《Moon Assassin》


 Chapter 1 - The Past, The Present, The . . .

    I am alone. All alone. Alone in the forest. The reason for that . . . it¡¯s because I¡¯m crippled. Born crippled and probably crippled for life. My body is completely the same as everyone else; my arms, legs, and head all the same. All that I can¡¯t do is produce that energy (that I¡¯ve never seen). Everyone claims that they can see or touch it, but not me. Why does this difference have to separate me from my sister? From my family? From everyone else?


    When I turned 7, I left. I left THAT place, where I never had one peaceful day. Nevertheless, I should be thankful that they didn¡¯t come chance and kill me. Traitors and them . . . are usually killed. I¡¯m only a disgrace . . . a disgrace to my clan, my family and my parents. If wasn¡¯t born crippled they wouldn¡¯t have feeled so shamed whenever they talk about me. Thankfully, however, my sister was a genius. Since the age of 5, she already reached the Initial Stage. If it wasn¡¯t for my sister, I¡¯m pretty sure my parents would¡¯ve beat me to death already. When I was getting beat by my parents, she would stop them and protect me.


    I knew, however, that staying THERE would only stop my sister from realizing her true potential. She could reach the apex, but only if she concentrated on getting there. If I was there . . . I¡¯m sure she would focus on protecting me. Revenge? Who wouldn¡¯t want revenge? Is it possible? Is it possible for a crippled to kill a cultivator. If one actually believed that, they¡¯d be the laughing stock of the town. The joke of the whole kingdom. Naturally, I¡¯d want to repay the debt, but how is it possible? Asking my sister, only distracts her from cultivation even more. She, who could soar past the heavens. I want to them to wipe them off from the face of this world, but alas that¡¯s just a mere dream.


    I left that place¡ªwhere I never had a single piece of happy memory¡ªand secluded myself. Into a place where magical beast live. Usually people would never reside in those types of place, but thankfully I found a place. A place where I could live a life in peace. I don¡¯t know why, but here, in this place, no monsters ever approach. Deep in the forest, I live there now. For how long? I¡¯m not sure either. I never started counting, since there was no point. I was going to live here. Living here until my final breath came.


    Everyday consisted of a similar routine: collecting water, weaving baskets, grinding stone into cups and bowls, collecting food. Oh, and cleaning the carving in the cave. When I first came, the cave already was already here. It seems like someone lived here, long before me. Whether they died here or not, I do not know. I clean the carving on the wall everyday, as thanks¡ªfor the shelter than they made that I¡¯m using. I can¡¯t read it¡ªit¡¯s probably only something people who cultivate can¡ªbut that however, does not stop me from cleaning it.


    My life is not fun, nor is it boring. I¡¯ve weaved enough baskets for a small village to use, but grinding cups . . . is taking some time. With only the dagger I obtained from a dead person before I arrived here, I keep carving cups to drink water and bowls to eat food. The dagger, surprisingly, hasn¡¯t chipped or rusted at all. I found that interesting, but didn¡¯t put much thought into it. Who knows how it was created? Maybe an immortal created this?


    Everyday, I ponder what would¡¯ve happened if I could cultivate. But dreaming is of no use. It doesn¡¯t my problem, and . . . it never will. Today, I¡¯m dreaming like usual. People would probably pity me, if they saw my dream about something that could never happen. I even pity myself. It¡¯s possible to not be crippled anymore, that however, is not possible for me. It¡¯s only for people who are already on the path of cultivation. That pill¡ªwhich could restore all my meridians¡ªwe longed for by everyone. When was it ever my turn to obtain that pill. It could throw kingdoms into frenzy, and people would sacrifice everything that had to obtain it. Not only does it restore meridians, but it also improves it to be the best, unparalleled in this world. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t be able to obtain one of those. Me, who has nothing. Nothing to offer for a new chance in life.


    Dreaming doesn¡¯t put meals on the plate, so I went out to pick berries. Walking along the river, with my self-weaved basket in my hand, I went to go pick river berries. As for its real name, I don¡¯t know. All I know is that they grew in the river, near the edges. There were one of my favorites out of all the berries. The taste that could not be described by words that only belonged to the river berry. Every different type of berry in this area, has indescribable taste that I bet would have kings prostrate themselves in order to eat just a mere bite. This is probably what keeps me happy in my life that consists of me, and only me.


    While picking the river berries alongside the river, I noticed rustling sounds. I immediately turned my head to see what it is. From the direction of the sound, I saw someone walking in this direction.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Suddenly he asked, ¡°Do you live here?¡±


    I nodded my head, afraid of the person. No one has ever found this place during my stay here. That man, who was wearing a pure white robe, approached me. He looked at me with an intimidating pressure. Something that only a cultivator would be able to emit. I gazed at him, trying to see what he wants from me.


    He continued to question me, ¡°Have you seen any markings around here? That marking . . . was carved by my ancestor, and I am currently searching for it.¡±


    Was it a lie, or was it the truth? I have no way of telling. The only I do know, is that he wants to see the carving on the walls. What he wants to do with it? I don¡¯t care. Whether he wants to light an incense for his ancestor or search for hidden treasure, I can¡¯t do anything about it. I just want him to leave, so I could continue on with my peaceful life, devoid of anyone else.


    I lead him to the cave¡ªthe cave with the word carvings, and where I live. The mysterious cultivator examined the carving on the walls.


    ¡°Help me . . . help me,¡± a soft voice said.


    Hearing the voice, I turned to look at the cultivator. He was still staring at the wall, pondering over the words carved. If it wasn¡¯t him who could it be? I thought.


    ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± the voice once again spoke.


    Is it possible that the voice could read my thoughts?


    ¡°I cannot read read your thoughts, however, I will be able to perceive any thoughts thought towards me.¡±


    Who are you and how can I help you?


    ¡°Who I am can be explained later! If you want to help me let me possess your body. I can only use my abilities when I have a true body. Hurry up and let me take over, before he figures out the true meaning on the wall!¡±


    With his the unknown voices pestering, I pondered whether I should let him take over my body or not. I assume this ¡°unknown voice¡± was probably a spirit or something, related to the carving on the wall. Well, since this man created the place where I stayed, I decided to let him take over my body.


    I couldn¡¯t tell how he took over my body, but suddenly, I had no more control over my body. Even though I had no control, I was still fully conscious of everything that was happening. The unknown voice, or should I say person now, with my body, suddenly started moving towards the cultivator. The mysterious cultivator, however, didn¡¯t even notice my body approaching him. How weird. In a swift motion, my body stabbed at the man¡¯s back.


    Surprised and shocked , the man asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The person in control of my body responded, ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    My body instantly pulled the dagger attached his waist and struck it through his heart. Even I was shocked, when I saw this scene. I never imagined that my body could move so fast, just like a cultivator. Suddenly, I had control over my body again. I swung the dagger, that was still in my hand, and tried to imitate what my body did at first. Of course, I didn¡¯t move that fast, and my actions were dull.


    ¡°Young girl, those actions cannot be done by without years of training,¡± the unknown voice spoke once again.


    How are you? Also, is it possible for me to do something like this again?


    ¡°I am immortal Hecate! Although I may be in this form, I will have to repay my debt. I can pass on my own personal cultivation technique and that skill onto you.¡±


    Some people would be thrilled to have an immortal pass on their own personal techniques, but I was not. At this point, I only felt like Hecate was only mocking me¡ªat my crippled body. This made me sad, but nevertheless it was probably her way of thanking me. I am thankful for this gift, but . . . I have been crippled since birth. I will have to decline your gift.


    After I responded, there was a long pause until she spoke again, ¡°Will you hear this senior ramble for a while? This carving is . . . my treasure and my tomb. Currently, I can only reside in my soul form, and can only stay in this cave. You are probably wondering why this place is like a sanctuary, where no beasts and people come. I put this barrier up so that anyone under the immortal realm cannot into this area. This barrier, however, only applies to cultivators, not mortals. Of course, the person who tried to break into my tomb was of the immortal realm. That carving, that you were not able to understand, was my last line of defense, where one would have to go though meditation in order to understand the carving. That is when I used your body to quickly seal off his movements and cultivation, and swiftly kill him before he unsealed himself. I have . . . been watching you everyday. From weaving to cooking, from eating to sleeping, and of course . . . you washing my carving everyday. Although you cleaning my carving, or you could also say grave, my grave for no apparent reason, I am still thankful. As repayment and as a show of my thanks, would you become my disciple?¡±


    Her ramble, shocked me intensely. The cave belonged to an immortal¡ªthe apex of cultivation. The reason why people couldn¡¯t get in, the reason why she needed to take over my body, it all shocked me. Especially the fact, that she was observing me everyday. To be the disciple of an immortal? Of course I would want to! Only, even though she knew I had a crippled cultivation, why would she ask me?


    ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking why I asked you, even though I know you have you have a crippled physique. I am just asking, whether you are willing or not,¡± she said.


    I kowtowed three times, then I said, ¡°Disciple meets master!¡±


    Right after I greeted master, the cave started shaking. The place where the carving used to be, now was an entrance to someone deeper within.


    ¡°Good! Go into my treasury,¡± master exclaimed.


    I followed master¡¯s instructions, and went towards an immortals treasury.

 Chapter 2 - The Pill and Heartless Mind State

    As I walked in, I could only hear my heart beating, louder and louder. When I finally got in the tomb, which took for what seem like an eternity, my eyes popped open. This was supposed to be a tomb? I clearly doesn¡¯t even look like one. There was treasures all over the place. Swords, staffs, bows, books, pills, everything valuable in the world just seemed to be stored in this one area. Anyone who was a cultivator would be blinded by greed if they saw this sight. They¡¯d immediately start stuffing everything here in their storage rings. This tomb belongs so my (dead) master, so it also belongs to me. Anything here, would basically be mine as long as I asked for it.


    As if master read my mind, she proclaimed, ¡°Since I can¡¯t provide much for you, my first gift to you is everything here.¡±


    I continued to stare at everything blankly. Who ever thought, that a person who couldn¡¯t cultivate, would be able to obtain an immortal¡¯s treasury with such ease? Don¡¯t even think about normal cultivators, even immortals themselves would have much difficulty stealing another immortal¡¯s treasures.


    She continued speaking, ¡°Go open the box in the middle of the room and eat it.¡±


    There was many boxes in this room, none however, as flashy as the one in the middle in the room. I anxiously walked over and opened the box. While approaching the box, I could feel my fate about change with every step I took. The moment I opened the lid, a strong fragrance stormed out of the box and invaded the room. Without questioning what the pill was, I grabbed it and tossed it in my mouth.


    Suddenly, I collapsed. My throat started hurting, then my heart, then the pain spread throughout my entire body. My bones starting breaking down, however, I was still alive. The pain was something I never experienced before, but I endured. I don¡¯t know how long time passed. Eventually, I was able to breath again. The pain slowly subsided, and I was able to move again. What did I just eat? I wondered. I probably knew deep in my heart, however, what I just consumed. I probably knew before I even tried to consume it, probably knew since she offered me to be her disciple. I was just scared, just scared if it really didn¡¯t happen. I tried to examine my entire body to see if anything was wrong. Nothing felt off. In fact, I felt better than I ever have.


    Seeing how astonished I was, master said, ¡°Now, you can finally start on the road of cultivation.¡±


    If I could see master¡¯s face, I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be smiling. Tears started falling out of my eyes. Finally. Finally, I¡¯m able to cultivate. The heavens clearly have not forsaken me. All my emotions welled up and gathered into mini drops of water, falling continuously on the floor. I¡¯ve lived a life, deemed as trash. Now, I can finally start on my path, and repay my debts! People will no longer look down on me, who used to be trash. The pain, hardship, everything that I endured so far my entire life, were all let out through the simple, yet deep action of crying. My entire life, not even once, have I cried, yet when I was given a chance for a new start, how could I have not be happy? Even when sister came to comfort me, I didn¡¯t cry. Tears should be shed, not because of sadness, but because of happiness, relief and joy. All I wished for was to pursue happiness, that couldn¡¯t be found anywhere. But I never thought that in the middle in the forest, that I would have a chance to step on the road of cultivating. I have only done so little for master, yet she has done so much for me.


    After I stopped weeping and regained myself, she continued on, ¡°Now, pick you can cultivation technique. You can pick from my most prized manuals: the Soul Absorbing Technique, the Helio Absorbing Technique, and the Moonlight Absorbing Technique. I personally crafted these three cultivation methods. With the Soul Absorbing Technique, you absorb the souls of the dead and those you have killed. Although you will be chased down by everyone else, you could reach the apex in no time. With the Helio Absorbing Technique, you can absorb the light of the sun and become the light of the world. Many sects would be thrilled to invest all their resources to raise your physique. With the Moonlight Absorbing Technique, you can absorb the moonlight and be one with the shadows. With the power of the moon, killing your enemies would go unnoticed and anyone in the Three Realms would be afraid if they knew that they were targeted. Now pick!¡±


    Each technique had their own pros and cons. The Soul Absorbing Technique prioritized cultivating speed, while the Helio Absorbing Technique would make anyone in this world envious of me. The Moonlight Absorbing, however, was probably the best fit for me. I don¡¯t want the whole world to notice me, especially my sister. If she found out that I was still alive, and even restored my meridians, she would for sure pour all her time into protecting me once again. Using this technique means that I would take a path of darkness, a path of solitude. But, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve been living my entire life alone, so continuing alone wouldn¡¯t matter. And also, I¡¯m not alone anymore. Master is here, here with me.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°. . . I choose . . . the Moonlight Absorbing Technique!¡± I declared.


    ¡°Good! I will imprint the technique within your mind, and whether you are able to comprehend it or not . . . is up to your abilities! Train in the Moonlight Absorbing Technique, and find me here when you breakthrough into the Qi Condensation Realm.¡±


    All of a sudden, I felt tons of information following into my head. The entire technique, imprinted in my mind. If the world was to find out . . . well, I¡¯m sure they would also rushing to extract this information out of me. After master imprinted all this information onto me, her presence vanished. Who knows what she¡¯s doing? She probably has to recover the energy that she lost, since she is a dead person with only a soul left. What is the Qi Condensation Realm master was talking about?


    I looked the the first section of the technique. Moonlight Absorbing: ¡°While bathing under the moonlight, try to absorb the Moon Qi. Trying to make contact with Moon Qi is one of the hardest Qis to ever absorb. Only the most talents, could try to understand the profoundness of Moon Qi. After you make first contact, meditate continuously until the moon for a whole moon cycle. Only then, will you break into the first realm of cultivating.¡±


    This looks really hard. With a frown on my face, I wonder if master actually thought I would be able to comprehend her personal technique. I walked outside, only to find that it was already night. Well, if I don¡¯t try, I¡¯ll never succeed. I sat outside the cave, and attempted to meditate. Within the time it took to brew tea, I felt a weird energy at the tips of my energy. Is this Moon Qi? I


    tried to absorb, what I thought was Moon Qi, into my body. Immediately, I concentrated gathering the Moon Qi into my body. First, the Moon Qi started to accumulate in (what I think is) my dantain. Slowly, it spread through to my heart, then to the legs and arms, and eventually through the rest of my body. The sensation that I felt, could not be described as painful. In fact, as the Moon Qi spread through my entire body, I felt a refreshing sensation. A feeling that was quite similar to when I enter a warm bath and relax my body after a whole hard day of work, but even better.


    I stopped cultivating and opened my eyes, only to find someone unexpected in front of me. The man that master killed . . . was alive, standing in front of me. I instantly stood up on instinct, reading to run away.


    ¡°Do not look so afraid my disciple,¡± Master told me, ¡° I am only using this mere cultivator¡¯s body to communicate with you.¡± Looking at my confused face, he continued on, ¡°I practice a forbidden necromancy technique, however, I can only use his body, and his cultivation cannot increase no matter what. Having a human form, finally enables me to go out from that cave I have been trapped in for ages.¡±


    I don¡¯t really care for master¡¯s reason for controlling the dead cultivator¡¯s body. What interested me more? It was obviously the technique that master used. With those few words, however, master gave away lots of information. How could someone practicing such a technique go unchecked? This must of been the reason for master to be chased down, and forced master into a soul state. He was an immortal realm cultivator! Only another person of the apex had the ability to leave master in such a state.


    ¡°Do you know how long you were in meditation?¡± master asked me, suddenly breaking my train of thought.


    I shaked my head, signaling the fact that I didn¡¯t know how long I stayed cultivating.


    ¡°You were were cultivating for one moon cycle!¡± master claimed.


    With eyes widened with shock, I only looked at master with disbelief. Staying in cultivation for that long is simply NOT possible. What about food and water? How did I stay alive this long without eating or drinking? This was totally inconceivable. Although cultivators were able to forego food after the Advanced Stage, it was hard for one to ignore the hunger that stays with them. During this entire time, how did I not notice any hunger? In fact, I don''t feel any hunger even now.


    Just as if master could read my mind, he answered the questions I had, "When cultivators cultivate before the Ethereal Palace Realm, they usually only cultivate only a few hours or half a day at most. This is not because their bodies cannot handle it, but due to the fact that they don''t have enough soul power to keep on cultivating. You, however, are different! You were born with the Heartless Mind State. People born with this state are one in a million, and sometimes not seen for several generations. People with this gift can cultivate without distraction, such as eating or drinking. In fact, your body is still hiding many secrets. It''s no wonder you were born crippled. The heavens would have never allowed for a person to be born under the nine mountains.¡±


    Again, what are these realms master keeps talking about? The Qi Condensation Realm? The Ethereal Palace Realm? I don''t know how many times I''ve been shocked, but I swear this will be the last time I will be. Born with the Heartless Mind State? How was that even possible? Was the heavens playing me? They left me crippled because of my body. Why did the heavens even give me these gifts, if they were going to leave me crippled? What¡¯s more is that I still have secrets left uncovered.


    ¡°Go eat and wash yourself, I will give you my first lesson after,¡± master told me.

 Chapter 3 - Follow the Dao!

    As instructed, I went to the river to wash myself off. Before I got in the river, I saw the basket, filled with fresh river berries. Master was nice enough to pick some for me. The river flowed at not too fast, yet not too slow. I took off my clothes and washed them, before I got into the river. It isn¡¯t good to have dirty clothes. When I got in, I felt a refreshing sensation flowing throughout my entire body. This river, always provided a place for realization after a hard working day. After cleansing myself, I got out of the river and went over to the tree where I left my flintstone and clothes.


    This flintstone and my clothes . . . are the only things left from that place. These clothes weren¡¯t worth much. It was just clothes, similar to what servants wear at the place. The flintstone, also, wasn¡¯t anything special. Although they were a bit large for me back then, now they fit perfectly now. For some reason though, my clothes were always fit perfectly around my chest area, even back then. Even though, these objects were nothing much, they were something that stayed with my the entire time. My reliance on those objects in my daily, ironically, were probably the most. Clothes to keep me warm, and flintstone to sustain life.


    After using the flintstone to start a fire to dry myself, I ate the river berries that master picked for me. They taste good like usual, unparalleled under the heavens. I ate them one by one, until there were no more left. I almost wanted to go pick some more, then remembered that master was still waiting for me. While thinking I had more chances in the future to eat more, I put on my clothes that were hanging over the fire. After putting out the fire with water from the river, I started to walk back to the cave to receive my first lesson.


    Master was there, sitting there looking out into the forest. I turned my head, trying to see what he was looking at. I couldn¡¯t see anything, only to find master looking at me attempting to see what he can, and I can¡¯t. Master signaled a posture to sit down, and so I did. I sat in a meditative pose, just like what master was sitting like.


    ¡°You really are not a person of many words,¡± master said, ¡°The only time I heard your voice, is when you greeted me and when you bursted out of tears of joy.¡±


    As I was about to respond to master, wanting to tell master that I could speak more, master posed a stop with her hand.


    She continued speaking, ¡°It is fine if you do not want to speak. This has something to do with my lesson today. First of all, what do you think is the most important thing for a cultivator?¡±


    What could be the most important? This thought traveled around in my head, but I could not come up with up with a good answer. I kept thinking, then thought about what it meant for me. I think that making minimal contact with other cultivators is good. From stories told from my sister, she always said to never offend an expert. From what I could tell from those stories, is that as long as I don¡¯t make contact with other people, and I should maintain a low profile.


    Breaking my line of thought, master said, ¡°Hold that thought right there. You probably thought that you should maintain a low profile.¡± Seeing my shocked face, she continued, ¡°That is fine if you think that. No one told you to be a tiger or a dragon. Within immortals, there are even people like you, who think that keeping a low profile is the safest way to survive. I even respect those people, because they are always the people with hidden strength. When they need to, they become a phoenix in the sky, where others can only look at them with awe. What a cultivator needs, is to follow one¡¯s personality. Only then, can a cultivator reach the apex. Not a single immortal, have been able to reach the apex by having other people lead their paths. They have always followed their own paths, their own dao. Some cultivators rather die, they be forced to do something that does not follow their dao. Follow the dao! That is the most important thing for cultivators.¡±


    Follow the dao. These three words resonated deeply within my heart. How knows how profound these words are? How long did master contemplate on those thoughts to be able to reach that conclusion? When I heard those words, I was touched, not only by the profoundness of the words, but also by how I was living my entire life following my own will (and that I was not wrong). I never knew that these three words simple, yet profound words said today, would be able µÀto lead me to the apex.


    Master said, while looking at me, ¡°Looks like you understand. The road of cultivation is long. The reason why sects raise people who have fast cultivation speed, is because the common belief is that people with who have high cultivation speed have high comprehension abilities. This leads to the common belief that people who have faster cultivation speed would be able to become an immortal. This is the main reason for the younger generation to never be able to succeed. There is a sky above the sky and another man above a man. Never get too overconfident. The younger generation always overestimate themselves and start slacking off. In fact, only around one-fourth of immortals are geniuses of the younger generation. Most cultivators who were able to become immortals, constantly cultivated with a steady pace. Even many immortals, do not realize this and still pick top geniuses of the young generation as disciples.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    A stable cultivation without being arrogant or overconfident, that is the cultivation path I aim for.


    ¡°As long as you keep this in mind, I guarantee that you can become an immortal without a fail. Going back to the point of dao, your personality is reflected in your dao. Your cultivation method, your techniques, everything is related to your dao. You did not make a bad choice when selecting the Moonlight Absorbing Technique. As a matter of fact, there is no other technique in the Three Realms that could fit you any better. Those berries that you ate at first were not picked by me.¡±


    What? If master did not pick the berries who would¡¯ve? The berries do not simply get picked by themselves, someone had to pick them unless . . .


    Reading what was on my mind, master responded, ¡°Those berries were what you picked one moon cycle ago. Those berries that you keep eating everyday are a treasure. It is called the Azure Moon Berries. You would make any cultivator who practices any arts related to Moon Qi in the Three Realms envious. The Azure Moon Berries can only be found where in places with highly dense spiritual energy and able to absorb moonlight. Eating a Azure Moon Berry allows one to absorb more Moon Qi for a short amount of time. You, however, have been eating such a


    priceless treasure like a staple food. Because you consumed them pretty much on a daily basis, your body has been transformed into almost a treasure. You are probably the most compatible person with Moon Qi in the Three Realms. Of course with your blocked meridians, would not have mattered, but now you have the most potential to be an immortal.¡±


    Is this what karma is? What goes around comes around? Who ever knew that what I called River Berries, were a heaven defying berry that were being consumed like rice. The heavens really haven¡¯t forsaken me. The berry that I ate everyday, was actually something that laid the foundation for my cultivation.


    ¡°You have several paths to chose from. But in my opinion, being an assassin suits you the best.¡±


    How does being an assassin have anything to do with my dao?


    Seeing me question master silently, she answered my question, ¡°First, you would not make much contact with people. Taking on assassination requests, requires minimal contact with other cultivators. Do not forget that no matter how talented one might be, they would still need resources to assist them in their path. Second, people who cultivate Moon Qi frequently take this occupation, and for a good reason too. Being an assassin requires becoming a shadow, unseen to the enemy. Not only does it bring you resources, but trains you as well. The final reason . . . would make all my other reasons seem like excuses. Even since you were able to cultivate again, you had an undying passion within your eyes . . . to seek revenge!¡±


    Did I really? My mind was only filled with happiness, so I did not think about anything related to revenge. Revenge is a bad thing, how could I possible think about revenge? Who would I even get revenge on? My parents? My clan? What could master possibly be talking about? Even though they may have been a side branch, with my genius sister there, they might even become the main branch one day. The main branch even has several immortals as the clan head. Even if I were able to become an immortal, how could I possible get revenge on the entire clan?


    She responded to my thoughts, ¡°You may have not been thinking about it, but somewhere deep inside your heart, you were longing for revenge. That only gives you more of a reason to become an assassin. You should not feel wronged to feel this way. This is only part of your dao. As long as you follow your dao, you will eventually be an immortal. Even within immortals, you would still be able to progress as long as you follow your dao. Do not think too much about the future, right now just focus on getting stronger. As long as you get strong enough, you would be able to do anything.¡±


    Master tapped his storage ring, and took out a pair of daggers.


    ¡°These pair of daggers, is something I personally forged when I was dabbing in Moon Qi. Although they may not be of much use in the future, you should use this pair of daggers to practice with right now. I do not have any daggers compatible with you, so you can only use your own abilities in the future to obtain a good pair of daggers compatibile with you. I will now pass on my own personal dagger technique onto you. This may have not something I specialized in, but I guarantee that it will not be anything worse that what other immortals can give you. Only an immortal who specializes in daggers could pass on something to you.¡±


    Master came over and tapped my forehead, imprinting all the information within my soul.


    Master reminded me, ¡°Do not forget, the most important is not the technique, but the dao. Follow the dao!¡±

 Chapter 4 - Cynthia

    ¡°My technique has no name, so you will have to give the technique a name when you practice it,¡± master said.


    After master said that, she left me alone to practice. I decided to start practicing the technique. First, I looked through the first form of techniques. The most basic part, consists of a single swift strike. I copied the visions that I saw in my head, and repeated it over and over. When I started practicing, when the sun started to rise, but now, the sun was at high noon. I took this opportunity, to take a break.


    I went over to the river to wash my face, then I saw a face in the river. Who is this person? Wait . . . that¡¯s me! How do I look so pretty? Before, the color of my skin was dirty brown, but now, my skin was pure white. Pure white like the moonlight. Could this possible be due to the Moonlight Absorbing Technique? Although I was washing my body at first, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to myself. I was rushed, eager to attend my first lesson. Now, a single glance from me, can cause cities to go down, and a second glance will lead kingdoms in ruin. My hair now, extends to my waist which is long, compared to my previous length that was only to the neck. The reason why the cultivator he came in search for the carvings didn¡¯t attack me, was probably because I looked pretty ugly. But if he saw me now, I wouldn¡¯t know whether I would stay pure anymore.


    My beauty, however, has its own goods and bads. With this completely new appearance, i could seduce men very easily (just like how the servants back then seduced father for their own greed). Of course, I won¡¯t go all the way, but get close enough to kill the target off. And the bad reason couldn¡¯t be anymore obvious: I attract too much attention. I would have to constantly disguise myself when I¡¯d want to seduce someone, so other people would not notice that it was me. Also, more people would pay more attention to me, this limiting my actions.


    The thought on looks, however, should be thought about later. First, I should at least try to master the basic forms of the technique. I gathered some Azure Moon Berries; just because my body has transformed doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll stop eating them. At finishing my meal, I went back to practicing.


    When the moon started to show, I eventually stopped practicing my sword techniques. I would then, switch over to cultivating the Moonlight Absorbing Technique. When cultivating, this also counts as sleep for cultivators, so I would cultivate for the entire night. This lifestyle continued on for around another moon cycle . . .


    ??????


    Yes! I finally hit the advanced level for my sword techniques. During this time, I¡¯ve been just cultivating and practicing sword techniques. I learned the basic forms in a few days, while the advance techniques took a bit longer. Also, I broke into the Advanced Stage a few days after learning the basic forms of the dagger technique. Master told me that I should go find her when I broke through with my dagger techniques.


    I went back to the cave with the carvings, the place where everything began. Master was sitting there in a meditation pose, well the body she controlled was sitting there. By the time I approached close enough the maser, she already stopped meditating.


    ¡°You coming here must mean that you have broken through to the Ethereal Palace Realm,¡± said master.


    Again with this Ethereal Palace Realm. What exactly is that? If I don¡¯t ask, I will never know, but . . . No no no. I need to have courage to speak to others now, and this is my master.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°What, what is the Ethereal Palace Realm?¡± I said while stuttering.


    Master¡¯s eyes opened wide, and responded, ¡°Looks like you can talk. Hearing your question you must not know much about the cultivation realms. Cultivation realms consist from the weakest to the strongest of the Qi Condensation Realm, the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Ethereal Palace Realm, the Dao Core Realm, the Dao Foundation Realm, the Dao Seeking, and finally the Immortal Realm. Many people have misconceptions of the realms. Many people called the first three realms: Initial, Intermediate, and Advanced. They only started calling these realms this 10,000 years ago. This is due to the misconception that external techniques, such as your dagger technique, were related to your cultivation realm. Technique mastery were usually divided into: Initial, Intermediate, Advanced, One with the World, True Meaning of the Dao, Dao Realm, Dao Path, and so on. ¡°


    I finally understand what master kept talking about now. So the phrases he uses, were the real names of the realms, and the phrases that people commonly use now are just a mistake. That explains a lot of what he meant now.


    ¡°To prove my point that techniques and cultivation is not related; currently you are only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, while your dagger techniques are now at the Advanced level. Now that you have improved yourself, you must leave this area and go temper yourself in the outside world. One person can only improve when facing true dangers. Go to the treasury,¡±


    master commanded.


    ` I went to the treasury with master. When we arrived, master went straight into the middle of the pile, where she took out two rings.


    Master gave both rings to me and said, ¡°Bind both rings with your blood.¡±


    I used my dagger, and pricked my own thumb. The blood fell from my thumb, and landed on both rings. Then I felt a spiritual connection form from one of the rings.


    ¡°The first ring, is a spatial ring,¡± master told me, ¡°the other one . . . is used to bind my soul! During your journey, I will accompany you instead of rotting away alone inside this cave. Use your spatial ring to store everything in this treasury inside.¡±


    Following master¡¯s instructions, I used the spatial ring that was given to me, and started storing everything inside the realm. All the items in this room, flowed into the ring to no end. How much storage does this ring even have? If I asked master, I¡¯d probably be too shocked to live anymore. Some things are better left unsaid.


    ¡°Before you departure on this journey . . . would my disciple tell me her name?¡± master asked.


    ¡°I threw away my name a long time ago,¡± I said without hesitation.


    I threw away my name too long ago. The moment I stepped out of the doorway, I left my identity behind in that place. How would ever want to keep that name? No good memories ever comes from it anyways.


    ¡°I see . . .,¡± master started pondering. When master seemed to have thought of something, she declared, ¡°You shall be called Cynthia! It comes from an ancient language meaning ¡°the moon. Since everything around you revolves around the moon, there is no better name.¡±


    ¡°Cynthia,¡± I muttered with a small voice.


    I smiled creeped up on my face, different from my usual cold, yet elegant face. Master¡¯s body suddenly collapsed on the floor, but I realized that he probably just moved his soul into the ring have he gave me. I put the storage ring on my second finger. Afterwards, I took a chain out of the storage ring, and looped the ring through the chain, making it look like a necklace. Although the chain may seem ordinary, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s another priceless treasure out there in the world.


    Before leaving, I cleaned up the entire cave one more time. I reached every nook and cranny, before finishing cleaning up the entire cave. By the time I finished, the sun has already set. I went to the river to pick the Azure Moon Berries one last time. This time, however, I picked as much as there was, only leaving a bit so the berries can continue growing. A little extra resources wouldn¡¯t hurt.


    I was finally leaving. The place where I resided in peace. After today, my life would consist of ups and downs. The road will not be smooth, but I will endure it. My entire life, I was alone. But not anymore. Now, I have master with me. I still not know why master treats me so well. I do not believe just because I treated her nicely, she would do all this for me. Although master may not tell me today, one day in the future, I will make sure she tells me the reason. Whatever the reason, however, master was still the one who gave me a new chance in life. A rebirth. I will have to repay this debt someday by finding a new body for master to live in.


    I wonder how long has it passed, even since I came here. The sounds of the river flow, the wind blowing, the leaves falling, and the crunching sounds that I make when I step over the leaves that fall. I will be leaving them all. I will be back one day. After reaching the apex, I will come back here. A person tend to return to their roots. Next time, however, I won¡¯t be coming back as a nobody, but as immortal Cynthia.