone and the test over, he had no choice but to wait for the results of the test and prove himself to be better than everyone else.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ... Days passed, and when the day for the announcement of the result came, Sappy excitedly floated above his place. "The five people who passed the test and will represent the tribe in the tournament that will be held at the Divine Earth Sect will now be announced. The tournament will have three category: The first category would be fight between seekers on the first level up to the third level. The second would be for seekers from the fourth to sixth level, and the last division would be for the seventh level up to the tenth level of Soul Realm. Then the voice suddenly paused for a second before resuming its announcement. "The first seeker to pass the test is... Hu Lok who is at the tenth level of the soul realm" Cheers filled the tribe as Hu Lok who had a stern look floated high above the tribe to be seen and recognized by everyone. Then the voice proceeded with its announcement. "The second seeker to pass the test is... Hu Meiron at the ninth level of soul realm." This time the cheering was more intense as a lady with alluring figure and beautiful face with brown skin floated from a group of people and proceeded next to Hu Lok. "Seems like the woman is popular in the tribe. She also seems stronger than Hu Lok." Ming Li thought While Ming Li was silently observing everything, Sappy was becoming more tense while waiting for the remaining three participant. "The third seeker to represent out tribe for the tournament is... Hu On who is at the sixth level of soul realm." The voice did not pause this time and continued to say. "The fourth person to represent our tribe is.. Hu Nuwa who is at the third level. The two simultaneously floated upward towards Hu Lok and Hu Meiron. Hu On was a burly man with a lot of veins pooping from his arms while Hu Nuwa looked extremely fragile with her small frame. Having heard the fourth participant, Sappy became more nervous while hoping for the last participant to be himself. "The last representative is... Hu Quan who is at the first level of beginners realm." Sappy''s smile widened when he heard his name, he could never believe that someone on the first level like him would be allowed to join the tournament. Normally, those who are at the third level, sixth level and tenth level would be chosen to participate, but since the tournament is still five months away, he could expect that the tribe would do everything to boost his level and increase it at least upto the second level of the soul realm for him to have a chance to win against a seeker at the third level. Sappy quickly flew towards the four seekers who passed the tournament and floated alongside them with stiff expression. The four people alongside him were all popular figures in the tribe. All of them were disciples of the tribal elders and only Sappy was known as trash. Nobody even cheered when his name was called. He knew that the only reason he passed was because of the amazing skill his brother taught him and because Elder Hu Tao probably rooted for him. Even though he haven''t fully mastered it yet, the potential it showed was too great which took the elders by surprise. With that skill, he would have the ability to defeat stronger seekers in the same realm which made him chosen to represent the tribe. "The five who are chosen will personally be trained by the elders of the tribe for five months. You can now all proceed to the Training Hall and stay there for five months." Without even glancing at each other, the four people flew towards the training hall. Sappy followed closely not attempting to make an eye contact with any of those people. He knew that these people who were chosen were all extremely prideful and would not even bother to be friends with him or strike a conversation. So he maintained a straight face and proceeded along with them. In the cave, Ming Li was also delighted of the results. He kept nodding his head as he said "Well done. Well done.. My investment were worth it." With Sappy being able to be trained by the elders, he could also have the opportunity to learn along with them by using Sappy. Also, he would learn more about the tribe which could potentially be used to save his life later. In the Training Hall, along with Sappy all of the four seekers deeply bowed in front of three amazingly strong looking seekers and behind them there were three were more seekers who were radiating similarly strong aura which caused the whole hall to be filled with pressure. "As the tribe Chief, I congratulate you all for passing." Hu Goutin said with a smile. "From today onward, each elder in this hall will help you become stronger than your current self. Those who are already at the third level, sixth level and tenth level should suppress their level and instead focus on improving other aspects. As for those who are below the peak at each category, you should increase your level to reach the peak of the category within five months. "I will now leave you all to the hands of our capable elders for your training. Please make our tribe proud." Then the Tribe Chief walked away with another smile as he disappeared deep in the training hall. Elder Hu Tao then stepped forward and said "I will personally oversee your training, Elder Shoushan will also train you all from time to time to achieve the best result." Then he glanced at the five then said. "Hu Meiron and Hu Quan step forward" He then tapped his cube producing two small box filled with pills which he sent flying towards the two who took their step forward. "Use those pills and focus on increasing your level. Hu Meiron, come to me after you reached the peak of soul realm. And Hu Quan come to me when you have increased your level by one. "Both of you can now go the the secluded room in this training hall, where the concentration of natural energy is more dense." Chapter 66: Struggle
He slowly knocked his fist backward in the direction of the crystal leaf, and cracks appeared in the air directly creating a nick at the giant crystal leaf behind him. The nick quickly grew into numerous cracks causing the third giant crystal leaf to shatter, which formed into clouds that covered the sky. Rain quickly poured down from the clouds creating a scene where fire and rain existed at the same moment. The rain increased the speed of every member of the Crystal Leaf Sect while slowing down the movement of their opponents at a small degree. Even though the decrease in movement was not much, it still affected the flow of the fight tremendously. Those who were fighting on almost equal terms quickly showed immense difference and many perished along with their decrease in speed. "This battle is nearing its end." The Crystal Leaf Sect leader softly said as he started to observe the fight once more.
The totem moved, as the wooden wings of the totem slowly opened wide as if the phoenix was actually alive, then it issued a piercing scream that made everyone tremble subconsciously.
Random screams could be heard everywhere as some flames shot up through the sky piercing as high as the clouds above. It was as if these flames were made not to assist the Golden Phoenix Order, instead it was made to destroy anyone.
With not much options, the Gao group leader gritted his teeth and raised his spear up high splitting the clouds as thousands of members inside the shield simultaneously shouted while raising their spear above their heads "Thousand Spear Array!" All of those disciples who shouted those words suddenly became lifeless as they blankly stood inside the shield unmoving. Up in the sky where the split in the sky appeared, thousands of illusory skeleton army wielding a spear descended on the land. The sky dimmed, and a rotten stench covered the land. It was as if the land of the dead actually opened up to join the war. Each one of them have different level, and it seemed like they match the level of those thousand members of the guild inside the shield! However, even though some of them have low levels, the different thing about them was that they were extremely hard to kill. Even though their body were sliced in half they can still fight and recover. The only way to kill them was to completely crush their head, which when done actually wakes up the counterpart seeker inside the shield to from his lifeless state. These almost undying soldiers swept over the battlefield enabling the Black Spider Guild to maintain the remaining shield and avoid further losses. .... Inside the chamber, Ming Li was panting heavily, he now slaughtered ten of the seekers in the array. However, the remaining seekers seem to be much stronger than those ten who perished. Actually, Ming Li could kill anyone of those seekers individually, but being ganged up caused his stamina to quickly dwindle, making him worry about his situation. Four more men walked out of the array, causing the the array to weaken. They did not hesitate to attack Ming Li with various skills which caused the chamber to tremble as strong gust of wind erupted from the collision of the attacks. Luckily, Ming Li have created tons of crystal leaf which allowed him to last in a fight longer than anyone. Along with his unusual Art of Suffering, he can fight with any opponent stronger than him. Also his abnormally good control of natural energy because of the Blue Orb inside of his core made it possible for him to create devastatingly strong attacks. Those seekers attacking him showed no expression, but it was clear that they were shaken about Ming Li''s strength. For them, it was clearly abnormal for anyone at the first level of fusion realm to fight four of them at the same time.
Then Ming Li appeared in front of him decapitating his head without mercy. The two remaining seeker also wildly attacked Ming Li without reserve as they both wielded a sword which created hundreds of illusory sword flash towards Ming Li. In response, Ming Li crushed six crystal leaf simultaneously using both hands. Without hesitation, he used it to counter all of the swords flash towards him. Booom! The illusory swords simply vanished. However, the attack from the crystal leaves continued towards the two as it hit them head on causing them to tumble backwards violently. Ming Li''s hands were now filled with wounds. All of these wounds were from using several crystal leaves at once. Since wild energy came from the crystal leaves, it was impossible for Ming Li to control so many at once. So he was simply throwing these wild energy without being able to control them causing injuries to be inflicted on himself.
With fourteen dead only ten remained, he didn''t feel much relived. However, for some unknown reason, these remaining ten seems to be hesitant to move out of the array. It was as if, if they move out, the whole array would go weaker and would delay whatever they were doing to a great extent. When Ming Li saw this, a smile appeared on his face as he rushed forward trying to grab the altar and snatch it away. .... Lightning, rain, fire balls, fire pillars, poison spirits, undying skeletons, rifts and the red atmosphere filled the battlefield. Even the seekers who reached Soul Ascension were feeling confused of various attacks appearing everywhere. Only a few elders have fallen so far, but a death of an elder on one side caused a severely injured elder on the other, which made everyone unable to gain the upper hand. With everything in total chaos, the Crystal Leaf Sect leader again lifted up his hands and knocked backwards towards the giant crystal leaf behind him, causing the fourth crytal leaf to Shatter into pieces. The shattered crystal leaf created a violent wind to sprung up sending thousand of wind blades at the battlefield. It was so wild that everyone was shocked by this fourth Crystal Leaf. The destructive power was almost the same as the fire pillars!
While thinking deeply, the Patriarch of the Golden Phoenix Order said "Since that old man from Crystal Leaf Sect want to end this. We shall end it with the Golden Phoenix Order standing on top!" He then shouted "Activate the fourth attribute!" Chapter 67: Plate Ming Li was still fighting his way towards the altar. He killed three more seekers of the ten remaining. With only seven seekers left, they could not afford to move out of the array. So Ming Li successfully reached the front of the altar while breathing ruggedly. Facing the altar, he smiled viciously as he touched it and tried to put it in his cube. However, his face fell when he was not able to move it even an inch. Without much option left, he gritted his teeth and tried to sense the demonic energy in the altar as he said "If I can''t take the altar, I''ll at least take as much demonic energy and mess up your plans!" He then started absorbing high concentration of demonic energy from the woman in the altar. Demonic energy rushed through his veins like water rushing through an empty pipe filling his core and whole body. Ming Li roared violently as he quickly absorbed more and mess up the array of the Black Spider Guild. His mind reeled as many more weird images appeared on his head. Suddenly, he coughed up blood, but that did not stop him from continuing his refinement. Wild energy erupted from him as it spread out everywhere affecting the seekers on the array. All the seekers in the chamber were shocked on the changes occurring in the altar. They have never seen someone who can cause a huge change in the energy of the altar with a single touch. Immediately, they came back to their sitting position as they tried their hardest to continue what they were doing earlier. ... Outside, the fighting continued as the three leaders of the Black Spider Guild came close together and seem to be transmitting messages to each other. All of their forces were being pushed back and the shield were showing signs of cracking. All of the members of the Black Spider Guild were already deployed, and all of them knew this would be the last part of this war. "There is no more time! We need to activate it now!" Mao Kang said. The leader of the two group nodded as they did a double handed incantation together with Mao Kang. Every incantation seem mysterious, everyone who looked at it seems to be unable to remember each one of those incantation even though they were staring right at it. The incantation lasted for ten breaths. After completing the incantation, the same array below the chamber appeared on top of the guild covering the entire mountain. Cracks appeared on top of the mountain as the land at the peak crumbled creating a huge hole where dark energy erupted. Everyone stopped fighting when they sensed the danger coming from the peak of the mountain. The remaining monsters who were still alive all howled while running away as if they were petrified of something. Each one of them ignored the flame pillars, the wind attack and other random attacks. All they cared about was to escape the seemingly incoming danger from the unexplainable dark energy from the peak of the mountain. Below the hole, cracks appeared on the chamber where Ming Li was located. The roof of the chamber turned to dust as the surrounding floor crumbled. What remained was a hundred meter diameter platform where Ming Li and the array was located. The platform started to float at a fast pace directly exiting the hole on the mountain peak. Ming Li was shocked on what was happening, but he could not do a thing since he was busy absorbing and refining demonic energy from the altar. When they appeared outside, he saw the vast battlefield where everyone stared at his location with shocked expressions. The leader of the Black Spider Guild were also surprised to see Ming Li on the platform. They have no idea why Ming Li was there, however, they did not care anymore. All they thought about was to activate their last trump card to win the war. Focusing on their goal, they continued their incantation as they all laughed loudly as if they were calling something extremely terrifying from the depths of the underworld. The opposing elders from the Golden Phoenix Order and Crystal Leaf Sect recovered from shock as they tried to stop the leaders of the Black Spider Guild. They employed various skills, however, all of those skills were mysteriously blocked by an invisible force coming from the altar far away. They all felt like it was impossible to stop the impending danger, but that did not stop them from continuously trying to stop the elders.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The dark energy increased tremendously as the incantation continued. Screams of souls could be heard everywhere as an eerie feeling seeped into everyone bones. Great pressure descended on everyone while natural energy seem to scatter and became harder to control. When the three leader finished their incantation, they laughed manically as visible black energy erupted from the altar forming a gigantic illusory spider which slowly materialized above the mountain. It was so big that it covered half of the mountain where the Black Spider Guild is located. Everyone gaped in shock, and each one of them trembled in fear from seeing something so frightening. "No one can stop this now! Hahaha!" Mao Kang flew towards their enemies as he began fighting the opposing elders. With him, the Gao and Yu group leader also slaughtered their way towards the enemy elders. They were now filled with confidence in winning the war if the illusory spider completed its awakening. Thunderous booms echoed out as they exchanged attack with their enemies waiting for their final weapon to completely form. Up in the floating platform beside the altar, Ming Li was looking at the direction of the three group leader of the Black Spider Guild while adsorbing the demonic energy. He knew that he could not do anything against the black spider forming, however he still wished to delay its awakening. Mao Kang laughed loudly as he pulled out a small poison spirit. It seemed weak and harmless, but similarly, the two other group leaders brought out one. Even the two elder of Mao group also pulled out the similar poison spirit. It was as if they were confident on defeating everyone if they activated this poison spirit. "This will be the end of you all!" Mao Kang said while holding the poison spirit right infront of him. Everyone stopped their attacks and became wary of the poison spirits the elders were holding. They all glanced at each other trying to read the situation and observe who would attack first. Ming Li noticed this, and a crazy expression appeared in his face as he laughed loudly while pulling out his own a similar poison spirit! If one looked at it closely, it would be the very poison spirit that turned to ash in the Garden of Death! "Old fools, now you will die!" Ming Li said loudly while glaring at the direction of the elders. The elders heard this which made them shift their gazes towards Ming Li. In Ming Li''s hand, they saw the poison spirit he was holding. Elder Mao Cheng immediately recognized it as he roared "You brat! So you did not fail!" "Hahaha! You actually believed I failed!? Since you are an idiot. Now die!" Actually the poison spirit creation did not fail! The part where it turned to ash was part of the process of creating it which Ming Li planned. It was so that he would be able to keep the poison spirit and use it against the elders. He then crushed the poison spirit on his hands causing the five poison spirits on the elders possession to also explode! the explosion created a green mist which covered their whole body. Each elder tried to shove the mist away, however, it was ineffective. They knew the potency of the poison; that was why they were confident on using it as one of their secret weapons in the war. However, they never expected it to be used against them. Their faces fell when they realized they can''t escape from the poison, their level suddenly dropped and their strength was reduced by 30%! The enemies noticed this which made them laugh and launch a deadly attack towards the weakened elders. Attacks landed towards them as they were thrown back several meters with great injuries from just a single clash. The 30 percent drop in fighting power was extremely high for a fight between seekers at the soul ascension realm. The three elders glanced at Ming Li with hatred as they ordered "All soul realm seekers, kill that brat immediately!" Several soul realm seekers immediately flew towards Ming Li attempting to kill him. However, when they were 100 meters near him, their strength dropped by fifty percent! Their faces fell as Ming Li roared and attacked them killing a Soul Realm seeker at a single attack. "The six poison spirit I created are actually connected and can be considered as one poison spirit. The first five could lower the target''s strength by 30 percent, but the sixth one which is on my possession, could lower anyone''s strength by 50 percent if they come near me! It is a masterpiece where I used thousands of rare plants to create. It was inspired by the poison at my previous village!" He then started killing seekers who came inside the range of his attack while still refining demonic energy. When the number of enemies increased, he was not able to kill them all anymore. While attacking, he then pulled out a Golden Plate. The plate was non other than the one that Ji Chanming gave him. The Golden Plate floated beside him radiating terrifying energy. With the enemies approaching at fast speed, Ming Li then hit the plate with his fist creating a deafening sound. Everyone who was rushing towards him stopped in place as they observed the Golden Plate beside him. After Ming Li striked the Golden Plate, flames flickered at its surface as it shot outward forming a gigantic Golden Phoenix which slaughtered everyone on its path. Three Soul Realm Seekers from the Black Spider Guild were instantly killed by that attack. The incoming seekers were shaken and slowed down their speed. Earlier, they were still confident even if their strength would be lowered by fifty percent. They were sure that, if they cooperated they could kill Ming Li, but with the weapon Ming Li pulled out, they became wary and started planning out how to approach Ming Li. On the other hand, Ming Li was also worried about his situation. He knew that he could kill some of those soul realm seekers, but soon, he would be outnumbered and would eventually die. Furthermore, he had to deal with the gigantic spider He continuously striked the golden plate creating Golden Phoenix Flames to threaten and kill some seekers who entered the 100 meter diameter. More and more seeker surrounded him which made him feel greater pressure. With this, the striked the golden plate twice in succession which created a different effect! Chapter 68: Identity A ray of sun came from above which directly descended towards Ming Li after hitting the Golden Plate twice. The light made him feel rejuvenated and more powerful; he then waved his hand creating a gigantic heat wave which was stronger and bigger than what he have ever made. The light seemed to increase his ability to perform the skill, which now could surely kill an enemy at a single wave of his hand. He laughed uprouristly as he continued to create heat waves as if he had unlimited stamina. But deep inside, Ming Li knew that he could not keep this up for long. He was only putting up a show so that the numerous Soul Realm seeker trying to kill him would not dare attack simultaneously. When the amount of seekers grew exponentially, he gritted his teeth and pulled out a book. The book was a simple book without anything noteworthy about it. It was the exact book that he got from the Ten Great Merchant Union. The Marionette Art! Ming Li directed an unimaginable amount of demonic energy towards the book, which caused it to be covered by dark colored energy. Ming Li''s eyes also turned black as he groaned in pain. The demonic energy the book was devouring was much greater than what Ming Li''s body could hold. He felt as if his body was about to explode; when suddenly, gigantic wooden fingers appeared behind Ming Li. The fingers seemed to wish to rip the space behind him. With more demonic energy supplied to the book, the more the space was ripped. Slowly, the rift was so big that the face of the gigantic hand became visible from it! It was a puppet, an abnormally huge puppet. The puppet continued to rip the space forcefully, stepping out of it. Weird laughter came from it while it walked out completely from the rift. Everyone was flabbergasted on what was happening. Also, the materialization of the gigantic spider seemed to slow down in a great degree as the puppet came out of the rift. Most of the demonic energy from the altar seemed to be absorbed by the gigantic puppet. Then it glanced around looking at the war going on. A weird sinister expression appeared on its face when it realized that it was located at the center of the war. Ming Li suddenly realized that he was unable to control the puppet, and now that it was on its own, the puppet quickly started absorbing larger quantity of demonic energy! His body felt as if it was about to be ripped to shreds, and the pain was unimaginable. He continuously coughed out blood as his vision became hazy. The puppet looked at the giant spider above it and smiled. Then it glanced back at the battlefield where it waved its hand causing strings to attach at random people down below. All of the people with the strings attached on them suddenly had a blank expression on their faces as they randomly attacked anyone. There were around thirty who was controlled. Some of them were at the Soul Realm which caused several deaths even on their allies by just a wave of their hands. The battlefield became crazy, since the previous allies started attacking their own group members without mercy. As more demonic energy was absorbed by the giant puppet, more people were controlled by him. The number of people being controlled quickly reached a hundred which caused more chaos in the battlefield. Each seeker who tried to attack Ming Li was immediately controlled by the puppet. No one was able to get near Ming Li. However, Ming Li wasn''t safe at all. The danger he currently faced was greater than before. The gigantic puppet was out of his control, and demonic energy continuously rushed in his body almost ripping him apart. The battle between the elders also continued as everyone noticed the giant puppet in the floating platform. The leaders and elders of the Black Spider Guild were all now severely wounded. They have already used all of their life saving treasures and weapons just to survive for so long with a decreased strength of thirty percent.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. They also realized that the giant spider stopped materializing which caused their hearts to sink in deeper to despair. Nobody thought that only a single brat could cause so much trouble for them and tilt the war at their disadvantage. Even their final weapon was being hindered from forming which they thought was impossible to stop. One elder after another died as their hatred for Ming Li grew more. Even though their hatred reached the skies, they knew that they could not win this war anymore. Everything was ruined. Their long preparation was turned into nothing. With all their rage built up, all of the remaining elders and seekers at soul ascension realm from the Black Spider Guild flew towards Ming Li''s direction attempting to kill him. Ming Li gritted his teeth as more demonic energy was drawn from him since the puppet tried to control the incoming elders. Gao Deli was suddenly controlled by the puppet. He faced his allies then began attacking them without regard of his own safety. With such suicidal attack, everyone rushing towards Ming Li went into a halt as they tried to suppress elder Gao Deli. Strong wind spread out everywhere as elder Gao Deli released many attacks. Ming Li groaned in pain as he tried to withstood the increase in demonic energy flowing through his body. Quickly, he raised his hands, after which, he striked the golden plate three consecutive times. Golden ray of light from the sky descended towards him creating a magnificent sight. Everyone noticed this, even those located far away from the peak of the mountain. When the light appeared, Ji Chanming''s face flickered. "Boy... Why are you there!" He then rushed towards Ming Li''s location at top speed ignoring all of the enemies behind him. The ray of golden light kept Ming Li alive. It healed his injuries at rapid speed and prevented him from being ripped to shreds. "So the effect of hitting the golden plate three times is healing." Ming Li thought. However, even though he was being healed at rapid rate, he knew that it would not last for long and his life would be in danger again. Being able to withstand the heavy surge of demonic energy, he lifted his body and stood up as he laughed maniacally. He then attacked several seekers at the soul realm. Killing some after some blows, he knew that his body would not last long, so decided to kill as much as he can before he could not take it anymore. Suddenly he remembered something, a glint of hope flashed in his eyes. Then he touched his forehead with his index and middle finger making a hammer symbol appear on it! He then guided the symbol out of his forehead and crushed it! After that, he continued his slaughter without regard for anything. Everyone who saw Ming Li was terrified on what a mere Fusion Realm seeker could do. He single-handedly destroyed the plans of the Black Spider Guild and led them to defeat. Also, the way he slaughtered seekers was not a thing to be ignored. Being able to kill soul realm seekers was not something anyone could do. Only those direct apprentice of someone at the peak of Soul Ascension could possible defeat someone with several levels higher than him. However, Ming Li wasn''t fighting one on one. He was actually killing as many as he can! It was a heaven defying sight which they haven''t seen before even after living for so long. Even the elders from the Black Spider Guild could not approach him easily. The giant puppet was also guarding Ming Li tightly which made them realize that the puppet might actually be Ming Li''s skill! At a mountain not far away, a long sigh could be heard as five old men slowly stood up and a calm yet archaic voice said "The kid really did it, I can''t believe he would ask to be saved in such a crazy situation "Great Elder Gu, do we really need to save him right now? This is a war between three major groups, if we interfere, we would be treated as an enemy of whoever wins the war" Elder Lou said with contempt. "I cannot go back on what I promised. As one of the Ten Great Merchant, I will abide by my promise and do everything to save the boy. Everyone heed my command and save the boy at all cost!" "Yes Great Elder Gu!" The five old men slowly vanished from their position appearing far away rushing towards the battlefield. While Ming Li was crazily activating numerous skills, he was also attacked by various seekers. It was as if the main fight in the war transferred in his position. His clothes got torn, injuries filled his body, and even his mask cracked and shattered. Blood of enemies filled his body as he still laughed uproariously. Two of the Crystal Leaf Elders who were fighting near him saw his face which caused their mind to reel. "Ming Li! That is Ming Li!" An elder from Crystal Leaf shouted. The other elder was also dumbfounded as he focused his sight on Ming Li''s figure not far away. "Yes, that aura and face. It is really that boy who took the exam a year ago." "He is a member of the Crystal Leaf sect, quickly save him if you have the chance!" The elder said urgently. Chapter 70: Conclusion
Again, she looked around lost in thought then looked at her hands. Afterwards, she looked at Ming Li. In Ming Li, she strangely felt her own demonic energy. Upon feeling the familiar energy, she unhesitatingly stretched her hand trying to grab a bit of those energy.
The crumbling of the mountain also hastened as the entire geography of the area quickly changed. Because of the small energy, she saw a piece of her memory which made her soul pained as if she wished to die once more. She then waved her hands causing a huge gale of wind to sprung up pushing everyone away!
When the woman entered the rift it did not close, instead it exhibited a strong force pulling anyone near it into the rift! The dead bodies of the seekers who maintained the array were slowly pulled by the rift. Ming Li was also pulled by it! With his weakened state, he had no way to fight back from the immense force of absorption. Great Elder Gu who was several hundred of meters away noticed that Ming Li was being sucked by the rift, his face showed signs of concern as he rushed forward trying to help Ming Li.
Ji Chanming also gritted his teeth, he was the last to react but he did not held back one bit on trying to rescue Ming Li. Ming Li saved his life, so he was prepared to die just to protect Ming Li. By gripping his spear and pulling it back, he threw it towards the rift with amazing force. It easily sliced the air and flew at unimaginable speed. The speed it flew exceeded the lightning dragon which proved that the spear was something really incredible.
BOOM! The spear collided with the rift which caused a thunderous sound to spread out. However, only after two breaths after the collision, the energy of the spear disappeared and the spear was sucked into the rift!
The lightning dragon roared as it was almost upon the rift. Great Elder Gu was also only a step behind the dragon when Ming Li''s arm entered the rift, next half of his body, then he was fully swallowed by the rift! Chapter 70: Conclusion
Again, she looked around lost in thought then looked at her hands. Afterwards, she looked at Ming Li. In Ming Li, she strangely felt her own demonic energy. Upon feeling the familiar energy, she unhesitatingly stretched her hand trying to grab a bit of those energy.
The crumbling of the mountain also hastened as the entire geography of the area quickly changed. Because of the small energy, she saw a piece of her memory which made her soul pained as if she wished to die once more. She then waved her hands causing a huge gale of wind to sprung up pushing everyone away!
When the woman entered the rift it did not close, instead it exhibited a strong force pulling anyone near it into the rift! The dead bodies of the seekers who maintained the array were slowly pulled by the rift. Ming Li was also pulled by it! With his weakened state, he had no way to fight back from the immense force of absorption. Great Elder Gu who was several hundred of meters away noticed that Ming Li was being sucked by the rift, his face showed signs of concern as he rushed forward trying to help Ming Li.
Ji Chanming also gritted his teeth, he was the last to react but he did not held back one bit on trying to rescue Ming Li. Ming Li saved his life, so he was prepared to die just to protect Ming Li. By gripping his spear and pulling it back, he threw it towards the rift with amazing force. It easily sliced the air and flew at unimaginable speed. The speed it flew exceeded the lightning dragon which proved that the spear was something really incredible.
BOOM! The spear collided with the rift which caused a thunderous sound to spread out. However, only after two breaths after the collision, the energy of the spear disappeared and the spear was sucked into the rift!
The lightning dragon roared as it was almost upon the rift. Great Elder Gu was also only a step behind the dragon when Ming Li''s arm entered the rift, next half of his body, then he was fully swallowed by the rift! Chapter 75: Punishment
After several days, Ming Li checked Sappy''s situation. What he saw was all of the five were severely wounded on their whole body, where several lacerations can be seen. They were all bleeding, however, they still repeated the same words, where they begged the sculpture of the deity to forgive them for letting a direct bloodline die. On the side, a man walked towards the five and looked at them with pity as he lightly said "Brother, Please endure for a bit. I will do my best to help you.". Then the man walked away slowly as if he was thinking about something deeply. Two days passed, and the tall man didn''t come back to hit the five seekers more. Instead, five seekers at the fusion realm came to escort the kneeling seekers away. "Seniors, please forgive us, we are ordered to assist you all towards the second punishment. Please come with us without resistance."
He thought deeply for a moment as he gritted his teeth and murmured. "It must be brother."
"Do not feel bad for your companions, they will surely survive the remaining punishments."
Chapter 77: Chance "If I can only absorb this natural energy around me, I could probably be one of the strongest seeker on this plane." Ming Li said with deep regret. He doesn''t know if he should feel thankful that the Fruit of Divine Blessing increased the size of his core tremendously, or if he should feel mad that even with the increase in its size, he cannot refine natural energy. Sighing, he continued to observe Sappy flying towards the east mountain. Many people began to fly with Sappy, also behind him, some seekers who seemed to have passed the test also tailed closely behind. Many people already gathered to the east mountain to witness the test. Even Ming Li was curious on the second test so he quickly interfered with Sappy''s thinking and ordered him to take the second test immediately. Sappy suddenly felt the urge to take the test, so he walked forward and proceeded to the platform where a middle aged man was standing beside a large bowl of filled with dark blue calm water. When he stepped foot on the platform the middle aged man started explaining "This water is a dense water which came from the buttom of the holy river. only a small amount of it emerges once every 100 years. It is extremely tolerant to natural energy so making it move with the use of natural energy is extremely hard. "In this test your natural energy control will be measured. If you wish to proceed with the test please try raising a portion of the water in this bowl as high as you can in ten breaths. This will determine if you can proceed with the last test." Sappy didn''t waste time and immediately stood infront of the large bowl of water and closed his eyes. Inhaling deeply, he tried to remember the skill his brother taught him and the steps in it. He knew that those steps could not only execute the skill. It could also improve his control of natural energy. He lifted his hands with closed eyes and moved them according to the first step, where a beautiful movement was seen by everyone. Quickly he proceeded with the second step and the natural energy quickly erupted. Without delay, he opened his eyes and looked at the water in the bowl, which he focused all of the collected natural energy into it trying to make it float as much as he can. The water in the bowl started shaking as small ripples appeared at the surface of it. After a bit, It began shaking more violently and a small drop started to rise at the very center. Sappy has his teeth gritted while focusing at the single drop that was starting to rise. Soon, larger amount of water began to bulge at the surface of the water and slowly rose upward. Everyone was amazed that Sappy can move the water. Not many people can actually move it even with large cores, which means the steps his brother taught him was something that exceeded the normal skills of the tribe. After three breaths, the water rose by 5 inch which then quickly fell as Sappy breathed heavily from simply controlling that 5 inch water pillar. "Passed! The three inches is the passing mark." The examiner said. Ming Li also breathed in relief when Sappy passed, he wanted to see the last test badly so if Sappy failed he don''t know what to do next. The examiner handed Sappy a scroll which looked like an invitation to the third test. He quickly stepped down on the platform and flew away. Many people tried the test after Sappy but most of them failed. Some wasn''t even able to move the water even a bit. The second test actually proved to be very diffucult and has a passing rate less than 5 percent. This means that the participant in the third test would be decreased to a very small amount of seekers. Up above, Sappy opened the scroll to check the contents of it and know about the third test. In it, stated that the third test will be battle ability. The examinee will proceed to the first level of the first tower, where the first disciple of the Tribal Chief will test everyone''s battle potential. Also, all of the Tribe Elders and Tribal Chief will watch each fight and they will choose the five seekers who could participate in the tournament."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. While reading, Sappy felt tense, being judged by all of the Tribe Elders and including the Tribal Chief was a big thing. Even though the upcoming tournament was something really big in the whole plane, the tribe does not want to create such a grand selection process. The whole process was actually simple and fast. Not much grandeur was put into it, only selecting the necessary participant was needed. Watching the test was not really encouraged, so the last test would not be open for everyone to witness. Only the Elders and the Chief would be able to see each and every participants ability. Since he was the one to finish the first and second test, he gritted his teeth and directly went to the last test. He has no idea how much people passed after him, however, he was determined to be included in the top 5. This will prove that his talent does not pale in comparison with his gifted brother. The location of the third test was the wooden tower of the Tribal Chief. It was the tallest tower in the whole island, and the tower that looked most ancient of all. Waves were carved on every corner of it signifying the tribe''s affinity with water element, and wooden sculptures of deities were carved at the corners of it. Since Sappy was the first one to pass, no one was at the area yet, proving that only those who passed the test would be informed of the location of the third test. Sappy approached the wooden door of the tower where he clasped hands and said "Seniors, I am here to take the test. The door slowly opened revealing a large platform, It was as if the entire first floor of the tower was made of this platform. Surrounding the platform at its corners were four stone carving of a flood dragon which emanated strong natural energy. At the center of it, a man stood with a light smile on his face. He wore a bronze armor with waves of water carved on it. His hands were clasped behind his back, however, even with such stance, Sappy felt no weakness on the man''s bearing. Up above, he saw three figures who sat crossed legged. Shockingly all of them emanated terrifying aura. Each one of them was familiar to Sappy, so he clasped hands, bowed and said "Greetings to the Elder Hu Shoushan, Elder Hu Tao and Chief Hu Goutin!" Elder Hu Shoushan looked at him viciously and said. "Enter the platform, You have thirty breaths to show us what you can do." When Sappy fully stepped inside the platform, a giant transparent shield appeared from the four flood dragon sculpture surrounding the platform. Now that he was closer to the first disciple of the tribe chief, he started to tremble. Even though he can''t tell the level of the person in front of him, he was sure that he was at the Soul Ascension realm! He then gritted his teeth clasped hands and introduced himself. "Senior Hu Liwei, I am Hu Quan, allow me to show my skills!" But, with Ming Li''s influence, he immediately attacked his enemy without much notice.This didn''t faze his enemy, instead he raised is hands facing downward as a ball of water floated below it. Sappy was extremely aggressive as he tried to maximize the thirty breaths of time given to him. Using what he learned from his brother, energy swelled up in him while performing the steps in an extremely fast fashion where everyone watching would not be able to tell the difference of it from ordinary skills. Strong energy exploded from his skill which created blades of water that directly shot towards the examiner. The faces of the three seekers above flickered when they saw the attack. It was extremely strong, strong enough to overpower a seekers three levels above Sappy. Unfortunately, Hu Liwei already reached soul ascension. The level of his attack could barely harm the examiner. Boom rang out as the blade of water collided with the floating water ball in front of Hu Liwei which became a shield that covered the whole space in front of him. Splashes of water flew everywhere, but Sappy did not stop his attack as he rushed closer to Hu Liwei and did the same attack. This time the attack was much stronger and more concentrated. The elders and the chief were now looking at Sappy differently. Even though the skill was not as beautiful as how Hu Siyu executed it, Sappy did it in his own unique way, which displayed his aggressive and explosive nature. Several skills were executed by Sappy afterwards, but he could not make Hu Liwei budge. Hu Liwei stood at his spot blocking every attack that came to him without much effort. No one expected him to actually deal damage to Hu Liwei, but still, Sappy was persistent to do just that. Before the thirty breaths passed, He gritted his teeth, eyes glowing with the desire to fight, he lifted up is hands and did the same skill his brother taught him. However, this time, it was more profound and it feels like the skill was more like his, and conferred with his own personality. Surging energy came from him, as a giant water blade shot toward Hu Liwei. This time, Hu Liwei was a bit startled and breathed deeply as he pushed his hands forward. Causing water to form in front of him, transforming into a giant wave directly headed towards the water blade. The two attack clashed and extreme energy erupted from the impact which made the shield tremble and a small crack appeared above it. Hu Liwei was pushed back a few inch, However, Sappy was thrown away outside of the platform where his clothes were torn and and his breathing turned rugged. "Three breaths have passed! You can now leave, we will announce the result after three days." Hu Shoushan said. Sappy was a bit dissapointed by his performance, since he could not stay in the platform until the fight was over, but he could not do anything about it anymore so he simply sighed and stood up to walk towards the exit of the tower. Chapter 78: Mark With the test, Ming Li determined the actual fighting capability of the tribe. In his estimate, the tribe could actually be stronger than the Black Spider Guild. The three elders he saw through Sappy were incredibly terrifying. Each one of them felt stronger than the leader of the three group in the Black Spider Guild. His fear of being hunted down grew more as he think of a way to get out of his current predicament. There was no way to do what he did in the Black Spider Guild, since every member of the tribe was from a single bloodline, and their appearance were all quite similar. There was also no way to resolve the conflict through discussion, since the way Elder Hu Shoushan acted way beyond enraged. It felt like he would torture Ming Li forever if he had the chance to do so. While feeling more depressed, Ming Li had no choice but to observe for now and avoid any exposure outside. On his way home, Sappy was also depressed as Ming Li when he thought about how he was thrown out of the platform, but he has a bit of confidence on his performance. That was the first time he fought with such strength, so he still wish to pass the exam. Along the way, a seeker flew towards his direction. This person seemed to be going to the last test and was brimming with confidence as he stopped near Sappy when he caught sight of him. "Hey. So you actually took the test. Hahaha! I bet your brother will be proud." The man said provokingly. "What does my brother have to do with this?" Sappy replied with a fierce expression. "Oh. So you actually didn''t know?? Your brother gave up his spot for the tribe successor. Do you know what that means?" Sappy''s eyes went wide when he heard this. The man continued and said "It means the mark of a successor will be forcefully removed from him which could actually kill him, also, will lead to him not being able to participate in this test to represent the tribe. Hahaha!" Sappy''s breathing became heavy as he looked at the direction of the Tribute Hall. He ignored the man and shot directly at the Tribute Hall. He understood what the man said, giving up the tribe successor slot almost means death because of the pain from removing the mark. However, gaining it means a sure future for yourself. The tribal successor mark was a form of item that is fused with the core to achieve greater strength. Anyone chosen to possess it, could participate in the selection to be a future Elder or future Tribal Chief. Ming could feel Sappy''s emotions as he shot at incredible speed disregarding anything. In no time, he landed on in front of the Tribute Hall and entered it quickly. There, he heard the screaming voice of his brother, which made him immediately rush to the voice. After entering a chamber, he saw his brother chained at both arms, raised high at an altar which was surrounded by a shield where five seekers stood on guard. Three old man sat crossed legged around him, and one man stood directly in front of him. The hand''s of the man was shockingly inside Hu Siyu''s diantian while chanting some sort of spell along with the three people surrounding them. The scene made Sappy gape; The face of his brother was twisting from pain and sweats filled his body while breathed heavily. "Brother..." "why..?" That was the only words Sappy could utter when he saw the whole scene and heard the screams of his brother. He tried to immediately rush towards the altar, however, the seekers guarding around the shield caught him and locked him in place. There was no way to get away from those several stronger seeker, so he had no choice but to watch as his brother undergo excruciating suffering for his sake. The way he treated his brother wasn''t that great, however, his brother was always kind and caring towards him. That attitude made him think that his brother was acting that way since he was more blessed than him and it was only pity that was driving his brother to act that way towards him. But watching the state his brother is in. He could never think that this decision was only out of pity. It was pure familial care and love. Tears rolled down his eyes as he watch his brother suffer more and more as the formation surrounding him became more complete. Also, the hands which was in his brother''s dantian was slowly being pulled out, as if something in his core was being forcefully ripped away.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Seeing his last family member suffering and could possibly end up dying right in front of him, made him feel frightened. He started to struggle from the seekers, however, their energy have already suppressed him disabling all of his control for natural energy. He could not help but to cry and simply watch as the scene unfolds. In the cave, Ming Li was also affected by Sappy''s emotions as he felt sorry for the state of Hu Siyu. He did nothing wrong and was entitled a high position in the tribe, but suddenly, his world flipped upside down and ended up in a miserable situation only for his brother. This was an emotion something Ming Li also experienced while watching his master die. The exact same feeling of helplessness made him remember the miserable fate of his master and of the villagers. Pity welled up in him as he also waited for the result of the ritual. The moment he saw Sappy''s brother, and the way he treated Sappy made Ming Li feel deep respect for the Hu Siyu. He had never respected anyone in his life except for his master, however, currently, his respect for this person who he have not even personally encountered yet would be so deep that it could cause him to sympathize with him. Slowly, the hands of the old man in front of Hu Siyu pulled out a mark, the mark passed through his skin as if it had no physical form. It looked something like an emblem which depicts a river that has existed for countless of years. While it was being pulled out, it slowly manifested its physical form, turning into a metal with deep blue luster. Hu Siyu screamed in pain as the it was being pulled out. His eyes were already all white and his body was trembling as if it would give in any moment. Sappy stared in a daze while watching and waiting for the mark to be fully pulled out. Slowly, seventy five percent of the mark was already pulled out and only a bit of time was needed to complete the ritual. Two breaths... Three Breaths... Four Breaths... Five Breaths... Then the mark was completely pulled out! Blinding light came from the mark which illuminated the whole area. When the light subsided, Hu Siyu was already unconscious, only being held by the chains in his hands. The old man in front of him looked at him deeply and extended his hands to feel his pulse. After a while, a weird glow appeared in the old man''s eyes as he said "He is alive..." Sappy breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, however, when he was about to wipe his tears away. The old man said "But, his core have been severely damage which means, he could no longer control or absorb natural energy." Sappy''s eyes went wide when he heard this as he said while stuttering. "No... My brother cannot become a cripple! He is a genius of his generation! That is impossible." The old man ignored Sappy as he waved his hands completely shattering the chains holding Hu Suyi in place, then made him float towards Sappy and the guards. Those people holding Sappy in place caught Hu Suyi and lifted him up to quickly go to the medicine hall. ... In the medicine hall, Sappy stood beside his brother who was already conscious while lying on a wooden bed. "Brother. I am sorry." That was the only thing Sappy could say. He knew that he was not very nice to his brother and that it was his fault everything turned out this way. Hu Siyu checked his condition, then he said without a change in expression. "Do not feel sorry about it brother, at least I am alive." "But..." Sappy could not say it, he could not dare to say that his brother who was once a genius was now a cripple. Instead, Hu Siyu looked at him deeply and said "Brother, since I am already at this state. The tribe has no more use for me. I believe people who have enmity with me in the tribe would drive me out. So I have decided to go out on my own tomorrow. "My current condition might also affect your standing in the tribe. It is better for me to leave as soon as possible." Sappy waved his hands strongly as he shouted. "No! I will help you recover!" A bitter laugh came from Hu Siyu while saying. "There is no way to cure this." Sappy opened his mouth to say something, however there were nothing he could say. He felt guilty of what have happened and even though he was claiming to help his brother recover, he does not even know where to start. ... In the cave, Ming Li already have a high regard for Hu Siyu, but on the contrary Ming Li only viewed Sappy as a stupid self centered brat.So it helped his guilt ease a bit. But having someone as righteous as Hu Siyu end up in such a miserable state really made him feel remorseful about the situation. He have already mercilessly killed several people without knowing their story and background, but for some reason Hu Siyu''s righteousness came close to that of his master, so the events had some emotional effect on him. ... While this was all happening, far away from the tribe, and at the south most part of the plane where there was a seemingly never ending void, three terrifyingly strong seekers were flying at extremely fast speed in the void towards the plane. "Sister Ren Xian, it is good that you came with us this time. I can''t believe the White Serpent Sect began to have interest in this small plane. Hahaha!" "Ku Sying, I only came here to observe and choose someone worthy from the tournament." Ren Xian coldly replied. "Hahaha. Don''t be too uptight sister Ren Xian, you should have more fun in this plane. The people here treat us so highly and they would do anything to gain our attention. So you can do anything in this plane. Right Brother Ku Zixin?" Ku Sying said while laughing loudly. "Yes brother, I still remember fifty years ago, when we last went to this plane. We invoked a conflict between three groups by tricking the idiots on that Black Spider Guild. I believe it was the Crystal Leaf Sect, Black Spider Guild, and Golden Phoenix Order that was part of that small ploy of ours. And five years ago, when we came back here, we killed several elders in each group then framed each of them causing the decades of sleeping hatred to erupt again with better results. "Sadly, we were called back before the war even started, I hope we could still watch their war unfold. I remember telling the Black Spider Guild that if they can take over the whole north region, we will bring them to our plane. The weaklings in this plane are really stupid." Ku Zixin said while laughing heartily. Ren Xian, only eyed two to and ignored them. Chapter 74: Sappy After a few days of continuous search for a town, Ming Li caught sight of many seekers in a certain mountain. When he followed where those seekers came from, he found a town just below the mountain. This town was surrounded by mountains and was bustling with people. Some people were even flying around and many were doing transactions even outside the town. Ming Li''s eyes shone with delight as he approached the town. There, he saw the name of the town written on a gigantic boulder. "Ten Mountain Valley". Immediately, he entered the town looking for demon''s grace. He has never touched or seen demon''s grace after the war, so his thirst for it was greater than ever. Also, his excitement to use the skill from the puppet triggered him to buy more than necessary. This time he bough around two hundred demons grace and some other plant to be used to make demonic nature''s dew with all of his soul ore. He does not care how much he spent, he only wanted to buy as much as he can and as fast as possible. After spending all of his hard earned soul ore from killing people in the war, his eyes turned bloodshot, his breathing was rugged and his hands were trembling as if he did something extremely regretful but at the same time fulfilling. Only one word could explain his actions and that was addiction. Without further delay, he proceeded outside the town and looked for a cave to stay. Currently, he was too poor to even afford a room. However, he does not care at all; the only thing in his mind was to use the skill the puppet was talking about, and to increase his level and possibly enter the soul realm. Breathing ruggedly, he called the puppet and presented it thirty demon''s grace. Its eyes shone greedily, but quickly faded away as it said "This is not enough to activate my almighty skill." Ming Li then clicked his tongue as he tapped his cube and pulled out twenty more demons grace. The puppet then looked at the demons grace intensely as if it wants to collect them, but after a while, it moved backward a bit and said "Still not enough." "But that''s all I have." Ming Li looked at the puppet with a pleading expression. The puppet looked at Ming Li with discerning gaze as if it was trying to guess if Ming Li was lying or not. In the end, it still said "Nope really, I can''t do it with this much." With the expression of the puppet, he was now sure that if the puppet is in the book, it could not see or hear the things happening outside. It could only probably hear his voice if he was speaking with it. Being sure his lies are working, he then sighed and pulled out five more demon''s grace, and claimed, "This is really everything I have. No more no less." After seeing only five more demon''s grace added, the puppet seemed to be suspicious of Ming Li, so it replied "No, That''s not enough." Ming Li''s expression turned disappointed as he looked at the demons grace and made them float slowly towards him while saying "Alright, since it''s useless, lets forget about everything. I think I don''t need that skill afterall. So I''ll just take all of this back." The puppet''s eyes went wide as it shouted "NO!". Then cleared its throat as its behavior became nice. "Alright, I think I can find a way to use that much for the skill." Ming Li''s eyes flashed with joy as he thought "A stupid puppet like you can''t steal from me!" When the puppet held the demon''s grace, it was filled with exhilaration as it floated around seemingly happy of what it got from Ming Li. It then started chewing the demon''s grace while making clanking sounds. Ming Li''s eyes went wide when he saw this. The puppet was actually eating the demons grace instead of absorbing the energy from it like what a human would do. Slowly, it bit the demon''s grace and chewed it with pleasure as it floated around seemingly unconcerned with its surroundings. After several hours of pleasure, all the demons grace were consumed, and it burped out loudly feeling completely satisfied. Then it yawned while floating towards Ming Li''s cube as if it was going to sleep. Ming Li noticed the act of the puppet and immediately blocked its path then said "So can you enlighten me on the skill now, so I can use it?" The puppet then shifted his gaze away from Ming Li trying to act as if he does not want to do what Ming Li was saying. "Seems like you are useless afterall, I guess that''s the last demonic energy you will get." Immediately, the puppets gaze shifted back to Ming Li as it touched Ming Li''s forehead and an enlightenment suddenly occured to him.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Quickly, he waved his hands making the man he recently captured to appear, and he slowly touched its head where a strange light appeared on the man''s eyes. When the strange light vanished, the man slump to the ground unconscious. Ming Li then smiled viciously and walked away with the puppet, leaving the man all alone as he murmured I''ll name you Sappy. ... After a some time, the man woke up with a strong pain in his head, his vision was a bit blurry, but in only a few breaths it slowly came back to normal. When he can to his senses, he thought deeply why he was in such a place, but all he could remember was him looking for the man who killed their young master. He thought deeply but got nothing. He even meditated to recover his seemingly lost memory on why he was in his current location. But, he still got nothing. Without anything coming to him, he gave up and thought that he might have been attacked secretly and was left alive in this area. As he glanced around, he noticed that the place was familiar, so he stood up and floated in the air, then shot towards the north. On a cave not far away from the man, Ming Li sat crossed legged with closed eyes while smiling. "This skill is so great. I can actually see and feel what he does, even though I cant see his thoughts, this is still a great skill! As what the puppet said, he has no idea he is being controlled! The only downside is that it consumes a lot of demon''s grace to activate!" Ming Li followed the man by foot - running - as he continuously observed his movements. The man directly went back to his tribe where Ming Li stopped several kilometers away. It was several day''s travel by foot to get view of the place, which was located at a gigantic river that almost closely resembled a sea. A land mass was formed at the center of the river, which the current was varying at different portion. It was so random that it was unpredictable and impossible to cross by swimming because of this current. Above the river, the space was blurry; it was as if space alterations were happening to it nonstop. It was as if anything that gets in it would be either torn to shreds and be transported to unknown location. Ming Li shivered by the sight of it, he knew that with his current state, he would be severely injured by the space fluctuations in the area. Even the water below could also turn his body into mince meat if he was caught in the random current. Strangely, at the center of the river there was an island that was not affected by all the space distortion. Even the path towards the island was safe against the distortion. The water on the path was also extremely calm as if it was not flowing. Sappy floated using the path Ming Li was observing to go to the island. It seemed like the path was actually safe for anyone to pass through, it was as if the laws of the path was completely different from its surroundings. Ming Li gleamed with excitement on what he will find inside the island. The island itself seemed majestic. Being able to see inside of it seemed like a thing not anyone can accomplish. When Sappy was almost at the island, there were several seekers floating about and sparring. Some were simply sitting crossed legged above the water meditating. The whole atmosphere seemed like a sect, however, all of the people of the tribe have noticeable similarities regarding their facial features. "Hu Quan Have you found him!?" A voice echoed out from a tower not far away. The tower was made of wood, but it still span extremely high which made it stand out from all of the buildings near it. Sappy shuddered involuntarily as he said "Senior Hu Shoushan, I apologize, but I failed to find the culprit." The wooden tower shook as violent murderous aura erupted from it. Sappy''s face went pale as his body felt as if it will explode from the murderous aura. The seekers walking and flying near it also trembled in fear, as the backed away from the tower trying not to look towards it. With the murderous aura increasing, another voice resounded from a far away tower saying "Calm down brother Shoushan. Hu Quan will be punished severely for allowing your son to be killed, but it is not right to attack him like that." "Brother Hu Tao! How could I calm down after receiving the news that my son died! Also, these idiots allowed him to die while coming back to the tribe with their bodies fully intact and with only slight injuries!" The murderous aura erupted violently making Sappy cough out blood as he slowly descended downward. "I assure you that we will find the murderer of your son and make him suffer." Hu Tao said in a comforting tone. "Alright, but bring him to me alive!" Then the murderous aura in the tower slowly faded as the two voices also stopped talking. Ming Li from far away was staring wide wide eyes from what he heard. He does not know if he should cry to laugh at what happened to the young master of the tribe. The words spoken made him realize how important was the person he killed. "I really screwed up this time!" From the aura at the towers. it was obvious that those two already reached Soul Ascension and probably at the peak of it. Which means he could die any moment those people found out his whereabouts. With this, he hid deeper into the cave while murmuring "Why the hell did that idiot die easily." Several seekers flew in Sappy''s location and grabbed him, then sent him to a secluded location where four more seekers were kneeling in front of giant stone carving of a river where an exquisite sculpture of a deity can be seen at the top of the river. All of the seekers kneeling in front of it were pale faced and trembling as if they were asking for forgiveness on a crime that they did. Behind them, there stood a tall man who was more than 2 meters in height and was at the early stages of soul ascension realm. This man we constantly putting pressure at the kneeling seekers, and a water whip materialized by the man seemed to be constantly hitting them at their back which caused miserable shrieks to be heard. Sappy trembled at the sight of people, he knew that the punishment would be severe so he did his best to look for Ming Li, however he failed. Also, this was only the first part of the punishment, most people who committed grave crimes would die from the five punishment of the tribe for severe crimes. "Arrgg! Divine deity we apologize for allowing a direct bloodline to perish in battle!" As he was dragged towards the seekers he heard this words as they were being whipped viciously by the tall seeker. Chapter 75: Punishment
After several days, Ming Li checked Sappy''s situation. What he saw was all of the five were severely wounded on their whole body, where several lacerations can be seen. They were all bleeding, however, they still repeated the same words, where they begged the sculpture of the deity to forgive them for letting a direct bloodline die. On the side, a man walked towards the five and looked at them with pity as he lightly said "Brother, Please endure for a bit. I will do my best to help you.". Then the man walked away slowly as if he was thinking about something deeply. Two days passed, and the tall man didn''t come back to hit the five seekers more. Instead, five seekers at the fusion realm came to escort the kneeling seekers away. "Seniors, please forgive us, we are ordered to assist you all towards the second punishment. Please come with us without resistance."
He thought deeply for a moment as he gritted his teeth and murmured. "It must be brother."
"Do not feel bad for your companions, they will surely survive the remaining punishments."
Chapter 81: Hope As the silhouettes grew nearer, Ming Li''s expression sank more; also, the river was almost right in front of him. He knew that jumping towards the river would instantly kill him, and the space above it would probably tear him to pieces. If luck is in his side, it could send him again to somewhere unknown. Sweats filled his forehead as fear enveloped his whole thoughts. This was one of the most hopeless situation he have been. The three seekers who were trailing behind were now closing in at a rapid phase, even the one who was pursuing him the longest had advanced closer and was only 300 meters from him, and the seekers from the island were also now more visible and ripples of energy was now becoming apparent as they came nearer. As time passed by, the rumbling sounds from the incoming seekers grew more intense which made Ming Li more anxious. Because he knew that once those seekers were near enough, he would be subjected to extreme danger. This time, the man was already fifty meters away from Ming Li, and Ming Li was right in front of the gigantic river. He had nowhere to run, and even if he wanted to, he would surely be caught. The man tapped his cube where a lance appeared which radiated a blue shade. With the spear at hand, the man roared and rushed towards Ming Li. Ear splitting sound echoed from his advance as his image transformed into a giant water lance directly headed towards Ming Li. Also, the two seeker trailing behind was now also a kilometer away from them. There was no time for Ming Li to think of a crafty plan, so this time he also roared and decided to risk it all. He activated Sun''s wave and covered his entire body with it. His appearance quickly turned molten red. When thelance of the man was a meter away from him, he placed his hand in front of the incoming seeker and said. "Distort." With that single word, the man suddenly felt his body being torn apart which caused him to be stunned for a second. The damage it did was significant, but it could not stop the advance of the man as he tried to ignore the effect of distort and thrust his lance with all his might. Ming Li on the other hand quickly punched forward creating a heat force which blocked the water lance and made the man completely stop in place. At the instant when the man stopped, he grabbed the man''s neck and immediately used "Despair" However, them man was too strong to be fully suppressed, and the two seeker were now only 500 meters away. With no other option, Ming Li glanced at the direction of the river then gritted his teeth. He gathered all his resolve, then dragging the man, he jumped towards the distorting space above the river. When they touched the distortion, it quickly swallowed them. Unfortunately, the arms of the man was decapitated by the distortion and was wildly thrown away. Instantly, both Ming Li and the man was gone without trace. The only thing that remained was the decapitated hand of the man that was thrown several meters away form the river. The two incoming seekers quickly stopped their tracks and stared at the distortion. They could do nothing to save their comrade. When it comes to the space distortion above the river, even their whole tribe is powerless against it. With the distortion swallowing Ming Li, their pursuit was over. Both of them quickly flew away towards the hundreds of incoming seekers back at their island. .... Inside the space, the man was screaming in horror. His body was rapidly being bent, pulled and compressed uncontrollably. Quickly his body was torn apart as he miserably shrieked with face filled with disbelief while shouting "NO!!!'' On the other hand, Ming Li was extremely focused with his hands raised in front of him. It was at this moment that he controlled the space around him.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His breathing started to become rugged as the distortion became more intense. He knew that his understanding towards space wasn''t sufficient to totally escape this situation unscathed. However, he was determined to survive no matter the cost. Every time he got an opportunity, he would glance around trying to observe the surroundings looking for a slight weakening in the distortion and use it to escape. But, the distortion was too fast that he could not find a single opening from it. Only after thirty breaths, a quick distortion appeared beside him. This distortion suddenly consumed his left leg leaving only half of his knee behind. "Argg.." Ming Li''s face twisted from pain. With his leg eaten by the distortion in space, his concentration wavered slightly which caused him to be overwhelmed by the space around him. Slowly, more distortion was able to enter Ming Li''s range which ate small portions of his skin and left him with injuries. Small pieces of his body were torn away, his consciousness became slightly fuzzy. When this happened, the next thing that was consumed was his left arm! Another groan of pain could be heard from Ming Li as his arms were ripped away from his body completely devoured by the distortions in space. With a leg and arm gone, he was completely exhausted. His concentration was at its limits while the distortion became more violent. Also, using his understanding to control the space around him requires too much concentration and energy, which he was now losing. Every bit of time became extremely important for Ming Li. In his estimate, he could only last a few more breaths before the entire space completely consumes him. Without much regard to his stamina, he gritted his teeth and roared wildly as natural energy swirled around him. He used all of his strength to fight against the distortion in space and create a one time opportunity to escape. Everything around him started to calm down as his eyes shone with determination to quell the distortions surrounding him. When he noticed that what he was doing was having an effect on the space, he quickly decided to proceed with his last resort. And that was to open a rift in the space so that he could escape! He quickly raised his hands attempting to replicate his action inside the space where he was previously trapped in. Using all of the energy he cold muster, he swiftly slashed his hands downward slicing the space in half! A bright glow appeared from the slice revealing a bright rift right in front of him. Ming Li smiled gleefully when he saw that he managed to create a rift out of desperation. "I knew it! With the space here being unstable I am able to produce the same rift to travel space!" Disregarding everything, he took his step towards the rift. The rift was actually only two steps away from him, so he was sure that he could now survive this calamity. Without much hesitation, he made his body float towards the rift. Completing the first step was not much trouble, He only needed to focus carefully and avoid the space from going on rampage near him. However, when he was only half a step away from the rift, a sudden wild distortion happened. He did not know if it happened only because he was unlucky or the space actually did not want him to escape. But what he was sure of was that, his distortion could kill him! small portion of shoulders... feet.... legs, then other small pieces of his body was torn away by the distortion. Only groans of pain could be heard from Ming Li, but his eyes still gleamed with resolve as he pushed his body to its limits to cross that remaining half a step. He could not simply rush towards the rift, it was as if while fighting with the distortion, he was being pushed away. Several breaths passed, but he still remained at the same position unable to move forward. Also, more portion of his body was being eaten away. Soon, a large distortion swallowed his remaining arm! Then only after two breaths his remaining leg was also consumed! Even if he just lose a bit of focus the whole space would act up and devour him. After losing all of his arms and legs, his focus wavered slightly which caused the space to again consume him. This time, the space was unstoppable, it started to consume him little by little. Even though he was used to extreme pain because of his understanding of it. He could not avoid to lose focus every time a portion of his body was eaten away. He was barely hanging on and using his energy to preserve his life. He knew that even he could escape the space, he would still die outside because he had no limbs left to even move. With this thought running through his head, he could not help but lose his resolve. "Is this the end for me?" Ming Li thought. "I think I did enough." "I guess I''ll die now." While saying these words, the space distortion came nearer to him. It then starting eating his skin away and clothes. Without his resolve, in a few breaths, his whole body will be completely consumed. This time, he did not groan while being consumed. It was as if he already accepted that it was the end of the line for him, and he could do nothing more to survive. He started to close his eyes and calm himself, but when he was about to totally give up, he heard a maniacal laugh from his cube. The sound of the laugh was familiar, it was coupled with a wooden clanking sound. He then stared at his cube and suddenly thought of the puppet. "Is there a specific reason you are happy to see me die here?" He thought to himself. When he thought of the puppet, he recalled his desire to know more about it. Then suddenly this single thought opened up a flood of unanswered questions which came to him. His eyes gleamed with inspiration as roared loudly and shouted "No I will not die here! I still have a lot of unanswered questions! A lot of things I need to experience and learn!" He glanced at the previous location of his already amputated arms, then shifted his gaze quickly at his long gone legs. With just a glance, he realized that even though his arms and legs were gone he can still feel that they somewhat exist. When he felt this, his eyes shone with enlightenment as he said. "Even though I have lost my arms and legs I am sure my soul is still complete!" "I now remember what old Ji Chanming said. Soul Realm is shedding the mortal flesh!" Chapter 77: Chance "If I can only absorb this natural energy around me, I could probably be one of the strongest seeker on this plane." Ming Li said with deep regret. He doesn''t know if he should feel thankful that the Fruit of Divine Blessing increased the size of his core tremendously, or if he should feel mad that even with the increase in its size, he cannot refine natural energy. Sighing, he continued to observe Sappy flying towards the east mountain. Many people began to fly with Sappy, also behind him, some seekers who seemed to have passed the test also tailed closely behind. Many people already gathered to the east mountain to witness the test. Even Ming Li was curious on the second test so he quickly interfered with Sappy''s thinking and ordered him to take the second test immediately. Sappy suddenly felt the urge to take the test, so he walked forward and proceeded to the platform where a middle aged man was standing beside a large bowl of filled with dark blue calm water. When he stepped foot on the platform the middle aged man started explaining "This water is a dense water which came from the buttom of the holy river. only a small amount of it emerges once every 100 years. It is extremely tolerant to natural energy so making it move with the use of natural energy is extremely hard. "In this test your natural energy control will be measured. If you wish to proceed with the test please try raising a portion of the water in this bowl as high as you can in ten breaths. This will determine if you can proceed with the last test." Sappy didn''t waste time and immediately stood infront of the large bowl of water and closed his eyes. Inhaling deeply, he tried to remember the skill his brother taught him and the steps in it. He knew that those steps could not only execute the skill. It could also improve his control of natural energy. He lifted his hands with closed eyes and moved them according to the first step, where a beautiful movement was seen by everyone. Quickly he proceeded with the second step and the natural energy quickly erupted. Without delay, he opened his eyes and looked at the water in the bowl, which he focused all of the collected natural energy into it trying to make it float as much as he can. The water in the bowl started shaking as small ripples appeared at the surface of it. After a bit, It began shaking more violently and a small drop started to rise at the very center. Sappy has his teeth gritted while focusing at the single drop that was starting to rise. Soon, larger amount of water began to bulge at the surface of the water and slowly rose upward. Everyone was amazed that Sappy can move the water. Not many people can actually move it even with large cores, which means the steps his brother taught him was something that exceeded the normal skills of the tribe. After three breaths, the water rose by 5 inch which then quickly fell as Sappy breathed heavily from simply controlling that 5 inch water pillar. "Passed! The three inches is the passing mark." The examiner said. Ming Li also breathed in relief when Sappy passed, he wanted to see the last test badly so if Sappy failed he don''t know what to do next. The examiner handed Sappy a scroll which looked like an invitation to the third test. He quickly stepped down on the platform and flew away. Many people tried the test after Sappy but most of them failed. Some wasn''t even able to move the water even a bit. The second test actually proved to be very diffucult and has a passing rate less than 5 percent. This means that the participant in the third test would be decreased to a very small amount of seekers. Up above, Sappy opened the scroll to check the contents of it and know about the third test. In it, stated that the third test will be battle ability. The examinee will proceed to the first level of the first tower, where the first disciple of the Tribal Chief will test everyone''s battle potential. Also, all of the Tribe Elders and Tribal Chief will watch each fight and they will choose the five seekers who could participate in the tournament."Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. While reading, Sappy felt tense, being judged by all of the Tribe Elders and including the Tribal Chief was a big thing. Even though the upcoming tournament was something really big in the whole plane, the tribe does not want to create such a grand selection process. The whole process was actually simple and fast. Not much grandeur was put into it, only selecting the necessary participant was needed. Watching the test was not really encouraged, so the last test would not be open for everyone to witness. Only the Elders and the Chief would be able to see each and every participants ability. Since he was the one to finish the first and second test, he gritted his teeth and directly went to the last test. He has no idea how much people passed after him, however, he was determined to be included in the top 5. This will prove that his talent does not pale in comparison with his gifted brother. The location of the third test was the wooden tower of the Tribal Chief. It was the tallest tower in the whole island, and the tower that looked most ancient of all. Waves were carved on every corner of it signifying the tribe''s affinity with water element, and wooden sculptures of deities were carved at the corners of it. Since Sappy was the first one to pass, no one was at the area yet, proving that only those who passed the test would be informed of the location of the third test. Sappy approached the wooden door of the tower where he clasped hands and said "Seniors, I am here to take the test. The door slowly opened revealing a large platform, It was as if the entire first floor of the tower was made of this platform. Surrounding the platform at its corners were four stone carving of a flood dragon which emanated strong natural energy. At the center of it, a man stood with a light smile on his face. He wore a bronze armor with waves of water carved on it. His hands were clasped behind his back, however, even with such stance, Sappy felt no weakness on the man''s bearing. Up above, he saw three figures who sat crossed legged. Shockingly all of them emanated terrifying aura. Each one of them was familiar to Sappy, so he clasped hands, bowed and said "Greetings to the Elder Hu Shoushan, Elder Hu Tao and Chief Hu Goutin!" Elder Hu Shoushan looked at him viciously and said. "Enter the platform, You have thirty breaths to show us what you can do." When Sappy fully stepped inside the platform, a giant transparent shield appeared from the four flood dragon sculpture surrounding the platform. Now that he was closer to the first disciple of the tribe chief, he started to tremble. Even though he can''t tell the level of the person in front of him, he was sure that he was at the Soul Ascension realm! He then gritted his teeth clasped hands and introduced himself. "Senior Hu Liwei, I am Hu Quan, allow me to show my skills!" But, with Ming Li''s influence, he immediately attacked his enemy without much notice.This didn''t faze his enemy, instead he raised is hands facing downward as a ball of water floated below it. Sappy was extremely aggressive as he tried to maximize the thirty breaths of time given to him. Using what he learned from his brother, energy swelled up in him while performing the steps in an extremely fast fashion where everyone watching would not be able to tell the difference of it from ordinary skills. Strong energy exploded from his skill which created blades of water that directly shot towards the examiner. The faces of the three seekers above flickered when they saw the attack. It was extremely strong, strong enough to overpower a seekers three levels above Sappy. Unfortunately, Hu Liwei already reached soul ascension. The level of his attack could barely harm the examiner. Boom rang out as the blade of water collided with the floating water ball in front of Hu Liwei which became a shield that covered the whole space in front of him. Splashes of water flew everywhere, but Sappy did not stop his attack as he rushed closer to Hu Liwei and did the same attack. This time the attack was much stronger and more concentrated. The elders and the chief were now looking at Sappy differently. Even though the skill was not as beautiful as how Hu Siyu executed it, Sappy did it in his own unique way, which displayed his aggressive and explosive nature. Several skills were executed by Sappy afterwards, but he could not make Hu Liwei budge. Hu Liwei stood at his spot blocking every attack that came to him without much effort. No one expected him to actually deal damage to Hu Liwei, but still, Sappy was persistent to do just that. Before the thirty breaths passed, He gritted his teeth, eyes glowing with the desire to fight, he lifted up is hands and did the same skill his brother taught him. However, this time, it was more profound and it feels like the skill was more like his, and conferred with his own personality. Surging energy came from him, as a giant water blade shot toward Hu Liwei. This time, Hu Liwei was a bit startled and breathed deeply as he pushed his hands forward. Causing water to form in front of him, transforming into a giant wave directly headed towards the water blade. The two attack clashed and extreme energy erupted from the impact which made the shield tremble and a small crack appeared above it. Hu Liwei was pushed back a few inch, However, Sappy was thrown away outside of the platform where his clothes were torn and and his breathing turned rugged. "Three breaths have passed! You can now leave, we will announce the result after three days." Hu Shoushan said. Sappy was a bit dissapointed by his performance, since he could not stay in the platform until the fight was over, but he could not do anything about it anymore so he simply sighed and stood up to walk towards the exit of the tower. Chapter 78: Mark With the test, Ming Li determined the actual fighting capability of the tribe. In his estimate, the tribe could actually be stronger than the Black Spider Guild. The three elders he saw through Sappy were incredibly terrifying. Each one of them felt stronger than the leader of the three group in the Black Spider Guild. His fear of being hunted down grew more as he think of a way to get out of his current predicament. There was no way to do what he did in the Black Spider Guild, since every member of the tribe was from a single bloodline, and their appearance were all quite similar. There was also no way to resolve the conflict through discussion, since the way Elder Hu Shoushan acted way beyond enraged. It felt like he would torture Ming Li forever if he had the chance to do so. While feeling more depressed, Ming Li had no choice but to observe for now and avoid any exposure outside. On his way home, Sappy was also depressed as Ming Li when he thought about how he was thrown out of the platform, but he has a bit of confidence on his performance. That was the first time he fought with such strength, so he still wish to pass the exam. Along the way, a seeker flew towards his direction. This person seemed to be going to the last test and was brimming with confidence as he stopped near Sappy when he caught sight of him. "Hey. So you actually took the test. Hahaha! I bet your brother will be proud." The man said provokingly. "What does my brother have to do with this?" Sappy replied with a fierce expression. "Oh. So you actually didn''t know?? Your brother gave up his spot for the tribe successor. Do you know what that means?" Sappy''s eyes went wide when he heard this. The man continued and said "It means the mark of a successor will be forcefully removed from him which could actually kill him, also, will lead to him not being able to participate in this test to represent the tribe. Hahaha!" Sappy''s breathing became heavy as he looked at the direction of the Tribute Hall. He ignored the man and shot directly at the Tribute Hall. He understood what the man said, giving up the tribe successor slot almost means death because of the pain from removing the mark. However, gaining it means a sure future for yourself. The tribal successor mark was a form of item that is fused with the core to achieve greater strength. Anyone chosen to possess it, could participate in the selection to be a future Elder or future Tribal Chief. Ming could feel Sappy''s emotions as he shot at incredible speed disregarding anything. In no time, he landed on in front of the Tribute Hall and entered it quickly. There, he heard the screaming voice of his brother, which made him immediately rush to the voice. After entering a chamber, he saw his brother chained at both arms, raised high at an altar which was surrounded by a shield where five seekers stood on guard. Three old man sat crossed legged around him, and one man stood directly in front of him. The hand''s of the man was shockingly inside Hu Siyu''s diantian while chanting some sort of spell along with the three people surrounding them. The scene made Sappy gape; The face of his brother was twisting from pain and sweats filled his body while breathed heavily. "Brother..." "why..?" That was the only words Sappy could utter when he saw the whole scene and heard the screams of his brother. He tried to immediately rush towards the altar, however, the seekers guarding around the shield caught him and locked him in place. There was no way to get away from those several stronger seeker, so he had no choice but to watch as his brother undergo excruciating suffering for his sake. The way he treated his brother wasn''t that great, however, his brother was always kind and caring towards him. That attitude made him think that his brother was acting that way since he was more blessed than him and it was only pity that was driving his brother to act that way towards him. But watching the state his brother is in. He could never think that this decision was only out of pity. It was pure familial care and love. Tears rolled down his eyes as he watch his brother suffer more and more as the formation surrounding him became more complete. Also, the hands which was in his brother''s dantian was slowly being pulled out, as if something in his core was being forcefully ripped away.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Seeing his last family member suffering and could possibly end up dying right in front of him, made him feel frightened. He started to struggle from the seekers, however, their energy have already suppressed him disabling all of his control for natural energy. He could not help but to cry and simply watch as the scene unfolds. In the cave, Ming Li was also affected by Sappy''s emotions as he felt sorry for the state of Hu Siyu. He did nothing wrong and was entitled a high position in the tribe, but suddenly, his world flipped upside down and ended up in a miserable situation only for his brother. This was an emotion something Ming Li also experienced while watching his master die. The exact same feeling of helplessness made him remember the miserable fate of his master and of the villagers. Pity welled up in him as he also waited for the result of the ritual. The moment he saw Sappy''s brother, and the way he treated Sappy made Ming Li feel deep respect for the Hu Siyu. He had never respected anyone in his life except for his master, however, currently, his respect for this person who he have not even personally encountered yet would be so deep that it could cause him to sympathize with him. Slowly, the hands of the old man in front of Hu Siyu pulled out a mark, the mark passed through his skin as if it had no physical form. It looked something like an emblem which depicts a river that has existed for countless of years. While it was being pulled out, it slowly manifested its physical form, turning into a metal with deep blue luster. Hu Siyu screamed in pain as the it was being pulled out. His eyes were already all white and his body was trembling as if it would give in any moment. Sappy stared in a daze while watching and waiting for the mark to be fully pulled out. Slowly, seventy five percent of the mark was already pulled out and only a bit of time was needed to complete the ritual. Two breaths... Three Breaths... Four Breaths... Five Breaths... Then the mark was completely pulled out! Blinding light came from the mark which illuminated the whole area. When the light subsided, Hu Siyu was already unconscious, only being held by the chains in his hands. The old man in front of him looked at him deeply and extended his hands to feel his pulse. After a while, a weird glow appeared in the old man''s eyes as he said "He is alive..." Sappy breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, however, when he was about to wipe his tears away. The old man said "But, his core have been severely damage which means, he could no longer control or absorb natural energy." Sappy''s eyes went wide when he heard this as he said while stuttering. "No... My brother cannot become a cripple! He is a genius of his generation! That is impossible." The old man ignored Sappy as he waved his hands completely shattering the chains holding Hu Suyi in place, then made him float towards Sappy and the guards. Those people holding Sappy in place caught Hu Suyi and lifted him up to quickly go to the medicine hall. ... In the medicine hall, Sappy stood beside his brother who was already conscious while lying on a wooden bed. "Brother. I am sorry." That was the only thing Sappy could say. He knew that he was not very nice to his brother and that it was his fault everything turned out this way. Hu Siyu checked his condition, then he said without a change in expression. "Do not feel sorry about it brother, at least I am alive." "But..." Sappy could not say it, he could not dare to say that his brother who was once a genius was now a cripple. Instead, Hu Siyu looked at him deeply and said "Brother, since I am already at this state. The tribe has no more use for me. I believe people who have enmity with me in the tribe would drive me out. So I have decided to go out on my own tomorrow. "My current condition might also affect your standing in the tribe. It is better for me to leave as soon as possible." Sappy waved his hands strongly as he shouted. "No! I will help you recover!" A bitter laugh came from Hu Siyu while saying. "There is no way to cure this." Sappy opened his mouth to say something, however there were nothing he could say. He felt guilty of what have happened and even though he was claiming to help his brother recover, he does not even know where to start. ... In the cave, Ming Li already have a high regard for Hu Siyu, but on the contrary Ming Li only viewed Sappy as a stupid self centered brat.So it helped his guilt ease a bit. But having someone as righteous as Hu Siyu end up in such a miserable state really made him feel remorseful about the situation. He have already mercilessly killed several people without knowing their story and background, but for some reason Hu Siyu''s righteousness came close to that of his master, so the events had some emotional effect on him. ... While this was all happening, far away from the tribe, and at the south most part of the plane where there was a seemingly never ending void, three terrifyingly strong seekers were flying at extremely fast speed in the void towards the plane. "Sister Ren Xian, it is good that you came with us this time. I can''t believe the White Serpent Sect began to have interest in this small plane. Hahaha!" "Ku Sying, I only came here to observe and choose someone worthy from the tournament." Ren Xian coldly replied. "Hahaha. Don''t be too uptight sister Ren Xian, you should have more fun in this plane. The people here treat us so highly and they would do anything to gain our attention. So you can do anything in this plane. Right Brother Ku Zixin?" Ku Sying said while laughing loudly. "Yes brother, I still remember fifty years ago, when we last went to this plane. We invoked a conflict between three groups by tricking the idiots on that Black Spider Guild. I believe it was the Crystal Leaf Sect, Black Spider Guild, and Golden Phoenix Order that was part of that small ploy of ours. And five years ago, when we came back here, we killed several elders in each group then framed each of them causing the decades of sleeping hatred to erupt again with better results. "Sadly, we were called back before the war even started, I hope we could still watch their war unfold. I remember telling the Black Spider Guild that if they can take over the whole north region, we will bring them to our plane. The weaklings in this plane are really stupid." Ku Zixin said while laughing heartily. Ren Xian, only eyed two to and ignored them. Chapter 79: Representative A day have passed after the ritual, and Ming Li still sat crossed legged inside the cave while watching Sappy''s actions who was frantically going around the tribe. The reason for his weird behavior was that because his brother already left without a word while he was unaware. Nobody could tell where he went, and how he got out of the tribe, It was as if he suddenly disappeared without trace. ... Not too far away from the tribe, Hu Siyu stood at a hill along with another person. This person was none other than Elder Hu Tao. He was the one who helped Hu Siyu get out of the tribe. Without his help, it would have been impossible for a crippled person to get out of the tribe unoticed by anyone. "Master, Now that I am crippled, I would only hinder my brothers growth. I hope you understand my decision. Even though I will be gone from the tribe, my heart will forever remain in this place. "My last request would be for master to watch over my brother." Hu Tao looked at him affectionately then sighed. Even after being crippled all he could care about was his brother''s future and safety. This was why Hu Tao viewed Hu Siyu in such a high regard. Even with his strength, he could do nothing for his disciple which pained him. Also he knew that cripples were not treated well in the tribe and were commonly chased out. Their tribe was a tribe which was defined by strength, so someone in Hu Siyu''s state would eventually meet the same fate. There was nothing he could do but sigh and nod to the request of his disciple. "Master, I need to go now. I hope you can find a good disciple to nurture." Hu Tao bowed deeply for a long moment. Then after a while, Hu Siyu looked at the direction of the tribe full of emotions as he closed his eyes and shifted his head towards the opposite direction while walking away. Tribe Elder Hu Tao did not say anything and just kept watching his disciple walk away for the last time. .... While the drama was taking place in the hill, Ming Li was trying his hardest to suppress his energy and hide his presence. He even took several pills for this. The reason behind was because he was also located at the hill where those two were standing. Thanks to the puppet blabbering nonsense about useless seekers coming his direction, he had time to prepare and hide. If not, he would have been caught by the two. Strangely, the puppet had far better ability to spread out its consciousness and stay undetected. Even though the two Hu Siyu and his master was still several hundreds of kilometers away, the puppet easily detected them and only muttered "Why are those useless idiots coming here of all places. Are they going to challenge the great me into a fight?" When Hu Tao flew away back to the tribe, Ming Li sighed in relief. He also looked at the direction where Hu Siyu was going and kept it in his mind. .... Sappy, was at a loss on what to do, when suddenly, Elder Hu Tao flew in his place and said "Do not worry about your brother, he will be safe." Then without waiting for Sappy''s reply, he disappeared and appeared far away continuing his flight towards his tower. When Sappy heard that short statement, his heart felt at ease. He knew that Elder Hu Tao was the master of his brother and fancied him more than anyone else. So if he said his brother was safe then he had no choice but to believe his words. With his brother gone and the test over, he had no choice but to wait for the results of the test and prove himself to be better than everyone else.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ... Days passed, and when the day for the announcement of the result came, Sappy excitedly floated above his place. "The five people who passed the test and will represent the tribe in the tournament that will be held at the Divine Earth Sect will now be announced. The tournament will have three category: The first category would be fight between seekers on the first level up to the third level. The second would be for seekers from the fourth to sixth level, and the last division would be for the seventh level up to the tenth level of Soul Realm. Then the voice suddenly paused for a second before resuming its announcement. "The first seeker to pass the test is... Hu Lok who is at the tenth level of the soul realm" Cheers filled the tribe as Hu Lok who had a stern look floated high above the tribe to be seen and recognized by everyone. Then the voice proceeded with its announcement. "The second seeker to pass the test is... Hu Meiron at the ninth level of soul realm." This time the cheering was more intense as a lady with alluring figure and beautiful face with brown skin floated from a group of people and proceeded next to Hu Lok. "Seems like the woman is popular in the tribe. She also seems stronger than Hu Lok." Ming Li thought While Ming Li was silently observing everything, Sappy was becoming more tense while waiting for the remaining three participant. "The third seeker to represent out tribe for the tournament is... Hu On who is at the sixth level of soul realm." The voice did not pause this time and continued to say. "The fourth person to represent our tribe is.. Hu Nuwa who is at the third level. The two simultaneously floated upward towards Hu Lok and Hu Meiron. Hu On was a burly man with a lot of veins pooping from his arms while Hu Nuwa looked extremely fragile with her small frame. Having heard the fourth participant, Sappy became more nervous while hoping for the last participant to be himself. "The last representative is... Hu Quan who is at the first level of beginners realm." Sappy''s smile widened when he heard his name, he could never believe that someone on the first level like him would be allowed to join the tournament. Normally, those who are at the third level, sixth level and tenth level would be chosen to participate, but since the tournament is still five months away, he could expect that the tribe would do everything to boost his level and increase it at least upto the second level of the soul realm for him to have a chance to win against a seeker at the third level. Sappy quickly flew towards the four seekers who passed the tournament and floated alongside them with stiff expression. The four people alongside him were all popular figures in the tribe. All of them were disciples of the tribal elders and only Sappy was known as trash. Nobody even cheered when his name was called. He knew that the only reason he passed was because of the amazing skill his brother taught him and because Elder Hu Tao probably rooted for him. Even though he haven''t fully mastered it yet, the potential it showed was too great which took the elders by surprise. With that skill, he would have the ability to defeat stronger seekers in the same realm which made him chosen to represent the tribe. "The five who are chosen will personally be trained by the elders of the tribe for five months. You can now all proceed to the Training Hall and stay there for five months." Without even glancing at each other, the four people flew towards the training hall. Sappy followed closely not attempting to make an eye contact with any of those people. He knew that these people who were chosen were all extremely prideful and would not even bother to be friends with him or strike a conversation. So he maintained a straight face and proceeded along with them. In the cave, Ming Li was also delighted of the results. He kept nodding his head as he said "Well done. Well done.. My investment were worth it." With Sappy being able to be trained by the elders, he could also have the opportunity to learn along with them by using Sappy. Also, he would learn more about the tribe which could potentially be used to save his life later. In the Training Hall, along with Sappy all of the four seekers deeply bowed in front of three amazingly strong looking seekers and behind them there were three were more seekers who were radiating similarly strong aura which caused the whole hall to be filled with pressure. "As the tribe Chief, I congratulate you all for passing." Hu Goutin said with a smile. "From today onward, each elder in this hall will help you become stronger than your current self. Those who are already at the third level, sixth level and tenth level should suppress their level and instead focus on improving other aspects. As for those who are below the peak at each category, you should increase your level to reach the peak of the category within five months. "I will now leave you all to the hands of our capable elders for your training. Please make our tribe proud." Then the Tribe Chief walked away with another smile as he disappeared deep in the training hall. Elder Hu Tao then stepped forward and said "I will personally oversee your training, Elder Shoushan will also train you all from time to time to achieve the best result." Then he glanced at the five then said. "Hu Meiron and Hu Quan step forward" He then tapped his cube producing two small box filled with pills which he sent flying towards the two who took their step forward. "Use those pills and focus on increasing your level. Hu Meiron, come to me after you reached the peak of soul realm. And Hu Quan come to me when you have increased your level by one. "Both of you can now go the the secluded room in this training hall, where the concentration of natural energy is more dense." Chapter 80: Blunder After receiving the pills, Sappy immediately went into the room assigned to him by the elders where he quickly took one pill and sat crossed legged and proceeded in mediation. In the cave, Ming Li was trying trying to suppress his rage. He never expected that Sappy would be directly sent into secluded training to gain a level. His goal to investigate the tribe and learn some skills went to the drain. There was no exact timeline on when Sappy could gain a level, so Ming Li''s disappointment grew more as time passed by. Days passed by, Ming Li still sat crossed legged inside the cave. This time his expression was not of disappointment but of resolve. "I will join that tournament! I need to reach the Soul Realm within five months!" He then tapped his cube producing all of his remaining demons grace which he quickly made into demonic nature''s dew. Like a machine, he produced nature''s dew nonstop. Quickly, demonic nature due piled up infront of him. When everything was turned into demonic nature''s dew. He smiled then started absorbing them quickly. He only have 5 months to step into the Soul Realm which he has no idea how to do. But for now, the most important thing was to reach the tenth level of Fusion Realm as soon as possible. Days passed, both Ming Li and Sappy focused on increasing their level. Ming Li''s speed of growth was abnormally higher compared to Sappy since he was using insane amount of nature''s dew for his growth instead of refining natural energy. While Ming Li was busy getting stronger, the search for him did not stop. Instead the tribe was more aggressively looking for him. Unfortunately, they found no trace of Ming Li anywhere. The tribe never thought that Ming Li would hide so near their base that they ignored the places near it. Also, with their limited information regarding Ming Li, it was not possible to find him quickly. They have already captured several suspects but none of them were the actual culprit. Only after 3 weeks of absorbing demon''s grace he quickly reached the half of the tenth level. Previously, he had just entered the ninth level, so raising his level was a big issue. However, by consuming insane amount of demonic nature''s dew he was able to increase the concentration of demonic energy in his core dramatically. Ming Li was hoping that the remaining demon''s grace would be enough for him to reach the peak of the Fusion Realm. After a month, Ming Li was still sitting still and emanated visible threads of demonic energy. His level was obviously rising at unimaginable degree which no one would be capable of. With his insanely large core and his crazy amount of demonic nature''s dew, he left Sappy in the dust with his speed. In his estimate, he only needed another month to fully reach the 10th level. On the second month, His cave slightly trembled. A bit of eerie demonic energy seeped out from it and slowly, light appeared deep within the cave which illuminated upto the entrance of the cave. Inside the cave, Ming Li was sitting crossed legged with closed eyes and clothes drenched in sweat. He haven''t opened his eyes for 2 months now, and at this moment, he slowly opened them. His eyes did not reflect any fatigue, instead it showed an energetic glow which spread out throughout his body allowing him to feel rejuvenated. The trembling of the cave grew more intense, and the light grew brighter. Also, his energy was exposed outside which created cracks in the ground. Stepping into the peak of the Fusion Realm was different than gaining a level. The effects was also greater causing changes in the surrounding. Incidentally two seekers from the tribe were flying near his cave. When they noticed the abnormal energy in the cave, they slowly approached it trying to figure out what was happening. Currently, Ming Li was almost at the tenth level. Only a few breaths was needed for him to fully be at the peak of Fusion Realm. In this few breaths, the two seekers also approached his cave which spelled danger that he didn''t notice. Ming Li threw his head back and roared! This time his level really reached the tenth level. All of his demonic nature''s dew were consumed. However, It made him significantly stronger than before.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. When the two seeker heard his roar. They increased their speed and quickly landed in front of the cave. They were now sure that the person inside was a seeker who just increased a level. And from the looks of it, the seeker was no ordinary person based on the effects which he caused to the surroundings by simply increasing a level. Also, they felt that the seeker inside was only at the fusion realm which made them more confident to know who would dare to step near their territory without permission. "Who is there!? This is the territory of the Holy River Tribe! You should ask for permission to stay here!" Inside the cave, Ming Li was frowning while saying "@#$#, I did it again! How unlucky can I get?" He then sighed and calmly replied. "I am just a wanderer who happen to gain a level in this place. Please pardon my intrusion since I will be leaving tonight." The two seeker looked at each other with a serious expression and nodded. One seeker released his aura as he walked towards the entrance of the cave trying to intimidate Ming Li. Ming Li was actually now nervous, since he would definitely be captured even though he was a nobody, since the people of the tribe were searching for anyone suspicious and treated them all as the one who killed their young master. He did not hesitate anymore, and instead of being captured without fight, he gritted his teeth and pointed at the approaching man and said. "Despair!" The man who was walking towards Ming Li suddenly felt weird, then tears fell from his eyes after which he fell on his knees and felt unbearable suffering of his soul which made his soul body tremble dramatically. Ming Li then quickly waved his hands afterwards and said "Distort" The man who was already on his knees suddenly felt his body being torn apart and he was actually visibly distorted which caused him to be severely damaged. Both of the surprise consecutive attack made the man unaware of what was happening. His companion was also taken by surprise of Ming Li''s attacks and wasn''t able to react properly until he saw Ming Li standing next to his companion. Earlier they were a bit careless because the aura they felt in the cave was definitely from someone at the Fusion Realm. Being on the Soul Realm themselves, they were confident that they could capture Ming Li without a problem. However, they never expected that Ming Li could actually easily incapacitate one of them. When the man saw Ming Li next to his companion, he quickly slapped the ground making it vibrate which caused a pillar of water to rise from it. Unfortunately, when the water have just risen, Ming Li was already holding the neck of the man on the floor with his hand molten red. Without even a hint of hesitation, Ming Li crushed his throat ripping it away killing the man in the process. At the same moment that Ming Li ripped the man''s throat, a gush of water shot towards him at incredible speed. Luckily, he was already prepared for the attack and pushed his other hand forward creating extreme heat to radiate from it making the gush of water spread out in all direction destroying the whole cave. Ming Li tumbled backward from the exchange of attack. The person who he was facing was probably at the third level of the soul realm and the person he killed was at the first level. This time it was impossible to take the remaining man by surprise so he has no option but to flee. With the clash, he realized that he can fight and survive seekers at the Soul Realm, however he was not sure if he could beat them in a direct battle. Quickly, he leap backwards and started running while throwing crystal leaves which clouded the sight of the enemy. It was not an easy task escaping someone at the Soul Realm especially when you are at the Fusion Realm. The ability to fly was a big difference between the two of them. Even with Ming Li''s frantic escape, the man easily caught up in the air while Ming Li ran as fast as he could in the land. But, Ming Li was not an easy prey. Ming Li knew several tricks to escape his opponents which he learned from constantly fleeing every-time. The chase was full of clashes which have drawn the attention of other seekers near the area. This time, Ming Li felt extreme crisis, he never thought that he would be caught up in such a bind with his own stupid actions. Back then, the same thing already happened to him which he did not really take into heart. However, his current predicament was beyond what happened last time when he was at the forest when he shouted after creating his first pill. Two seekers could now be seen trailing behind Ming Li far behind the man chasing him from the beginning. Their image was still so small that they only appear to be a dot in the sky. But it caused Ming Li to feel panicked and continued his escape. The route he was taking was also foreign to him, however far ahead in front of him was none other than the gigantic river which made him feel extreme danger. Currently, he had no choice but to flee in this direction, since this was the only location he felt scarce amount of aura from seekers which proved to be the safest escape path. But, actually he had no further plan when he reached the river. With his current pace, it would only take another thirty minutes for him to reach the river, so he was frantically racking his brain trying to think of a way out of his situation. The man pursuing him never stopped his attacks, also after five minutes, the man pulled out a familiar pearl which he instantly crushed, quickly causing hundreds of seekers to fly up from the island of the tribe! Ming Li''s eyes went wide when he saw this, since he was located not extremely far away form the island, he can clearly see the block dots visible above the island. He knew that the man would call for help. However, he never thought that so many seekers would react quickly and those seekers also hastily flew towards Ming Li''s direction! "@%&$!! I''m really going to die this time!" Ming Li said with a panicked expression. Chapter 81: Hope As the silhouettes grew nearer, Ming Li''s expression sank more; also, the river was almost right in front of him. He knew that jumping towards the river would instantly kill him, and the space above it would probably tear him to pieces. If luck is in his side, it could send him again to somewhere unknown. Sweats filled his forehead as fear enveloped his whole thoughts. This was one of the most hopeless situation he have been. The three seekers who were trailing behind were now closing in at a rapid phase, even the one who was pursuing him the longest had advanced closer and was only 300 meters from him, and the seekers from the island were also now more visible and ripples of energy was now becoming apparent as they came nearer. As time passed by, the rumbling sounds from the incoming seekers grew more intense which made Ming Li more anxious. Because he knew that once those seekers were near enough, he would be subjected to extreme danger. This time, the man was already fifty meters away from Ming Li, and Ming Li was right in front of the gigantic river. He had nowhere to run, and even if he wanted to, he would surely be caught. The man tapped his cube where a lance appeared which radiated a blue shade. With the spear at hand, the man roared and rushed towards Ming Li. Ear splitting sound echoed from his advance as his image transformed into a giant water lance directly headed towards Ming Li. Also, the two seeker trailing behind was now also a kilometer away from them. There was no time for Ming Li to think of a crafty plan, so this time he also roared and decided to risk it all. He activated Sun''s wave and covered his entire body with it. His appearance quickly turned molten red. When thelance of the man was a meter away from him, he placed his hand in front of the incoming seeker and said. "Distort." With that single word, the man suddenly felt his body being torn apart which caused him to be stunned for a second. The damage it did was significant, but it could not stop the advance of the man as he tried to ignore the effect of distort and thrust his lance with all his might. Ming Li on the other hand quickly punched forward creating a heat force which blocked the water lance and made the man completely stop in place. At the instant when the man stopped, he grabbed the man''s neck and immediately used "Despair" However, them man was too strong to be fully suppressed, and the two seeker were now only 500 meters away. With no other option, Ming Li glanced at the direction of the river then gritted his teeth. He gathered all his resolve, then dragging the man, he jumped towards the distorting space above the river. When they touched the distortion, it quickly swallowed them. Unfortunately, the arms of the man was decapitated by the distortion and was wildly thrown away. Instantly, both Ming Li and the man was gone without trace. The only thing that remained was the decapitated hand of the man that was thrown several meters away form the river. The two incoming seekers quickly stopped their tracks and stared at the distortion. They could do nothing to save their comrade. When it comes to the space distortion above the river, even their whole tribe is powerless against it. With the distortion swallowing Ming Li, their pursuit was over. Both of them quickly flew away towards the hundreds of incoming seekers back at their island. .... Inside the space, the man was screaming in horror. His body was rapidly being bent, pulled and compressed uncontrollably. Quickly his body was torn apart as he miserably shrieked with face filled with disbelief while shouting "NO!!!'' On the other hand, Ming Li was extremely focused with his hands raised in front of him. It was at this moment that he controlled the space around him.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. His breathing started to become rugged as the distortion became more intense. He knew that his understanding towards space wasn''t sufficient to totally escape this situation unscathed. However, he was determined to survive no matter the cost. Every time he got an opportunity, he would glance around trying to observe the surroundings looking for a slight weakening in the distortion and use it to escape. But, the distortion was too fast that he could not find a single opening from it. Only after thirty breaths, a quick distortion appeared beside him. This distortion suddenly consumed his left leg leaving only half of his knee behind. "Argg.." Ming Li''s face twisted from pain. With his leg eaten by the distortion in space, his concentration wavered slightly which caused him to be overwhelmed by the space around him. Slowly, more distortion was able to enter Ming Li''s range which ate small portions of his skin and left him with injuries. Small pieces of his body were torn away, his consciousness became slightly fuzzy. When this happened, the next thing that was consumed was his left arm! Another groan of pain could be heard from Ming Li as his arms were ripped away from his body completely devoured by the distortions in space. With a leg and arm gone, he was completely exhausted. His concentration was at its limits while the distortion became more violent. Also, using his understanding to control the space around him requires too much concentration and energy, which he was now losing. Every bit of time became extremely important for Ming Li. In his estimate, he could only last a few more breaths before the entire space completely consumes him. Without much regard to his stamina, he gritted his teeth and roared wildly as natural energy swirled around him. He used all of his strength to fight against the distortion in space and create a one time opportunity to escape. Everything around him started to calm down as his eyes shone with determination to quell the distortions surrounding him. When he noticed that what he was doing was having an effect on the space, he quickly decided to proceed with his last resort. And that was to open a rift in the space so that he could escape! He quickly raised his hands attempting to replicate his action inside the space where he was previously trapped in. Using all of the energy he cold muster, he swiftly slashed his hands downward slicing the space in half! A bright glow appeared from the slice revealing a bright rift right in front of him. Ming Li smiled gleefully when he saw that he managed to create a rift out of desperation. "I knew it! With the space here being unstable I am able to produce the same rift to travel space!" Disregarding everything, he took his step towards the rift. The rift was actually only two steps away from him, so he was sure that he could now survive this calamity. Without much hesitation, he made his body float towards the rift. Completing the first step was not much trouble, He only needed to focus carefully and avoid the space from going on rampage near him. However, when he was only half a step away from the rift, a sudden wild distortion happened. He did not know if it happened only because he was unlucky or the space actually did not want him to escape. But what he was sure of was that, his distortion could kill him! small portion of shoulders... feet.... legs, then other small pieces of his body was torn away by the distortion. Only groans of pain could be heard from Ming Li, but his eyes still gleamed with resolve as he pushed his body to its limits to cross that remaining half a step. He could not simply rush towards the rift, it was as if while fighting with the distortion, he was being pushed away. Several breaths passed, but he still remained at the same position unable to move forward. Also, more portion of his body was being eaten away. Soon, a large distortion swallowed his remaining arm! Then only after two breaths his remaining leg was also consumed! Even if he just lose a bit of focus the whole space would act up and devour him. After losing all of his arms and legs, his focus wavered slightly which caused the space to again consume him. This time, the space was unstoppable, it started to consume him little by little. Even though he was used to extreme pain because of his understanding of it. He could not avoid to lose focus every time a portion of his body was eaten away. He was barely hanging on and using his energy to preserve his life. He knew that even he could escape the space, he would still die outside because he had no limbs left to even move. With this thought running through his head, he could not help but lose his resolve. "Is this the end for me?" Ming Li thought. "I think I did enough." "I guess I''ll die now." While saying these words, the space distortion came nearer to him. It then starting eating his skin away and clothes. Without his resolve, in a few breaths, his whole body will be completely consumed. This time, he did not groan while being consumed. It was as if he already accepted that it was the end of the line for him, and he could do nothing more to survive. He started to close his eyes and calm himself, but when he was about to totally give up, he heard a maniacal laugh from his cube. The sound of the laugh was familiar, it was coupled with a wooden clanking sound. He then stared at his cube and suddenly thought of the puppet. "Is there a specific reason you are happy to see me die here?" He thought to himself. When he thought of the puppet, he recalled his desire to know more about it. Then suddenly this single thought opened up a flood of unanswered questions which came to him. His eyes gleamed with inspiration as roared loudly and shouted "No I will not die here! I still have a lot of unanswered questions! A lot of things I need to experience and learn!" He glanced at the previous location of his already amputated arms, then shifted his gaze quickly at his long gone legs. With just a glance, he realized that even though his arms and legs were gone he can still feel that they somewhat exist. When he felt this, his eyes shone with enlightenment as he said. "Even though I have lost my arms and legs I am sure my soul is still complete!" "I now remember what old Ji Chanming said. Soul Realm is shedding the mortal flesh!" Chapter 82: Flames After he remembered Ji Chanmings words, he quickly focused on what he seek and used his determination to try to break through the next realm. "If I did not lose parts of my body, it would have been hard for me to realize how to actually shed my mortal flesh. "Also, there might be a possibility that I would be unwilling to give it up!" Quickly, he started to again repel the distortion of space around him. But, this time he was allowing it to slowly consume him. He knew that he was slowly dying, however his eyes was still filled with determination. "I believe normal method to shed mortal flesh takes a long time. However, I have no luxury to do so. For the sake of surviving, I will shed it forcefully!" Starting from his already missing legs, the distortion began consuming his body. It was as if a monster was taking large bites at him slowly eating him without mercy. Even though half of his body was already gone, Ming Li was still full of life. While his mortal flesh was dying, his soul flame inside his core was starting to burn even more. That was what kept him alive. Not much time passed by, and even his ears was also gone. Quickly, half of his upper body was also consumed and half of his head was already missing. Only one eye was left in him but it was still clear, clearer than it has ever been. Also, each time his body was being consumed, the pain he felt became lesser. It was as if the whole process of his body dying gave him more enlightenment on stepping into the Soul Realm which gave him more life. Strangely, even though more than half of his body was already consumed. His core remained floating in its previous position unaffected by the distortions of space. Also, it emanated a weird sensation as if something would come out of it. The space continued to rip Ming Li''s body apart. He was not doing anything to block it. This time even his head had gone missing and only a piece of of flesh in his chest was left with his heart still beating. With only his heart and core left, Ming Li could now be considered dead. However, his heart was still beating normally even though it wasn''t pumping any blood. Right below it, Ming Li''s core floated with a strange glow that caused a thin layer of flame to cover it completely. Thump.. Thump.... Thump...........Thump.. With his heartbeat slowing down, the flame grew bigger and suddenly erupted, devouring his heart and turning it to ash. Uncontrollably, it twisted and rippled, creating an image of a human to materialize from its flames. The human seemed to be sitting crossed legged calmly, even completely covered with flames. The body slowly breathed causing the flames covering it to move madly. With a single breath, its body clearly became more refined and emitted amazing energy which signigied a great bodily strenght from it. When the flames settled, it took its second breath which made the flames erupt again. Within the flames, Ming Li suddenly gained complete consciousness and slowly opened his eyes. His eyes shone with brilliant light as his consciousness became greater than its previous state. With him now completely aware of the changes occurring to his body, he quickly took his third breath making life control for natural energy step into the next realm. Excitement filled him, then he took another breath completely making the flames dance wildly. This time, he suddenly felt his life force exploding from within, doubling his lifespan from its previous state at the Fusion Realm.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He never thought that the changes would be so great, so again with the fourth breath, his veins became more durable and could now easily handle the demonic energy inside his core. In his fifth breath, the flames around him became slightly thinner, and his body was now more visible from the outside. However, the change this time was not physical change, It was his mental strength that increased several times. With all of the five changes, his eyes gleamed with determination and took a deep sixth breath! For some unknown reason he knew that once he took this, he would completely step into the Soul Realm. The distortion around him stopped for a moment, as the flames surrounding Ming Li was completely absorbed by his last breath at the Fusion Realm. All of the absorbed flames settled in his core as it ignited it with black flames. This time Ming Li laughed uproariously while focusing on forming his new core. Suddenly, he noticed something, his core was changing size! It was becoming larger than its previous state. Also he noticed that his organs were completely different than its previous state. It was close to the mortal body. However, his new soul body was focused on his core. It seemed like this time, his source of life was none other than his core. And it occupied a large space in his dantian. His core continued its slow growth making his body tremble and excitement filled him. The growth continued until it stopped at six inches! He doesn''t know if this is a great change. However, he was sure that it was something that could be useful someday. When the core fully formed, the flames surrounding Ming Li was also gone completely. With a wave of his hands, he was completely covered with a new robe. Quickly, he scanned his surroundings with his consciousness and again began to suppress the distortion. This time, he was able to suppress it more. It felt a bit easier and he felt that his life was not in danger anymore. However, he was sure that if he venture longer in the space he would still surely die. With the rift still existing in front of him slowly closing, he glanced at the surrounding space, then a viscous grin appeared in his face as he said "When the time comes, I will completely take control of this space distortions and know the secret in this place!" Then without hesitation, he entered the already closing rift and exited the space. ... On an area far away, Ming Li was floating a feet above the ground while looking around. His body was taller than its previous state, and his muscles were more refined now. His weak appearance was completely gone and and air of strength now emanated from him. This time, he was completely beyond mortals. His body was not even that of a mortal. It was completely made from his own soul. Also floating a feet above the ground made him feel that he was now really above ordinary humans. "I almost died there!" Ming Li said with a bit of fear. Ming Li never thought that his understanding towards space would save him this time. However, even with his understanding, the terror he felt after being subjected to the extreme change in space was too great. "That was a close one, I never thought that I could step into the next realm in such circumstance." Then he looked back at the Holy River with a deep gaze and a hint of obsession. "Surely, next time I enter that place, It would not be the same." The place he landed was actually a forest around 100 kilometer away from the Holy River Tribe. At this distance, the river was still visible, however, he was sure that at such distance he could now easily escape the grasps of the tribe. Also, now that he has the ability to fly, his movement won''t be restricted by the terrain anymore. Ming Li carefully looked at the sky then he quickly shot himself up at amazing speed. The air surrounding him was split apart as he stared straight at the sky where he was headed. 1km...2km...3km... He shot at an amazing speed which exceeded his expectation. Only after several minutes, he quickly reached 6km which was where the clouds were located. When he shot above the clouds, the sky was completely blue. However, when he pushed further. He was shoved back by an invisible force which was impossible for him to fight back. "So this is the limit that I can reach." Far away, he can see a black mass which was probably a void that was covered in complete emptiness. Based on what Ji Chanming told him, those seekers who can reach Heavenly Realm can travel beyond the void and reach another plane. So he was curious of how far can someone on the Soul Realm fly. "I wonder what it looks like in that void." Ming Li''s eyes gleamed with curiosity as he stared at the barely visible void for hours. After three hours, he said "Someday, I will definitely find out!" Then he shifted his gaze below, and flew down at incredible speed. This time he was attempting to get as far as he can from the Holy River Tribe. Even though he was already at the Soul Realm, the tribe could still capture him if his location was found out. "Before the tournament starts, I need to hide and look for the location of the tournament. They said it will be held at the Blue Dragon Sect. Maybe I should look for that place first." Ming Li now changed direction and shot towards a town nearby to get some information about the sect. Only after a few hours, he arrived near the town. The town was familiar to Ming Li; it was none other than the Ten Mountain Valley.