Cultivation System 493 to 560

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Chapter 493 - Ripples (I)

The whole world seemed to have gone into a state of war, Xing Yahui mused; she watched her own sect go into a complete uproar when she emerged from the realm and relayed all--well, most--of what happened.

Per her Master's almost obsessive insistence, she forewent explaining how she watched what she believed to be an ordinary old man slice open someone who she deemed stronger than the Sect Master herself. Per her own Master's words, that shadow-encrusted guy had reached something called 'quasi-Imperial Realm'. What that truly meant, she did not disclose.

Regardless, it did confirm that he was the strongest person Xing Yahui had ever met with the exception of her Master, and that ordinary man... killed him. Seemingly so easily and so thoroughly that it looked like a joke.

She was not the lone witness, far from it. There were about a few dozen others that she watched emerge onto a cliff just by her side who caught the tail end of the battle, and she was certain there were another few hiding in the shadows who all witnessed it. And yet, almost two weeks ongoing, nobody besides those who were inside seemed to have learned what happened.

For some reason, they all chose to keep their lips tightly sealed.

While those who were at the bottom had likely sworn an Oath, those who watched from further afar did not; and yet, for one reason or another, they stayed silent.

As such, powers-that-be had no knowledge of the finality of what happened, but they did know the cause and the reason--the former Holy Maiden of the Eternal Edge Mountain had conspired with some dark forces to trap all the prodigies of all the other Holy Lands and kill them, taking away their Life Qi in the process.

Once the news spread, it was like wildfire with no end, and the Eternal Mountain was the target. Though there had been no official declaration of war, it was only a matter of time, Xing Yahui felt. But her Master's words contradicted her beliefs.

"An outright war? It's probably not going to happen."

"H-huh? Why? Everyone has a perfect reason to go and fight them. Is the Eternal Mountain that powerful that even all other Holy Lands don't dare attack it directly'"

"No, unlikely. But, when we were there, I felt tantalizingly familiar sharpness of a blade from some of those kids who call themselves Eternal Elders. 'Sharpness' is such a strong word, though; it was like an infinitely dulled version of what I had fought many times before. It's very likely that the Eternal Edge Mountain has some connection to the Sword Mountain. Chances are that they are simply waiting for somebody from above to descend and pass judgment."

"Sword Mountain? What's that?" Xing Yahui had always been curious about the Upper Realm, but her Master seldom talked about it.

"One of the topmost powers of the Upper Realm," she got an answer she had already kind of figured out herself, turning to pouting. "What is your measly self going to do with that knowledge? Rather than thinking about the Upper Realm and the Sword Mountain, you should cultivate. You again failed to latch yourself onto that man."

"... would he ever care for me at all?" Xing Yahui said, sighing. She looked out through her window at the gloomy atmosphere of the Soul Sanctuary Sect, where every abode was covered in a thousand layers of formations as everyone and their mother feared their secrets being learned. "You should have just said that he was so strong."

"... I didn't know."

"How did you not know?"

"Because he's not that strong," once again, Xing Yahui sighed in frustration. "It can't have been an artifact or an art; both of those, even if they existed under the heavens that can make somebody that much stronger, would absolutely wreck him after the fact. But though he was on the verge of dying... he was very much alive and practically unharmed long-term wise. Whatever means he used to make himself that powerful... are beyond me, which should tell you everything. It's not too late, though."

"It's not?"

"He will likely want to take his Disciples and run as he wouldn't want to get tangled up with somebody from the Upper Realm. And, the only place one can run in this world is the Island. If we go there, we'll undoubtedly find him."

"Huh? The Island? What island?"

"The beating heart of the Heavenly Lake."

"... wait, you don't mean the Island? Nirvana Island?"

"One and the same."

"Huh. You truly do want me to die, Master."

"Not yet, little Yahui."

"Hey--what do you mean not yet?!"

**

Yin Tao was flabbergasted; he was confused, tormented, and slightly melancholic.

He had looked rather spectacular and cool many times before in his life, and had been called the handsomest man in the world more than once or twice, and had in the mirror seen the reflection of heavenly greatness... but, not once in his life did he look remotely as awe-inspiring as that man who snuck him into the realm.

Once he retrieved what his Master tasked him with, he had simply waited for the realm to end; he had no intention of tangling up with holy sons and daughters, and just hid away in the shadows. It was precisely from there that he caught the sight of the man upturning the sky, glowing like the colors were made for him.

"Really?" his Master exclaimed softly. "That boy's Master did that?"

"... he did," Yin Tao was dispirited. When will he ever look as cool as that?

"The fact that I acquiesced to that boy when we first met... did I accidentally save us all from a cataclysmic event?" he glanced up at his Master's masked face. Even through the porcelain he could sense her shock. "But, if what you say is true, how come nobody is talking about it?"

"Uh, I'm... not sure?" Yin Tao really wasn't sure why the man's visage wasn't currently burning throughout the entire world. "Maybe the others are like me, too? And they just reported to the one they love the most?"

"Hm. That can't be, though."

"Huh?"

"If you reported to the one you love the most, you would have reported to yourself."

"Ah."

"Hm. It's worth investigating, though. Do you know where they went?"

"From what I saw, they went with the ugly man from the Deathless Phoenix Sect."

"Hmm," his Master rapped her fingers against the table, deep in thought. "They won't be able to stay for too long, regardless. Upper jackasses will undoubtedly send somebody to investigate, and knowing that boy, he will not want to deal with it. If they can't stay there, and they want to hide... huh. They'll probably head over to the Island. Yin Tao, Master has a new mission for you."

"E-eh? I, I want to rest--"

"--you'll be my personal attendant and escort me to the Nirvana Frontier Island."

"Of course, Master! Say the word, and this lowly one will immediately oblige!"

Though he had his head bowed, he could hear his Master rolling her eyes; but it didn't matter. This was his opportunity--opportunity for him to show to his Master just how handsome he truly was. A chance for their love to blossom. Just like in his dreams.

Him and her, hand in hand, leading the Eternal Guard to fulfill their Eternal Oath.

Been a few N.B.A playoffs since we've had seemingly quite competitive first round. Sorry to put this on you guys, but none of my friends watch it and fans on Reddit & Twitter scare the shit out of me :(

Chapter 494 - Ripples (2)

"Excuse me, Senior, do you know which way is the Eternal Edge Mountain?" Han Yimu stopped an elderly man carrying a bundle of hay on his back and asked with a rather apologetic smile.

"Huh? What is that? No such mountains here, boy! Stop bothering me, go away!"

He got the same response he got the last seven times he'd asked. In fairness, all of them were mortals and it was unlikely that they knew where a martial arts sect was, but it was depressing nonetheless.

Sighing, he looked up at the blistering sun before scouring his surroundings and noticing the faint trace of shade to his left. Walking over, he sat onto the ground, leaning against the boulder's cool side.

He was cursed.

Undoubtedly, unequivocally cursed. Throughout his life, things seldom went his way. When he was six, a revered Immortal came to their village seeking young kids with potential, eventually shepherding off Little Ya. Why? Because Han Yimu wasn't there! He got lost in the nearby forest chasing a butterfly! What hurt was that he was about a thousand times more talented than that wreck.

In fact, last he heard, Little Ya became an outer servant of some no-name low-level sect.

Then, when he was fourteen, during the trails for sect's entry, he was in the lead when he accidentally stumbled into a hole and found himself in an underground cave system. It took him two months to exit, and everybody presumed he had either ran away or died.

There were dozens upon dozens of similar incidents, all leading up to the latest one.

He'd turned twenty-four just the other day and was celebrating with some friends, thinking about taking some sect missions to hunt for points when the order came down for all Core Disciples to gather.

Though he loathed to do it--as he was never picked for anything good--he still went and joined his Brothers and Sisters. It turned out that it wasn't anything good, for a change; whomever they picked would have to descend into the Lower Realms and investigate something or another.

They drew lots, and his name was the first one to be picked. Of twenty other names, it had to be his. Some shot him sympathetic gazes, some were jeering, and that bastard Xi was openly mocking him, telling him he may as well stay down here as that was where he belonged.

He had no true backing in the sect as he was an external entry; even his Master had barely taught him anything, and had never truly fought for good things to come his way.

But he had no choice but to come down here, and now... he was lost.

Not that he was ever good with directions, but something went horribly wrong with the Teleportation Array and he did not arrive in a bustling city as he anticipated. Instead, he found himself in an unending field of nothing, with only an occasional mortal village to be found.

What was worse, he couldn't even use Qi just yet as he'd need at least a couple of weeks to grow accustomed to the sparse and low-quality Qi here.

Sighing, he lamented his fate yet again, wondering just why was he even struggling? The only thing he got out of a sect was a Heaven-tier cultivation method and a couple of equally awful martial arts. All resources that he got he got with his own fingers, he hadn't really developed any meaningful relationships with anybody, and the only reason he was a Core Disciple was because they physically could not keep him out since he won the latest competition.

In fact, during the competition, twelve out of sixteen Elders didn't even know who he was.

"Eh? Young man? What are you doing here?" an elderly woman's voice snapped him out of his daze as he looked to the side; the woman was another mortal, perhaps in her sixties, with hunched back and skin as wrinkled as paper.

"Resting," he said.

"Tsk, tsk. You are so young, what are you resting for?"

"I can't find it."

"Can't find what?"

"Eternal Mountain or whatever its forsaken name is."

"Huh? What is that?"

"A sect."

"... a sect? You mean one of those fancy immortal abodes?"

"Y-yes! You know about it?!" he got rather excited and shot up to his feet.

"Oh, pipe down," she seemed a bit startled, pulling away. "I don't know nothing about any mountain, but if you're looking for an immortal abode, I hear there's one north of 'ere. Should take you ten days by horse, maybe."

Han Yimu felt tears coalesce in his eyes--he had direction. It didn't matter whether it was a mountain or not, so long as he found a single cultivator, they'd probably know to point him in the right direction.

"Thank you," he said, walking over toward the woman and gently placing his hand on her shoulder; tiny motes of Qi shot through his palm and poured through the woman's entire body invisibly. It wasn't much--it would merely ease her aches and make the last couple of decades of her life tolerable. Though he was told it was beyond a taboo for a cultivator to interfere with a mortal's fate... he hardly cared. "I will never forget your grace."

"What a weird fella," he caught her words as he ran off toward the north, merely smiling.

Perhaps he was weird--no, he definitely was. There was a reason he had no friends in the sect despite the fact that he was fairly talented. Beyond the fact he had no heritage or family or backing, what seemed the most off-putting for others was just... him.

But it didn't matter; once he completed this mission, he was promised a whole month in the Oblique Hall! The last time he went in, he could only spend two hours in there, and his sword arts progressed more during that two hour period than they had in over five years beforehand.

Realistically, all he had to do was doll out some compensation, pretend to listen to the 'sect masters' of these nowhere-lands yap and complain about how they were mistreated, nod along for a day or two, and maybe execute one or two of the branch's leaders. The only reason this mission was considered annoying was because of where it was--somebody like him staying for too long in the lower realms would mean that the overall quality of his Qi, and thus his foundation, would decrease.

In fact, too long of an exposure would be akin to being poisoned.

That was precisely why he was in a hurry and probably why somebody 'helped' him get lost through the array.

Regardless, now that he knew where cultivators were, it was only a matter of time before he completed his mission and went back.

... unless something completely out of his expectations occurred, of course.

"Ah, I did it again," he mumbled into the wind. "I jinxed myself again..."

Chapter 495 - Grudges (8)

"Even Lang Guiying died?"

"Not just him, but Tan Hai, too!"

"Wow!"

"Just what the hell happened there?"

"One of my Senior Brothers actually came out alive and said that they got trapped by a horde of undying shadows!"

"Pfft, of course. Stop making stuff up."

"I--I'm not! It really happened like that!"

Yun Qi sipped his jasmine tea in silence and listened to the nearby conversations. They all went somewhat similarly, with the story of the day (a week now, really) being what happened at the Eternal Mountain. Supposedly thousands of prodigies and Elders of the various Holy Lands went in, only a few hundred emerged.

Though he tried investigating it, too, he didn't get anywhere; it seemed that most of what had transpired inside remained either completely unknown, or was safeguarded at the topmost level.

Finishing the tea, he stood up and dropped a few copper coins on the table before leaving. The streets of the Jade Blossom City were rather wide but still overcrowded, and he had to navigate the sea of hurrying people. He didn't exactly have a destination in mind as his latest target that he had been hunting for over two months was actually one of the Elders that had gone into the realm opening and didn't come out alive.

As such, he wandered, looking at the random vendor goods and soon finding himself in a downcast, winding alley. At the corner, nestled against two seemingly abandoned bookstores, was a strikingly green door made out of jade, on one side a glassed window displaying what looked to martial art manuals.

Somewhat curious, he headed over and entered. The atmosphere inside was a mix of cozy and oddly foreboding; there was very little space to navigate between the wooden shelves stacked with manuals, but that was the case only for the left side of the store. On the right, dozens of paintings and scrolls were on a full display, some exuding extremely dangerous and downright murderous Qi.

Though he saw a woman sitting at the far back, and though she saw him enter, she neither greeted him nor approached him to ask if he was looking for anything specific. As such, he elected to browse by the eye.

Most of the manuals were of somewhat lesser quality, with only two reaching Heaven-tier and both being clearly marked as 'severely incomplete'. Though he had no interest in any of them, he still browsed with attention as he did have a need for some martial arts, especially movement-based one.

His last hunt, Jadesword, had nearly managed to get away because his movement arts were so vastly superior to his. Were it not for Jin Hua, he truly might have gotten away.

Alas, there was nothing of note here.

After about fifteen minutes, he moved over to the other side to look at the scrolls and paintings. Though their place was somewhat indetermined in the realm of cultivation, both certainly had it; there were ways of imbuing concepts into paintings that can inspire onlookers and even cause them to enter Enlightenment.

None here, however, seemed to be of that quality, though a few did catch his eye; a roaring tiger that seemed told a minute trace of madness, or a rather crudely drawn sword that ticked his innermost sword fanatic ever so slightly, and one painting that was turned away from him.

Glancing over at the woman, he asked, "Do you mind if I turn that painting around?"

The woman merely glanced at him, shrugged, and closed her eyes. Taking it as a yes, he leaned over and slowly turned the canvas around whereupon the heart in his chest stopped being and he found himself short of breath.

It was a portrait--a somewhat crudely and hastily-drawn one--of a man whose facial features were distinctly unfamiliar. Rather, most everything about the man was completely unfamiliar, save for two things: the man's eyes and the odd expression on his face.

He was never able to forget the young one's eyes as they held in them more sincerity than he had seen from the others in his entire life. Though he had been searching desperately wherever he went for information, it truly seemed as though they had died.

... but those eyes, it was unmistakable.

It was Lu Qi.

But... how? And what about the rest of his face? Why did someone make a portrait painting of him? And why did the painting have such... strange noise to it? As though it was disrupting a natural order of things.

"Caught your eye?" he glanced to the side and saw that the woman who was just behind was now standing by his side, a strange gleam in her eye.

"... I find it peculiar," he said.

"It's the man's expression for me," she said. "The painter was just some nobody that sold it to a wandering merchant who is a friend of mine. Since she knew I liked peculiar things and such, she gifted it to me. You hear it too, don't you?"

"What?"

"The discordant hum," she said, smiling faintly as her wrinkled skin flattened for a moment. "I found the oddness by accident; I'd put up an isolation array over the entire store, but when I went outside... I could still see that painting in the window. It ignored the array. It ignores near everything."

"The painter, then, can't have been some nobody."

"No, he was," she said. "Just like you, I was certain my friend had met some legendary grandmaster, but she repeatedly reassured me that she had bought several of the man's paintings, and all others were practically garbage compared to this. So, it is not the painter."

"..."

"There is also a story," she suddenly said.

"A story?" snapping her fingers, a somewhat tattered, thin book appeared between her fingers. Though it was leatherbound, the leather appeared to be of rather bad quality as, despite it clearly being not that aged, it had cracked. "A friend of mine bought this, too. But... she couldn't read it."

"Hm? Is it written in an unknown language?"

"No, it's written in the most common script. Watch," she said as she opened the book. Inside, Yin Qi recognized all the letters and even the words. But, when it come to putting them together and thinking about the full strings... he couldn't do it. "Infuriating, isn't it?"

"... I'm tempted to burn it."

"Ho ho, as was I," she chuckled.

"How do you know it's a story if we can't even read it?"

"The man who sold it said that it was his life's work," she said. "That he poured the Dao of His heart into the words and had barely managed to capture a small trace of what he saw. The reason I say it's a story is this," she flipped the pages one by one until the first one, where only a single sentence was written. "Read it."

Yin Qi leaned over and read it and, unlike the rest, he was able to properly string the words and the meanings in his mind. And his heart thus stopped once again.

I'd seen the eyes of Dao, their beauty subdued and eternal.

"... you don't mean?"

"I do," she nodded. "Nobody else can read these words either, not unless they'd seen the painting."

"Are the writer and the painter connected?"

"Not as far as I know," she said. "The only connection between them seems to be their subject. That man."

Lu Qi, Yin Qi mused inwardly as he felt the stirrings of his heart beginning to churn. What the hell happened to you?

Chapter 496 - Ripples (3)

I will say this--Deathless Phoenix Sect is quite beautiful.

Though its architecture still primarily displayed the classic terraced pavilions, there were odd dips into somewhat shapely architecture of round domes with terraced corridors rounding them and leading into the central areas.

The majesty of the burning sun being at the center continued, with the wooden bridges connecting over the moats of water. There wasn't a distinct breakdown of 'Here's the important people, here's the super important people, and here's the important people', though after walking around for a while, I picked up on a pattern--tall pavilion housed the super important people, round colosseum-like buildings housed the important people, and the strange, almost oscillating, stumpy pavilions housed the important people.

I was currently standing at a small, open gazebo looming over a stream of water, positioned about a mile south of the burning ball.

... it was annoying.

So. Goddamn. Annoying.

[--Phoenix cries out...][--Phoenix demands...][--Phoenix pleads...][--Phoenix cries...]

Phoenix this, phoenix that. Seriously. For the past day that I've been awake at this place, that thing has spammed me about a thousand goddamn times. Reminds me of when my grandma and grandpa first got on Facebook. The sheer onslaught of notification would have outsiders believe I was some kind of a worldwide celebrity.

Nah.

Just 600 requests for Candy Crush lives per hour.

"Master Lu," a voice startled me out of my thoughts as I glanced back where I saw a young, unfamiliar woman donning the robes of the Deathless Phoenix Sect standing just outside the gazebo.

"Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Uh, there's, there's a man at our gates who claims to be your Disciple..."

"...?" my Disciple? What the hell? Aren't all--oh. "Is, uh, is he a bit old and a bit more odd?"

"... should we let him through?"

"Hm. It's fine. He's mostly harmless." indeed, I did kind of forget about him, especially because there were no notifications about him finishing the pills.

"He's with a young woman."

"Let them both in, it's fine." I assured, sitting down as the woman left.

I was alone--well, not really; Eternity was standing right where the woman had been a moment ago, shaped precisely like her except it was fully made out of jade for some reason, while I could sense Long Tao's gaze from somewhere. I couldn't quite pinpoint where, but he was nearby.

The rest of the kids had dispersed across the sect, some seeking to challenge the disciples, some curious about the place, and some were probably taking this opportunity to lock themselves up and write some Words. I hadn't shared the rewards with Rayce because it's probably best we remain as inconspicuous as possible while here.

It was about ten minutes later that a familiar--though utterly disheveled--face of Lao Shun appeared from between the nearby set of buildings. His beard had grown considerably, and he looked like he hadn't slept in years; by his side was a woman, looking no older than twenty, in a much better shape.

In fact, she sped ahead of him and appeared right in front of me, leaning forward with a faint smile on her face.

"Handsome," she mumbled. "Sharp. Say, that fool's Master, have you ever had your mind shattered by a woman?"

"..." wow. What the fuck did you bring with you, you damned bastard? "Your breath stinks."

"H-huh?"

"Move away a bit," her breath did actually stink a bit, though nowhere near enough for me to have said anything... if she was normal. But, of course she wasn't normal. There's no such thing as 'normal' in my life.

"Alright, you had your fun," Lao Shun appeared at last and yanked her by her shoulder, but was unable to move her. As his face darkened, I felt him pouring Qi into his hand and stopped him.

"Hey, she's just a kid. Leave her alone."

"Pfft, a kid?" he glanced at me. "Don't let her looks fool you; this grandma is barely younger than me."

"..." wow. I... words escape me, honestly. I mean, I know people in this world keep it tight and whatnot, but she literally looked younger than twenty.

"Hey, you bastard; what did I say about revealing my age to others?" her 'sweet and delicate' persona cracked like a porcelain bowl as her expression turned twisted. "Do you want me to snap your neck, huh?"

"... is she the assistant you mentioned?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said, sighing. "Despite... well, everything else about her, she is remarkably talented. Almost as talented as me, really. If only she had anything above a modicum of interest in alchemy."

"Pah, as if. To lock myself up in some dusty room and sniff herbs and whatnot until I croak of old age... I'd sooner swim through a river of shit to get away from that fate." she certainly was a... character. "And you," she turned toward me. "Are you even a man? How can you tell a divinely beautiful woman that her breath stinks? You deserve to have your manhood chopped and minced for that alone."

I wanted to be angry--honestly--but... there was a mask over her face shaped in the image of a sloth. Just an average sloth. It took all my willpower not to burst into laughter. One of these days, I feel, Eternity really will make me crack a tense moment with an extremely mistimed laugh.

"Yes, yes, I deserve to be chopped into pieces and fed to the dogs for having besmirched your--what'd you call it? Ah, divine beauty and whatnot." I said. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," Lao Shun said. "That devil you call a Disciple told me. I even suspected you were among those who never left since there were absolutely no news from inside. What the hell even happened in there?" by the end, he sat down near me while the woman seemed to have bottled up whatever she wanted to say, sitting next to him, too.

"A crazy old woman teamed up with those life-suckers and tried to sap the entire realm of Life Qi in order to advance, best I can tell."

"... really?" he frowned. "They were even there?"

"Who? Who was there?" the woman asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "They were using some kind of a weird array to conjure up living dolls to fight. It was all beyond bizarre. The world outside is a mess, huh?"

"A complete mess," he shrugged.

"Hey, who was there--"

"--especially because none of the survivors are saying much. What did you do? Make them all swear an Oath?"

"Truth be told, I passed out for the whole last part of the thing," I shrugged. "I know that some did take an Oath, but as for the rest... maybe they admired my handsomeness so much they can't help themselves?"

"If somebody doesn't--"

"Oh, pipe down," Lao Shun interrupted her. "You don't need to know anything. Your job is just to assist me in pill concocting, take the stones after, and go away. Why are you shoving your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"And what if I choose to just walk away, you wrinkled old ass? Who will assist you then?"

"Go on, then," he said with full confidence. "Walk away. The exit's that way." he pointed--he actually pointed towards it. "Well? Why is your ass still glued to the bench? Is it because you are, as you always were, so broke the only thing your Spatial Rings contain is wind and silence?"

"..."

"Now, that's better. Anyway, I've made all the preparations; if you can kindly ask the Sect Master to loan us an isolated alchemy room... you'll have your pills in a day or two. And that means we won't have to put up with this thing here any longer. So, the faster the better."

... right. Time to suck up to an old man who told me I need to book it from here as quickly as possible.

Haah.

To live is to suffer, I suppose...

Chapter 497 - Ripples (4)

Duo Xin stared absentmindedly at the drifting skies above; it had been raining straight for three days, sapping her of desire to go outside.

Not that there was much to see. She'd returned to her Sect just yesterday after over a week of travel by the warship, and the entire place was in a complete uproar. Sect Master gathered together two Prime Elders and dozens of active ones and boarded an even fancier warship, setting out to 'seek justice' immediately upon learning the broad strokes of what happened.

Just like all her brothers and sisters, she remained silent about what truly happened.

Though, in fairness, she wasn't entirely sure what exactly happened, either.

She caught the tail end of it, emerging upon the edge of the cliff where she saw the battle that left her breathless high up in the sky. The Senior they've been 'escorting' and 'keeping safe' was there, in the image of life beyond life, enshrined in the sky like a statue of Pangu himself.

He was the light to the darkness and shadow, and he made her heart a storm of chaos that was yet to recover. She'd seen her Sect Master and other Elders fight before, and none of them made her feel that way. Not even close.

When they asked what happened, she told them they got trapped, and by the time they reached the exit... there was nothing there but a sea of corpses and rivers of blood. Everybody else said the same.

But... her Master did not believe her, because her Master knew her.

"You're still here?" the familiar voice came a moment before the doors were flung open and a tall, broad woman walked through. Her Master was a rather unique woman, a rare combination of a Body Cultivator and a Beastmaster.

She stood at six and a half feet tall, at least, with shoulders twice as wide as Duo Xin's and muscles so prominent they looked almost carved. Her skin was a mix of copper and bronze, and her hair shaved fully as she proclaimed it got in the way of her fists.

Though an intimidating presence and someone most other kids in the sect feared, Duo Xin knew that her Master was a gentle giant... when not angry.

"Where else would I be?" Duo Xin asked back rather lazily, looking back out through the window. "Do you not see the weather?"

"Hah, your talking back has gotten even bolder! Maybe we should go for a spar so I can see what you have to back it up with?"

"If you want to beat me up, just beat me up," Duo Xin said.

"... I really do."

"..."

"What could possibly have happened in that place for you to hide it from me, Xin'er?" the tone her of Mater's voice suggested genuine hurt, and though Duo Xin felt the guilt bubble up, she pushed it back down. She still didn't dare glance over to her as she couldn't bare to look at that giant's hurt expression.

"Nothing," she said. "I already told you and everyone else what happened. Didn't all of my brothers and sisters confirm it?"

"I know you more than anyone else, and I know when you're lying."

"Maybe I've changed in the time we've been apart," Duo Xin said.

"If you did, there's no sign of it. You're still the same snotty brat from before."

"Ever the same, you two," Duo Xin's ears perked up as she shot to her feet, turning toward the room's entrance. There, short and stubby man stood, gray hair and beard nearly completely covering his face.

"Uncle Yiu!" she shot over and near crouched to properly bug the old man who laughed somewhat merrily.

"Ho ho, did little Xin'er miss her uncle?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "Where were you?"

"Ho ho, places little one, just places," the man replied. "Are you bothering my favorite niece, Xiulan?"

"Tsk, you're finally out. I really thought you'd croak this time."

"Ho ho, I can't croak before you do."

"Gods, I hate your laughter. What do you want? I'm surprised you didn't go chasing after Sect Master."

"All I want is to talk with my niece," he said. "In private." the atmosphere was rather strange, Duo Xin realized; though they were never all that friendly with each other, they still always put on some pretense while with her, at least.

"... fine," her Master raised her arms in defeat and headed through the door as Uncle Yiu and Duo Xin moved in. "Rest well, Xin'er. Your Conference Ceremony is scheduled for a week from today."

"Do you want to drink anything, uncle?" Duo Xin asked.

"Just water is fine," the man said as the two sat on a pair of chairs facing the windows. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said. "A bit bored."

"Hm."

"What's wrong?"

"... you didn't tell them the whole story," her uncle said somewhat enigmatically. "None of you did."

"What whole story? We really did, uncle," though she loved the man more than anyone else in the world... she couldn't tell him.

"Hoooh, to think I'd live to listen to my little Xin'er lie to me," the man chuckled faintly as Duo Xin felt blood rush to her cheeks out of shame. "I was there, little one."

"H-huh?"

"Right behind you," he added. "Watching the very same fight you did."

"!!!!!!"

"What? Did you think I'd let you go in there alone?" he asked. "I promised your mom I'd protect you. I'd sooner turn my bones to dust than fail that promise."

"--y-your scar... how is it?! So, so that's what Master meant. You were in the chamber."

"I'm fine, Xin'er," he said, grabbing her trembling hand and holding it gently as his bushy eyebrows curled up into a smile. "I worried less about dying and more about you telling them anything."

"I... I don't know..." she mumbled. "That Senior--"

"--is beyond either of our grasps," her uncle said, his grip tightening. "Listen to me carefully, Xin'er. Men like him--and his Disciples--are harbingers of chaos. They come and uproot the world in their wake, leaving it decimated as they disappear. Unless one's karmic fate is deeply interwoven with theirs, the only outcome for you is a life of pain and suffering as you endure the karmic burden of unending, dying souls."

Duo Xin was perhaps more shocked than when she watched Senior fight; she knew her uncle to be so fearless that he'd stand up boldly to everyone in the world, not an ounce of fear. He earned it--after all, once, he was an Emperor, having reached the ends that nobody else in the sect did.

"... he just seemed so nice," she said. "You weren't there. No, you were.

But you weren't there. He... didn't treat us differently. He was capable of so much, yet treated us as though we were his peers."

"... I did not say anything of the man's character, Xin'er," her uncle said. "And I was there. Believe me--there is nobody more shocked than me that he was capable of that. I was certain that, beyond a few peculiarities, he was a substandard martial artist trying to do far too much.

But he is by Dao Ordain, Xin'er; when I watched him fight... I sensed it."

"Sensed what?"

"It," he reiterated. "Something I only ever felt when I faced the Court's Primer--ability to bend the world to one's will. The reason those of the Heavenly Court can do it is because they are an extension of Dao; but, he can do it to. So, either he's a member of the Court, or..."

"... or what?"

"... nothing. Keep silent. About everything. Our little Sect cannot withstand the nature of someone like him. No... perhaps this entire little realm of ours cannot. Only time will tell, I suppose."

Chapter 498 - Ripples (V)

"Go, Brother Gu!"

"Avenge us, Brother Gu!"

Zhan Qiu heard the voice trail from below and leaned over the railing where he saw that quite a few dozen kids had gathered around one of the sparring arenas. There were two on top of it; this year's top Junior, little Gu, who kind of came from nowhere during the Junior Competition and won it by skin's teeth against Sect Master's latest Direct Disciple.

And opposite of him was that man's Disciple. His name was Xing Feng, from what Zhan Qiu recalled, and he looked to be about eleven or twelve, at most, while little Gu was fifteen already.

Despite that, the latter's expression was hardened and serious, and the many bruised and beaten kids roaring by the stage were the reason why.

Xing Feng wielded a strange club-like weapon and had a rather relaxed expression; on the other side, little Gu had taken out his prized axe that Sect Master gifted him for winning the tournament, and had even doused it in Phoenix Oil, setting it ablaze.

"Begin!" the overseeing Senior Disciple that Zhan Qiu couldn't quite name indicated the start, prompting little Gu to immediately rush forward, swinging the axe wildly overhead.

The trail of fire sparked off into individual embers as the axe came crashing down toward the boy; the latter seemed to vanish rather abruptly and appear to the side, the strange club already in the swinging motion. Little Gu must have anticipated it as he recoiled the downward-falling axe and spun it sideways, crashing it into the club.

Metallic sounds rang off as sparks emerged at the point of collision. The fire jutting from the axe tried to push forward and consume all in its path, but the little, strange club endured rather easily as Xing Feng bounced back, breaking the stalemate.

"Wooohoo, Brother Gu!!"

"Brother Gu is amazing!"

"Finally! That bastard will get what's coming for him!"

Zhan Qiu smiled faintly at his Junior's blind commentary; while little Gu was undoubtedly talented, and would not fall short of any of the other kids his age across all the Holy Lands, that was only the case for normal Disciples even of those places, to say nothing of that man.

He'd seen his Disciples fight and had to admit, through wounded pride, were he not quite a few major realms ahead of them all, he would be folded by them like a chair.

"Oh?" he exclaimed softly as he saw little Gu push forward even more aggressively, probably inspired by the cheers, while Xing Feng looked to be... struggling.

The fight went on for about thirty more seconds, with each clash seemingly pushing the sect's guest further and further back, until he was knocked off the arena.

"A-ah, thank you for your guidance, Senior!" Xing Feng bowed toward little Gu who was panting rather heavily, with beads of sweat falling off his bald head.

"H-he won! Brother Gu won!!!"

"Aaaahhh!!!" cheers erupted so loudly that Zhan Qiu felt his ears itch for a moment.

A faint smile still hung on his lips as he watched it all unfold.

"Our little guest is quite courteous," he looked sideways where he saw a young woman suddenly appear in the burst of flames. Words got caught up in his throat as he rapidly fell to his knees and kowtowed thrice in succession .

"Disciple greets Archmaster!"

"Your form is still off, little Qiu," she said. "You're supposed to slam your knees into the ground so hard that the blood breaks out from the hurt."

"I apologize, Archmaster! I shall learn better!"

To the uninitiated and outsiders, this woman would likely mean nothing. Everyone believes that the strongest person in the Deathless Phoenix Sect is either its Master, titular Deathless Phoenix, or one of the Prime Elders.

That wasn't the case, however--nor was it ever, in fact. The strongest person in the Sect was the woman standing in front of him.

"You can get up," he finally relaxed somewhat as she spoke, slowly standing up and dusting off his robes. He looked over at her and saw that she was leaning on the railing, a hand on her cheek.

Her long hair was like a mane of fire, flowing down to her lower back, and though she donned loose, simple, red robes, her beauty could not be contained.

"Your eyes will fall out from staring," she said, glancing over at him with a wry smirk, eyes shimmering with flames. "Aren't you a bit too old to be so easily smitten, little Qiu?"

"I am only ever smitten by your beauty, Archmaster, and no other!" he quickly bowed. Though they were words of flattery, they were absolutely true.

"Cute," she chuckled. "You've brought a rather strange thing to my home."

"U-uh... should, should I not have?" he asked, worrying. Though Archmaster almost never interfered in the Sect's day-to-day existence, when she did... her word was the law. If she commanded him to go and try kill them all, he would have no other choice but to obey.

"Should and should have nots are such outdated little things," she said. "That boy, what do you think of him?"

"B-boy? Ah, you mean Xing Feng. Uh... I think he's extremely talented."

"More talented than you?"

"... m-maybe?"

"You think quite highly of yourself, then," she said as Zhan Qiu's heart dropped. "Oh, don't feel so dispirited. For this corner of the world, you stand at the absolute peak, little Qiu."

"For this corner of the world, huh?" he mumbled, smiling bitterly.

"Why? Do you have some big dreams that you never disclosed to anyone else?"

"... how talented is he?"

"Hmm," she hummed for a moment before replying. "Probably just barely enough to eventually become an Emperor."

"!!!!!!" Zhan Qiu's jaw came unhinged.

... she said Emperor. She did not say Imperial Realm. Though most ignorant of the depths of the martial arts conflate the two, they were as distant as heaven and earth in terms of meaning. What Archmaster just said was that the boy had the talent to become one of the thousand strongest martial artists... everywhere.

"Then... the others...?" he just barely dared ask.

"Here and there," she smirked. "I wouldn't worry about them, though. That little kid was right: they can't stay here for long. The boy who came to investigate them is just about to reach the sect gates."

"W-what?! Then, then I must--"

"--you mustn't anything," she interrupted. "Leave them alone. Whatever they request, you acquiesce. Ah--that birdie has become quite restless since that man came."

"H-huh? What birdie? What man?" Zhan Qiu asked.

"Though I had hoped," she said as her figure began to vanish into embers and ash. "To think I would truly get to see a Phoenix's Rebirth with my own eyes. Ah, Master would be so jealous."

Just like that, she was gone.

Leaving Zhan Qiu's mind spinning so quickly that he nearly passed out.

He didn't hear it wrong, did he? Phoenix's Rebirth could only mean one thing--that there truly was a phoenix in that massive bundle of flames... and that Lu Qi had the means of helping it finalize the rebirth.

... I should have just not brought them here, huh?

Chapter 499 - Ripples (6)

"Of course; I'll send a word ahead and have them prepare the Grand Alchemy Chamber," was the response I got the moment I posed the question to the Sect Master buried under the mountain of paperwork.

I honestly though I'd have to use my silver tongue and my impeccable charms in order to just barely squeeze out something, but... alas, they will remain in their holsters, I suppose. For now.

Khm.

"Here, my Lord," the steward that escorted us led us to a rather inconspicuous building nestled in the western region of the sect; it was about three stories tall and built out of gray brick, though the scent it exuded was quite powerful and evident as soon as we got within a hundred feet of it.

It was a mix of herbal and strangely pharmaceutical; in a way nostalgic, really, as it reminded me of home.

"The chamber is in the basement," he said and handed out a strange, wooden plaque. "Simply press this against the southmost wall. If you need anything, I will remain here all the while."

"... thank you," I took the plaque, still pretending none of this was weird.

The three of us headed inside as the steward remained, with the other two immediately chattering behind me.

"I didn't expect a sect with minimum focus on alchemy to such good facilities," Lao Shun said as we entered the central hall. The scent of medicine was practically corporeal at this point and I had to use Qi to clog my nostrils because it was that overwhelming.

The hall was quite spacious with dozens upon dozens of smaller tables with people lurched over them; it wasn't that they were concocting herbs, but more that they were studying it.

We quickly headed left after asking a nearby kid where the basement was, traversing through a narrow corridor before coming upon the stairs. While none of this place was that well lit, there was barely any light here at all.

I had to use Qi to enhance my eyes just to see the steps, and they were not easy even with that; their length was about half the length of my foot, so I had to descend on my toes, one by one, for nearly five minutes. This thing ran at least a mile into the damn earth.

At least.

We exited onto a dirt-paved opening with four sets of doors on either of our sides, and a blank wall to the front. I eyed the wall oddly as I sensed strange energy coming from it, and raised the plaque we were given towards it. A low, annoying hum seemed to erupt for a moment before the ground began to shake and the wall began to part, unveiling... well, something, that's for sure.

It was eerily reminiscent of a modern-day laboratory, just with less modern tech, of course. Purpose-built spaces, structure environments, tools... instead of a sterile room, there seemed to be a purifying array embedded directly into the floor. Instead of beakers and centrifuges and fume hoods of a lab, there were cauldrons and furnaces and strange, ladle-like tools with even stranger engravings in their surface.

There were dozens of shelves hanging off of side walls stacked to the top with jars upon jars of herbs and materials and monster cores, and though they were distinctly different from chemical reagents, biological samples, and catalogued, measured, and labeled compounds, it was akin to watching a prototype live. The furthest wall, however, was the oddest as it had open containment arrays within which flickers of light emerged in the dark.

Alchemy Fires.

Even I could recognize them.

"Not bad," Lao Shun didn't sound nearly as impressed as I was; he and the woman walked in and started examining the place. "Slightly outdated with last generation of flames and tools, but definitely above average for non-alchemy sects. Alright," he turned toward me. "You can stay and observe; if you notice anything off, tap her and she will relay the information to me. Under no circumstances should you interact with me, though." she looked at him oddly, and I stopped myself from doing the same.

I'm pretty sure he's still under the impression that I knew stuff about Alchemy. Whether it was because I procured recipes nobody else could, or because I handed him that cauldron, or just because... I don't know. Regardless, I wasn't gonna be noticing anything off or odd.

"I'll stand guard," there was no need as the wall behind us had closed up, and it was unlikely that the Sect Master would let anyone else stroll in here. If he wanted to kill us, there were easier ways to do it, I imagine.

Rather than using any of the provided cauldrons, Lao Shun whipped out the one I gave him; the woman's reaction was that of softened shock. It was likely that he'd already showed it to her once, but she still wasn't completely accustomed to it.

Though I've watched Alchemy be done a few times before, from the onset I recognized this was a bit... different.

The way Lao Shun conducted himself was a bit mind-blowing, to be honest; in my eyes, despite being five hundred years old, he was like a meddlesome kid who was curious about everything. He did little to fix that reputation as he often bickered with the literal kids.

But now, watching him work... it was a reminder of who he truly was.

Fire Qi roared around him like a dragon, beads of sweat quickly coalescing on the woman's forehead; despite the fact that I stood about thirty feet or so away, even I felt the temperature quickly spiking into triple digits.

He started taking out materials one by one--strange kind of grass, some raisin-like little thing, and plenty of others whose silhouettes I barely caught before they were tossed into the cauldron. Herbal scent intensified a hundredfold in the matter of minutes despite me still clogging my nostrils, causing me to frown.

... wasn't this kind of stupid? Neither he nor she wore any protection, and used the exact same technique that I did--blocking the nostrils and hoping for the best. But that be like trying to work with toxic agents back on Earth by only having nose plugs as protection, and not an entire goddamn hazmat suit.

Regardless, I quickly realized why not just 'anyone' could be his assistant--certainly not me. He began to fire off commands that were spoken in a familiar language, but may as well be alien gibberish, honestly.

"Curve root of Rya sunward against the le'thin diagonal; hold for a breath; soak leftmost root-tip tenth and a half of an inch in the red section; press blending core into the roar in seven seconds and turn it into paste within eleven..."

It sounded a whole lot like when Mike, Yas' brother, tried to explain to me some or another function he added to his game.

"I tried fixing hard-coded system serialization at initial runtime, but all my event triggers would fail to register, but when I went back to calling the system registration in the start, I got a bunch of null references. Turns out I accidentally..."

Some things really are the same just about anywhere, huh?

Chapter 500 - Ripples (7)

It was about half an hour after the start that they seemed to finish tossing things into the cauldron and meticulously measuring them, closing the lid on the thing and sitting on opposite sides with their arms stretched out towards it. They did not touch the cauldron as I imagine their hands would be burned off, but seemed to be sending pulses of Qi through their palms at intervals.

I didn't speak or move and I barely even breethd, fearing I might disturb them. A few strange things soon began to happen; for starters, the herbal aroma that was all but suffocating began to retreat and, within just fifteen minutes of closing the lid, it was gone.

Even after unclogging my nostrils and taking a free lungful, the air was simply stale and somewhat nondescript.

Secondly, the temperature, too, cooled to the point it was a perfectly pleasant seventy-something within the same timeframe. It was as though both it and the aroma were sucked back into the cauldron to increase the efficacy of the pills as much as possible.

Vapors of white and coral began to emerge from underneath them and frame their bodies like a strange stroke around their edges; it was as though they were on fire yet not, with illusionary colors teetering on the edge of real and fake.

At about forty-five minute mark, the cauldron began to shake gently as its surface also started turning redder. Both quickly repositioned themselves and also extended their arms out sideways as though to hug it, with motes of Qi rapidly leaving their palms in strange patterns.

Even if I was watching it all unfold, it looked nothing like the alchemy I 'did' back in Silvercrest City. I genuinely did believe, even if it wasn't one-to-one, alchemy wasn't all that different from drug making. Take ingredients, mix them in perfect ratios, use one of the methods to do it...

... but this looked nothing like that. It was closer to literal magic than anything remotely pharmaceutical. Maybe the initial portion of it, when they were first tossing in the ingredients and measuring them and sifting was somewhat reminiscent of procedures back on Earth, but this... yeah. It was literal magic.

And, as such, I couldn't really grasp much of anything.

It wasn't as though I could use my Divine Sense to peek inside the caldron--not that I didn't try, I did. But the moment I got within the few inches of it, my Divine Sense was literally burned away. And though I pressed my gums together and didn't scream in pain, I really wanted to.

At about an hour mark, I got kinda bored and sat down.

Nothing was happened as far as I was concerned, but the two were definitely sweating buckets--both in a literal and more liberal sense. They shuffled their positions, body and arm-wise, every five minutes or so, as the sheen around them grew ever so slightly thicker with each iteration.

Right now, they were kind of glowing, almost like fireflies. Were the cauldron itself not absolutely beaming as well at this point, they would have undoubtedly looked quite majestic in the dark.

At the two hour mark, the first major shift happened--the cauldron began to levitate. It wasn't merely an inch or two off the ground, but good two feet, with its tip stretching out almost to the ceiling. It also began to shake without a stop; though there was a rhythm of sorts to it, like a sine wave, where it would occasional vibrate and shake harder, and sometimes it was barely discernable, it never truly stopped.

It was also now that I began to sense it--the Qi. And I also began to sweat a bit. If they made a mistake for some reason and that thing went kaboom, I'm pretty sure we'd all immediately be turned into dust and ashes, alongside everything around us. That thing was like a fuckin' nuclear warhead, the prototype. I could only hope and pray that the two knew what the hell they were doing.

... and seeing how it did not go off even at the three hour mark, it seems like they indeed did know what the hell they were doing.

Hours ticked by rather uneventfully; they continued to shift their positions, the cauldron continued to be more and more unstable, and I continued to trust in their ability.

Finally, at the ten hour mark, it seemed to be coming to an end--but in a way that I hadn't expected. The first shock was a low hum--a distantly familiar one that I've heard a few times before, a hum of Dao. Immediately after, purely white pillar of light descended from above as though from heavens, piercing through the ceiling and shrouding both the two of them and the cauldron.

The shaking, seeming like it was just about to explode cauldron calmed down and turned completely still as the two figures suddenly ascended and started floating alongside of it, their countenance that of calm and serenity, as though they weren't struggling with their veins bulging just a moment ago.

The hum turned louder and soon became a song, but it was... strange. There was no sound, per say, and more that the song was being conjured in some other way. I experienced it more than I heard it, leaving me a bit befuddled.

It didn't last long, the whole ordeal, perhaps half a minute at most. Soon, the things quieted down and the two who were floating around came back down to the ground, with the cauldron following soon after. The lid turned slightly uncapped as white smoke burst forth and the blazingly chilling scent of herbs immediately perfused throughout the entire room.

However, unlike before, it wasn't pleasant; rather, it was... relaxing.

Of course, I couldn't enjoy any of that shit since my view was immediately overcome by a burst of notifications.

[--congratulations, Host. One of your Disciples, Lao Shun, has managed to invoke Song of Dao while concocting a pill][Song of Dao signals the blessing from the Dao itself, purifying the pills of all their toxicity and making them Perfect. Any Alchemist that manages to invoke it immediately goes up a minor rank][Lao Shun has gone from Tri Aspects Initiate to Tri Aspects Novice][...][Your Disciple, Lao Shun, has managed to concoct two sets of perfect Void-Nullifying Pills (???)][Due to the quality of the pills, Host only need consume one instead of five while attempting the breakthrough][...][Your Disciple Lao Shun has achieved a remarkable feat; rewards recalculated][...][Rewards][Reward 1: A Random Genesis-tier extinct Alchemy Recipe -- Immortal Pill (Genesis)][Reward 2: Voidfire (???)][Reward 3: New System Function: Ingredient Synthesis][Reward 4: Portable Alchemy Chamber][Reward 5: System has automatically generated Alchemy-oriented extension to Enduring Eternity, Enduring Salvation. Host may choose not to use it][Reward 6: Codex of Unending Knowledge (???) Transcription]

500 chapters, damn. I'm actually a bit mad at myself as I wanted to conclude Volume 5 with 500th chapter, but, well, I failed. There was just a bit too much info I needed to get out before we move on to the next arc. As always, thank you all so much for supporting me, it means the world to me. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the adventures of Lu Qi & his platoon of totally normal kids ^^ (that is about to grow a bit bigger once again??)

Chapter 501 - Ripples (8)

... alright, is this the first time where one of the rewards didn't include any points? I mean, not that I'm complaining (too much). Points I've got, whatever the hell the system is giving me... I for sure do not. Plus, I've yet to spend that delicious 5,000 to upgrade my lovely method.

Each reward seemed to be a bombshell all on its own, though they all did seem largely geared toward alchemy. In fairness, Lao Shun has earned them, and most would go to him as I had no other alchemy disciple.

While they seemed to still be stabilizing or doing some finishing touches, I quickly went over the individual items to read about them in a greater detail.

[Immortal Pill (Genesis) -- the legend goes that the First Emperor of Mankind fell in love with a mortal woman; she had no roots to cultivate, no means of extending her life, and she was waging. Desperate, he scoured the ends of the world searching for a way until eventually procuring the Immortal Pill. Nobody knew where he got the recipe from, and he never said; but, when the alchemists concocted the pill, the Dao Sang. The mortal woman consumed the pill and is said to have outlived even the Emperor himself...][Note: main alchemist in charge of concoction must at least be of World-Gathering Rank][List of necessary materials: Sundew Orb x1, Immortal Grass x10, Divine-tier Spirit Core x1, Undying Thatch x50 Effect: though the pill does not grant an eternal life in a true sense, it does extend the mortal's lifespan by 20,000,000,000 years. Note that the mortal can still die from ailments, diseases, poisons, or wounds][Secondary Note: recipe can at most be used once. The number of pills and their quality will depend entirely on who is concocting them. Once the concoction is finished, whether successful or not, everyone involved--including Host--will forget recipe's contents]

Wow.

Holy shit.

Did that thing just say twenty-billion-fucking-years of lifespan?!! Holy goddamn. I freaked out when I learned mine was in tens of thousands due to the Tortoise Physique, but isn't this shit absolutely insane?! Technically, the person would be able to live for longer than the universe existed back before I got shuffled from Earth to here.

To be fair, it needed precisely 99 materials, and none of them sounded either cheap or easy to find. In fact, it might be literally impossible to concoct, but... well, we'll see.

There really was only one person that could even use it right now--Rayce. Though he was a Shaman, and a majorly talented one, he was still a mortal. There was that life-extending pill sitting in my inventory for god knows how long now, but it would 'only' add twenty years or so, from what I remember. Even if I'm under no illusion that at least some of the kids won't die one day, I've long since decided to embody the simple parental mantra: you can die, sure, but not before me.

As such, if there was a way, I will have Lao Shun concoct it, no matter what.

[Voidfire (???) -- fire said to have been made in the early epochs, where spatial storms ravaged the world and living was practically a curse. Unlike most other Alchemist Flames, that add energy to generate heat and thus slowly burn away impurities, Voidfire is different; it burns existence rather than substance. Where it burned, the unnecessary ceased to be. Its purification capabilities are second-to-none, with no other Alchemist Flame coming anywhere close; however, due to its nature, the delicate balance must be maintained perfectly, lest all materials within the cauldron be consumed in a spatial tear][Minimum Alchemist Rank to use: Tri-Aspects Rank]

Alright.

So, we're just outright fucking with reality at this point.

I've noticed that Lao Shun had used at least three different 'kinds' of fire, so it probably means that the alchemist hunt down specialized kinds of flames, and this one perfectly fits the bill. I'll share it, though whether he'll use it... I actually have my doubts.

[Host has unlocked new System Function: Ingredient Synthesis][...][Can combine a variety of base materials and use C.P to synthesize them][Can completely circumvent usage of base materials and use purely C.P to synthesize materials that otherwise might not exist][Note that the second option will consume inordinate amount of Creation Points as it alters the nature of existence itself][A frame of reference][One of the materials required to concoct the Immortal Pill is Moonstalk Illusion Flower. Though the flower is not extinct, getting it might be impossible by the time Host is strong enough. Synthesizing it using simpler, but similar materials would cost anywhere between 80,000 to 500,000 C.P, while synthesizing it purely through C.P will consume 10 million C.P

And here I thought having 30,000 points made me rich.

Hah.

Cute.

More and more I'm starting to realize that this 'Creator System' has a lot of point sinks that have nothing to do with art creation. I'm not gonna say no to something that's clearly beyond broken; however, realistically, how many times am I gonna use it? For materials that are readily available, I'd just be wasting points. For things that are difficult to obtain, it'd probably still be easier to actually obtain them. And for those impossible ones... will I even be able to afford more than a few?

Once I make my sect, maybe, and have millions of Disciples all farming points for me 24/7.

Ah, wouldn't that be a life.

[Portable Alchemy Chamber -- contains a space of about eighty square feet alongside the necessary tools. Must be built on an open surface matching its size as it does not have any size-compressions array outside of the minimizing form. Tools within are replaceable, both manually and through using C.P]

Right, another point sink. Of course. It's like the system saw me hoard a bit at last and was like, 'Yeah, here are all the places you will be spending it on'.

I skipped the Enduring Salvation portion for the time being and focused on the last reward which intrigued me the most since I couldn't really deduce precisely what it was from its name.

[Codex of Unending Knowledge (???) (Transcription) -- contains detailed knowledge of all herbs, stones, cores, and jewels below '???' tier. Must be used on a Disciple]

Huh. That's... kind of cool? I think? Kind of sucks that I don't really have a frame of reference for it, so I'll just wait and see how shocked Lao Shun gets.

And, lastly...

[Enduring Salvation][Type: Cultivation Method][Parent Method: Enduring Eternity][Rank: peak-Myth][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Enduring Salvation builds on top of its parent method, prioritizing stability while expanding on the utilities. One must be at least a Heart-Rank Alchemist to cultivate using it, with the greater alchemy ranks granting additional benefits. Every time an Alchemist concocts a pill, they gain progress in their cultivation and comprehension towards their martial arts.

The amount is dictated by the recipe difficulty, quality of concoction process, time taken, pill toxicity, and pill quality. Though the Alchemist can still cultivate normally, the speed of the method is, at best, below-average.][Comprehension Difficulty: Transcendent]

Chapter 502 - Ripples (9)

Lao Shun felt warmth cruise through him. It was the kind of warmth that he only ever heard of in the stories, or from that Senior who descended from above for a brief while.

The warmth of Dao.

He had aspirations of crafting a Dao-blessed set of pills since he learned of it, and was not short of conviction that he could do it. However, with each passing year, and then a decade, he grew less and less certain. At some point he stopped believing entirely, resigning himself to reality that he would simply be yet another one of the alchemists who died yearning for something that may as well not even exist.

Even after joining Lu Qi and witnessing all the miracles the man brought forth, he still didn't believe; he had merely hoped to one day break through into the World Gathering Rank, something he was told from his childhood was a pipe dream.

And yet, now, he was basking in the beautiful, delirium-inducing hymn of Dao. The unity was specifically praising him, rewarding him for his efforts.

As he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of a cauldron that had opened, its lid flung to the side. Above the cauldron's opening, twenty perfectly round and resplendent pills floated gently in midair. The scent was powerful yet soothing, and there was a thin sheen surrounding every pill, protecting it from external toxins.

Just like the books said.

He stood up and looked at them closely; there were no imperfections, not one. It was well known as one of the fundamental laws of Alchemy--there was no such thing as a 'perfect' pill. Though pills did have that grade, that 'perfect' was simply the best a human could achieve. The 'perfect' pills still had flaws and still had residual toxins within them, it was merely that was the limit of an alchemist.

The only truly, unquestionably 'perfect' pills could be made in just one way: through Dao. They would be shorn of imperfections, shorn of flaws inherent to the human ways. But, there was a caveat there, too; not all pills that evoked Dao would be made perfect by it.

In fact, most would not.

There had not been one case in the history of Alchemy Tower of a perfect pill, though there had been quite a few of alchemists invoking the Song of Dao.

But he was blessed, completely. He reached over and grabbed them gently; the pills were barely the size of a fingernail, all twenty neatly fitting the palm of his hand. They were slightly warm to the touch, invoking the kind of resonance that Lao Shun believed parents felt when they looked at their children.

"... did that really just happen?" Zi Jia's voice dragged him out of his thoughts as he glanced to the side and saw her staring wide-eyed at the pills in his hands. Though she likely didn't know the full extent of just how impossible this was, she knew well enough to be horrified.

"I can't believe it, either," he said.

"Good job," another voice startled him so much he nearly yelped; quickly turning around, he saw it was Lu Qi, who was still leaning against the wall on the other side of the chamber. He'd even forgotten the man was still there. "You forgot I was here, didn't you?"

"... of course not. You are rather unforgettable, Master," the man silently rolled his eyes before commenting further.

"You really did put on one-of-a-kind show," he said. "So much so I'm afraid you won't even give me the pills."

"I--"

"--so I will trade for them," the man said before suddenly procuring five items and placing them on a table near Lao Shun. "Those five things for the two sets of pills."

Lao Shun wanted to groan but endured; he would have naturally given the pills as they were relatively useless to him. Even if Void-Nullifying Pills were rare and had a decent use, he was hardly the sort to test his luck within spatial tears or storms.

Nonetheless, this was probably just Lu Qi's way of giving him things, and Lao Shun wasn't going to say no; every time that man procured something, it turned out to be life-altering in ways that were difficult to describe.

He casually tossed the two sets of pills toward him, catching Zi Jia's pained reaction from the corner of his eye but ignoring it, walking over to the table. The first item that he was naturally drawn to was a small, black ball bundled inside a glassed box that was no larger than a fist. He casually picked it up before his mind came to a screeching halt.

He actually recognized it.

By some miracle, he knew precisely what it was.

... though he wished from the bottom of his soul that he did not.

It was Voidfire.

An Alchemy flame so potent and so repulsive that the highest order of Alchemist, Heavenly Alchemy Grotto, had hunted it down and destroyed it. The reason was deeply selfish, but necessary; the flame caused such conflict due to its nature that alchemists were forgoing all reason in an attempt to own it. But the flame switched hands over a thousand times within the span of just a year, a year that was eventually dubbed the 'Long Nightmare' due to the fact that it led to the death of over half a million alchemists.

And yet, it was right here, in the palm of his hand... that had suddenly started shaking.

How?

How did he do it?

Just how does he keep pulling things out that should not exist? Fearful and terrified, he quickly put it away into his spatial ring and used Qi to forcibly stabilize his mind. All the while, he never even looked in the man's direction, worried he might speed over and use a scalpel to cut open the man's skull and see what existed in there.

The next thing he focused on was a set of parchments loosely strung together. Whatever it was, he gathered, it would not be more insane than Voidfire, so he picked it up with ease.

And then he read the first line.

Recipe for Immortal Pill.

There was only one pill in the history of alchemy that was ever called 'Immortal Pill'. Though many, many, many pill names do contain 'Immortal'--Immortal Rejuvenation Pill, Immortal Bastion Pill, Pill of Qi Immortality, and so on--only one had just that.

The Immortal Pill.

The pill that had granted a random, mortal woman a life so long that many believe she was still among the living. He did not need to peruse any further than the title; despite having just invoked the Song of Dao, Lao Shun knew from the bottom of his soul that he would die a thousand times before ever being able to concoct this pill.

Ignoring the required materials--as he was more than certain that creature he called 'Master' would be able to somehow procure them--there was likely no Alchemist even in the Heavenly Grotto capable of concocting it with a 1% success rate, let alone anything more than that.

The recipe would become like a garish painting within a noble's castle: a mere decoration void of all meaning.

Just a few moments ago, he was indelibly proud of having invoked the Song of Dao, of having become the first alchemist of the Alchemy Tower to ever procure a 'perfect' pill. And yet, all that pride was dashed immediately; his Master procured at least two things that were about ten billion times more impressive.

Things that every single Alchemist currently alive would kill everyone and everything they loved to get their hands on.

Things that, if the world ever learned were in their possession, would undoubtedly cause the Heavenly Court to issue a Writ of Death unto all their names.

Things that bent reality to the point of leaving him numb and desolate.

Chapter 503 - Ripples (X)

Just as I was about to ask whether he was satisfied, Lao Shun vacuumed all the remaining items into his spatial ring like a thief afraid of anybody else taking his spoils. If it weren't so absurd I'd have laughed at just how funny he looked doing it.

"Eh? What'd you get? Come on, share some wealth!"

"Here," instead of any of the items, he procured a small, brown satchel and tossed it at her. "The promised hundred mid-quality stones."

"Tsk, cheapskate," she said, though deftly grabbed the satchel and stored it into her own ring. "They must be something else if you're parting with the stones so easily."

"Just some cheap garbage," Lao Shun said.

"Oh?" my eyebrow twitched involuntarily. "Cheap garbage? Then give it back so I can throw it into trash."

"..." he shot me a glare, one that seemed to be saying, 'Read the subtext, dude!', except he probably thought of something other than 'dude'.

"Whatever," I shrugged, storing away the pills. Finally, I had everything--well, except the place. "Let's go out."

The 'doors' to the chamber parted and, before we could exit, we stopped--there was an audience of about twenty people waiting there, all stinking to high heavens of herbs and flowers. Every last one of them looked to be about four hundred years old, having wrinkles that themselves had wrinkles, half of whom also had deeply hunched back, and only two who looked to have a full set of teeth.

Whether their own or not, though...

"E-eh? Little Shun...?" an aged voice called out as soon as Lao Shun stepped out to my side.

"Hm? Ah, Master Zhao. What are you doing here?" Lao Shun asked as I stepped aside, letting him have this.

"I am--no, wait, that is besides the point. You... did, were you the one who caused the Song? Right now?"

"... you make it sound as though it would be the wildest thing in the world," there was little love and even respect in Lao Shun's voice, and even less so in his expression. "I thought Sect Master said nobody would disturb us."

"Well, they didn't," I said. "You finished your cooking, didn't you?"

"... cooking?" he eyed me with a slightly different variant of cold as his eyebrows twitched.

"It, it really was you!" the man exclaimed. "L-Little Shun, the pills! Will you sell the pills to the Tower?!"

"W-wait, you old bastard! No, great Alchemist, sell it to us! We'll pay twice what they will!"

"To hell with you! We'll pay three times!"

"Tsk, are your coffers empty or what? Ten times!!"

"Pah, you rich bastard! Bet with your own money, not your father's!"

"As father's only heir, his money is my money, you poverty-stricken bastard!"

I wish I could say this was the first time I saw a bunch of old men bickering like a bunch of little children, but it's not. Not in this world, not on Earth either.

"Don't ask me," Lao Shun announced to the room. "The pills are his." he pointed at me, at the same time shooting me a smirk of self-satisfaction.

"Hey, kid," one of the old men said. "You do know the old adage, no? Treasures you can't protect are death sentences."

"Indeed, indeed. Not to be shameless, but I will give you a hundred stones per pill!"

"Tsk, cheapskate; I will give you... hundred and fifty!"

"..." I eyed them emptily for a moment before I sighed. "Hey, old shits," I said. "Why do you think the pills are mine? Do you think it's because this little shit here was feeling nice and gave them to me?" my words gave birth to truly beautiful silence.

"I understand you all have peas for brains, but for once in your godforsaken lives, think. Haah, the old adage of 'youth is wasted on the young' rings less and less true whenever I met smooth brains like you."

Leaving them stunned in silence, I walked past and out and immediately felt a bit of regret. Not too much, though; I'm here under the protection of Sect Master, and I should flaunt that... at least a bit.

I exited out of the building... only to be welcomed by that very man standing there alongside a few others. He looked at me rather strangely for a moment, as did the rest of them, but ultimately chose not to bring up the little... incident down below.

"Congratulations, Junior Qi; your Disciple is truly remarkable," the Sect Master said.

"... yes, I've raised him well," I played along, putting on a strained smile. "I didn't expect him to cause such a phenomenon."

"We are merely blessed for him to have done it here, so that we all may experience it once in our lifetimes. I hope that our humble Alchemy Chamber was not too terrible."

"Oh, it was adequate," tsk, this bastard was actually fishing for a pill. I mean... there's probably no true harm in giving him one, especially because Lao Shun procured two full sets, but I won't give him one just because he gave us a random-ass chamber.

"..." awkward silence set between us as the other elderly around him started eyeing me somewhat aggressively. It'd be a lie if I said I didn't get a bit scared, but he quickly put an end to it. "How about you join me for a cup of wine in my garden so we can properly celebrate?"

"It would be my honor."

We were escorted by rather sharp gazes of people at our back as he took us up the winding path to our right and past one of those colosseum-like buildings. The world suddenly shuttled in a strange manner as I felt energy coalesce around me for a moment before dispersing.

At the same time, the world changed, switching from the dirt-paved path winding out toward the top and into a rather scenic little thing. There was a small, wooden cabin nestled between tall and thin pine trees, and next to it was a small garden with an even smaller pond of water over which a simple gazebo was built.

"Others merely think you are a guest for the most part," he said. "We tried to keep the truth contained. That was why they were so openly hostile to you."

"You and I have a vastly different definition of 'openly hostile'," I said.

"Ha ha ha," he suddenly burst into a rather hearty laughter as we reached the garden. The scent of springtime flowers burst forth like a tsunami, nearly knocking me out. "I suppose we do. Once you get to my position, any slight means open hostility."

"Doesn't it get tiring?"

"Obnoxiously so," he nodded as we sat down. "As such, I will be candid with you since you seem the sort to take it in stride. One of the pills," he added just as he finished pouring two cups of wine. "How much will it cost me?"

Chapter 504 - Leviathan Roars (I)

I paused, uncertain.

I should have probably asked Lao Shun precisely how much they were worth, but I don't think we'll be exchanging money here. Even if I'm a bit of an idiot when it comes to the worth of these things, I can with certainty say they aren't the kinds of pills you can buy with money.

So, that leaves the bartering--I could ask for materials, for favors, for anything, really. And from the look on his face, he's confident he has something to match the approximate value of the pill.

"Ah, but before you say anything," he said. "Our last conversation still stands: I cannot house you and the kids for longer than we discussed. And, should it ever come between disclosing your identities and the future of my sect, I will not hesitate in the slightest."

Fair.

I wasn't gonna ask for it anyway, but seeing him stand firm on that was kind of inspiring. I'm same--if the choice were between saving my kids or his sect, there would be no hesitation.

"... I don't need anything," I said, procuring a pill and tossing it to him. Truthfully, the only thing I needed were Spirit Stones, but I feel like asking for them was... uh, iffy. "Just your approval to approach the phoenix."

"Hm? The phoenix? What phoenix?" he looked at me oddly as he caught the pill, his fingers trembling slightly.

"The one in the giant ball of fire."

"... oh. Forgive me," he said. "Our local myths may be grand, but..."

"No, there's one in there," I said with a shrug. "He's been yapping at me all this while," and he really, really was. Like, we're talking hundreds of times per hour.

"..." well, he clearly didn't believe me.

To be fair, though, I don't need him to believe me; I just need him to let me go there and keep others away.

"We can go there," he said, clearly thinking I had some ulterior motive. I shrugged and took a swing of wine, standing up. "Hm? Right now?"

"No time like today," I said. We weren't gonna hang around here for long, so the quicker I dealt with the thing, the quicker could we leave.

"Very well," he nodded, having already deftly hid away the pill, likely from fear of me asking it back.

We walked back out of the gazebo and the garden and the rather complex array that I could not see through in the slightest.

Once outside, we treaded the path in silence with him in the lead and me following a few steps back; he was greeted any time we came across anyone, though remained silent. Even when it was old farts who were clearly Elders of the Sect, he still didn't greet them back.

It took us about fifteen minutes of brisk walk to descend to the center of the sect and the stairs that led up to the platform where the massive sphere of fire resided.

[Phoenix cries out in delight, telling you to climb up immediately]

That thing never stopped yapping, and though the system was merely translating its intent, I could practically feel the excitement from these mechanical words on the 'screen'.

"A fair warning," the man said. "Halfway up these stairs, a defensive array activates. While we have a method to handle it, you are an outsider and will bear the full brunt of it."

... will I?

[Phoenix assures you the journey to the top will be the coziest walk you have taken in your life]

"Let's go," I said and took the first step; a soundless scoff resounded behind me but I ignored it.

There were quite a few people who had gathered nearby and were watching us, whispering one thing or another. Even though I couldn't hear them, I could roughly guess what they were saying. Probably something along the lines of:

'Tsk, look at that ugly moron trying to climb the Godly Heavenly Beautiful Stairs. I bet he won't reach even quarter of a way to the top!'

'Forget that, he'll be lucky if Sect Master takes pity and saves his life'

'If he gets to the top, I'll eat a raw log of wood--'

Random crap like that, most likely.

The stairs were wide, about forty feet across, and there were close to a thousand of them. However, they were rather easy to climb; it felt as though there was a pulling force above tenderizing the steps, making it so that I didn't even have to exert any energy to climb.

We kept climbing in silence though I could feel his heated gaze on my back, one full of expectations. Not of my success, I don't think, but more so how he'll repay the pill by 'saving my life'.

We eventually reached that vaunted 'halfway point' where I was supposed to start melting... but, well, I naturally didn't. I intentionally stopped a few steps up and glanced back, only to see his shocked expression straighten like the strong of the bow that had just been loosened.

Rather than saying anything, I simply smiled and continued the climb.

The scenery began to shift slightly as the quality of the steps increased; it was merely the difference of what was worn down versus what wasn't. They probably used the stairs as part of their annual Sect Competition, and the 'way they could handle it' was one of those measuring aspects of the competition.

Master the art more, climb further up.

It took us a good half an hour to climb all the way to the top. The platform was actually much, much larger than I thought while looking at it from the distance. At the minimum, it was the size of a football stadium, stands included, which just made the sheer scale of the sphere of fire that more terrifying.

It loomed over like a cataclysmic little thing ready to rip the world asunder if it moved just slightly.

"... how did you do it?" the voice came from the back as I turned around. He was looking at me with rather hostile gaze, Qi in his hand readied.

"Do what?"

"Don't play a fool."

"... I didn't do anything," I said, pointing up. "I told you. This thing has been yapping at me ever since I woke up. Why wouldn't it let me climb here?"

"Stop lying!!" he exploded in anger. "If you don't tell the truth immediately, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"... hey, big guy. Want to help me here?" I mumbled, glancing up at the sphere.

The immobile, unmoving, silent thing... moved.

It was a slight movement--a singular ember of the fire dislocated from the sphere and flew gently toward the Sect Master. The latter's jaw turned unhinged as he watched the ember reach him and just... explode.

The explosion was so violent that it blew him backward like a cannonball, shooting him in a beautiful arc a good few miles while I barely felt any aftereffects.

"Phew," I whistled at the genuinely funny smoke trail in the sky that he left behind.

[Phoenix says it has done you a favor, and now you must give it Fire][Phoenix hurries you, saying you would be a bad person if you didn't repay the favor]

"That's not how things work, big guy," I said, rolling my eyes. "If I leave, you'll stay in this place forever. Once Dao of Fire dies, there will be no saving you.

So, tell me," I added. "What can you give me for the Fire?"

Chapter 505 - Leviathan Roars (2)

Han Yimu was heaving.

The woman lied to him!

The distance to the sect was at least thirty days by horse!

... it wasn't because he got lost about halfway there and wandered for a while mindlessly until he stumbled upon a Disciple of said sect who agreed to escort him if he gave her a pat on the head.

That exchange left him a bit scarred, but he persisted; even as they travelled and she asked beyond insane questions, such as 'What is your favorite part of a body to lick?', he persisted because he had no other choice!

They traversed the unchanging scape rather slowly as she was barely in the Spirit Manifestation Realm despite being probably older than him. Alas, that was the dual difference of talent and resources; even if he were all but 'abandoned' by his Sect, he was still living like a king compared to most people here.

Just the natural Qi alone made a tremendous difference. If he tried cultivating here, he would have to spend half the time simply purifying the Qi, taking in only about a tenth in the process compared to nine-tenths in the Upper Realm.

"We're here!" she announced as Han Yimu felt the kind of joy that had eluded him for a long while.

He'd reached the top of the hill just the moment before her and looked over, seeing the stretch of buildings arise from the otherwise brown landscape. They were quite pleasant, with an added mix of shamanic architecture that he'd seen in the Upper Realm on occasion. Ringed buildings with carved terraces transformed into long hallways.

Most, however, were still tall, terraced pavilions, though his eyes immediately wandered to the sphere of fire. Technically, he was not supposed to see it as the Sect's formation array was cloaking it, but it was of a rather low-level, hardly a challenge for him.

"Are you coming?"

"Yes, yes..."

He followed along, descending; that sphere... was odd. The shape, the size, the uneven energy it was exuding, the faint traces of Life Qi shuttling between the layers... he half-suspected that there was someone or something alive in there.

They reached the main gates--an arched entrance that feathered out into a pair of flaming wings in the shape of a wall, curling back around the sect--rather quickly, with the girl simply passing through and waving him goodbye while he was stopped by a pair of guards.

"What business do you have here?" one of the guards asked; he was merely at Revolving Core Realm, and was just shy of two centuries old it seemed like.

"I, uh, I really don't?" he said somewhat awkwardly. "I just need directions to the Eternal Mountain..."

"..." the pair looked at him oddly for a moment. "Why?"

"I just have some business there."

"Hm. I'd recommend you delay that business," the man said. "Eternal Mountain is currently... struggling, and going there is dangerous." Han Yimu was fairly surprised; it was genuine advice, one wholly shorn of malice, something he wasn't accustomed to.

"... thank you," he said, smiling faintly. "But I'm afraid I have no choice. I was sent here to investigate precisely that struggle."

"Huh? Y-y-you... you're the Envoy!!" the man exclaimed in relative horror as they both winced and pulled back. It wasn't unordinary; every other time he'd come down here, the reactions were exactly the same when the people learned he was from above. "F-forgive my discourtesy, please!!" he bowed full ninety degrees, arms pressed into his sides. "I failed to recognize your divinity!"

"... it's fine," Han Yimu sighed silently. There was a reason the man was so 'respectful', and it had nothing to do with Han Yimu himself.

Rather, most of those who come from above hardly ever pay much heed to their actions--they kill, destroy, and harm wantonly, as few, if any, consider people here anything more than subhuman.

The stories must have spread and now, any time these people encounter someone from the Upper Realm, they all but prostate, hoping to survive.

"What are you doing! Quickly, go inform the Sect Master that we have an important guest!"

"It's fine, you two," Han Yimu felt his soul tense up as the voice trailed out; he rapidly looked to the side where he saw a woman appear out of thin air. She was apprehensively beautiful, but the kind of beauty that he knew was like a venom. "Why don't you two go on a short break, and I will escort our guest here?"

"Y-yes, Archmaster!" the two men sped off as though saved by an angel, leaving behind an awkward silence.

Han Yimu felt extreme oppression from the other person, which meant that they had reached either the Imperial Realm, or were at least a foot in it. Though his Sect had dozens of people in the Imperial Realm, it was still a rather desired threshold, one that even he was unlikely to cross for centuries, if not longer.

"Since they sent a child," she said. "They likely do not care what happened here."

"..." he couldn't exactly refute; after all, they literally pulled names out at random as to who would go.

"Enduring arrogance and hubris," she sighed. "It really might be the heaven's undoing, in the end."

"!!!" Han Yimu's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the woman in horror; though the Court had dissenters, even up above nobody dared decry it this openly.

"My, did I shock you?" she smiled rather sweetly, her thin eyebrows curling up. "Don't worry. They can't hear us here. You are just in time, however."

"Just in time?"

"Hm," she said as her eyes wandered sideways toward the center, where the roaring sphere of fire was. "A Phoenix is about to be reborn."

"... what?"

"Stay a while," she said. "Not merely for the show, but there is somebody here who might have the means of unbreaking you."

"!!!"

Just as Han Yimu was about to ask how she knew, he felt the blood in him freeze; it was a singular wave of Qi, so thin it barely registered. It was likely that only he and this woman even felt it, which made it that more terrifying.

He had a sudden urge to kneel down and kowtow, to beg and plead for his life; there was the kind of resonance in Qi that left him beyond breathless, the kind that he only ever read about in the books.

Divine Qi.

Qi reserved for the highest order of Divine Beasts, those of the direct lineage of the species. And, if the woman's words were true, this was Qi of a Divine Phoenix. A trace amount invisible to the eye, with no effect on the world at large, was enough to make him bow.

It happened a mere moment later--the sphere shattered and burst into a pillar of flames that shot up into the sky like an ascending god. With it, a roar bellowed. A roar so primal that it froze time itself, that it halted the movement of Qi within ten thousand miles, that it made Han Yimu spew blood from every pore in his body.

Just as he thought he was going to die, a woman gently waved her hand as a warm current of Qi swept out from her fingertips, healing him immediately.

A mirage of a beast appeared in the pillar of flames--burning wings jutted out on either side, flanking the visage of the Divine Phoenix.

Beautiful and eternal.

Chapter 506 - Leviathan Roars (3)

Long Tao considered interjecting at many occasions ever since his Master left that alchemy chamber, where the young alchemist caused the Song of Dao. When they were first intercepted by the alchemists, or when his Master was intercepted by the sect's lowly elders outside the alchemy tower, or when the Sect Master took that naive fool into an array that even Long Tao couldn't see through completely.

He stood on the edge, waiting for a singular trace of something going wrong to burst inside and do all in his power to save the man. But he came out unscathed, and the two sauntered toward the center of the sect at a rather brisk pace.

Long Tao was quite confused as to what they were doing, and remained so when they stood at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the sphere. He knew from the onset that there was a bird inside that fire, but the main reason why he didn't pay it much attention was that it was a juvenile.

Unlike most other Divine Beasts who have human-level or above intelligence almost right at the birth, phoenixes were different. For most of their adolescence, they were birds. In fact, there actually wasn't even a shoor-fire way to determine if a bird was a phoenix outside of killing it and seeing if it underwent a rebirth.

It wasn't until their rite of passage that they develop plumes of fire and winged terrors of blaze, the hallmarks of a phoenix. The bird inside that sphere was a juvenile who got hurt and ensconced itself in the flames trying to undergo a rebirth. However, it was likely that it was its first rebirth, and thus failed, locking itself in a perpetual state of uncertainty.

Though, technically, it was a live, the only way it could survive--

--that was when it dawned on Long Tao and when his jaw turned agape: his Master was going up there to hand over the Dao of Fire. One of--if perhaps not the only--the things that can actually help that juvenile.

He watched the man climb up the stairs and followed; surprisingly, he didn't even have to defend itself against the array, prompting him to frown. Did the bird somehow know that he was shadowing Master? Even though a juvenile, a Divine Beast was still a Divine Beast--talented as he was at hiding, that bird saw him through and through. As it was letting him climb without any resistance... did it have a semblance of intellect?

Impossible, he immediately dismissed the thought. He personally had met and attended to four generation of purebred Phoenixes, and even briefly caught glimpse of the Divine Beast itself, and had met countless juvenile mixes, and not once did the beast develop any semblance of intellect before the Passage.

If the bird inside the sphere truly had intelligence, it would be an anomaly on the level of Long Tao having two cores--something that had never been seen before.

He followed in silence and stayed in the shadows even as the Sect Master started to threaten. Then, the impossible indeed happened--his Master asked the bird for help... and the thing responded.

It was a singular plume of fire that drifted from the surface of the sphere, but it was more than enough. Though he would actually be able to defend against it, as the attack itself wasn't powerful at all, the difference was that the Sect Master of this place had likely never interacted directly with Divine Qi.

As such, he was blown back like an arrow loosened from a bow, flying through the air in a beautiful arc.

"That's not how things work, big buy," his Master's voice echoed out suddenly. "If I leave, you'll stay in this place forever. Once Dao of Fire dies, there will be no saving you. So, tell me: what can you give me for the Fire?"

The man craned his neck and looked up at there sphere as Long Tao looked at him quite oddly. Was he trying to communicate, somehow, with the bird? Did the heat got to his mind and scramble it?

"No, I don't care about any of that;" his Master said after a few moments. "Come on, aren't you supposed to be a Divine Beast? You--" he paused suddenly as his eyebrows creased. "Oh? Interesting. Hm. Fine. In exchange for a place, I'll give you the Fire and a method." he nodded a few times after that before suddenly extending his right arm and procuring it--Dao of Fire. "Let's see how all this goes."

Just as Long Tao was going to reach out and grab the man, he vanished.

Panic struck his heart as he looked up at the sphere; his Master was talking with something, but it could not have been a Phoenix. Whoever--or whatever--was inside that thing had likely just cheated him! Worst case scenario, the man's body might be snatched...

Long Tao, feeling pensive, quickly started drawing a massive array encompassing the entire array. He calculated the positions of the lines in his mind as he drew them, layering seven different formations into one; the principle was to entrap whatever came out of there, and to help his Master's soul resurface and win over its body.

In the midst of his drawing, the sphere suddenly shook--it was a gentle, minute shake, yet it sent shivers down his spine as he rapidly retreated to the edge of the stairs, looking up at the volatile fire that had begun to roar wildly, sweat coalescing on his forehead.

Suddenly, a thin wave of Qi sputtered out quite gently, washing over Long Tao. It was Divine Qi, and he immediately grabbed as much of it as he could, pouring it into his secondary core; though a human body could not cultivate Divine Qi, there were means of trapping it and utilizing it. Ordinarily, Long Tao--and every other Emperor and Empress--saved Divine Qi as a life-saving measure, meant to heal a lethal wound. However, as he had his Master's art that was almost as good, it would probably best serve as a surprise boost to an attack.

He seldom had the time to properly store it before the world shook--not the material one, but the building blocks underneath it; the sphere of fire erupted at the top as a pilar of golden, divine flames burst forth, dismantling the reality that could not withstand it.

Gritting his teeth, Long Tao took to the sky and immediately started using sword arts to forcibly patch the spatial tears; there were hundreds of them slowly gnawing away at the reality, wanting to devour it.

He suddenly stopped as a woman appeared just beside him, her eyes wide with shock. He was gasping for breath as though he had fought for a week straight, but still pressed his fingers into the handle.

"... I won't harm you," she said, extending her hand and casually closing the gaps. Empress!!!

Long Tao's heart stopped. There wasn't supposed to be an Empress in this realm.

"Oh? He he, that man really has gathered the wildest bunch, huh?" she chuckled, looking up at the pilar of fire where the wings of a phoenix stretched out rather beautifully. "Isn't it absolute madness?" she asked. "If he'd taken Dao of Fire for himself, he could have become an Emperor in less than a year. Is he truly that selfless or simply that stupid?"

"..." Long Tao calmed down best he could; it was pointless, the fear. If she wanted him dead, he'd be dead. If she wanted this entire world dead, everyone in it would die. There was no contending against an Empress. "Mostly the former." he replied.

"... hm. There is a child that's come here who needs help," she said. "Once your Master breaks through, tell him to come to the highest peak."

"Breaks through?" Long Tao mumbled. "... wait--" just then, however, the beast roared.

It was a roar so primal that it nearly made Long Tao kneel. Even the woman had a solemn expression as she stared at the hewed flames fading out in the sky. He had no doubt that everyone else who heard it had to bend and break--but, more than that, he realized that he had been wrong.

... the juvenile had intelligence. Was there anything more terrifying in the cosmos?

Chapter 507 - The One Path (I)

The insides of the giant boulder of fire were... cozy.

I honestly thought I'd have to burn all the Qi I had just to endure the heat, but it was a perfectly lukewarm temperature, the kind that indicated late spring at most.

In fact, it didn't even look like I was inside a giant ball of fire; the floor was flat and white, and though the foggy haze covered practically everything beyond ten feet of me, there were no fiery embers flying overhead like sparrows.

There was nothing else, however--not a chair or a bird in sight--and I was completely cut off from the world outside.

[--a suitable environment discovered]

The system rang out.

[Host may begin preparations for ascending into the Void Transformation Realm][Note: Though the prepared materials will alleviate the risks, Path of the Ancients is still remarkably dangerous. Host must soak in the very essence of Dao of Space until the latter accepts you. Stopping halfway, even if not deadly, will likely leave Host permanently crippled]

Welp, that didn't bring about any reassurances.

Sighing, I slowly took out all the pills I had on me related to the breakthrough. I already had the general sense of order of things and which to take when, so I simply counted them as a sanity check.

I sat down cross-legged and took a deep breath. For the most part, I'd left my core to roar on its own, barely ever 'urging' it ever since I reached the Sixth Cycle. Now, stirring it, I realized just how impressive it was; all Qi around me was sucked up as though I was a bottomless pit, though it was just as quickly replenished.

Nonetheless, none of the excess Qi got stored in my dantian since there really wasn't any 'room' there, and simply radiated out through my skin. Once I did a few revolutions to warm up, I closed my eyes fully and started the process, hands at a ready to pop pills like mad.

Ordinarily, people breaking through into the Void Transformation Realm really only had two requirements: reach the Six Cycles, and touch Dao of Space. That was the most ordinary--and the most common, here--way to break through. There were many tools to help them, such as tiny Spatial Rocks that contained traces of Dao of Space, and some would even have their Elders outright feed them a touch of Space to speedrun the entire thing.

None of that would work here, however.

"I'm ready," I voiced out and, a moment later, I could feel the environment shift even though I didn't open my eyes. Without hesitation, I immediately popped a Void-Nullifying Pill and an Eternal Regeneration Pill. Just as I did, I felt the skin of my flesh tear away as though someone started peeling it, but before it could expose the bones underneath, it got patched back up.

Qi in me roar like a thunderous bolt, scattering through my meridians in the form of countless tidal waves. The core began to spin even faster, generating a literal hum within me.

Pain was quick to come and just as quick to go away--there was an ebb and flow to it, sort of like a dulling toothache.

But I knew it was just the beginning. This wasn't even part of Dao, just a basic spatial storm.

Concentrating the best I could, I endured and waited; the bird had promised an exact replica of the perfect spot, and that included this 'getting accustomed to it' period. The storm slowly began to intensify as minutes began to tick by; before long, I had to pop the second Void-Nullifying Pill as I felt myself being rattled from within.

It was at a ten minute mark that everything suddenly ceased. But I didn't even have the moment to process it before I felt it.

I can't even quite find the words to describe it; the tip of my tongue wants to say it was akin to having razor-sharp winds skin you over and over, but there were no winds here. There was nothing 'sharp'. It was 'simply' space folding unto itself repeatedly while I endured its shifting form. And sometimes, something in the fold would linger on me just a touch too long...

Any time part would bend or twist in a strange way, part of my body would be caught up in it and twist in the same manner; the pain was beyond excruciating, so much so that I wanted to give up almost instantly...

... but I endured.

Rather than focusing on the pain, I tried to capture it--the trace of Dao. But it was as elusive as clean face was to my teenage self. The sensation was drifting and changing by a minute; at one moment, I felt like I was floating in a well of gravity, the next it was as though I was in a far orbit, weightless, and the next it felt as though there was a mountain pressing me down.

However, a moment later things began to settle down; even so, I hardly felt at ease since this signaled that it was actually beginning. Not a breath later, I felt external force push through my meridians like a violent torrent of fire, tearing them up from within.

I paired up the scream from the depths of my soul with popping the one Enduring Qi Pill I had. It immediately melted and dispersed throughout my body, latching onto the meridians that had started cracking as though made of porcelain, and keeping them whole. All the while, the alien energy absolutely ravaged me from within; it began to spill out of the meridians and into my body, tearing it up.

That was when the Immortal Tortoise Physique started kicking in; warm current of Qi shot out of my dantian and started tangling up, healing the rapidly deteriorating body.

... I'm scared. Honestly, this might be the most terrified I've ever been in this world. I can't open my eyes, I can't move a single muscle in my body, and I can't even pretend any longer that I'm trying to capture the elusive 'Dao of Space'. All I'm doing is hanging on by a thread; my consciousness keep slipping back and forth with each burst of pain, and rather than getting used to them, it was progressively getting worse.

Before long, I felt myself being crunched.

Rather than space folding around me and testing parts of me, it had now folded me with itself. But beyond the physical parts, it was as though the pain was radiating from my own thoughts, as though there was something inside of me that was ripping me apart in order to get out. Unable to endure any longer, I opened my eyes.

At first, everything was pitch black, but soon enough I could just barely make out the twisting edges of... something. Another moment later and I realized what it was--it was me. The space had somehow folded in such a manner that I was staring into my own eyes. They were pitch-black from blood having pooled in them, as was the rest of me; I couldn't see an inch of skin that wasn't covered in dried red.

The world twisted further and I was no longer looking at into my own eyes, but into a moment--I was in a doctor's office, tightly grabbing Yas' hand while the doctor told us her prognosis.

This isn't a memory--I, I don't think it is, anyway. It feels too real, too perverse, too impossible not to be real. It didn't last long, perhaps fraction of a second, before it twisted further and I was now staring at the twisting mirrors of reality; parts of me were in every 'reflection', yet none were whole. I wasn't even sure which one of them was me anymore.

I was falling apart, just barely remembering to pop the second Eternal Regeneration Pill and the remaining three Void-Nullifying Pills. This had to be the last stretch, not because it felt like an end, but because there would be nothing left of me if it weren't.

Just ashes and an uncertain memory that would fade.

Chapter 508 - The One Path (2)

If hell existed, it was this.

An unending parade of horrors sung by things that cannot be seen. Over and over, I had to watch frayed and fragmented reflections of who I thought was me be torn and ripped and shredded, with red blood dotting the canvas of nothingness with my misery.

I've long since stopped screaming, but I wasn't numb. I couldn't be. If, for a moment, the pain began to turn me comatose, it would suddenly jolt and wake me up, like a needle straight into my brain.

It happened again.

My sight twisted over and around and through, folds of space collapsing unto themselves until I caught a glimpse of... something. I wasn't even certain what; there were shapes like buildings and ashen smoke in the sky above them. It ought to have been a city, but not one I'd ever seen.

Sometimes it was mountains.

Sometimes it was people.

Rarely, it was me.

And sometimes it was simply nothing, just an endless stretch of dark and silence that was like a grater to my sanity. Bit by bit, I felt it slipping; more than once I had to forcibly remain myself not to give into it all, to endure, to remain.

It was an hour--no, I think? I don't know. The concept of time had ceased to exist at some point, but it had been a while, least. It was after that a while that my physique was unable to keep up as much any longer--I saw my body give way to the torrent of destruction, corralling around and cradling only the most important organs.

Within minutes, it felt, the twist of space rolled about once more and I caught the sight of... something in the mirror. It approached human, or it was human, once. What it was now, however, was hard to say.

There were no limbs, there was no skin or much of flesh left, and even the bones had been torn cleanly as though with a surgical saw. But, within that mass of flesh, there was a heart that beat quaintly, and there was a mind teetering on the edge of collapse.

Within that thing in the mirror, there was me.

I blinked and we swapped places. From within the reflection I looked back and over and saw the demure thing slipping away. Cascade of images forming an array, like a stuttering movie.

I blinked again and was back, staring into the haunting image of parts of me mangled together.

Reflections of things sprayed out like a bird unfurling its wings, each feather a glimpse into something different. Any time I blinked, I'd find myself there, looming; I couldn't stay long, not even long enough to properly blink, but I was there.

On a mountain summit where a weathered oak bore six blood-stirring fruits.

On the surface of a lake as white as snow, where someone stood at the opposite shore. But they never arrived.

In an old, cozy room with a window overlooking a daisy-filled slope, where a chair rocked in an uncomfortable stagger, as though at two positions at once.

Down in a canyon buried under the weight of time.

On an old, rocking boat sailing through an open ocean, caught in the middle of nowhere and everywhere.

Every glimpse was a fading picture I barely caught, but I was there.

I blinked again, and found myself reeling back and forth between realities. Space inverted, folds of dimensions twisting outward rather than inward. They intersected, bleeding into one another like watercolors on a canvas, but never making a cohesive whole. As soon as they 'merged', they collapsed, as though unable to coexist beyond that singular point.

How long has it been? A year? Ten? An eternity?

I noticed something odd some time back--the walls, if there were such things, were closing in. The reflections in the folds of space and time were growing larger, broader, more distorted. And with them growing closer, the ravages of spatial torrents and storms increased further.

I could hear them--like iron poles, I could hear my bones bending and creaking under the pressure. My blood had completely stopped circulating, frozen still in my veins. My chest had caved in completely, folded over my ribs. My face had turned gaunt, eyes held close to the sockets by a pair of strings.

I was fading, like something reality had started erasing.

But I held on.

Stubbornly.

Out of spite.

Out of anger.

Out of primal, human desire to live.

I watched the walls that were not walls intersect, edges of space crash through one another, dimensions unfurling and folding back in, pressing closer and closer, tearing into me, breaking me, destroying me, squashing me.

It was no longer pain of either body or mind; no, it was not pain as I understood it at all.

It was simply terror beyond terrors bursting and coursing through whatever was left of me. With every attempted heartbeat, rather than blood gushing out, primal dread begot my whole self. Each beat a pulse of dismal horror that existed in some interdimension I was never supposed to glimpse.

Breathless.

Thoughtless.

Boundless.

It was death, a chilling call of unchanging apathy.

Until it was now.

I gasped like a drowning man rescued, my lungs expanding like a newly born universe; opening my eyes, I found myself back in the room of white, shorn of horrors and dread.

I was covered in sweat from top to bottom, my heart racing at speeds that would likely result in some kind of an attack were I not a cultivator, and I couldn't stop myself from heaving. My knees gave out as though someone took a bat to the back of them, and I found myself kneeling and shivering.

Why?

Why did I ever decide to embark on this godforsaken journey?

... no, the kids.

How the hell will the kids fare against this? How did Lao Shun? How did everyone else?!

Will every breakthrough be like this? Where I get so close to death I'm practically fondling its goddamn balls before I'm yanked back to the land of the living, still vividly recalling every single sensation that will linger in my nightmares till the day I finally croak?

I shuddered... yet, none of it mattered. Not my anxiety, not my dread, not my near mental collapse. I'd made it, however pathetically, and I'd broken through. Even though the system was yet to inform me, I felt it. Reaching out with my hand, I twisted my fingers in a motion and curled space with them, transposing myself about ten feet forward in the blink of an eye.

It was so... simple. So casual. Like taking a step.

I did it again, this time twisting with harsher motion and, instead of 'teleporting', I ripped open a tear in spacetime, hollowed out a hole between two points that spun with uneven, shaky edges. A pair of portals staring at one another for about ten seconds before they collapsed.

... the scariest bit?

I didn't use any Qi to do it. Just the fading, fractured glimpse of Dao of Space that was practically carved into my bones through nightmares and horrors.

I know for a fact this is not normal. How abnormal, though... I guess it's time I found out.

My secondary monitor crapped out today; for a moment I thought it was my GPU & my heart stopped. Oh well, an ode to the tiny guy that has been serving me since like 2009. I just forgot how used I got to having a second screen. Then again, I watched an entire movie today without being distracted... brains are weird as hell.

Chapter 509 - The One Path (3)

Long Tao's heart wouldn't stop beating rapidly.

It's been over a day.

Once the phoenix roared and announced itself, it retreated back into the cocoon of fire and hasn't come out since. And neither did his Master.

That woman had swung by a few times, though didn't interact with him past a courtesy nod; for an Empress, Long Tao mused, she was quite... weird.

As for him, he never left. He stood and sat on the edge of the platform, eyeing the giant ball of fire like a hawk, waiting. Even he couldn't peer past the outer shell once it was reinforced; if he tried, his Divine Sense was immediately burned, and backlash was... well, painful was a light way of putting it.

Thus, he waited.

He had half the mind to ask the woman to tear open the cocoon, but even if she could--which was not a guarantee--it was unlikely that she would. Master's fate... was uncertain.

Best Long Tao could infer, Master was looking for a place to undergo a breakthrough. It made sense--breakthrough into the Void Transformation Realm couldn't exactly be done anyplace. At least not a good sort.

But just what kind of a place did he seek?

If it was a spatial storm, Long Tao worried his Master went in unprepared. Spatial storms, even for him who had been an Emperor for so many years that he'd lost the count, were some of the most dangerous things as they were unpredictable. Not to mention that an overlap of them could kill in seconds.

Uncertainty filled him as hours ticked by, his worries gnawing away at him. At some point, he caught himself realizing the worry stemmed from the human heart--he didn't care that a potential treasure trove of things would disappear, he cared that his friend would die.

He couldn't help but briefly chuckle at the thought; he who swore off all human relationships as he watched his body be turned to ashes and dust by some of the people he trusted the most... now feared for a friend's life. Not a tool, not a child, but a friend.

Life, he reckoned, even for an immortal, came at you fast. In the grand scheme of things, he hadn't spent that long with Master; in fact, it was a time so short he wouldn't even qualify it as a 'blink', let alone much else. He'd spent centuries before stuck in a secret realm with other people, and had not once came to care about someone as quickly.

Sighing, he stood up and started pacing around the fiery ball as the voice suddenly trickled from the back.

"He is fine," he spun and faced the woman who was standing just where he stood a moment ago.

"Hm?"

"Your Master. He is fine."

"How do you know?" Long Tao asked.

"A little birdie told me."

"..."

"Who are you?" she asked; it was clear she noticed there was something off about him, but even if Long Tao told her... would she believe him?

"Master's best Disciple."

"Undoubtedly," she said, smiling faintly. "Forgive me for prying," shocks came one after another. An Empress... apologizing? Could he be wrong? Did he simply lose his edge and assigned her to the state of an Empress due to a mistake? "You aren't the only oddity around," she added with a chuckle. "I do have a favor to ask of you."

"... a favor implies being free."

"You want me to pay for it?"

"..."

"Fine. I'll pay for it," she seemed to shrug nonchalantly. "It is a fairly big favor, after all."

"... what is it?"

"I need you to kill the Master of the Nirvana Frontier Island once you get there." Long Tao remained impassive, largely because he didn't quite know much about it. Though he heard Lao Shun mention that the man was an Emperor, not once did Long Tao believe it. However... since there was an Empress here, who was to say what was right and what was wrong?

"You want me to kill an Emperor?"

"An Emperor?" she arched her brows. "Ha ha ha, no, no. The only way that kid could have become an Emperor... no, actually. There was no way. Not even Dao could have made him one."

"... he has the Silent Spirit Root?" Long Tao exclaimed softly.

"He has, indeed," she said, looking at him oddly. "Your Master must know near everything if he taught you even that."

"... he really does," Long Tao shrugged.

She was right. If he had the Silent Spirit Root, even Dao couldn't make him an Emperor. That, however, did not mean he was weak.

"Alas, even without that, he is rather troublesome," she said. "To supplement his lack of strength, he turned to every other field under the sun. Last I heard, he even attained some enlightenment in shamanism. Though I doubt he's become the first to merge the two, if anyone has the will and the fire to do it..."

"Why do you want him dead?" Long Tao asked. "And why don't you kill him yourself?" though Long Tao knew why, he still probed to see how truthful she'd be with him.

"... because laws bind me," she spoke a vague, half-truth, probably most he could expect of her. "As for why... there are many reasons. For starters, he'd captured quite a few of the lambs of this place. And many more from others.

Because he could end the H'thaw invasion with a month but chooses not to, letting countless young and promising perish, collecting their body to do--though there are many evil people," she continued after a short pause. "I don't hate him because he's evil. To many, I assume, I am evil. But he's also the reason why this realm has remained chained so firmly at the bottom.

Though he's not a member of the Sage Order directly, the two had been colluding for quite some time; as he doesn't need Life Qi, whatever he siphons, he gives to them. And, in turn, they provide him with what he does need."

"What is that?"

"... you'll find out once you get there," she smiled somewhat oddly. "Though he's experienced, and though he has many means under the sky, I assure you: he is a pathetic coward, and he is weak. Your Master, as he is now, can probably kill him with ease... so long as they fought fairly and normally."

"But he won't."

"But he won't," she nodded. "Here," she procured and tossed a small handbook bound in leather at him. "Everything I know about his secrets. If you study it, you might find a way."

"And if we fail?"

"Then you would have become one of the many."

"Ah. So he'll expect us to go after him."

"Don't take it to heart," she said. "He expects every newcomer to do it. He's got so many Avatars running around that I often joke half the population of that godforsaken Island is just him talking to himself. Hm. Looks like it's done."

"..."

"As I mentioned before, tell him to come to the highest peak. There's a child there that needs his help."

Chapter 510 - The One Path (4)

The flames began to fade, like the end of a song.

Within seconds, the white haze cleared and I was staring at the vast, blue skies crowning the sect's peaks. Not a second later, I saw Long Tao standing some twenty feet to my right, but my sight immediately drew further to the right where I saw... two birds.

Two identical birds.

One was proud, chest puffed out, amber feathers perfect and almost glowing. It'd be the most majestic sight I'd ever seen in my life had it not been for a very simple, but very important fact: it was smaller than a sparrow.

So, rather than majestic, it just... it looked kinda fat?

And then, next to it, was a twin--except it was made of black obsidian. It was like someone took the first bird and doused it in the century-old chimney fumes.

While I'm pretty sure the first one is the phoenix that I'd helped and who helped me, the second was undoubtedly Eternity. Was it with me in there? I don't know. Even if it was, I was hardly in the state of mind to notice it.

"I can't believe you're looking at an ugly bird when your favorite disciple is standing right here, Master," Long Tao's playful voice caused me to roll my eyes silently before responding.

"What do you mean? Neither Light nor Feng'er are here."

"... welcome back."

"Good to be back."

"And congratulations on breaking through. I knew you could do it."

"Right. Me too, of course."

"Of course." just then, as though annoyed that it was being ignored, the amber-feathered bird gawked and flew over toward me, landing on top of my head.

Oh no.

Please, no.

I can't. Not--

[Congratulations, Host, on gaining a new Disciple][Phoenix Lu Naǒ has accepted you as her Master. She swears undying fealty and promises to catch as many worms for you as you'd like. All she asks in turn is that you pet her twice a day and write a daily poem about how grand and mesmerizing and unique she is][...][Your Disciple's Status Window becomes available to you][Target: Lu Naǒ][Age: 3 (Mental), ??? (Physical)][Talent: Dao][Cultivation Realm: None][Cultivation Method: Eternal Song of Rebirth Sutra (???)][Cultivation Arts: None][...][Traits][Immortal (Dao) -- can live for all of time][Divine Beast (Divine) -- a direct descendant of the Divine Beast lineage][Curious (Legendary) -- as she is very young, she is curious about everything][Bearer of Fire (Dao) -- holder of the Dao of Fire][First Adolescence (Divine) -- as her first life was cut short, this is her first true one following a rebirth. Divine Phoenixes grow in stages which is how they cultivate][...][Assessing Suitability...][Innumerable Anomalies Detected][The system has filtered only the ones relevant for Host][...][Divine Beast Bloodline (Dao) -- contains a considerable trace of the Primordial Phoenix Beast Race. Is a direct descendant of the Divine Beast][Sovereign of Fire Physique (Dao) -- an unnatural Physique that has emerged through the combination of the Phoenix's innate physique and the consumption of Dao of Fire. One-of-a-kind physique grants complete and total immunity to any and all fires][Crownless Emperor (???) -- though destined and designed to enshrine herself as an Empress of the Phoenix Race, she lacks the crown to don][...][Recommendation: Host is recommended to carefully and patiently raise her, though direct interference is unnecessary since, as a direct descendent of the Divine Phoenix, her path is fully laid out already][Final Assessment: if properly raised, has a chance to fulfill the ultimate potential of any bearer of the Divine Beast Bloodline--reaching the apex of Divinity]

... cool. Pretty cool.

Not at all another thing I'll have to be wary about.

[Phoenix urges you to give her the promised method]

"You look good, Master," Long Tao's words dripping with sarcasm merely made me sigh.

"Yeah, meet your new Junior Sister."

"H-huh?"

"Oh, you didn't know? Yeah. This is your Junior Sister, little Naǒ. Say hi."

"..." Long Tao looked at me weirdly as I watched the weird twin phoenix grow ten times its original size and pose dramatically behind Long Tao's back, as though the latter had grown the wings.

Eternity is really, really, really trying to make me burst into laughter at the most inopportune times. Somehow, its mental age might just be about Naǒ's. Speaking of her... she can't see Eternity, either.

If a Divine Beast, or, well, a direct descendant of one can't see it... is there actually anyone who can see Eternity besides me? So far, nobody's even sniffed it. In fact, they can't even properly perceive its interaction with the world. I'd worried that Eternity's rather casual relation with the concept of time and space would lead to something insane, but so far... nothing's happened.

"Do you think they'll let you snatch the bird?" Long Tao asked.

"Do you think they'll be able to keep her here?" I asked back with a shrug. I mean, I'm not gonna take her openly--I'm not that stupid--but she will follow me. I think she's sort of like Eternity, in that she's grown curious about me and won't stop until she's fully understood me.

"Hm. Fair enough."

"Anyway, we should probably leave."

"Yes. You have a place to be, after all."

"... I do?" I do?

"Yes. A guy who was sent from the Upper Realm to investigate that little mess we participated in has arrived."

"--oh shit! We have to leave! Gather everyone else and--"

"No, no, you're going to meet him, now."

"... is this one of your jokes that I always laugh at because I feel bad for you but that I don't really understand and which then cause me to worry that someone had hit you in the head just a bit too hard?"

"... that might be the meanest thing anyone's ever said to me, Master," he said. "And no. He's a kid who needs help. And I'm sorry to inform you, but it's not something you can say no to."

"Why?"

"Because it was a request from an Empress. The one who guards this sect."

"..."

"..."

"Let's go meet this young fella who needs our help right this instant!" I declared, trying my best to hide the treble of my voice. "We can't innocent young kids suffer when we have a chance to help them, no sir. Come on, come on. Don't lag behind." though he looked at me oddly, I ignored it. However, just as I passed him, his arm grabbed me and stopped me for a moment.

"I'm glad you're alright, Master," he said. "Next time, though, tell me when you're about to undergo a breakthrough."

"... I'm glad I'm alright, too," I said, breaking free and, by instinct, tousling his hair.

Shit.

I mean, hell, he looks like he's seventeen! He reminds me of that kid that would always annoy me when I visited my parents and ask me stuff about girls and shit! Oh my God, I did not just tousle the hair of someone who is probably thousands of years older than me!

"L-let's go," I said, coughing awkwardly. "There's a kid to save. We can't dilly-dally..." oh, if you value my ability to give you shit at all, you will let it slide, Long Tao, and not snap my neck in my sleep.

Chapter 511 - Of Blood (I)

Alright.

My head's still on my neck.

I've got all my limbs.

There isn't a sword-sized hole where my heart is.

I don't feel any of my bones bending and breaking.

... I'm alive. I survived tousling the hair of an old, reincarnated immortal. I still don't dare look back and actually see his expression; part of me thinks he might have liked it, but then sixteen other parts gang up on it and beat it to death like a goddamn idiot it is.

In the meantime, Eternity had joined the apparent bird holder that I'd become. There was a phoenix on my head, and there was a hummingbird on my shoulder, and neither acknowledged each other.

I descended down the stairs somewhat slowly, a bit worried. Though I waved it off in front of Long Tao, what if they stir shit up over the bird? I mean, it's not like we can easily escape, and the chances of us 'winning' (whatever that even meant in this context) are basically nonexistent.

Hopefully, though, this stupid bird with no cultivation will be a good enough of a deterrent for them to not skin me alive.

The Sect Master happened to be waiting at about a halfway point down, pacing left and right like a teenage boy who'd just asked a girl out through a text he'd worked on for four hours.

... that's a bit too specific.

"A-ah, Fellow Daoist! You've--huh?" he spoke as he saw me and paused as he saw me a bit better, his eyes undoubtedly immediately drawn to the bird on my head.

Though I keep calling it a bird, it's a bit more than that. It had a quite striking plume jutting out of the top of its head--it was a golden, brilliant flame that seemed to weave against the world in almost slow motion. Its feathers were almost pearlescent, and the pair of eyes were like two suns beaten into the skull.

If I hadn't known its true personality, I'd probably be like this man in front of me right now; he seemed to be on the verge of bowing down, but also recognized that it would look like he was bowing down toward me. I considered grabbing the bird and setting it to the side, but I have a feeling the man would see that as a complete sign of disrespect.

"As I promised," I said.

"A-ah? Yes, indeed, as promised..." the man mumbled, still looking at the bird. "He--"

"--she."

"Sh-she?! Oh, oh Heavens! Thank you Thank you, Heavens!" I looked at him oddly as he did fall to his knees, though no toward me but toward the sky.

... alright, I feel a bit guilty. There's no doubt in my mind that the guy, right now, is thinking about hunting down the best bird species he can to try and crossbreed a not-quite-a-phoenix-but-still-majorly-badass new one. Seriously, I can't tell him the bird ain't staying here. He might skin me alive, all else be damned.

"I'd, uh, I'd love to stay and talk," I said. "But I think I can't."

"Huh? Why?" oh, even that pissed him off.

"A woman approached me at the top," I said. "And told me to come see her 'at the highest peak'. I was actually hoping you could tell me where that is?"

"!!!" his eyes immediately widened into saucers and that countenance did yet another 180. Oh, he'd 100% be popping pills back on Earth like they were breakfast cereal. "Of course, forgive me. Please, let me guide you."

"... sure."

He went mum and so did I. The damned bird would occasionally caw or gawk or whatever noise it made, especially when the people would look at her with a sense of reverence. Why wasn't I impressed? Well, because the system was still translating her very chatty innermost thoughts.

[Lu Naǒ says that you should teach her the method immediately, or else she'll tell all of her worshipers that you are a bad Master][...][Lu Naǒ says that you need to build a nest of Divine Gold on top of your head so that your hair doesn't prick her Divine Feathers][Lu Naǒ...]

... yeah. She's 3, for sure. I'm beginning to regret a bit not just giving the Dao of Fire to Long Tao for him to figure it out.

Haah.

He led us through the cascade of streets and past countless pavilions, and just as I thought he was hoodwinking me as it looked like we'd been running in circles, we came back upon the massive staircase... except it did not lead to the platform where Lu Naǒ was wrapped up in a ball of fire. Rather, it was a mountain teeming with life--trees sprung up every which way, tall and bodacious, and betwixt them were countless spirits, all who seemed to have come out in a grand procession up the central path, flanking the road and crying out as I--well, Lu Naǒ--walked by.

And, as sure I am of the fact Long Tao might kill me tonight, here it was not a second later...

[Lu Naǒ complains that the Spirits worshiping her are too weak; she demands you recruit far more powerful beasts, Divine Beasts, as only they would be worthy of worshipping her]

"Unlike before, I cannot go further than this," the man stopped and said as I took a step forward. "Please, greet the Ancestor for me."

"... will do."

I ignored him and went up, though my ability to pretend to be relaxed had started... diminishing.

Long Tao said an Empress.

Though I'm not quite sure of the precise distinction between the two, I do know that someone being in the Imperial Realm and someone being an Emperor or an Empress were not the same thing. The latter seemed to weigh much more heavily, though how much exactly...

... well, I'll find out, won't I?

It took me about fifteen minutes to climb at a pace slightly speedier than a light jog, and I took a moment before taking those final few steps and emerging on the flattened summit.

There, a palace-like set of structures wound around the edges that were invisible just an inch below the top, whereas, at the center, was a gentle gazebo-like structure surrounded with beautiful, green ponds of water.

Two people were there at the moment--a young man and a woman who looked to be in her thirties, perhaps forties. Her eyes found mine a moment later and she smiled rather plainly, and my heart nearly skipped a beat. All else notwithstanding, she is by far the most beautiful woman I'd seen in this world so far. Hair red like a mane of fire, eyes even more so, figure lithe and tall--ooookay, Mr. Horny. Take a step back and realize she could kill you with her thumb.

No, with a freakin' fingernail, I imagine.

As it's become an instinct at this point, I tried using Creator's Eye on her... but failed. For the first time in my life, it failed.

[--Creator's Eyes Used][Target is veiled by Laws beyond the system's current ability. Please upgrade the system]

There wasn't even an option to spend billions and billions of points to see.

Shit, Eternity could be seen through with enough points.

... oh boy.

I sure wish I was anywhere but here, all of a sudden.

Chapter 512 - Of Blood (2)

... alright. So, I can't see her information.

Big deal.

I spent almost four decades back on Earth not being able to see anyone's information.

Granted, there wasn't anybody on Earth who could blink and kill me with the wind produced from it, but hey, there were guns and shit.

Ugh.

Ignoring the mounting anxiety, I slowly walked over.

"Forgive my tardiness, Senior," I said as I walked up to the table, bowing toward her. "And for having you wait."

"... hmm." she hummed, her eyes creasing as she stared at me. "No."

"H-huh?"

"Politeness doesn't suit you," she said. "Wouldn't you agree, little Yimu?"

"Uh..." the young man sitting opposite of her stuttered, clearly just as weirded out as I was.

"See? Even little Yimu agrees!"

"I didn't know that sound was the sound of agreement. You learn something new every day," I said, testing the waters while glancing over at her. Her lips stretched out into a smile that turned into a momentary laugh.

"Please, sit," she said. "I see your new friend is quite attached to you."

"Ah, yes," I said, sitting down. Just as I did, a cup of steaming jasmine tea appeared on the table in front of me. "Apparently she's decided to make the nest out of my hair."

"Oh? A she?" she exclaimed softly. "Aah. What a shame, then."

"..." I near winced, feeling a bit stifled.

To be fair, my only other exposure to someone at a level of an 'Emperor' or an 'Empress' was Long Tao. Even then, in that childish body, he'd occasionally make me so nervous I wanted to start rambling for days about how much I loved Transformer cartoons as a kid and how disappointing the movies were.

It was as though both him and her had this uncanny capacity to see through me, and they never quite bothered hiding it by revealing that they knew through those weird smiles of theirs.

"What? Not even a pretense that you aren't going to take her away?" she asked, taking a sip of the tea.

[Lu Naǒ says she likes the fire in the woman; Lu Naǒ orders you to kidnap her and bring her with you, so she can feed on the flames]

"I'm not quite sure you'd want her to stay," I said. "She just ordered me to kidnap you so she can feed on your flames."

"Pfft, ha ha ha," her laughter was oddly... refreshing. Not in the 'oh, a pretty woman laughed, how cute!', but more so in how weirdly unrestrained it was. Even the young man who was now seated to my right reacted with a confused look as she slowly calmed down. "Indeed. Every text I've ever read about phoenixes mentioned they had... strange personalities, let's say.

She's a fiery one, huh? I'm glad."

"Me too."

"Hm. Us women need the fire in us to survive in this world," she said. "I'd seen the same kind in all your girls, little Daoist. Though they may all be talented monsters who should not be in this realm... that is secondary. In life, you'll slowly learn, talent is a fluid thing. There exist innumerable things under the heavens that can change and twist and remold one's fate. But... you seem to already know that."

"..." she smiled quite cryptically. I'm pretty sure she knew I had the means of changing talent, though there was likely a zero chance she knew it was through the system. "All I want for my kids is to be happy. Everything else comes secondary."

"... they're quite blessed."

"No," I said. "It's the opposite."

"Hear that, little Yimu?" she turned toward the young man who awkwardly stuttered yet again.

"Uh, y-yes..."

"I never did introduce you two, huh?" she said. "Young Daoist, this is little Yimu, who was selected by a random draw to descend to our humble corner here and investigate what transpired over at the Eternal Mountain."

"How do you do," I nodded toward the young man; though I feel like I should probably call him 'Senior', every fiber of my being was against it as he looked about half my age.

Right, Creator's Eye! I shelved it after it failed on the woman, but it won't fail on him too, right?

[--Creator's Eye Used][Target: Han Yimu][--Host's realm is insufficient. Spend 1,000 C.P to partially view the target's status?]

Sheesh.

A thousand?

I mean, it's not as though I couldn't afford it at this point, especially because I'd actually shot up to around 60,000 after the recent breakthrough--I'll really have to go back through all the notifications once I get some free time--but that's a lot. Nonetheless, I spent it, viewing the status just as the young man replied.

"Fine, Senior," oh? He's calling me Senior? Probably because of how the woman's been treating me.

[Target: Han Yimu][Age: 28 Talent: ???][Cultivation Realm: Peak Sovereign Realm][Cultivation Method: Carnage of the Thousand Souls (???)][Cultivation Arts: Violent Burst (low-Divine), Soul Annihilation (low-Divine), Encasing of a Thousand Souls (???)...][...][Traits][Heavenly Chosen (Legendary) -- as someone chosen by the Heavens, he will always get favorable outcomes no matter what][Genius (Legendary) -- once-in-a-generation genius, capable of understanding things at speeds well beyond normal; can more easily evolve and upgrade existing arts and has the chance to naturally discern the weaknesses of others' arts by merely observing them once][Tortured (Legendary) -- overcome with guilt that has manifested into a Heart Demon; any attempts at a breakthrough into the next realm will result in a certain death][Spear Heart (Legendary) -- trace of Spear Qi circulates in his heart, refining it; all spear-related arts are easily understood][Shy (Epic) -- an extremely shy person by nature; will avoid conflicts where possible and interact with people a limited amount only][Remaining Traits are currently locked][...][Assessing suitability...][Numerous anomalies discovered; only three are viewable by the host][...][Blood of the Spear (Divine) -- a direct descendant of someone who had mastered the Spear to the level of Dao. However, as the target has been using swords all his life, the physique is at the cusp of being destroyed][Tainted Heart (Divine) -- the target is overcome with guilt as they believe to have been at fault for a great tragedy that befell their Sect when they were young][Bearer of Dao (???) -- a small trace of Dao resides within the target, allowing them to elevate above the Heavenly Laws. The requirements for breakthroughs are naturally lowered][...][Recommendation: the most pressing thing is the target's Heart Demon; if not cured quickly, there is a chance that they will die young and unrealized][Final Assessment: a talent beyond the scope of assessment; if properly raised, they are guaranteed to ascend to the position of an Emperor. However, strange darkness lurks within their circumstances; Host is advised to proceed with caution]

... huh.

Okay, discard everything else for a second--this isn't the first time the system has warned me about 'tangling' myself up with something or somebody, but it wasn't never quite this explicit, but also extremely vague. All I know is that I do have a way to quite easily help the kid; the question is... how the hell does that woman know that I do? Or did she just make the wildest guess imaginable?

"I wasn't mistaken," the woman's voice startled me out of my thoughts as I looked over at her. She was back to smiling quite mysteriously. "You noticed even quicker than I did. Marvelous, little Daoist. Truly marvelous."

Chapter 513 - Of Blood (3)

Han Yimu was... befuddled. That was perhaps the best word he could think of at the moment to describe the pool of scrambled thoughts in his mind. As he sat on a somewhat uncomfortable, stone bench without any cushions, and sipped away at the ever-cooling tea, his eyes wandered between the trio sitting on either side of him.

He couldn't quite figure out which one was the strangest.

Was it the woman? An affable Empress whose countenance was an utter contrast to the few other Emperors and Empresses he met, her tone of voice warm and oddly soothing, though the regality of the crown still very much made his lungs compress.

Or was it the strange bird sitting on top of the man's head? It was clearly a juvenile phoenix, and a female from the sounds of it, yet he had never heard of any Divine Beast staying so intimately close to a human ever. It was the opposite--they'd kill any human who dared even look them directly in the eye.

... and then there was him, the man.

A completely average appearance, a woefully unimpressive cultivation realm--tethers of void lashing out of him, an indication that he'd just broken through into the Void Transformation Realm--and utterly nothing that stood out. Despite that, however, he had a Divine Beast nesting in his head, and he had an Empress address him with courtesy, and he spoke to her so casually it was as though she were his equal.

Was he a fool? A hidden master? A child of some powerful figure from the Upper Realm?

"So, what do you think, young Daoist?" the woman broke somewhat lengthy silence. "Can it be done?"

"... why would you think I can do something that even you can't?" the man asked, taking a sip of the tea.

"A hunch."

"A hunch, huh?"

"Hm. When you live as long as I do, you begin to unravel the nature of things," she said. "Peek behind the curtain, as it were. Little Yimu, do you know what he did?"

"H-huh? N, no," Han Yimu replied quite awkwardly.

"He fed the little phoenix Dao of Fire," she said as he felt thunder crack like a cannon in his mind. "Instead of selfishly keeping it for himself, he fed it to the little one."

... no wonder the Divine Beast sat on his head.

A fool, for certain.

Han Yimu now knew that the man was a fool. Only a fool, after all, would give away Dao to another. It was not the matter of selfishness or selflessness at that level--it was stupidity.

"And, someone who can help a Divine Beast, can help a struggling boy, too."

Though Han Yimu remained silent in consideration of the Empress' status, there was no faith in him. The ails of his heart were something only Dao itself could cure. Those far more talented and far more mindful had failed to overcome the Demons, and he would be no different.

Inevitably, there will come a day where he will no longer be able to suppress his breakthrough, and when that day comes... he will die. It would be a grueling, painful, long death. And he will suffer it in the agony he was destined for.

"Why would I?" the man asked.

"... because you can. And because, if you do, our little Yimu here will become your Disciple. You should know well enough that, his current circumstances notwithstanding, he has the utmost potential of becoming an Emperor."

"... why do you think it was your fault?" the man suddenly spoke to him, and Han Yimu felt the resonance of something greater for the first time since meeting the man. The look in the man's eyes was... confounding in more ways than even the Empress'. While the depths of her gaze revealed amusement and aloofness, his simply revealed... gentleness.

"What do you mean, Senior?" he asked politely.

"Why do you think you were at fault for the tragedy that befell your Sect?"

"!!!" Han Yimu had just been about to draw out a sword and strike when he felt the fire of damnation press into his soul. As such, he stopped about four inches of the chair, his hand halfway to the scabbard, body leaning forward ever so slightly.

"And you want me to help him?" the man turned toward the Empress and said with a faint smile.

"That's unfair, little Daoist," she sighed. "How did you know?"

"A wild guess," the man shrugged, taking a sip of tea.

"A wild guess?"

"Well, not so wild," the man glanced at him, a strange look in his eyes. "Someone this young, talented, and capable of being in the presence of an Empress largely unbothered, there are only few things that could cause a Demon to develop. I don't think he's particularly evil, as you would not have wanted to help him in that case, so the Demon must stem from the guilt. A tragedy, thus, on a grand scale must have occurred. I merely rolled the dice that it was his Sect rather than his Family, and I got it right."

"Ho ho ho, extremely insightful," she chuckled. Even Han Yimu felt his heart stir; the man had concluded so much from so little. Perhaps... he was one of those legendary Sages who were not strong individually, but every Emperor wanted as a teacher because of their brilliance? "What if I didn't interfere and I let him do what he wanted?"

"... worst case scenario, I would have died," the man said, taking a sip of tea. "As would this place, one day."

"..." Han Yimu felt his heart freeze. Did... did he just threaten an Empress?! However, even more harrowingly, there was no trace of anger on her face, merely... a smile.

"You have a lot of faith in them."

"The most."

"I will forgive you just threatening me if you help him. Quite a nice little exchange, eh?"

"... it's not that easy," the man said.

"What do you need? I'm willing to provide it," Han Yimu didn't know why either the man was pretending he could cure a Heart Demon, nor why the Empress so firmly believed him. Or why she was willing to go so far for him, a complete stranger until less than a day ago.

"I don't need anything," the man said, looking over at him. "But he will have to sacrifice a lot."

"Oh?"

"He will have to abandon his current cultivation method," the man continued. "Forget all martial arts, renounce his Daoist Title, and regress to the Spirit Manifestation Realm, enduring every hell in the downward spiral of agony."

"... hoh," even the Empress exclaimed softly. It was a sacrifice beyond sacrifices; no, just one of those things would be a sacrifice beyond sacrifices. "Is that your price?"

"No," the man said, shaking his head. "It's the weight of his guilt."

"... can you swear that you can do it?" Han Yimu spoke, still in the frozen motion. Not because the Empress was holding him, but because he was holding himself.

"Even if you don't do it," the man said, looking him directly into the eyes. "You can live for another forty thousand years without needing to break through. I will teach you the method to do it. Of course, you will never become any stronger than this, but... it will be a long life, nonetheless, and you can make something great of it."

"Can you swear?" Han Yimu insisted.

"... I can."

"... do it." Han Yimu closed his eyes, surrendering.

It was stupid--it went against everything he was ever taught--but he surrendered to that phantom of hope that was spawned in his heart. This all could be a ploy between these two, means of perhaps taking over his body and having an undercover agent in the Upper Realm. Perhaps the Empress was hunted by the Court and she needed someone to be her eyes and ears, so the two of them devised this plan.

Perhaps they were part of some cult that needed young, talented bodies, and they'd take over his already cracked mind and create a puppet.

But on the faintest hope that it was true, that this entirely ordinary man from the backwater corner of the cosmos had the means to do something even God-Emperor could not... it was worth it. He could not live a life of mediocrity, being buried further and further into the sands of time.

Either he would be like that phoenix, reborn from ashes, or... he would perish.

"It's done." the voice startled him awake.

It was... seconds, was it not?

Angered that he had been played, he was just about to summon a storm of Qi and fight--all else be damned--when he realized... it was empty. Barren. Pathetic.

"He was just about to attack me again, wasn't he?"

"Ho ho, he's young and hotblooded. I--"

"Master!" Han Yimu shot to his knees and pressed his forehead into the hard soil. "I swear I will never allow anyone to dishonor your great name, and will fight until my last breath to defend your name!"

"... goddamit. Another one of these."

"W-what?"

"Nothing. Welcome. You'll fit right in."

A short tale of my monitor-getting adventure: so, I ordered a new monitor last week (an incredibly cheap one since all I'll ever use it for is second-screen dopamine addiction shit, like youtube & movies). It arrived yesterday, and my excitement went to a pooper because, well, it only had H.D.M.I & V.G.A outputs. Would not be an end of the world, except my main monitor is also using H.D.M.I output, and I've got no D.P cables. And my graphic's card only has 1 H.D.M.I port, with the remaining three being D.P.

So, whatever, I'll just get an adapter, right? Except, it's like some treasure from Indiana Jones. I drove around like six stores today, and none of them had it. So, I figured--hey, monitor also has a V.G.A out, I can just buy the cable! And so, I did.

... and it did not dawn on me 'till I came back home that V.G.A is older than kids who are having kids, and that my lovely little P.C has no V.G.A ports. Finally accepting that I'm the stupidest thing in the world, I'm just about to order the adapter online and wait when I decide to look at the back once again, and notice a small H.D.M.I port at the top.

My motherboard had an H.D.M.I port. That I could have used from day one.

My mom swears she didn't drop me on the head when I was a baby, but I'm starting to have some doubts. Thus concludes the adventure of a man who is struggling to keep up with the times.

Chapter 514 - Of Blood (4)

Phantasmal Devourment didn't work exactly as I expected it to.

I'd shoved it in some corner of my mind a long while back as the only time I even considered using it was way back in the day on Lao Shun, who promptly rejected it, saying he wanted to deal with the matters of his demon by himself.

Since then, it's been sitting around--as have a lot of things, admittedly--collecting dust... until now.

The description of Phantasmal Devourment was relatively simple--it said that it could devour ongoing Heart Demons of any Martial Artist, even if they were not my Disciple, and that it may require spending some sweet Creation Points if the demon was particularly strong.

That was why I was kind of hesitating even trying; by all accounts, Han Yimu was one of the most talented people I've ever met in my life, and whatever hell swims inside his head can't have been 'cheap' to fix. I honestly expected the cost to run in at least five-digit area, but when the prompt showed up... it left me a bit baffled.

[--target for Phantasmal Devourment assessed][Conditional use is possible][Analysing...][...][Several restrictions must be implemented][Target has to do the following: Forgo their current Cultivation Method, completely abandoning it; similarly, they must purge themselves of all their current Martial Arts, noting that practicing any of them again will likely resurrect the Demon; the target must renounce their Dao Title, and seek to forge a completely different one in the rethread; the target must demolish their bodily structure of cultivation, regressing back to the Spirit Manifestation Realm--they will retain their achievements and unique aspects up to that point; they must endure the pain of having their body slowly undone][A note: target's Heart Demon stems from the depths of their soul; though Phantasmal Devourment will purge it, the psychological root of it will remain. While the exactly same Heart Demon will never surface, if the root causes aren't handled, there is a chance another Demon might blossom from them][...][Creation Points Cost: 0 As the target is paying the full price, Host needn't use any Creation Points][Would you like to use Phantasmal Devourment on the target, Han Yimu?][Y / N]

I waited for a bit before he confirmed it, and pressed yes.

... it was uneventful. I expected it to be a harrowing thing where I watch the young man be absolutely obliterated by a pain, but it was a blimp.

[Phantasmal Devourment has successfully purged the target's Heart Demon and regressed their cultivation realm]

I thought that was the end of it, especially after he went to his knees and swore to me his undying fealty and such, and was about to try and think of an excuse as to why he didn't 'suffer in incomprehensible agony' when it happened.

He tried to stand up, but his knees gave out.

At the same time, the woman gently flicked her fingers as a soundless curtain of white emerged around us, like a sheen to hide us from the world. Well, to hide him from the world.

What followed was a scream that froze the blood in my veins.

But before I could even process the first one, the second follow.

And then the third.

Blood began to literally ooze out of him as though he were a red sponge being squeezed, pooling beneath him as he began to writhe, his body contorting in ways that seemed to defy logic.

His eyes pulled back and his tongue lashed out and his skin began to melt like candlewax, and I could only sit frozen in my chair and stare aghast at the sight so horrid it made me want to cry.

I suddenly felt a somewhat rough hand on my shoulder as it pulled me back to reality; glancing up, the woman was standing above me, staring past me and at the body, her eyebrows scrounged up.

"... it's his test," she said. "Heart Demons are... elusive things, little Daoist. They creep up invisibly, silently, until one day you're wrestling with the notion that the next step toward reaching immortality is instead certain death. The more one harbors them, the more all-consuming they become. If it is a choice between death and a chance... every cultivator with the mind of an immortal would take the latter."

Though she said that, if even she showed sign of discomfort... then none of this shit was normal.

I do occasionally forget that the system is, well, a system. Whatever the root cause behind it, whoever its originator is, wherever it came from, ultimately, it's a cold, apathetic, unfeeling thing that simply lays out the facts of the land and rarely anything else. To it, 'demolishing body structure' is enough, as it describe the physical occurrence that will take place, but this goes well beyond that.

More than the body, I have a feeling, it was the inferno within that was difficult to contend with. Especially once I caught glimpses beyond the melting skin, where some of his organs were literally melting just like the skin, and some were rotting like a carcass in a desert, and some were being eaten by an invisible maw.

I saw countless images within him flash--traces of Dao leaving like flurries of arrows. Though I didn't have the intimate knowledge of them, I could infer--such as when I watched an entire world collapse, a cataclysmic vanishing obliterating it completely. That must be the 'Inner World' breakthrough. The Demigod one must have been his body or organs melting... I think?

Then came the Void Transformation.

It was... it was the most brutal, I think. Dimensions warped his body in ways that caused him to cease being human; his body was twice elsewhere and nowhere, limbs splayed within and without, head craned and turned and twisted, looking everywhere and yet nowhere; I felt genuine fear watching it. If I touched the spatial discordance around him, I would die. I don't know how I knew it, but I just... did.

"Dao at its rawest," the woman commented. "A single touch of it would obliterate even me. This is what we all yearn for, little Daoist, the ultimate expression of embodying Dao. There have been Emperors of Space and even Time before, but none with the ability to do this. To fold dimensions like table cloth, bending realities through the prism of destruction."

... alright, her looks have fooled me for a little while, but she's no different than those other old geezers, yapping away in riddles to sound immensely clever and such. I'm fairly certain she didn't even use 'prism' correctly there, but even if I knew for sure, I wouldn't dare correct her.

[--immense Heart Demon has been purged][A reward has been triggered][...][Crimson-Tipped Spear (Spirit) -- though it started merely as an ordinary, iron-forged spear, through the baptism of blood in the countless battles, it manifested a living spirit within its cold confines, elevating it above the mere mortal weapons. It can consume blood to temporarily restore one's health and even Qi, though the force will trigger a backlash][--suggestion triggered][Host's Surging Spirit Art, as well as an item in your possession, in combination with Crimson-Tipped Spear can completely remove and even reverse the side-effects, possibly triggering another special effect in the process]

Chapter 515 - Of Blood (V)

Well, there's really only one item that would fit, no? Those whatchamacallit robes that I got way, way, way back in the day and that I tossed into the corner of one of the spatial rings. They'd been gathering dust ever since, as have many other things, admittedly. One of these days, I'll really have to go through all of my rings with a fine comb and just give Everything away.

I mean, I have had a pair of Demonic Crystals in my satchel for years now, and all they've done is be part of the clutter. I'm sure I even have some older shit, but there's a good chance I'm just straight up forgetting them.

Ugh I was snapped back to reality by the most vile and revolting sound I'd heard in years; the man's throat had bulged like a balloon for a moment before his mouth opened, and black-colored pus came shooting like as though from a jet.

The... uh, I wanna say liquid? Yeah, let's go with that--the liquid chewed through the brick floor below as though it were acid, sizzling and melting away the stone. I stood up and stepped away as the woman dispersed all the chairs and the table, clearing the area around.

I so desperately wanted to go back in time and claim unto death that I had no means of curing a Heart Demon. Just watching it is enough to scar me mentally for years... which begged the question: what the hell was that kid enduring? And, more importantly than that, was it even worth it?

If I temporarily put myself into a role of a netizen of this world, discard the fact that I have a system 'grooming' me for something, I can't quite understand this borderline psychotic obsession that cultivators here have with progressing. As far as I know, reaching Sovereign Realm granted one just shy of 30,000 years of natural lifespan, not even taking into account special ways to extend it.

Thirty. Fucking. Thousand. Years.

That's, like, almost five times the length of settled civilizations back on Earth. In that span, there were pyramids, hanging gardens, there was the Silk Road, the unending number of dynasties in China, so many wars in Europe that the climax was not one, but two World Wars, the entire freakin' Sahara changing its geography, and a billion-million more things that my pea-sized forgetful brain had already erased... he could live the length of that and then die.

He could eat, drink, and fuck whatever damned well he pleased, and instead he's choosing this. Agony doesn't even begin to sum it up. Perhaps, when people were writing about hell back on Earth, they got high like a kite and dreamed of this guy, right here, undergoing this.

And for what? To wrestle away a psychological problem that was manifested into reality. Geez, if I were a therapist, I'd kill in this world.

... okay, that's a bit of an oversimplification. Best I can tell, while Heart Demons do begin as your standard-fare psychological issues, that's literally just their 'pod' stage. They are like cancer, in reality--slowly eating the body from inside out, consuming it, until only madness and death remained. There are no known cures, no remedies, and even if that 'psychological issue' gets resolved, the Heart Demon remains.

A big reason why cultivators seem so apathetic to death and pain and suffering is mostly because they have to be. If they let themselves be weathered against the human anguish, literally all of them would be working around with cancer equivalents in their Hearts.

About fifteen minutes into the whole ordeal, I could scarcely make out a person in the amalgamation of melted skin, rotted organs, and black pus. The only reason I even knew the boy was alive were the subsided screams. How he was screaming? I have no idea. He had no throat, he had no mouth, and he had no tongue. It was like the misery was so overcoming, that his mind was screaming so loudly that parts of it got out, somehow.

"Do you think you could endure it?" the woman asked.

"No," I replied simply. I'd have died--either by my brain frying itself or doing it myself--somewhere around the time his eyeballs became melted cheese. "You?"

"Yes," she said as I looked over at her. "Anyone truly pursuing Dao would."

"..." I stayed my lips; I've already gotten in enough trouble due to my loose tongue. It's sort of like faith, I figure--some people have it, some people have it, and some people don't.

"No comment?" I could hear her lips turn up into a grin even though my eyes were turned toward the boy.

"To each their own," I said.

"How sagacious. Or cowardly."

"..." there were many things I couldn't wrap my head around when it came to Dao and this world, but I wasn't about to start running my mouth about them. Even Long Tao, all else notwithstanding, held a reverence for Dao so deep it was at the depth of the planetary core. "Looks like it's ending," I said as the most magical thing happened.

The mixture of horrors and nightmares began to clear up as a low hum swept through. It was the familiar hum, one I'd heard a few times by now--hum of Dao. As it approached me, it swerved and went past me, though it swept directly through the woman who had her eyes closed, her lips curling up into a beaming smile.

"How can you not endure the pain to seek that?" she asked, and I almost blurted out, 'That what?'

I think part of the reason I can't put myself in their shoes is that I've never felt it--that bond, connection, hum, whatever it was, that would relate Dao to me.

The man's body slowly began to reconstruct itself until it was whole; he lied on his front, buck-naked, twitching occasionally.

[--Lu Naǒ is annoyed that you are spending so much time on a human child. She demands you give her the promised method now or she will make you bald]

... wow. That actually kind of... working? One of the few things that went my way in my life back on Earth was the fact I had pretty nice hair even when I died. Yes, I got that classic widow's peak, but the top wasn't thinning out or disappearing or anything. It was lush, in fact. I'd never known myself with a bald head, so the threat of it made me kinda wince.

"Ugh," Han Yimu groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, sitting up with the help of his arms, clearly still disoriented as he remained fully naked. Luckily, the woman didn't seem to care--then again, why the hell would she?

"Welcome back," I said. "I didn't think this is what you liked, Yimu."

"H-huh?" he seemed uncertain for a second longer before it dawned on him. "Ah!!" a flutter of clothes later, he was wearing quite luxurious, cyan-colored robes as he was kneeling in front of me. "Forgive me, Master! I have sullied your divine eyes with such a horrid sight--"

"--ugh, I was just making a joke," I groaned. "Seriously. Haah."

"Little Yimu," the woman said. "Could you step out for a moment? You can use my chamber nearby to slowly adjust yourself to your new body."

"Ah, I, uh..."

"Don't worry," she smiled. "I've no intentions of harming your new Master. Rather," she glanced at me. "I wouldn't dare."

Aaaaand... yup.

There's that look. The look I'd seen in Dai Xiu, in Xi Zhao, in Light, in Xing Feng--shit, even in Lao Shun--the look of reverence. He immediately shot to his feet, bowed to me, and then left.

"I changed my mind," I suddenly said, growing annoyed with about 200 screen notifications.

"H-huh? About what?"

"Keep it," I reached up and grabbed the bird on my head, palming it and shoving it toward the woman. "Seriously, just keep it. She will drive me absolutely insane."

[--Lu Naǒ panics and starts crying. She calls you a meanie and says that you are a bad guy who breaks promises]

And then the bird... started crying. Except, it wasn't a bird cry.

It was a baby cry.

A human baby cry.

Haah.

Oh, hell.

Chapter 516 - Markers of History (I)

I appreciated the woman ignoring me pulling back my hand and stuffing the bird back on top of my head, which was when she stopped crying.

At least, thankfully, her yapping seems to have eased. Though not condoning it, and though I will never do it again 'cause the guilt might just kill me, I can kinda see why some parents chose to raise their kids through fear. If you have no patience, no empathy, and no love in your heart, and you don't want the kids to be disturbing your Wheel of Fortune time, threatening to kick them to the curb might just seem like the right choice at the moment.

Anyway, as the awkwardness of the moment ceased and the table and chairs reappeared, the atmosphere subtly shifted.

"They've already sent more," she suddenly said. "And they will hardly be as easy to appease as little Yimu. There are a few things you ought to understand about your current predicament," she stretched out her hand and flicked her fingers, whereupon, just over the center of the table, a freakin' hologram appeared--hologram of the structure I'd seen when I first took the teleportation array.

Seven planets and eleven moons, suspended in an unmoving stasis.

"None of these is the so called Upper Realm," okay, that did actually shock me a bit. "It is here," she added, smiling faintly. "Merely concealed. Heavenly Court, at least in its original form, was meant to serve Dao--to be its extension, to interpret the will of something that might not even have it, and them exercise that will upon the world. When it stopped being that...

I'm not quite sure myself. Now, it's a self-serving overseer, who does not like it very much when anything... out of ordinary crops up."

"..."

"Ah, I might have scared you a bit--it's not the Heavenly Court investigating this, don't worry. It'll mostly be low-level sects of the Upper Realm sending their Disciples down here. But, once you move further down the path you're walking, they will take notice.

Of you, of the kids, of that quiet bird on top of your head. You're an anomaly, in so much one can be an anomaly in this world. And they do not like them. How much do you know of the so-called 'Divine Purge'?"

"... uh. I know what divine means. I also know what purge means."

"..." she cracked a faint smile, snapping her fingers yet again as the world came to a sudden... halt. It wasn't the time itself freezing like with that 'demon' under the mine, but more so that she 'pocketed' us into some intradimension that existed independently of the world. "Emperors and Empresses come and go relatively frequently.

After all, at any given time, there are precisely one thousand of them. Some are killed, some become weaker, or somebody emerges and overtakes them. However, there are precisely seven Emperors--well, four Emperors and three Empresses--that have maintained that status for so long that they predate most historical records.

"They have remained undisputed, at the top, sovereigns of everything. And they made precisely seven institutions that function as the bedrock of reality itself. Heavenly Court is merely one of them, governed by one of the seven--Empress of Life. That they were the seven strongest has been the truth for so long that we had all subtly accepted it could not be challenged. But... it was.

"One day, quite some time back, a young pup emerged from a lesser world and stormed the heavenly skies like a world-ending catastrophe. Nobody knew where he came from, nobody knew who he was, nobody knew much of anything except that he'd become an Emperor at an earlier age than anyone else recorded, and that he was shooting through the ranks so fast that most believed him to be a fabrication, or an anomaly of Dao itself meant to test the current crop of Emperors. Alas, he was a human, just like the rest of us."

"..." I'm pretty sure I know who that is, and why it's called 'Divine Purge'.

"It happened... about ten thousand years ago? Huh. It really has been a while," she chuckled. "Well, he died about that time--the hunt... the hunt went on for a while. It felt, at some point, the entire Upper Realm was trying to hunt him down, no matter what.

Why? Because he'd done it--he'd done what we thought impossible. He challenged the Seven. No... he didn't challenge them. He humiliated them.

One of my proudest achievements in life was that I was in attendance when he fought Sword Emperor.

"While everyone expected a duel that would shake the heavens and last months... it was over so quickly it was as though it'd never begun. But that was the only fair duel he ever got. After that, the Heavenly Court proclaimed him a heathen--they claimed he'd made a deal with the Infernal Races to undermine Dao, and that corruption was the source of his strength. Overnight, his empire collapsed, wreathed in flames."

"... was he?"

"Hm?"

"The heathen?" I asked.

"... I'm afraid I hardly qualify to answer that," she said, smiling somewhat bitterly. "I will say, watching him that day... it was the purest glimpse of Dao I'd ever witnessed in my life. So, if he truly was a heathen, he hid it more than any other ever had throughout history."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, truly confused.

"Because you will inevitably become him," she said. "Ultimately, it did not matter whether he was a heathen or not. What mattered was that he threatened the status quo. Even if the Sword Emperor, at the time, was by far the weakest of the seven, and even if there was no certainty that he could have won against others, he dared threatened that which was entrenched in stone for so long. Whether you want to or not, your children will do the same.

Perhaps not in ten years, or a hundred, or even a thousand. But, one day, they, too, will become heathens. And they, too, will be hunted down--as will you. Towards the end of the hunt, Divine Blade had nobody left.

No friends, no family, no loved ones. Either they were all massacred, body and soul, or they had turned on him. He was a single, lonely star, and the endless void was his home.

"Perhaps, with you it might even be worse. They let him become strong, they let him pillage and plunder, they let him ascend to the position of being able to threaten them. I very much doubt they'll let the same thing happen again."

"That still doesn't answer my question," I added. She doesn't know about the system. She clearly doesn't know about Long Tao. So... why? Why does she think any of this shit is relevant to me?

"... because you interest me," she said. "And because, as you'll come to learn if you hadn't already, the world is rotting away. I don't believe in the Court, I believe in the Dao. That song that will ripple throughout the cosmos once more.

And because I'd seen many, many, many fires be kindled in many corners of the world, all of whom once held a dream of greatness. None, however, compare to you. You have the direct descendant of the Demon God with you; you have a Martial Body with you; you have a boy that I'd have to be terrified of were I not in the Imperial Realm; you have a Shaman with enough talent to forge a Circle of Light; each one of your kids could be plopped in any of the Holy Mountains and be ranked supreme. If you cannot do it," she said, looking away toward the sky as that fuzzy feeling of not belonging began to fade, with us returning to reality. "Then truly, there simply is no hope."

A 'bit' of an exposition chapter; haven't had these (in their pure form) in some time. Hope it wasn't too much, everyone ^^

Chapter 517 - Markers of History (2)

My headspace was... well, it was crowded, that's for sure, when I exited the summit and emerged at the path where Han Yimu was somewhat anxiously waiting for me. It will take me a while to fully loop around what I'd just learned, and a while longer to continue looking at Long Tao the same.

I'd already kind of written the tale of his life before death, but even in my wildest scopes, it never approached the truth, apparently. I also feel kind of cheated, as the system severely underplayed him, and even continues to underplay. Then again, to be fair to it, its only taking the snapshot of who he is now rather than who he was.

"Is everything alright, Master?" the young man asked me. How was he able to so naturally call me 'Master' despite literally meeting me like an hour and a half ago?

"All's well," I said. "What about you?"

"I'm fine, Master."

"Really? If it were me who underwent that, I'd be weeping and pissing myself in some bush," I said. "You truly are something else, then."

"... I'm sure Master would have done far better than me." I didn't even bother not rolling my eyes, or trying to hide it.

He's a goddamn natural. That's to say, he's a snake.

"It might have occasionally worked elsewhere," I said. "But if you keep yapping like that in front of me... no, none of my threats will work right now. You have to meet the other kids, first.

Speaking of," Long Tao was standing like a statue just outside the mountain that I just realized we descended in a flash. Which is to say, it was probably a formation of some sort. "Tao'er."

"Master," he said, glancing at the bird and then at the man next to me. "Who is that?"

"Your new Junior Brother," I said. "He just told me I'd be able to handle having Dao undo my realms."

"..." Long Tao's expression dropped as he looked at the man. "A kiss-ass?"

"Oh, big time."

"He'll fit right in," Long Tao shrugged. "Is everything alright?" he must have noticed me looking at him differently, asking the question I had no truthful answer to.

I mean... of course everything wasn't 'alright'. I'd just learned that you went to a war with practically everyone, and that you had everyone you ever loved either killed or turned against you. And yet, somehow, you've come to trust again. Trust me, trust the kids... honestly, if it were me, I'd be broken forever.

I'd sooner trust a fart after a nice, spicy meal than I'd another person.

"Just had a small conversation with the woman whose name I never learned," I said. "And she's tasked us with something."

"Oh? With what?"

"Remember that guy that you nearly killed on that mountain with that Shuren-or-whatever woman?"

"... just how bad is your memory, Master?"

"It's good enough. Do you remember?"

"I do. We're tasked with killing him?"

"As if," I shrugged. "His master."

"Oh." we slowly started walking to the temporary accommodations. I'd been led about by my nose ever since waking up, and had no idea where anything really was. "It won't be easy."

"Nothing ever is," I said. "It's not as though we have to rush it. We have a standing invitation to go there, and I do need to consult the man about something first. We'll just see about it when we get there."

"My new Junior Brother is rather quiet," Long Tao said, and even I noticed the twitch of the eyebrows. It made sense--though Han Yimu had lost most of his strength, Long Tao did still look like he wasn't even eighteen yet, and, per outward appearances, they were of the same realm.

"Ignore him, Yimu," I said. "Once we have some privacy, you can sort out the pecking order. All that matters is that you remember one very, very important thing."

"What is that, Master?" even Long Tao looked at me curiously.

"When they tell you to cover my eyes," I said. "Don't. If you respect me even the slightest bit, ignore them."

"... huh? What?"

"Pfft." while Han Yimu looked at me inquisitively with a tilted head, Long Tao swallowed a laugh as his shoulders shook.

"You'll know. Just remember it. Promise me."

"Uh... I, I promise."

"Hm."

A few more matters urgently swept through my mind--Han Yimu currently didn't have a cultivation method. I could and will teach him Enduring Eternity, but it's not enough.

Rather, I've been waiting for a moment of calm to finally dedicate some time to create the offshoot of it while keeping the Enduring Eternity as a base. After all, I do have 5,000 points to spend, and I never once considered spending them on anything else but a cultivation method.

I'd deliberated heavily on the path I want to take with it since I feel it's gonna be kind of pivotal. Making it too specialized will limit its uses, and making it too general might limit its capabilities. I won't know until I actually sit my ass down and try, but my instinct is to create a cultivation method equivalent of Xing Feng's weapon. An adaptable, highly utility-driven sort that can be used everywhere.

How feasible it is? Well, we'll see.

We finally reached the round, cylinder-like building where the horde of kids was anxiously waiting for us. I barely opened the doors before--

Master

Master is back!!"

Wah

"Ugh."

I got slammed... everywhere. Dai Xiu slammed my chest, her arms wrapping around my back and at least preventing me from shooting backwards like a goddamn cannonball. Light just jumped on my face. Like, on it. Like a face hugger.

Xing Feng latched onto my right arm. Even Xi Zhao joined in on the action, though he thankfully just patted my shoulder. Wan Lan and Rayce stayed a bit further back, though they both nodded towards me, stifling laughter. Even Lao Shun was here, though he was still seated, drinking something.

... I may grumble and bitch and moan, and I may put on a tired expression, but it's hard not to have my heart swell at this. To be this loved... I don't think there's really anything quite like it in the world.

"Alright, alright, get off, everyone," I said after a few moments. "You're scaring little Naǒ." it wasn't even an excuse--the birdie was genuinely panicking, thinking I was being attacked, and was just about to attack herself before I stopped her.

"Little Naǒ? Who is that, Master?" Dai Xiu asked.

"Our new family member," I said, grabbing Naǒ from the top of my head and letting her sit on my palm as everyone--including Lao Shun--gathered around to stare at her. "If you touch her, she says she'll burn you alive. So, careful~"

"... Master," Lao Shun mumbled. "This may be absolutely insane, but... uh, is, is that a, a phoenix?"

"Yup."

"... huh. Of course it is."

"As expected of Master."

"Even the legendary Divine Beast knows that there is no better place to be than by Master's side."

"Ah, I wish I were that small so I could fit his palm..." okay, Wan Lan. Don't pour oil on the fire.

"Oh, right. There's another," I said, turning around and noticing that Han Yimu was still at the doorway, absentminded. I reached over and yanked him forward by his arm. "Say hello to your new Junior Brother, Han Yimu."

"Ooh, he's handsome!" that was Dai Xiu who immediately shot forward and started 'inspecting' him. "Master, why did you bring someone handsome with us? Don't you know that all handsome men are beasts?!"

"... am I not handsome, Xiu'er?"

"No! Master is divine! There's a difference!" ... alright, that was my bad for asking.

"Tao'er, cook us something," I said, walking over and sitting down while the others continued swarming Han Yimu. The poor guy was stuttering answers that made no sense, but hey... if he was gonna survive with them, he'd have to get used to it. "I'm absolutely exhausted."

Chapter 518 - Markers of History (3)

Han Yimu was feeling an array of emotions that he hadn't felt in years.

There was the annoyance that was bubbling up over being called a 'Junior Brother'; he was older than every other kid here, doubling the ages of some, at least. And yet, even the pipsqueak that looked to be no older than twelve was calling him a 'Junior Brother'.

There was the feeling of being overwhelmed; he was never much good with the crowds, especially if he was the center of attention--like now. They besieged him with questions, and none waited long enough for him to answer. In fact, within fifteen seconds, they started lashing out and bickering with each other.

Then there was the abject shock; though he wasn't the greatest talent evaluator by a long shot, even he could tell that most, if not all, of these kids would slot just fine in his Sect. Or, well, his former Sect.

A few of them, even, startled his heart slightly as he became convinced he might not even win against them despite being of higher realm. Had this been a gathering of talents somewhere in the Upper Realm, it would have made sense, even with their ages.

But here?

In this desolate wasteland?

It did not make any sense.

Despite that, they were clearly lagging behind a great deal on the curve of cultivation realms. By the time he was their age, he'd already stepped into the Void Transformation Realm, and most looked to be struggling to enter the Spirit Manifestation Realm.

Then there was the fear; it had just now dawned on him what he did--he abandoned everything. And though the Heart Demon was miraculously gone, it did not change the fact that he betrayed his sect, his realm, and was now stuck here. With these people.

"Ignore them," a boy--or perhaps a slightly older teen, from his appearance--approached and dragged him away. The strange aura he gave off confused Han Yimu for a moment before he realized what it was.

"You're a Shaman?!" he exclaimed, perhaps a bit too loudly, quickly covering his mouth.

"You've got a good eye," the boy smiled as the two sat down, seemingly invisible to everyone--except the oldest of them, the young woman who looked to be in her early twenties at the latest. She'd joined them, curiously staring at Han Yimu who felt blood rush into his cheeks.

She was pretty.

Very pretty.

Maybe not in the way most of his peers would have noted, as they preferred the smooth-skinned, blemishless sort; but Han Yimu liked that her hair was in a bit of a disarray, that she had some freckles, that her jaw was kind of masculine, and that there was nothing 'ladylike' about the way she sat.

"What was your name, again?" she asked, startling him awake and prompting his cheeks to burn even brighter.

"H-Han Yimu, my lady..."

"... my lady?"

"Pfft." while the woman looked at him oddly, the man next to him chuckled, quickly stifling a laugh.

"Are you mocking me?" she asked, her expression darkening.

"N-no, not at all! I'm really not!!" he quickly defended himself, feeling the anger bubbling. The anger was aimed at him--why did he always turn into a stuttering mess when talking with a beautiful woman? What was wrong with him?!

"I'm just kidding," she said, her voice softening. Han Yimu glanced between his fingers and saw her smiling, causing his heart to skip a beat. "I do have an advice for you: if you want to survive with us here... you really can't be that timid. Only Rayce here can afford to do it, but that's because he is the only Shaman in the group. The moment we find another, it's over."

"Haah," the young man sighed. "I'm not timid, Sister Lan. I'm just not a brute like the rest of you. There's a big difference."

"Are you calling me a brute?!" she asked with that darkened expression again.

"I watched you not half an hour ago lift a man above your head and throw him like a log, and then flex your muscles and make poses. What do you want me to call you? My Lady?"

"... alright, alright. We're scaring the poor guy even more. We joke, but I wouldn't worry--Master is very hands-off with us and lets us do whatever we want for the most part.

If you need anything, you just ask him about it and, more often than not, he'll give it to you. The most important thing--and listen carefully, Junior Brother Yimu," for some reason, he didn't mind being called a Junior Brother by her... it was actually--Perish the thought! She's almost a decade younger than me!!--he continued to wrestle with demons inwardly. "The most important thing is to always cover the Master's eyes when you see any blood. As the most Junior member of our little nomad sect, that now becomes your job."

"..." Han Yimu distinctly recalled his strange new Master telling him explicitly not to do that. It finally made sense. "Uh..."

"Ah. He already told you not to do it, huh?" the girl smiled faintly. "Ignore it. It's a rite of passage, Brother Yimu. Each and every one of us had to, at one time, cover our Master's eyes. You will, too."

"Won't... won't he be mad at me?" Han Yimu asked, somewhat conflicted. Though he'd realized by now that their Master-Disciple relationship was rather... loosely defined, there were still some things that ought to be the baseline.

"Oh, he will," she said. "But he's most adorable when he's like that."

"..." did... did he have to compete with his Master? For a woman's affection? Wasn't there anything more accursed in the world!?

No... looking a bit more deeply into her eyes, Han Yimu quickly realized that it wasn't that kind of love. It was the kind of love born out of pure respect. No... even more than that--it was as though she wasn't talking about a Master, but rather a father.

"Ah, we've yet to introduce everyone," the boy suddenly spoke up. "My name is Rayce. This lady here is Wan Lan."

"Hey."

"That guy over there in the corner that seems disinterested in everything happening but is secretly keeping an eye on everyone, that's Senior Brother Tao. He is Master's first Disciple and... uh, well, you'll see it, in time. Those two bickering over there are Xi Zhao and Dai Xiu--most of the rest of us have a secret bet going on to see whether they eventually become Dao Companions. That girl sitting over there playing with the phoenix, that's Light. She's... uh, she's..."

"She's a weird whacko." Wan Lan interjected.

"She's uniquely adorable," Rayce quickly corrected. "And she's our youngest, and persistently the most Junior. Her choice." he added. "That boy sitting next to the Master and undoubtedly asking him about chess, that's Xing Feng. He tends to be shy with strangers, so if he doesn't talk to you much at first, don't take it to heart. And that, uh, that man over there gorging on the leftovers... that's Lao Shun."

"Is he Master's friend?" Han Yimu asked.

"... maybe?" Rayce replied with some uncertainty. "No, no, they're definitely friends. But, uh... he's, he's also Master's Disciple."

"... e-eh?"

"You might still feel uncertain now," Wan Lan said, smiling faintly. "But, soon enough, you'll realize that the choice you made to join Master is the greatest choice you'll ever make in your life.

Ah, Master is fidgeting." she added and suddenly stood up. "Alright, everyone. You've eaten, you've annoyed Master enough, and you can bicker anywhere else, too. Master is tired and needs rest. Get out before I tell Master what you've been up to while he was resting."

"..." there was a collective moment of silence before everyone suddenly stood up and started leaving, like birds during migration.

"Yes, let's get out."

"Master needs his rest."

"Master, we'll be nearby! Just scream if anyone dares disrespect you!" Han Yimu joined the procession of increasingly stranger kids, leaving behind an even stranger Master. Just who was this man, and how in the hell did he manage to assemble a group like this?

Chapter 519 - Manifest Void (I)

I was alone, at last.

The silence was kind of comforting, though also a bit daunting. There was a slew of notifications I had to go through to organize everything, and then there was the task of creating a variant of the method meant to be lasting, as I don't think I'll be getting the 5,000 point buffer any time soon.

Taking a deep breath, I discarded the useless thoughts and slowly pulled up the notifications, listing through them one by one.

[--congratulations, Host, for breaking through into the Void Transformation Realm, reaching the first stage, Manifesting Void][...][Host has used Path of the Ancients to ascend, triggering extra rewards][...][Host has triggered a Cosmic Phenomenon, but the system has prevented the Dao from leaking out][Host has understood the Dao of Space at a fundamental level, triggering upgraded rewards][...][Void Transformation Realm is not its original name, and is a misconstruction of reality; the original name for the realm was Spatial Domain Realm, as it denoted one's ability to establish a central domain around themselves, allowing them to account for any minute changes that occurred within it. Void Transformation Realm, however, has been used since the establishment of Modern Dao, denoting one's ability to transform void. Crucially, however, neither Host nor anyone at the realm can transform the void. Even Emperors and Empresses would find it daunting and exhausting to do so][Host has built a spatial domain around the Revolving Core. In terms Host might understand, it is akin to building a tall, sturdy walls around the house.

That domain becomes the first line of defense should anything threaten your dantian][...][Host's body undergoes changes][Talent has evolved: Heaven (Low) -- quasi-Myth][Realm changes: Sixth Cycle of Revolving Core -- Manifesting Void][System Level: Revolving Core Realm -- Void Transformation Realm][Maximum C.P count for creating new things has been increased: 400 -- 1000 Creator's Eyes has evolved -- Dao Sight][Dao Sight -- allows you to perfectly understand the target of your sight. The restrictions due to the difference in realms or presence of anomalies will still apply. Number of charges remains the same, 6 of 6 Increased Gains: Creation Points gain from all sources further increased by 30%, totaling up to 50 percent Your Physique Evolves: Sage (???) -- Heavenly Sage (???)][Heavenly Sage (???) -- all your Disciples, if you will it, will immediately gain comprehension of all host-created arts up to Host's own comprehension.

While your Disciples are near you, they will feel an increased sense of clarity, have massively increased cultivation speed and moderately increased comprehension, be wholly immune to Heart Demons, and perfectly resist all illusions below '???' tier][Your Bloodline Evolves: Depthless (Ancient) -- Fathomless (???)][Fathomless (???) -- you become completely immune to Toxins. You always extract the theoretical most out of every consumable. You do not incur short-term penalties upon consumption of the same pill-type repeatedly. Consuming the same pill type over a long period of time, however, will slowly erode the efficiency until it expires completely.

Number of pills varies by type and quality][...][A number of your Traits evolve][...][Indescribable -- Unfathomable (???)][Unfathomable (???) -- you become impossible to asses; others will merely see what you want them to see. Do not that special arts, bloodlines, and physique may still have the means of seeing the truth][Molten Skin (Rare) -- Infernal Blood (Legendary)][Infernal Blood (Legendary) -- you naturally resist all Fire-type arts and become almost completely immune to environmental hazards of heat and fire. A high chance that low-level poisons will be directly melted by your blood][Spirit Aura (Epic) -- Divine Hum (Legendary)][Divine Hum (Legendary) -- you naturally become the source of indescribable hum, bolstering natural Qi recovery of all your Disciples outside of battle by 300% and by 100% while in battle. Additionally, all Qi-recovering arts, pills, and methods gain an extra 50% to their effects][...][Bonus Rewards Triggered][Your next 'Cultivation Method'-type creation is guaranteed to trigger 'Dao Inspiration'][Dao Inspiration -- infuses a singular, perfect Dao Trace into the art][New Item Obtained: Spatial Prison (Ancient)][Spatial Prison (Ancient) -- though shaped like an ordinary, spatial ring, Spatial Prison allows for containment of living, breathing tissue. Even Emperor of Space will not be able to escape it if somehow trapped.

Note that containing living persons in the Prison will slowly drain Host's Qi to maintain the entrapment array inscribed within the item. Also maintains the same functions as any other spatial ring][Demonic Will (???) -- contains a small trace of Primordial Demonic Energy. Those who do not cultivate Demonic Qi are likely to go completely insane from studying it. Though Host is immune to this effect, even understanding the trace will not yield any rewards and might still cause innate psychological damage][...][Host has managed to make a Divine Beast a Disciple. This extraordinary feat has been achieved only a few times, though never by anyone who was not an Emperor. An extra reward generated choose Reward 1: Host will obtain an item, 'Collar of Divine Will'. The item, once put on a Divine Beast, will enslave them permanently, assuring complete and undying loyalty no matter what or Reward 2: any and all Divine Beast that is currently your Disciple will automatically undergo their transitory Rebirths and be safeguarded from harm through them]

Ah. It's back, finally. The 'choice' that wasn't a choice. I mean, it was; I'm sure there was some greedy, insane moron who would drool and immediately pick option one, but even if little Naǒ annoys me, there's no way in hell I can do it. Even right now, she's resting on top of my head, though she is sleeping, at least. Without any further consideration, I selected the second option. I didn't even know how 'beneficial' it was to the Divine Beasts, but I'll find out eventually, I guess.

My eyes hurt a bit reading the whole damn novel, though, luckily, I was nearing the end, with only a couple more left after I got the confirmation of the choice.

[...][By achieving the Path of the Ancients and previously obtaining Eternal Core, Host has embarked on a path of no return. From here on out, you must achieve perfect breakthroughs for every stage and ensure that at least one of your Disciples does the same. Failure to do so will immediately plateau your Cultivation Realm and end any future progress. While the system will provide knowledge on achieving the perfect breakthroughs, it will be up to Host to actually achieve them][Void Transformation Realm only has three stages: Manifest Void, Create Void, and Expel Void][To reach 'Create Void', the only requirement is comprehension of Dao of Space. Once Host can create minor pocket dimensions that last longer than a breath of time, it will count as you reaching Create Void. To reach the final stage, Expel Void, you will have to reach a deeper understanding of Dao of Space, whereupon you will be able to dismantle smaller spatial tears that are not of your make][...][Once at the peak of the Void Transformation Realm, you may begin preparations for breaking through into the next Realm: Inner World][Inner World, per its name, will require host to use the understanding obtained during the Void Transformation to expand the Eternal Core and create a small, but persistent, World within. There are exactly 7 methods of breakthrough, all denoting the different size of the world][Host must achieve the perfect one, and one that only two have reached before: Absolute Inner World][Absolute Inner World: beyond the spatial stability, the world must contain the Dao of Time, Dao of Life, Dao of Death, and Dao of Light and Dark. It must be able to hold small, invisible-to-the-naked-eye lifeforms, and maintain an independent eco system. It must have the cycle of Light and Darkness, and of Life and Death. It must be able to endure the natural cycle of Qi][Means of achieving the Absolute Inner World will be revealed to Host once you reach Expel Void Stage][Good Luck!]

Chapter 520 - Manifest Void (2)

... alright.

That's a lot of shit to process.

I'll defer considering how to break through into the Inner World for later, so I just shove the last part of the whole ordeal to the back of my mind, focusing on the first one. And, from it, on one very specific aspect:

[Your next 'Cultivation Method'-type creation is guaranteed to trigger 'Dao Inspiration'][Dao Inspiration -- infuses a singular, perfect Dao Trace into the art]

This is now twice I've been rewarded for waiting to do something I was gonna do anyway, the first time being when I didn't immediately upgrade Heart-Stitching Art. 1 don't like that the system is encouraging me to procrastinate, but maybe it really is just a coincidence.

... maybe.

I'm not actually sure what 'Dao Trace' entails, but we'll see soon enough.

The next most impressive thing is likely the fancy new ring I got; on the surface, it looked no different than my other spatial rings, aside from perhaps looking a bit older. Its surface had a dull, purple hue to it, and the inner portion was quite some ways smoother and more fitting against my finger than the other ones, but it was basically impossible to notice without a deep scrutiny.

Even the insides, aside from being about four times more spacious than any of my other rings, were remarkably simple: a cube with worn-down stone walls and no light to speak of. But it supported life.

Though most would have likely jumped to the ideas of sneaking people in by hiding them in the ring, or keeping the kids inside so they can jump and surprise anyone who attacks me, my first thought immediately went to... fresh food. As in, I can stuff a bunch of cows and pigs and chicken in there, and have permanent access to fresh meat.

In one corner I can also start raising some potatoes and some tomatoes and some cumin, and maybe a small corner for a cherry tree or something, and--alright, I'll stop there as I think I'm starting to sound a wee bit insane.

Ultimately, though, the biggest boon came from the massive increase of max points per art. Honestly, I didn't expect it; at most I thought it'd go up to 500, but when I saw 1000, I could weep. Not that it would unlock me to do any damn thing I please, but it would unlock so many possibilities that I will actually start running out of points once again.

Most everything else was 'merely' passive upgrades whose effects I'll have to slowly see. Well, aside from the upgraded Sage physique; it simply meant that my new Disciples, if I want them to, could quickly catch up to to some degree with the rest. That 'some' is kind of cheeky, as I could still learn from my Disciples to gain their comprehension, which I could then transfer to the new kids.

More and more it seems that the system was 'designed' with a sect in mind rather than a small gathering of kids that I've got. This alone would create a massive feedback loop, but I can't abuse it nearly as much as I'd like.

I dismissed all the windows despite there being a few more things of note; instead, I reached out with my hand and twisted my fingers. At the same time, about four feet from me, space itself twisted like somebody folding a napkin, though it flattened immediately after.

It's difficult to put into words my understanding of Dao of Space as it's sort of like asking a native speaker to explain why certain things are the way they are in their language despite them never studying it at a high level. For instance, I know that I can manipulate threads of Qi through my fingers to bind them to isolated points of space that can be bent and contorted, thus creating effects like the one just now, but I have no idea the actual how behind it.

Well, no, I know some of it. It's unsurprisingly kind of similar to the way I understood 'spacetime' back on Earth, if perhaps with a small twist. Spacetime is a set of dimensions that can be visibly manipulated, where the degree of manipulation projects effects from it. For instance, theoretically, I know exactly what to do to create a black hole--I simply have to repeatedly find those malleable points and twist them further and further toward a center, folding spacetime into infinite density.

Theoretically.

Not only would I run out of Qi within about six seconds of trying, but I cannot even maintain an ordinary discordance of spacetime for longer than a couple of seconds.

One day, perhaps...

The reason my mind went there is because of those two black holes that exist on the periphery. What if I could master Dao of Spacetime to such a degree that I could reverse them somehow? Or move them away?

Obviously, it's a pipe dream. Men and women far smarter and more talented than me have walked down this path, yet those remain. It means that it's either outright impossible, or that the requirements are some incomprehensibly difficult, it may as well be outright impossible.

Anyway, that's enough distractions.

There's one thing that I now have to do which is create a new and improved variant of Enduring Eternity that will somehow be useful to everyone. Well, not everyone. Rayce and Long Tao won't be using it I'm pretty sure, but it still can't be too specific. Now that I had the 1000 points cushion, creating more specialized variants is actually possible, but with the 5000 one, I'll be creating a new bedrock, so to speak.

I pulled up the creator's window and boy-oh-boy was I doubly overwhelmed once more. Not only were there more options, there was a whole-ass new category that wasn't there before: Dao Inheritance.

For some very affordable points, the cheapest being only a few tens of... millions... I could create an art that inherits Dao imbuement of the existing, ancient arts and methods.

[Dao Inheritance of Thousandfold Void Sutra][Cost: 6 billion The required category is 'Movement Art'; imbues the art with a complete, functional Dao of Space, making it so that the movement art can never be blocked, the cultivator can never be locked in an array, and so that they can live between dimensions for short bursts of time. Additionally, automatically allows for long-distance travel as well as dimensional crossing of the worlds. Movement Art will not cost any Qi to use]

Wouldn't it be quite majestic to have a movement art with that? Hey system, can you give me just six billion points?

... figures.

Since I could afford jack from it, I just ignored it and focused on the beginning, selecting the category of Cultivation Method, which opened up a new function that wasn't there before either.

[Parent Method: does this method inherit from an existing one?]

I pressed 'Yes' and added Enduring Eternity as the option, which reshuffled the window considerably. It was actually quite streamlined, sort of the difference between a bad U.I where you have to go into command console to do anything versus a set of windows that just make you choose from preexisting options.

... I'm actually not sure it's better, but I am quite sure I can trust the system.

For the most part.

I think.

Welp, let's see what this is about.

Glossary of Characters & Terms (up to ch519)

Glossary of Characters & Terms

Hello everyone! I've been slowly consolidating this glossary over the past few weeks, reading back through a good chunk of the novel to make sure I didn't miss anything (I for sure missed quite a few things), and compiled it into one long-ass document. If I missed anything, I'd really appreciate if you guys let me know so I can add it. Also let me know if you want anything else added to the glossary.

It is conclusive with chapter 519, so if you're reading this in the future, there's a chance some things are missing that happen past that chapter. I will try and update it every 50ish chapters (or more frequently if it's during a major story beat) but will publish new posts for each iteration.

Main Characters

Lu Qi M.C

- Age: 46

- Cultivation Realm: Void Transformation Realm (Manifest Void)

- Type of Transformation: Path of the Ancients

- System Level: Manifest Void

- Talent: quasi-Myth

- Bloodline: Fathomless (???)

- Physiques: Heavenly Sage (???) | Immortal Tortoise Physique (Imperial) (Partial)

- Traits:

- [Demonic Scrying (Legendary)]

- [Unfathomable (???)]

- [Infernal Blood (Legendary)]

- [Prospector (Epic)]

- [Tinkerer (Epic)]

- [Springroot (Mythical)]

- [Creator of Myths (Legendary)]

- [Sage (???)]

- [Divine Hum (Legendary)]

- [Heavenly Slayer (Epic)]

- [Arbiter of Death (Legendary)]

Xi Zhao

- Age: 17

- Cultivation Realm: Early Spirit Manifestation

- Talent: peak-Heaven

- Physique: [Sword-Body Physique (???)] (Currently unattainable)

- Traits:

- [Nascent Sword (Rare)]

- [Sword Qi Resonance (Epic)]

- [Draw Master (Epic)]

- [Heavenfold Sword (???)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Dai Xiu

- Age: 15

- Cultivation Realm: Early Spirit Manifestation

- Talent: Peak-Heaven

- Traits:

- [Vast-Body Dantian (Epic)]

- [Loyal (Common)]

- [Jealous (Common)]

- [Shattering Fist (Epic)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Long Tao

- Age: 16 (?)

- Cultivation Realm: Revolving Core Realm (Possesses a secondary Eternal Core)

- Talent: low-Divine (+)

- Traits:

- [Heavenly Chosen (Legendary)]

- [Reincarnator (???)]

- [Apathy (Common)]

- [Arrogant (Legendary)]

- [Sword Heart (Legendary)]

- [Eternal Sword (???)]

- [Heart-Poison Curse (???)]

- [Fiend (???)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Light

- Age: 9

- Cultivation Realm: Early Foundation Establishment (Demigod)

- Talent: ???

- Physique/Bloodline: [Demonic Bloodline (Ancient)], [Star Devourer (Jade)]

- Traits:

- [Demonic Inheritor (???)]

- [Eyes of the Mind (Legendary)]

- [Seed of Death (???)]

- [Manifest Mind (???)]

- [Boon of Blood (???)]

- [Apathy (Epic)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Wan Lan

- Age: 19

- Cultivation Realm: Early Spirit Manifestation

- Talent: mid-Jade

- Physique/Bloodline: [Demonic Vessel Physique (Epic)], [Dreadline (???)]

(Locked)

- Traits:

- [Death-Touched (Legendary)]

- [Demonic Heart (Legendary)]

- [Demonic Eye (Epic)]

- [Angry (Rare)]

- [Zealotry (Epic)]

- [Fiendish Meridians (Epic)]

- [Heartless (Common)]

- [Undying Spirit (Epic)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Rayce Lotten

- Age: 24

- Shamanic Tier: 5 Circle Magi

- Talent: peak-Myth

- Traits/Marks:

- [Depressed (Common)]

- [Energy-Attuned (Epic)]

- [Shamanic Imprint (Legendary)]

- [Frail (Common)]

- [Demonic Trace (???)]

- [Mark of an Eternal Survivor (Primordial)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Xing Feng

- Age: 12

- Cultivation Realm: Early Foundation Establishment

- Talent: low-Jade

- Physique: [Martial Body (Jade)]

- Traits:

- [Lucky (Rare)]

- [Quiet (Common)]

- [Genius (Legendary)]

- [Dao Prodigy (???)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Lao Shun

- Age: 540

- Cultivation Realm: Peak Inner World (False) - Peak True God Realm

(All-Consuming Inner Demon)

- Title: Soul-Grand Alchemist

- Physique: [Elemental Dantian Physique (Ancient)]

- Traits/Anomalies:

- [Nature-Blessed (Legendary)]

- [Proud (Legendary)]

- [Tormented (???)]

- [The Burned (???)]

- [All-Consuming Inner Demon (???)]

- [Plume of Death (???)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Eternity

- Age: ???

Han Yimu

- Age: 28

- Cultivation Realm: Peak Spirit Manifestation

- Traits:

- [Heavenly Chosen (Legendary)]

- [Genius (Legendary)]

- [Tortured (Epic)]

- [Spear Heart (Legendary)]

- [Shy (Epic)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Lu Naǒ

- Age: 3 (Mental), ??? (Physical)

- Cultivation Realm: None

- Talent: Dao

- Physique/Bloodline: [Divine Beast Bloodline (Dao)], [Sovereign of Fire

Physique (Dao)]

- Traits:

- [Immortal (Dao)]

- [Divine Beast (Divine)]

- [Curious (Legendary)]

- [Bearer of Fire (Dao)]

- [First Adolescence (Divine)]

- [Crownless Emperor (???)]

- [Child of a Sage (Dao)]

Side Characters

- Elder Qin (Yun Qi): Cultivation Realm: Unknown | First Appearance: Chapter 1

- Qian Shuren: Cultivation Realm: Shedding Mortality Realm (Temporarily

Sealed) - Peak Demigod Realm | First Appearance: Chapter 356

- Song Jing: Cultivation Realm: Peak Demigod | First Appearance: Chapter 343

- Pànqiu: Cultivation Realm: Middle True God Realm | First Appearance:

Chapter 290

- Jin Hua: Cultivation Realm: Peak Inner World Realm | First Appearance:

Chapter 399

- Zhan Qiu: Cultivation Realm: Peak Void Transformation Realm | First

Appearance: Chapter 343

- Qian Chun: Cultivation Realm: Peak Immortal Foundations Realm | First

Appearance: Chapter 376

- Zhao Zhong: Cultivation Realm: Low-Inner World | First Appearance:

Chapter 401

- Yin Tao: Cultivation Realm: Peak Void Transformation Realm | First

Appearance: Chapter 446

- Zi Jia: Cultivation Realm: Mid Inner World Realm | First Appearance:

Chapter 496

- Qian Yuan: Cultivation Realm: Imperial Realm | First Appearance: N/A

- Duo Xin: First Appearance: Chapter 461

- Gu Zhao: First Appearance: Chapter 243

- King '???': First Appearance: Chapter 390

- Luo: First Appearance: Chapter 488

- Jing Kang: Cultivation Realm: Peak Qi Condensation | First Appearance: Chapter 426

Arts & Techniques

- Aegis of Infinity

- Art of Survival

- Art of Surviving

- Blossoming Eternity (Imitation)

- Endless Shadow Steps

- Enduring Eternity

- Enduring Salvation

- Equilibrium Strike

- Eternal Sacrifice

- Harmonized Heart Sutra

- Heartless Yin-Repelling Art

- Heavenly Speed Steps

- Imminent Shadow Steps

- Phantasmal Devourment

- Prismatic Lensing

- Rudimentary Qi Law

- Single Severance

- Song of Hellfire

- Spirit Qi Purification

- Spirit Stone Augmentation

- Surging Spirit Art

- Tethers of Nawa

- Tethers of Neverwhere

- Vast Body Art

- Windborne Steps

Shamanic Words Inscriptions

- Breathless Word

- Propelling Word

- Word of Enduring

- Word of Inversion

- Word of Misery

- Word of Pain

- Word of Quiet

- Word of Shadows

- Word of Swiftness

- Word of Tranquility

Items, Artifacts & Pills

- Annihilating Gauntlets

- Ascending Chariot

- Blood-Devouring Robe

- Blossoming Blade

- Circle of Light

- Portable Alchemy Chamber

- Cracked Blade of Pan

- Crimson-Tipped Spear

- Curse Quelling Needle

- Codex of Unending Knowledge (???)

- Cycle-Stabilizing Pill

- Demonic Crystal

- Demonic Cyst

- Voidfire (???)

- Divine Essence Pill (consumed)

- Enduring Qi Pill

- Ephemeral Comprehension Array

- Grand Art of the Arrays and Formations (Volume 1)

- Ignition Talisman

- Imaging Talisman

- Infernal Cauldron

- Ink of Elements

- Library of Ancient Recipes

- Meridian Tempering Array

- Paradox-Cycle Reversal Array

- Pill of Eternity

- Plume of Death

- Qi Severance Talisman

- Reanimating Talisman

- Seven-Faced Tie-Chi

- Soul Pill

- Soul-Tempting Lyre

- Thousand-Root Heart Pill

- Tri-Colored Lotus

- Unsealed Meridians Imbuement

- Xuanwu's Gift (???) (Damaged) / Tortoise Mirror

- Yin Qi Pill

- Yin-Absorbing Pill

- Spatial Prison

- Demonic Will

Cultivation & World Hierarchies

Realms

Realms: Qi Condensation - Foundation Establishment - Spirit Manifestation - Revolving Core - Void Transformation - Inner World - Demigod - Sovereign - Immortal Foundations -- True God Realm -- Shedding Mortality Realm -- Nirvana Realm -- Nascent Soul Realm -- Imperial Foundations Realm -- Soul Ascendance Realm -- Eternal Barrier Realm -- Imperial Realm - ???

Art Levels: Mortal ➔ Earth ➔ Sky ➔ Heaven ➔ Jade ➔ Myth ➔ Divine ➔ Origin à ???

Physiques: Mortal ➔ Heaven ➔ Jade ➔ Ancient ➔ Spirit ➔ Primordial ➔ Genesis à ???

Comprehension Difficulties Easy ➔ Intermediate ➔ Difficult ➔ Prodigious ➔

Unfathomable ➔ Transcendent ➔ ???

Alchemy Ranks

- Body-Rank (Initiate, Novice, Practitioner, Master, Grandmaster)

- Heart-Rank

- Soul-Grand

- Tri Aspects Rank

- World-Gathering Rank

- ???

Timeline Epochs & Eras

- ??? – ??? ➔ Epoch of Silence

- ??? – ??? ➔ Ethereal Age

- ??? – ??? ➔ Primordial Era

- ??? – ??? ➔ Age of the Beginning

- ??? – 800 million years ago ➔ Epoch of Wars

- 800 mil – 350 mil years ago ➔ Ancient Era of Martial Arts

- 350 mil – 100 mil years ago ➔ Epoch of Magic

- 100 mil – 40 mil years ago ➔ Imperial Era

- 40 mil – 30 mil years ago ➔ Second Epoch of Silence

- 30 mil – 15 mil years ago ➔ Age of Demonic Wars

- 15 mil – 1 mil years ago ➔ Era of Restoration

- 1 mil – 10,000 years ago ➔ Age of Quiet

- 10,000 years ago – ??? ➔ Epoch of Divergence

Chapter 521 - Protean Song of Eternity (I)

Unlike when I'm building up the art or method the normal way, I couldn't select any option willy-nilly. Rather, under the foundational parts, there were really only a few things I could alter.

For starters, it was the number of forms and I immediately selected the maximum option, which was 12. If this was gonna be a versatile method that I need it to be, it needs to have as many avenues as possible, and 12 was as may as I could add.

Internal logic cohesion was another one that I could change, and I settled on yet another utmost I could: Dao-Harmonized, which cost me a whopping 1,250 points.

In the energy and elemental integration part, there was only one thing I could change as the new method would inherit the base from Enduring Eternity: I could add traces of elements. The issue was that, no matter the combination, there would be a 'dominant' one, which then further locked the options down the line that I could select from. And, if I tried to infuse some of the more complex and layered ones, they'd all come with a 'flaw'.

For instance, trying to infuse trace of 'Time' into the method would result in massively increased cultivation speed at the expense of double Qi consumption. Not for cultivation, no, but across the board.

Trying to infuse 'Chaos' (a trace of which would cost me 3,000 points), would make it so that whoever cultivated the method would have Chaos Qi--which meant that the martial arts would be infused with any random kind of Qi as Chaos Qi would simply inherit the properties of one at the point of origin. Which one? Random. Really. The literal case of, 'random bullshit: go'.

Ultimately, I ended up infusing a rather strange concept: Stance.

It had no drawback unlike most others within its range, and it was surprisingly close to the exact thing I wanted.

[Stance Concept: assume the body position of an inherent attack, changing the aspect of Qi and altering the perception of comprehension. Supports all concepts other than Primal]

Best I understood it, if someone like Xi Zhao assumed the same pose he does when he attacks with a sword, the nature of his cultivation would shift to favor the sword. Inversely, someone like Dai Xiu might take a stance she does when punching out, changing that nature.

If it's true or not... honestly, it was a pretty big gamble on my part, as the concept cost a whopping 1,000 points, meaning that I was basically already halfway through my allotted 5,000. Nonetheless, it was one of the three that kinda sounded like what I'd want, and the other two both cost in six digits... so that wasn't gonna happen.

I'm pretty sure the bulk of the remaining points will be spent on the next section, Specific Effects and Characteristics.

Off the rip, I added a whole heap of basic enhancers: cultivation speed, Qi purification, breakthrough assistance, body tempering, resistances to mental obstacles, and a small assortment of very minor boosts that ultimately didn't add much by themselves (or together, to be honest) but also cost about 200 points in totality. By the time I was done, I'd nearly crossed the 3,000 points threshold, sitting at a pretty 2,935.

When the basic bits were out, I started scouring through the more specialized ones.

[Array-Tempered: while using this method to cultivate under a Qi-tampering array, the effects of the array are doubled. Cost: 600 C.P][Stone-Lung Cycle: while cultivating in areas with thin or polluted Qi, efficiency is reduced less severely. Cost: 500 C.P][Hollow Reservoir: maximum Qi capacity is increased at the expense of reduced recovery speed.

Cost: 1,000 C.P][Hidden Trace: breakthrough signs are almost fully concealed from the outside observers. Cost: 800 C.P][Soothe the Five Organs: minor internal and external injuries recover slowly while cultivating. Cost: 650 C.P][Moonwell Trance: entering deep meditation becomes easier beneath moonlight.

Cost: 120 C.P][Thousand-Breath Extension: stamina consumption from prolonged cultivation is reduced. Cost: 1,500 C.P]

There were literal hundreds of the ones like these littering the options, ranging from generic to something very specific like:

[Frostbound Touch: cultivating Cold Qi forms tiny icicles on the skin, increasing defense against the next martial art. Cost: 100 C.P]

It took me a long while, actually, to come across even one that I considered using as there was no way to 'sort' them, so I just had to scroll and read through them one by one.

In the end, I could only add two as they were quite costly. Since I wanted to save some points for the last few stages of creation, I also put a couple in the back of my mind in case there wasn't anything else I'd want to spend points on later down the line.

[Steadfast Heart-Soul-Body: cultivation sessions can last much longer. Optimal state persists twice as long upon fresh start. Cost: 1,000 C.P][Heavenly Concealment: martial artist is naturally shrouded from the peering eyes, become almost completely invisible to the Divine Sense. Cost: 800 C.P]

That left me with a whopping 265 points.

Coming upon the Unique Properties, I immediately went back and removed Heavenly Concealment as there two things here that I absolutely had to add.

The first was 'Self-Correction'--at the cost of 600 points, it would passively correct the kids taking wrong paths of guiding Qi. While it might be a bit of an overkill, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

The last bit was reduced learning curve. Prior to this attempt, I only had the option to lower it by one, but now, for a whopping 400 points, I could lower it by two steps. Which was a no-brainer. honestly.

In totality, I was now sitting at 4,935 spent points out of 5,000. I looked around for a bit looking for anything else I could add, but there was nothing at that price range, so I simply confirmed the creation without a second thought because I didn't want to second guess my choices--

--shit. I forgot the name. Again. Why aren't you Designed to Prompt me when I don't Name the Art?!

[--congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Protean Song of Eternity' cultivation method][...][Protean Song of Eternity][Type: Cultivation Method][Rank: quasi-Divine][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Taking the baseline of Enduring Eternity, which was stability and endurance, the method proliferates the ways of comprehension by attempting to tackle the daunting task of all-purpose acceptance. Though it ultimately fails as its rank is too low, it does what no other method before it managed: illuminate a path. As it inherits from a relatively low-level method, its foundational aspects err on the side of slow, but it more than makes up for it with its ability to alter and purify strange forms of Qi, specifying the form of Qi added to one's dantian purely through comprehensive stance. Despite the attempts to bolster the cultivation speed, ultimately, however, it still ranks among the lowest within its rank; rather, many, many methods exist with even lower ranks that far outpace its ability to gather Qi. As it forgoes speed to offer unheard of layers of versatility and stability for its rank, it would be considered a strange and curious anomaly for all those who cannot glimpse the truth beyond the surface.

Malleable by those who practice it, through time they can slowly erode the aspects they do not need and specialize it for their own use. Suited for both those who are just beginning the journey, as it self-corrects their mistakes with passive guidance, and even those who have journeyed for a long while as it allows them to adjust it completely to their own needs. In its current form, it can be used up to Eternal Barrier Realm][...][Creation Points Value: 4,935/1,000 5000 Comprehension Difficulty: ???][...][Creation Bonus: Host's ability to force-enter his Disciples into the state of Enlightenment is being infused directly into the method][New Effect: once every 3 months, the first cultivation session of all your Direct Disciples who practice Protean Song of Eternity is guaranteed to trigger the state of Enlightenment that will last at minimum for one hour][...][Only one of the effects of the Enduring Eternity is being carried over][Achieving Perfect Comprehension will immediately raise one's cultivation to the peak of their current realm.

If they are already at the peak, breaking through into the next major realm will immediately force them to the peak of that realm. This effect is only active for those at or below the Nirvana Realm][...][A special reward is triggered, granting a new effect][All those practicing Protean Song of Eternity will experienced shared-in cultivation; a very small percentage of the Qi and comprehension is shared equally across everyone of lower realm and comprehension than the person practicing][...][As Host has achieved an unprecedented feat, legendary reward has been triggered][...][New Item: Living Mountain (Dao)][Living Mountain (Dao) -- can be expanded to the size of an actual mountain or shrunk to fit the palm of a hand. Must be empty of all strictly non-sentient life to be shrunk. All things built on top of it--including arrays and formations--are shrunk alongside of it while maintaining function. Cannot be deployed as an attack; area must be clear of all life for it to enlarge. Its soil quality never degrades, allowing for repeated cycles of cultivating herbs][...][...][System has consumed 5,000 of Host's existing points to shroud the Host from the world.

The method's creation should have triggered Dao's Song, but the system prevented it. Host should be advised that, in the future, you should locate isolated spaces as it is not always going to be possible for the system to block the phenomenon][...][Creation Bonus Triggered: A relevant hint][Answer to the mystery that has remained unsolved for well over 100,000,000 years resides somewhere on the Nirvana Frontier Island][...][Good luck, Host!]

Chapter 522 - Protean Song of Eternity (2)

... wow, that was a fat one.

For the most part, it turned out how I expected it to, with the unexpected mostly being for the better. The 'extras', though, was where the bulk of the changes came from.

Namely, everyone using this method will now be able to freely enter the state of Enlightenment every three months. Innately, I immediately realized I 'lost' the ability to do that, but with this... who the hell cares? I'm just worried how they'll react when they all collectively enter the state of Enlightenment the very first day they cultivate with the method...

Then there was the item.

I just got gifted a freakin' mountain.

A literal, full-scale, unapologetic goddamn mountain.

I flipped it out of the 'prison' and it landed squarely into the palm of my hand. So tiny, like a toy. If the toy had a magical cloud-like haze shrouding it from top to bottom, at least.

An intrusive thought wormed its way out of the depths of my consciousness like a devil's little whisper...

Use it. Enlarge it. Just to see what happens...

I quickly put the damn thing away as I didn't trust myself. Curiosity was a fire I was never quite able to tame throughout my life.

There was one more thing that I was kinda confused about--the system told me that my next method would contain 'Dao Trace', whatever that entailed, but of the many, many things that were written on that massive screen, that wasn't one. So... where was it? Did the system lie? Cheat? Deceive?

... maybe it doesn't consider Protean Song of Eternity as a valid candidate since it's an 'offshoot' of an existing method? No, it specifically mentioned that it only had to be a Cultivation Method type and nothing else.

I closed my eyes, set myself into a simple lotus position, and used my very minimal comprehension of the method to circulate Qi. I took it slow since it was my first time, but even in that I realized just how massive of an upgrade it was over Enduring Eternity. And I also realized where that Dao Trace was.

Every time I'd move Qi along the meridians using this method, there'd be a 'spark', a 'mote', something so infinitesimally small that I wouldn't notice it if I specifically wasn't driving it forward, at the head of it. It made circulation of Qi extremely easy, like the difference between the water running through a clogged drain and a freshly built one.

On top of that, by the time the sent Qi returned to dantian, I noticed there was... less of it. A very small amount, yes, but distinctly less of it. Inversely, its quality was slightly better. Doing a few more circulations made it quite evident that every circulation purified the Qi slightly.

In truth, I was a bit mad, actually. The method already, innately, purified Qi to a decent extent, and Dao Trace was massively battling the prospects of diminishing returns. Wouldn't it have been miles better if I could have chosen what 'kind' of a trace to add rather than the system assigning one on its own?

--no, wait. Pretty much every time the system 'recommended' something, it turned out to be one of the most batshit insane things that I could have never come up with. Maybe there's a reason why it still chose to go down this route? If my instincts are correct--and they hit at about a 50/50 rate--it probably has something to do with me, and one of my disciples, needing to achieve perfect breakthroughs in the future.

Or it could truly just be some R.N.G bullshit and I rolled the back draw.

Whatever.

Not like it changes much.

There were a few more things that were of note, but I'll settle them at some other point. For now... we need to leave this place. Not only can I not share the method with the kids here, even if I couldn't, I wouldn't let them cultivate it. Not to mention that we have a newcomer who will need to be brainwashed--I mean gently lured into hear-no-evil-speak-no-evil mantra that the rest of the kids follow when it comes to me pulling shit out of my ass.

Though I somewhat trust that Empress whose name I still haven't learned, I don't have nearly as much trust in the Sect Master. And, seeing as my rings were finally rattling with quite a few spirit stones, it meant that I had enough to not only use the Chariot, but also finally use some of the formations I had swimming about in my rings, just begging and waiting to be utilized.

None of which could be pulled out here, of course.

I looked into the corner and saw Eternity was posing as a literal pot of gold. Snickering to myself, I stood up and stretched lazily before going out. Despite there being nobody outside but the wind and clouds, I spoke.

"Gather the kids," I said. "We're leaving by nightfall."

Even though there was no response, I just shrugged and looked back inside to confirm we didn't leave anything behind before exiting the room and heading down to the ground floor where I saw one of the Elders of the Sect (the only reason I knew he was one was because of the uniform).

"Fellow Daoist," he greeted me with a nod and a faint (though extremely fake) smile.

"Hello," I greeted back. "Could you inform the Sect Master that we will be departing before the nightfall? If he is not too busy, I would like to express my gratitude once more and say goodbye; but if he is, then could you please pass it along?"

"Oh, of course, Fellow Daoist. Please wait a moment." he simply closed his eyes, though his lips would occasionally move in indecipherable ways, as though he were muttering something. "Apologies, Fellow Daoist. Sect Master has gone into secluded cultivation. He did leave a message that, if you were to depart before he comes out, we were to help you in any way we can. If you need anything, please let us know."

... secluded cultivation my ass. Though I kept the smile on, I also realized that if the Empress hadn't been 'on my side', as it were, that man would have unquestionably trapped me in the sect so I can't take the bird away. I'm pretty sure he's hiding away because he wouldn't be able to control himself otherwise.

"Ah, if that's the case, simply pass along I will be eternally grateful for your help, and I will do my best to repay it in the future."

"Of course, Fellow Daoist. Safe travels to you."

No love lost, ultimately. I don't even hate the guy for it; if some schmuck-looking thing like me crawled up to my house and then took away my treasured and legendary once-in-a-generation Divine Beast, I may have an issue or two with it it, too.

Alas, I can't help it if I'm the thief.

I went back outside on the street where the procession of kids were already waiting, with the newcomer awkwardly shuttled to the center.

"Alright, everyone is here. We are leaving," I said.

"Where are we going?" Lao Shun asked.

"If I say, you will try to stop me. So, uh, we're going camping in the friendly and danger-free forest."

"... one of these days, I'll add strong laxative properties to one of my pills."

"Hey, if you're struggling, laxatives aren't a solution. You have to alter your diet and try exercising first," I said, causing the kids to chuckle while he merely sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's go outside so we can board the chariot."

"Ah! We're using the chariot again?!"

"Yaaay! I've really missed it!"

"Ah, I can't wait..."

"What is a chariot?"

"The most magical thing in the world, little brother Yimu!" hey, why is Dai Xiu calling a guy twice her age 'little brother'? And why is he not protesting?!

... what the hell happened in the fucking hour they were away from me?!

Chapter 523 - Protean Song of Eternity (3)

Han Yimu was terrified.

He was terrified of the choices he made that landed him here, he was terrified of these children that he'd learned were hiding the depths of themselves so expertly that perhaps only that Empress could see through, and he was doubly terrified of their Master--well, his Master, too--the man who managed to tame all these dragons that should be bathing in the opulence of upper realm sects rather than withering away here, in destitute.

... except they weren't withering away.

Once he learned that they'd all been practicing cultivation under the man for just a few years, at most, his terror sunk ever so further into his soul. Some of his Seniors started cultivating when they were in their mother's womb, and yet these kids had barely just begun.

And yet, he could not run away, for he had no place to run off to.

Though he did plan on putting up some fight originally to carve out his position as an important Disciple, once they gathered him for 'introductions', that was dashed.

The youngest, the literal boy who was ten years old, beat him black and blue. In fact, Han Yimu couldn't even put his hand on the boy, no matter how hard he tried.

Yes, it was the truth that he no longer had a cultivation method or any martial art to use, but that did not matter. He was thrice the boy's age, and had all the experience that the boy didn't, and was still a full major realm higher than the boy, but it didn't matter.

He was beaten.

So fully that he thought others would be laughing at him until sundown. Except... none did. In fact, they praised him.

"Oh, Junior Brother Yimu is really fast!" they'd say as he failed to be fast enough to dodge Xing Feng's weird club-like weapon.

"Oh, that was a really good defensive stance!" they'd say as he was clobbered back into a wall like a pot of clay.

"Oh, he took that hit really well!" they'd say when the club squared against his nose and nearly broke it.

He genuinely thought they were making fun of him and was about to lash out before he caught glimpse of their expressions: they were genuine. They truly believed he was doing well and were encouraging him.

... he wasn't actually quite sure yet which reality was more depressing. It was true that, as far as they knew, he was just some ordinary Spirit Manifestation Realm cultivator that their Master picked up, but Han Yimu had his suspicions that, even if they knew precisely who he was, their reactions would still have remained just the same.

And now, they were leaving the sect per their Master's orders; it was quite odd, as there was nobody there to escort them, and that bird was still sitting perched on top of the Master's head, happily snoring away. Were they really letting him take a Divine Beast with himself?

The only way this could have happened was during the time the Empress and the Master stayed inside to talk while he waited for them to finish. Something must have been said--or some deal must have been made--which had Empress ensure they could leave the sect with the phoenix in tow.

They emerged from the front gates not fifteen minutes later, overlooking the vast expanse of dirt that stretched out into the foggy horizon. The sun was about an hour away from setting down; they were likely going to ride a warship or something along that--

"Alright, let's walk," the Master's words shook him; weren't they supposed to ride a chariot?! But seeing as nobody else complained... he stayed silent, too.

"Master likes to remain as hidden as possible," the beautiful Wan Lan finally provided some answers. "Well, tries. We won't walk for long, don't worry." she flashed him a smile and all his complaints went away.

They walked along the path for about half an hour before the strange boy that seemed to never hang out with the rest of the group spoke out.

"We're far enough away, Master."

"We are? Very well. Let's all hop in." the man procured something miniature from the spatial ring and tossed into the air; a moment later, it grew and expanded and twisted until it became a... chariot. Without the horse to lead it, of course. It was gilded, yet it seemed even more ancient than some of the traversal tools Han Yimu saw in the museums in the Upper Realm.

The kids started filing in one by one, and soon did he. Luckily, despite looking quite small from the outside, the chariot packed a spatial-pocket array--a fairly complex one considering just how spacious the interior was--allowing for everyone to have the room to breathe.

Once they were all inside and the doors closed, the chariot hummed softly as it soared up and started flying. Where to? Han Yimu didn't know... and he didn't dare ask.

"Haah, we're finally out of that place," Dai Xiu said. "It was so stuffy. Not to mention having to pretend in front of so many people... tsk, it's so annoying."

"You're only saying that because sister Lan'er had more boys admiring her than you." Light tossed a comment which had Dai Xiu's face turned red--partly with embarrassment and partly with anger--but not much else.

"It was stuffy, regardless," Xi Zhao, whom Han Yimu had already pegged for the one who stood between all these fires, spoke out quickly.

"Especially because we aren't used to it," Wan Lan added.

"Alright, attention, everyone," Master's voice immediately quieted everyone; it was rather amazing how bullish everyone was... until they faced this man. At which point they softened into jelly.

"With a couple of newcomers joining us, Master has a few surprises for you all. Rewards for doing so well in the realm and keeping me safe while I was taking my beauty nap."

"And what a nap it was, Master! You look more beautiful--"

"--you can let some of these pass you by, Xiu'er," as the chariot resonated with laughter, all Han Yimu could think about was the coldness he felt when facing his former Masters. "Yimu."

"Y-yes, Master?"

"As I have caused you to lose all your martial arts and your cultivation method, we must fix that, somehow."

"No, I--"

"--hey, don't pick up their bad habits. They were kids when I got them, but you're a grown-ass man. Anyway, here," his Master procured four things in total from nowhere as they all appeared directly in front of Han Yimu. He was actually quite shocked; that mastery of Space Dao was... quite high.

He was a bit confused, however--there was a strange robe, a pair of booklets, and a... spear. Why was his Master giving him a spear? Did he not know?

"Master, I, I'm thankful, but I use a sword--"

"--and from now on you'll use the spear," the man said. "Humor me, for a little while at least. One of the booklets is your new cultivation method--study it carefully--and the other is an art that will pair well with the robe and the spear. In the coming few weeks, I'll prepare some spear-specific arts, so be patient. Everyone," he then turned toward everyone else as Han Yimu grabbed all items, turning his attention immediately to the cultivation method as he desperately needed one.

Even if it was some low-level garbage, it was better than nothing. "The method isn't just for him," Master said, procuring another few sets of the booklets and tossing them to almost everyone else. "It's the next volume of Enduring Eternity."

"Oooh! Finally!"

"I can't wait to study it!"

"... Master."

"Hm?"

"Where's mine?" it was the boy--Long Tao, Han Yimu learned--who asked.

"And mine!" the alchemist sounded out.

"You already got yours, you old fart," Master snorted. "And why do you want one, Tao'er?"

"Curiosity."

"There's an old saying: curiosity killed the cat."

"Then let me die."

"... tsk. Here."

"What about me?!" alchemist whined again whereupon the booklet found its way straight at his face, causing the kids to laugh.

Feeling a bit lighthearted at their excitement over some low-level method, Han Yimu turned over the first page and started reading. His world froze immediately.

It was a borderline Divine method.

It was better than the one he was using beforehand.

... he was dead, for certain. He had died trying to undo Dao from himself and fix the Heart Demon, and this was him dreaming a better future. There was no other explanation as to how a borderline Divine method just appeared out of thin air in this backwater, and that from a vagabond cultivator with no sect backing.

No other explanation whatsoever.

Chapter 524 - Protean Song of Eternity (4)

By this point, Long Tao had become numb to the things his strange Master did or procured. However, just like watching him do things in the secret realm that he should not have been able to do, he had to consciously control the muscles of his face for it to remain unmoving.

A quasi-Divine cultivation method, on its own, would break this entire world's collective mind. After all, one needed a Divine-tier method in order to reach the Imperial Realm and though this one wasn't quite there, with some luck, it wasn't entirely impossible.

In fact, Long Tao wagered that the majority of people who broke through into the Imperial Realm in this world did so using a borderline-Divine method rather than a proper Divine one.

That was only secondary, however--after carefully reading through the entire thing, Long Tao came to very simple, albeit mind-numbing realization: by all accounts, this was a Divine-level method. In fact, in some ways it was better than the one he used to break through into the Imperial Realm in his previous life.

The only reason it likely wasn't qualified as a full Divine-tier method was that it forsook far too much in terms of cultivation speed. In fact, without any external assistance, the speed barely matched some of the top-tier Heaven cultivation methods.

While truly a major drawback, that was only if there were no other means to make up for it.

Ultimately, however, it would not be enough to break through into the Imperial Realm. While virtually all other breakthroughs could be assisted via external means--Spirit Stones, precious treasures, and all other assortment of knickknacks--the one into the Imperial Realm could not.

One had to rely entirely on their own gains and nothing else. And that was precisely why this method was likely qualified as quasi-Divine--it alone could not supply enough Qi at great enough speeds to match the requirements.

Nonetheless, knowing his Master, this was unlikely to be the 'final volume' of the method. By the time they had to worry about the Imperial Realm, they were sure to have another one far greater than this.

"... this is a quasi-Divine method," the alchemist sputtered out. It was likely that only he, Long Tao, and the new boy that joined them knew the depths of this miracle--as was evident by the kids' expressions versus the other twos.

"You can read," Master said. "I'm so proud of you."

"I--I can read, too, Master!" little Feng quickly added. "It says, it says it's called Pro--Protean Song of Eternity! Uh... Master, what does Protean mean?"

"Protean, hmm; it means that something is quick to adapt to the unexpected. That it has the kind of unmatched variety." Oh? It does?

Long Tao didn't actually know the word either--not that he would ever admit it--and judging by everyone else's expressions, nobody else knew.

"Are... are you sure you're not just making up a word?" Lao Shun questioned something that flashed through Long Tao's mind, too.

"All words are made up," his Master said with a strange bit of chagrin. "But no, I did not make that one up. Somebody else did."

"Ah, so that's why it's called that! Because of this stance explanation!" Dai Xiu spoke up. "It's so versatile that it can cover all of us despite us being so different! Hah, Master really knows what's best for us!"

"Wait, you distracted me," Lao Shun said. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"Yes, while I was lying passed out, I had my spirit run around the entire world yelling, 'Hey, I have a quasi-Divine method! And my name is Lu Qi, and you can find me--'"

"Ugh, fine, just stop, please," the alchemist interrupted, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The existence of this thing... it cannot leave this chariot, no matter what. If it does, forget our actions back in the realm--we really will be hunted down by the entire world."

"Humph, I'd like to see them try!" Dai Xiu said. "If they hunt us, then we just have to kill enough of them until they stop!"

"..."

"The old guy is partially right, Xiu'er," Master said, prompting the alchemist's brows to dance for a bit at the 'old' part. "We needn't make purposeful troubles for ourselves. Not that I think any of you would ever share it, which is why I said he's partially right.

Unlike me, who has absolute faith in you, he has doubts. Why, old Shun? Why do you have doubts?"

"Humph, yes, why?! We've been with Master long before you came!" Dai Xiu said.

"It hurts my soul that you do not trust us, Master Shun..." that was Wan Lan, who even summoned a tear for her performance.

"Think about it," Light said. "Maybe he is one of those poor men who fell in love with a woman when they were young and had their heart broken, and can now never trust again."

"... aah, I'm so sorry, old Master Shun! To think you had such a heartbreaking story!"

"Ah, it hurts my soul that you had to go through that, Master Shun..."

"I--I must never fall in love with anyone, then!" little Feng joined in. "I don't want to become like the old man Shun!"

Long Tao had long since lost the ability to fully control his laughter, but he did do his best to nuzzle himself against the corner and turn his back. However, his shoulders were likely dancing which was a dead giveaway. At the very least, he mused, he was better than the Master--who was openly being gleeful.

... protean. It really did fit the method perfectly.

The conventional wisdom--one that went so far back into the past the years ceased to have a meaning--was that every method that attempts to convey more than one path was a fool's errand. An endeavor of someone who did not understand even the minute part of Dao. Long Tao was a firm believer of it in his past life--virtually every method that was ranked as top-tier focused exclusively on one thing.

It was a Sword Method, or a Spear Method, or it was a Fire Method, or Earth Method. Once or twice, he'd come across one or two who had just about bridged the gap between two concepts, but that was the limit. Anything beyond that, and even the children wouldn't want to learn it.

By now, having spent a few years with the strange man by his side, he seldom believed in much of any 'conventional wisdom'. Enduring Eternity, already, had been flirting with that 'impossibility'; Protean Song was simply the first stamp in what will likely become the most legendary method under the heavens.

Despite that, Long Tao would not switch. Even if the method, or its eventual final iteration, could procure Emperors and Empresses by the dozens, it was still a general method. It lacked the final, perfect refinement.

Eternal Voidfiend Sutra... Long Tao still remembered the day he found it as though it were yesterday, carved into the stele in an old, otherwise empty tomb. By then, he was simply far too along on the journey to switch, but he learned and studied it as though he were practicing it.

It was the only method that he had ever seen that could be qualified as the eternally-elusive tier of 'Primordial Dao', as it was much, much better than any of the Origin-tier methods he'd studied.

The truth of it became evident to him about a month before he died and was reborn in this world--carved deeply in the elusive lessons and esoteric descriptions was the nature of its creation.

A man became a concept--ethereal and drifting--and one equaling Dao itself. Perfecting the method would mean that he would become Unbound in totality. And once he did... he might be able to meet him. The one who was said to have stared at the heart of Dao and made it his own, God-Emperor.

Chapter 525 - The Winds Carry a Song (I)

Qian Shuren watched expressionlessly as a head of an infernal being rolled down the grassy, bloodied hill and joined the small mountain of them at the bottom. Her face was covered in crimson, some fresh and some dry, as she sighed and turned around, looking over the unending plains.

Today's attack was over.

Taking account of everything, she frowned; two hundred came with her, and twenty had died. While it was a slightly above-average incursion, it didn't feel particularly dangerous or difficult.

If it had been a one-off, she might have just waved it off, but this was the third time she'd lost at least twenty people in just the past month.

"Miss Shuren, we are done on this side," she glanced sideways at some nameless woman that she was assigned as a 'second-in-command'; she was merely an eye watching her, forever attached to that thing that crawled back on the island begging and crying.

"Are you? Let us depart, then."

"What about the dead?"

"What about them?"

"... w-what should we do'"

"What should we do?" the custom was simple--if you were felled in the in-between, you were to stay there. Why was she asking her such a pointless question? A set-up of sorts, unquestionably.

"I, uh..."

"Go pack and tell others. We are leaving in ten."

"... yes, Miss Shuren."

Qian Shuren sighed yet again.

Some parts of her regretted coming back and instead wondered where she would be at now had she joined that strange little man that she encountered in the mountains. All she got since returning was grief; interrogated for weeks, sent to self-reflect, and now assigned to guide hatchlings into their first excursion toward the Infernal War.

It was all pettiness beyond pettiness, fueled by Master's indifference. She'd completely fallen out of his favor, and now... now they were allowed to do whatever they wanted, with discretion. That was probably why she hadn't been outwardly attacked just yet; there were many guests of all cohorts on the Island, and Master liked to maintain a certain image--the kind that would come crashing down if it became known one of his Disciples was openly attacked and killed by another.

As such, she had to endure these little things, however inane they were.

"Want me to look into it?" a familiar voice slowly eroded the frown as she smiled a bit, turning to the side.

"It's fine, Lu'er," little Lu was her one and only Disciple, a boy she took in just shy of forty years ago, having come across him drowning in the lake. He turned out to be surprisingly sharp and talented, though not quite enough to catch her Master's eye. As such, she chose to take him in. "It's not as though we don't know what is happening."

"... tsk, how hateful," he said, his thick eyebrows furrowing. "I'm sorry, Master, for being so useless. If I were stronger, I could have saved some of them."

"Somehow, I doubt it," she said. "Rather, there is something we must discuss."

"What?"

"Your leaving of this place."

"Master--"

"--enough," she interrupted rather sternly, her voice leaving no room for discussion. "We both will one day leave this place, but we cannot leave together."

"..."

"During the next ceremony, I will ask Master to give you a boat," she said. "He won't be able to refuse a public request like that in light of your achievements. It won't be a good boat, and I will have to inspect it for awry arrays first, but it will be good enough to get you across the lake.

Until then, however, you must reach Void Transformation Realm, Lu'er. So, from now on, while we're here, stay near me and simply cultivate. I'll make sure to protect you."

"..." he seemed indignant but stayed silent.

It reminded her somewhat of those kids she met with that man--none of whom would have stayed silent. It was no shortcoming of Lu'er's at all; it was merely that the relationship between them was... different. She cared for the little boy a great deal, but that was about it. She did not love him, nor would she die for him. She was merely giving him an opportunity at very little cost to herself.

Her Master will likely expect a bit of 'rebellion' from her, and would let it slide, all things considered. Qian, on the other hand...

Before she left this place, she knew she would have to kill that worm. Stealthily, however; if her Master knew it was her... she would die within a breath.

Looking ahead, she saw that the others were ready.

"Let's go," she said, a look of determination flashing across her face.

**

Song Jing was on his knees, bowing deeply toward the portrait of indiscernible figure, one shrouded in strange and thick haze of Dao. Despite the dozen candles that were lit around them, the entire room was as dark as abyss, that very darkness pressing into his soul.

Even if it was just a remnant portrait, it was still nonetheless the capture of a former Emperor, a heritage that his late mother gave him as she ushered him out of the flames. She, and everyone else, were hunted down all their lives, hiding like worms in the dirt. But it was for naught. In the end, they were found and slaughtered.

This portrait was the only thing he had left of them, his only connection to his family.

It was a portrait of Nascent Emperor, his late grand-grandfather.

As the heaviness subsided, he slowly looked up at the drifting haze, the look in his eyes complex. There was pride in them, pride that in his blood cruised the blood of an Emperor; then there was anger, anger that the man's actions ended up costing him everything. Song Jing's mother did not die for her own sins, but for the sins of their forefathers--that man whose face he still couldn't quite make out, all these years later.

His actions countless ages ago had the Heavenly Court judge their entire familial lineage and sentence them to extermination.

Because he refused to bow, Song Jing thought.

But, according to his mother, it was something far simpler than that: he simply refused to betray a friend.

It was not simpler, Song Jing thought--just far stupider. He condemned his entire family because of some other person, and that person had never come to their aid. Where was that friendship while Song Jing watched his family's estate burn into the night as he continued running away, shame ripping his heart apart?

Where was that friendship all these years as he struggled to rise through the ranks as a nobody?

There was only silence, long and dreadful.

Suddenly, just as he was about to get up and leave, he found himself frozen--frozen not by terror, but rather divinity beyond anything else he'd ever felt in his life. That darkness that veiled the image suddenly lifted, and the entire room turned as bright as dawn. Colors on the canvas bled forth and the edges became prominent, displaying a rather... ordinary, aged face.

Wrinkled forehead, pointed, low nose, a pair of gray eyes, a mole on the right cheek, and thin mustache. Were it not for the reverence carved into the canvas with every brush stroke, Song Jing would have thought it was a portrait of some ordinary, old man.

The pair of eyes suddenly shifted, sending shivers down his spine; before he could even process what happened, corners of the man's lips curved up into a smile.

"He's lived, indeed," the voice boomed inside Song Jing's mind like thunder... yet was as gentle as a mother's embrace. "I knew he would. Not even the Heavens could smite that cockroach. Oh, dear descendant of mine, forgive me--I cannot imagine your life was a pleasant journey, and this old soul is entirely at fault. Were I a smarter man like many of my peers, I would have taken the deal and ascended, like the rest of them. But... I could not go against my heart. Those very Heavens condemned me and left me to die, but he did not. My heart breaks for you, child, and I cannot find it in myself to ask your forgiveness.

"All I can ask is that you understand one truth: the Heavens... are broken. They have been broken from before I was born, and they will remain broken until a soul comes to remedy that. If he truly lives... then there must be a way. Join him and give him this portrait of mine; he will know what to do. If you choose not to...

I cannot blame you. In that case, at the very least, burn me--so that the Heavens may never discern the secrets of mine. Hm. I wonder what he looks like, now? How is he hiding from her?

Ha ha, aah. To think even I would regret dying. Life, truly, is a twist unlike any other.

Tell little Tao his old grandpa returned the favor, and ask him to light some incense for me. Perhaps he's finally grown up enough to listen, for once..."

Chapter 526 - The Winds Carry a Song (2)

This was Xing Yahui's first time traversing the Heavenly Star Lake past its vast shores. Though the lake itself was vast, their destination was, all things considered, relatively close to the shore.

Per the common knowledge, there were exactly four ways to reach the Nirvana Frontier Island--a teleportation array that has to be personally linked my the Island Master, something that has seldom been used in the past few thousands of years; a ferry boat starting from the Heavenly Sword Sect, which only happens once a year; an airship from the Heavenly Retreat, reserved only for the most upper echelon of cultivators; and then there was the method Xing Yahui was currently taking: a weekly mid-sized boat ferrying twenty or so souls across the narrowest gap between the Nirvana Frontier Island and the rest of the continent, starting about four hundred miles east of the Nine Heavens Mountain, on a nameless little jut where an old fishing village still somehow survived.

There were in total about thirty people aboard the ship, crew included; some were like Xing Yahui herself, on the younger side likely seeking opportunities, and some on the older, like the man who had been bothering her ever since he boarded the ship.

"You have to be real careful about where you sleep on the island," he disguised his interest--barely, but at least tried--through sharing of 'helpful' tips. "The island is divided into three major areas--the Southern Song, the Eastern Tiger, and the Western Silence. There's the unofficial, fourth area where the other three mix and where the portal to the Infernal Realm is called the Great Tomb. Visitors like us are only allowed to meander about the Southern Song, but even that comes with the limits; kids in the Spirit Manifestation Realm can't even leave the southernmost tip and have to be vouched for by an island's native if they want to enter the Infernal Realm."

Xing Yahui passively took in all the information, but she didn't particularly care about any of it; after all, she wasn't going to the island to seek opportunities or to participate in the Infernal Wars. She was going there because her Master wouldn't stop badgering her about seeking out that strange, middle-aged man.

Doubly so because they were yet to actually find any information on the item the man told her to seek: Distilling Moon Jade. Even after going back to the sect and listing through every book she had access to, there wasn't even a mention of it, let alone a description of what it was or where to find it. It wasn't that much of a shock; after all, not even her Master--a former Empress--had ever heard of it, so it was unlikely that her sect had any knowledge of it either.

Yet, the man was very explicit, and her Master insisted she seek him for at least the knowledge of item if nothing else.

"Although I'm not a native," the man continued. "I do have a friend who is; if you'd like, I can probably get you in." she glanced over and met his gaze; it wasn't unfamiliar one as she'd seen it quite a few times before.

An oddity, overall, as she hardly considered herself some sort of a beauty. But, against common sense, she met men like this more frequently than some of her Senior Sisters who were far more beautiful.

... no, it made sense. Men like this wouldn't dare approach the 'beautiful' ones, so they approach her.

"We thank you, but we can take care of ourselves, Fellow Daoist," a voice that irked her even more than the man's spoke up behind them. For some unholy reason, Yu Bao insisted he come after she stupidly let it slip that she was going to the island.

No, perhaps without him to chart this damn boat, it would take her weeks if not months to figure out how to get there by her lonesome.

With Yu Bao's appearance, the man awkwardly stumbled over his words for a moment before disappearing away; despite everything, Yu Bao was fairly strong and had that air about him that made others not want to tangle up with him.

"Sister Yahui, why didn't you shout for me?" he asked, putting on a pained expression. "If any man bothers you, please, don't hold back."

"He wasn't bothering me," she said. No more than you, anyway, she thought to herself, but would never say it out loud.

"If you have any questions about the island, please ask me; before we left, I asked Seniors all about it." he positioned himself to her left, 'blocking' her from the view of the others. There was a time long while back she'd have thought it an accident.

While she could understand the man who approached her, she could not understand Yu Bao; he was handsome, charming, talented, and of golden blood. There was no shortage of girls in the sect who were willing to do anything to bed him and yet, for some reason, he continued pursuing her.

There were plenty of rumors of all the women he did bed, but none of him pursuing anyone but her. It caused her no small amount of grief as every girl seemed to think she put a spell on him.

"Just one."

"What is it?"

"Why did you come with me?" she asked outright, meeting his gaze. He seemed somewhat startled by the question, coughing awkwardly for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"I always wanted to go there myself and when you mentioned you were going, I simply thought I may as well join you." she grew a bit frustrated but kept it to herself.

Quite oddly, her Master never talked to her in moments like these; when she was younger, she used to advise Xing Yahui of these things any time a boy approached her--with the exception of the man in front of her. Perhaps, she, too, favored him and had hoped Yahui would eventually 'see the light'.

"Hm," she hummed, turning away and looking over at the calm waters of the lake. The teal-colored surface extended outward in every direction, the distances covered in fog that appeared about four miles out. That was the formation--the entire surface of the lake was covered in a natural formation that disallowed anyone, even those in the Imperial Realm, from seeing any further than four miles, be that with their eyes or Divine Sense.

They fell silent as her mind wandered back to all she had to do when she arrived on the island. First, she had to ditch this parasite that latched onto her, which likely won't be easy; then she had to find a way to survive there while looking for a man that will likely be in deep hiding himself. Luckily, she perfectly remembered the faces of all his Disciples, and would be on the lookout for one of them more so than him.

"Step back, Yahui," she felt a hand firmly grab her shoulder and pull her away from the railing. Just as she was about to complain, her Master's voice echoed out inside her mind.

"Fishmen are coming," she said. "Prepare to fight."

Hey everyone, hope you've had a fun weekend! Just wanna quickly chime in that the end of Volume 5 is coming, which is why these chapters will be a bit slow and sport different PoVs as I'm kinda wrapping up the volume & setting up the next one. If you loathe to read them in isolation, I'd recommend pausing for a couple of days & blazing through them once we go back to Lu Qi :D Anyway, thank you all so much for your support, & I hope you'll enjoy the next volume--Legend of the Island--just as much. See ya' tomorrow ^^

Chapter 527 - The Winds Carry a Song (3)

"What are we doing here?" Jin Hua grunted as she blew the flower between her fingers, scattering the petals into the wind. He'd dragged her to these godforsaken mountains without so much as an excuse, and was just mindlessly standing there, on the edge, hands behind his back.

"Examining something," Yun Qi replied.

"No, you are examining something--I am being bored out of my mind."

"Hush, just a moment," she groaned, but turned silent, her eyes peeled to the back of the man who'd delivered her quite a few shocks in the time they've been together.

They'd mowed down through just shy of ten Elders of the Holy Lands, and would have likely gotten through more if any of the other ones ever left their sanctuaries. By now, they must have figured out that the 'hunt' had something to do with the fall of the sect in the backwater, and had locked themselves deep in the sects' lands, never leaving.

However, even those ten were quite a marvel.

Jin Hua never helped--not that she could do much to help with her mere Inner World Realm--only ever observing from the side. The man's sword was... terrifying. She often felt as though she weren't watching a martial artist, a person, but rather the embodiment of death.

And if she felt that terror, she could only imagine what those who faced the blade felt.

Once more she expressed gratitude to her past self for having the wherewithal to pair up with the man rather than following him and trying to trap him for those ungrateful bastards. And with each fallen Elder, she grew more certain that he would fulfill his promise--that, within just fifty years, she would have her revenge, and perhaps a calm heart at last.

"They were here," he suddenly spoke.

"Huh? Who? The remaining Elders?"

"No," he shook his head. "The kids."

"... you have kids?"

"Survivors from my sect," he said, turning around at last.

"Oh. I didn't know that others survived."

"I didn't either until recently," he said. "But... it's definitely them. I couldn't forget their Qi even if I tried."

"..." she remained silent, uncertain as to what to say; though she wanted to offer her help and track the survivors down, this was the Eternal Mountain. Tangling up with these sorts wasn't exactly good for either of them. "Do you want to look for them?" still, she couldn't not ask.

If she learned that Xao'er was actually alive? She'd turn the entire world upside-down looking for him, all else be damned.

"In due time," he said, sighing. "So many questions still remain unanswered. We should leave; the array won't hold on for much longer."

They descended the mountain quite rapidly and started trekking through the nearby forests, leaving westward.

"You mentioned there's a chance some of them might leave the sects soon. What did you mean?" he asked as they emerged upon the lake's shorelines, leaving the tangled web of the mountain ranges.

"The Nirvana Festival," she said. "I heard a few Elders mention it some decades back. The master of the Nirvana Frontier Island invites Elders and Sect Masters of the Holy Lands for a festival of sorts. I don't actually know what it is about as they never mentioned, but there's a good chance they'll attend since they'll feel safe with an Emperor at their side."

"... and how is that a good opportunity?" he looked at her quite oddly. "Are you under the impression I can kill an Elder of a Holy Land and hide it from an Emperor?"

"If anyone can find a way," she said with a shrug, prompting him to smile.

"I'm afraid your unshaken faith is misplaced," he said. "Nonetheless, there's no reason for us not to go. Perhaps heavens will slip up and afford us an opportunity, who knows?"

"Or maybe you're hoping to run into those kids there?" he stumbled a bit, almost imperceptibly so, but she noticed it, causing her to smile, too. "You've become much easier to read. Originally, I had pegged you for a mysterious, cold, unfeeling murderer; turns out, you're just an old man with a soft heart."

"A man can be many things," he said. "No, a man must be many things. That is what my mother used to say."

"Really? Mine imagined every man in the world was like my father: callous, angry, and devoid of heart. I suppose that is many things, in a way."

"Mine wasn't much better, if my mother is to be believed," he said. "I wouldn't know, as she killed him when I was two."

"Sheesh." she whistled lowly as they slow down their pace, turning to a brisk walk along the lake's edges. "Every scar's a story unto itself, after all."

"What is yours?" he asked. "You didn't inherit your mother's views, after all."

"Oh, I have," she said with a chuckle. "For most of my life, I firmly believed her words. Then... I met Xao'er. A mumbling, perpetually distracted little thing who wove a tapestry of flowers for me because he thought I looked sad."

"..."

"I damn near killed him because of it," she continued. "Mostly because I was beyond embarrassed he'd done it publicly and that was his intention. But... as I spent more time with him, I saw that he's really just a gentle, awkward soul.

Had almost no talent for cultivating, but was a genius of talismans and arrays. Didn't think so himself, though, but I convinced him of his genius. I pushed him until hubris manifested in him, and that confidence bred into arrogance.

I warned him not to go that day as it sounded like a trap, but he was confident he'd be able to see through any array. Tsk, a damned fool."

"..." how long had it been since she last spoke of him so openly? Tears drifted into her eyes but she quickly snuffed them out. "I'm sorry," he said. "Why did they even go after him, if you don't mind me asking?"

"... I don't know," she said. "I thought he'd left me for decades; however, a maid-servant called me on her deathbed and confessed to me what they did to him. By then, that bitch was well beyond my reach, and there was nobody else to question. I could only stew in my hatred and hope that, one day, the heavens would gift me a chance to unmake her. And thus appeared you, like the burst of light in the darkness."

"A lot to live up to," they'd stopped by the calm waters, looking over the length of the Phoenix Lake.

"Whether you do or don't, I won't fault you either way," she said. "Thank you... for listening. Even if I die, there's at least going to be somebody else to remember him."

"... I'm too old to be remembering so many people," he said. "So, you better live."

"I'm fairly certain you're younger than me, however."

"Am I?"

"How old are you? No, let me guess--just shy of two hundred, no?"

"... wrong."

"But quite close," she grinned.

"How old are you, then?"

"Ah, dear Yun Qi, you can't just ask a lady her age out of the blue; how utterly improper."

"A good thing, then, I'm not asking a lady."

"... hurtful, but fair." she chuckled. "Today, actually, is my 400th birthday, if you could believe it. Quite an achievement."

"... we ought to celebrate it, then."

"We really oughtn't. What we ought to do is leave this place."

"... then a gift, at least," he said. "You shared something intimate with me, I feel like I should do the same. His name is Lu Qi," Yun Qi stretched out his hand whereupon a canvas appeared in it. He stretched it out slowly and unfurled the face of an ordinary-seeming man... whose eyes were like two blades piercing her soul. "Then there's little troublemaker Dai Xiu, and there's Xi Zhao, and there's Light..." a story began, gentle and unassuming.

A story of a man who, in the troves of harsh and unforgiving world, was its antithesis. And a story of the kids who loved him more as a father than they respected him as a Master. And a story of the sect's dark and dreadful end, which began the tale of Yun Qi.

Chapter 528 - The Winds Carry a Song (4)

We didn't travel inside the chariot for long--not because I lacked Spirit Stones for change, but because the kids grew bored and wanted to test out their new toy(s) by the very normal and completely standard and not at all crazy method: beating the shit out of each other.

As such, I 'parked' the chariot as we came across the massive jut of the Heavenly Lake that separated the two landmasses; Forbidden Spirit Wilds, the side we were currently on, and Imperial Jade Province, where Jade Blossom City was in.

While the kids (including Long Tao) started redecorating the surrounding landscape (a rather depressing one, as it was mostly composed of low, dry grass covering the quite dusty open field), I chose to be the cook for the first time in a while, with the trusted old alchemist on my side as an assistant, and the bird on top of my head who was yet to actually leave it, and the other bird cosplaying as the first bird and hanging out on my left shoulder.

"I never got to ask, but do you think it's a smart idea?" Lao Shun said as I started to heat up the water to boil it.

"What is?"

"Bringing him and, well, that," he eyed the bird on top of my head and pointed at Han Yimu. "They smell like trouble."

"Yes, because we otherwise never get into trouble."

"... fair point. But you are still inviting more of it." a fair and reasonable warning, but at this point, honestly, I just learned to go with the flow. I've tried resisting the system and Long Tao and their many whims, but, ultimately, things always seem to play out in such a way that we become centers of something.

Whether it's one of those philosophical wonderings of the existence of free will (or lack thereof), with us walking the path that's predetermined for us, or whether it's just the nature of extremely talented cultivators to always stir things up no matter what, in the end the results remain the same for the most part.

"Maybe," I said. "Or maybe I'm building an assault team so insane, anyone who sees us will go running the other way."

"... I wouldn't be surprised," he shrugged with a faint chuckle as the water began to boil. "You've changed quite a bit."

"I have?"

"You were a whole lot more cowardly when I first met you."

"Oh. I wouldn't worry; I'm every bit the same coward now as I was back then. I just... I just learned to trust them. Not completely, but for the most part."

"That's... admirable, I suppose," he said. "And a bit troubling."

"Hah. Tell me about it. Here, hold this," I said, handing him a few plates of fresh veggies that I'd been storing in the 'prison'.

"... dare I ask?" he looked at the plates and then at me and then back at the plates before asking.

"I mean, you're a brave, courageous man."

"So, no."

"Just a toy, just a toy."

"Right. And I'm just an alchemist."

"Hey, you said it."

"Ugh," he groaned as I tossed in the minced meat and then the veggies into the boiling water, using my finger to stir it. Well, not my literal finger--I connected a thread of Qi to the tip of my finger and extended it flatly, using it to stir. "I take it back. You're still the same child you were when we met."

We fell silent and looked over at the kids where Dai Xiu was currently having fun with Han Yimu; the latter, on top of having just 'restarted' his cultivation, was also learning a new weapon. Which, well, didn't lend itself to 'fair' battles.

He'd pierce forward with the spear, she'd duck sideways and then pummel his jaw or his ribs or the side of his face without holding back... much. And then he'd barrel backwards for about forty to fifty yards, dusted up from head to toe, bloodied scrapes being patched up immediately after. He'd picking up on the Surging Spirit Art shockingly quick, as though it were tailored for him.

It was for naught, however, as the moment he'd go back in... the same fate awaited.

**

Han Yimu was frustrated, and he was angry, and he was shocked, and he was horrified, and he was a million small things all at once.

At the top of that list, however, resided horror--the art Master gave him, Surging Spirit Art, was literally heaven-defying. He'd never seen or even read about anything quite like it--not even close, at that. It was the kind of art that kids would dream about--When I grow up, I'll learn an art that will heal all my wounds immediately so I can find for months with no end!

And though many kids dreamed of the art, it didn't exist. Well, he thought it didn't exist, at least.

Not that the Surging Spirit Art was at that level, of course, as it did zap quite a lot of his Qi any time he healed himself, but that was with abysmal mastery and after learning it for a few days, at most. What about after a month? Or a year? Or a century?

He was certain that, were its existence to be revealed in the Upper Realm, everyone would be descending to hunt the Master down. Not disciples of sects, no--Emperors and Empresses would personally descend. That was how insanely tempting the art would be.

Beyond that, there was the spear.

How did his Master know?

From the onset, Han Yimu felt the kind of kinship with the cold metal of hte shaft that he never felt when holding a sword. And though his thrusts and parries were clumsy and ill-timed against Dai Xiu's insufferable speed, he felt them far more potent than his sword ever was at the same realm.

In fact, despite being stripped of his method and all his arts not a week ago, and having just learned a new method and one utility-art a couple of days ago, he genuinely believed he was stronger as he was now than he ever was in the Spirit Manifestation Realm. No, even beyond that--his current strength rivaled him when he was at the peak of Revolving Core Realm.

... which begged the question.

How was he still being toyed with by these literal children? Was he simply so lacking in talent that just any slightly talented kid could wipe the floor with him? Of course not. Though he lacked in resources and backing, Han Yimu was certain of the fact that he did not lack in talent. In fact, even if he wasn't the most talented disciple of his former sect, he was undoubtedly among the top three, or top five at worst.

And yet, it felt like it didn't matter.

"You're thinking too much," suddenly, the strange boy that gave him the creeps suddenly spoke up, stepping away as Dai Xiu immediately retreated. He heard faint chuckles echoing from the back and felt his spine chill for some reason. "Fights, no matter how much you think about them, are fought outside for your mind." was... was he really being lectured on fighting by someone half his age?

"Uh, I, I just thought--"

"--no thinking," the boy said quite casually, standing about ten yards from him, hands behind his back. "One hour. For one hour, every time you have a thought, I will break one bone of yours."

"H-huh?"

"Attack me. Just remember--no thinking."

Anger swelled inside his heart suddenly; though he knew he was likely weaker, even Seniors back in the sect showed more respect toward him. Looking at the boy's defenseless pose, he scoffed inwardly and considered from which side to attack.

Which was when it happened.

The first thing that he registered was the snapping sound--and then the pain. He just barely caught side of his entire left arm snapping backwards like a twig, with pain shooting through him like a bolt of thunder. He didn't scream, biting his tongue, but fell to his knees as the sudden burst of pain was too much.

How? How?

"Use the Surging Spirit Art," the boy's voice, which just moments ago sounded like the chime of some arrogant kid, was now a reaper's call. Cold, unfeeling, dreadful. "You have a minute to fix it. Oh, and it still stands--no thinking.

About anything. Feel the pain, fix the pain, and use the anger to attack me. That's all you have to do for the next hour. Merely endure. It's not that hard, is it?"

Chapter 529 - The Winds Carry a Song (V)

Wow.

It's been a while since I'd seen them brutalize each other that much. Well, 'each other' was a bit of a lie; it was Long Tao brutalizing the newcomer. There was a time I would have stepped in and stopped him, but judging from Han Yimu's response to the whole thing, I'd be doing so pointlessly.

Besides, I'd learned that, despite how he was on the surface, Long Tao was far from a monster that some of these cultivators were. If he was beating him, he was beating him for a reason. And even if I can't understand that reason, it didn't mean it was a stupid one.

As such, outside of wincing and grimacing on the odd few occasions when the crack of the bone was so loud I would have sworn it was actually the sound of thunder ripping the world apart, I stayed silent and away from it all.

Though the stew was ready in just shy of forty-five minutes as I really let it, well, stew, I waited for a few minutes longer before the 'lesson' finally came to an end. By then, the rest of the kids had gathered around Lao Shun and me and we all watched in collective silence as the proverbial bell rang and Han Yimu was freed from the torture.

One would think, however, judging by his expression as he joined us that he'd just been dancing with the hottest girl in the club of the past hour. Okay, maybe he wasn't that happy or proud, his his gaze was clear and his lips were faintly curled up.

"You endured that, too?" at some point during the meal, the conversation drifted to the fact that everyone had endured Long Tao's 'lessons'. That question was aimed at little Feng who replied after swallowing a mouthful of rabbit meat.

"Hm!" he nodded. "Every day, one hour, for weeks. At first, it hurt. Then it didn't hurt as much. But brother Tao saw that it wasn't hurting as much, so he started beating me harder again. He he" is that really something that warrants a 'hehe'?!

"Ah, I remember when I met brother Tao for the first time," Wan Lan said. "I thought he was some brat Master picked up out of pity. I didn't think that for long, though."

"Really? When I first met him, I thought he was kind of cute," Dai Xiu said, leaning back. "In an ugly kind of a way, though." Long Tao winced in the corner, drinking something.

"How did the two of you meet, Master?" Rayce asked. "I don't think I ever heard the story."

"Me neither!" Xing Feng.

"Ooh! Oh--was it that brother Tao was fighting against some bad cultivators and Master chanced upon it and saved him?!" that was Dai Xiu. Ah, yes, me saving Long Tao. A day may come, but it hasn't yet.

"Ho ho, no, nothing quite amazing like that," I said. "It was the enrollment day for our sect, back in the day. I was sitting there, not being chosen by anyone. Until it was his turn. In front of the entire crowd, he boldly said he'd become my Disciple."

"Ooh!"

"Everyone, even Elder Qin urged him to reconsidered due to my... uh, reputation. But he ignored them."

"Ah, he must have known that you were amazing, Master," Xi Zhao said.

"Ho ho, did he? I'm fairly certain he only chose me because he thought he could do whatever the hell he wanted without any oversight."

"So, it really was just a chance encounter?" Lao Shun asked.

"Weren't all our encounters by chance?" I said with a shrug. "The reason I found Dai Xiu was because I just heard of this place in the sect where the 'discarded' kids lived. Or Xi Zhao--I still remember him looking at me like I was a plague when I handed him the fixed variant of his martial art. I honestly just wanted to test something for a bit; not for a second did I think he would crawl up to my peak and beg me to take him in as a Disciple."

"Wow." Lao Shun exclaimed softly, though still looked kind of unconvinced. I mean, I get it; considering the roster of kids I've got, he must think I've ripped them from some treasure trove of talents.

"He he," Light suddenly chuckled. "I'm different than all of you."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Master didn't find me--I found him! He he~" alright, but why do you look so smug about it?

"... ugh. You just go lucky." Dai Xiu said.

"Nuh-uh. From the day I met him, I knew he was... different." the day I met her flashed through my mind; I had a major panic attack, from what I recall, when I read through her status window. Nearly shat my pants, too.

Aah.

I've come such a long way...

"Unlike other adults, he didn't care how I talked to him."

"Ah, yes," Dai Xiu nodded. "I noticed that too. I could yell and I could chirp and he would never reprimand me."

"That's because Master is kind," Wan Lan said. "If it were me, I would have beaten you into silence."

"Yes, yes, we know, you wild woman. Is there anything in the world you won't first try and solve with your brutish fists?"

"Don't start, you two," Rayce, surprisingly, came between the two of them. "We are having a nice moment. No matter how it happened, what matters is that we either chose or were chosen by the greatest Master in the world."

"That's true."

"Only the blind will think otherwise."

"..." alright, I'm getting major first and second-hand embarrassment from this shit. I really thought I was over it, finally. But... apparently not.

"Alright, if you've all had your fill and chatted enough," Long Tao suddenly spoke up. "Go beat each other for a bit. I need to ask Master something."

"... little Xiu, let's go see if my fists are the only thing I know how to use."

"Ugh. Fine, fine..."

"Brother Zhao, can you please look at my sword form?"

"Of course, little Feng. Come on."

"Uncle Alchemist, can you help me with my ink formula? I'm having some trouble with it."

"Yes, yes..."

"New guy, can you fly?" Light asked confused Han Yimu as the other kids dispersed.

"Uh... no?"

"Heh," she looked at him smugly. "I can. Want me to show you?"

"... sure."

"Let's go."

And, just like that, it was me, Long Tao, the bird on the top of my head, and the statue of a hunchback pointing at Long Tao from the side. He put away the bottle, drew in the air with his fingers for a moment, and finally spoke up.

"There's one place we should visit before going to the Island," oh boy. Is this another one of his side-quests that will take us two years to finish?

"Where?"

"Heavenly Void Range," he said. "To see about a pup we left behind."

"..." huh? Pup? What--aaah! The tiger! Shit, I totally forgot! Okay, it's a side-quest that will probably not take us two years.

I kinda put him out of my head once we met the 'King' of that place and I nearly shat myself, but... we do have one beast companion; may as well start stacking them bright and early, especially since the little phoenix has been begging for a method all this while. Two birds (or one bird and one tiger, at least) with one stone and all.

End of Volume 5

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter (& the volume) ^^As always, it's mostly for my internal tracking; we're kicking off from the same place tomorrow in the next volume. See ya' :)

Chapter 530 - Dread and Quiet (I)

Volume Vee Legend of the Island

We spent the next three to four days in a constant flight, as that's how long it took us to cross the body of water separating Forbidden Spirit Wilds and Imperial Jade Province. Honestly, we weren't traveling slowly; maybe it wasn't airliner speed or anything, but it was still a few hundred miles an hour. And, considering the size of this 'gulf' on the map compared to the true width of the lake at its maximum, I worried that crossing the length of an entire lake would literally take a whole month of constant flight in this thing.

By the time four days had passed and we disembarked on the boring and dull shores, virtually everyone cheered. Being stuck inside a box with no way to leave with a bunch of other people, no matter how well they got along (most of the time), isn't exactly a recipe for fun times.

It did afford me some free time to make a method for the birdie, finally shutting her up. It wasn't anything special--in fact, I didn't even max the points, spending a cool 620 on it as I wasn't sure whether it would turn out to be good. After all, I'd never made a method for a beast before, so it was kind of an uncharted territory.

... it turned out that my worry was for nothing as, functionally, there wasn't actually any difference--at least as far as I could tell. There wasn't a box I had to check that said 'this one's for the beasts' or anything; I just made a Fire-themed method with a specific restriction of 'Beast' (well, I guess that is kind of like checking off a box, huh?), added a few boosts and bonuses and, as more often than not, forgot to name it, and, lo and behold, a thing appeared.

[Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Phoenix Rising Core Method' Cultivation Method]

I thought the name was quite cute if not a bit too much on the nose. In fairness, while making it, I was thinking of the 'Phoenix's Cry Method' for the name in reference to the thing yapping and crying so much my head hurt.

[...][Phoenix Rising Core Method][Type: Cultivation Method][Rank: low-Myth tier][Host Comprehension: None (Fails to meet minimum requirements)][...][An oddity among the human-born methods, Phoenix Rising Core Method instead aims to be used by Beasts rather than people; though it has been a long-held belief that all Beasts of any intellect inherit an appropriate method through their Bloodline directly, that is often not the case, especially for long-diluted ancient bloodlines. In the same vein, the common sense is that the humans are incapable of either creating or adjust an existing method to be used by the Beasts. However, the nature of cultivation across the species is surprisingly similar, and with some minor adjustments, it is possible to repurpose almost all manmade methods into ones usable by the beasts. It would require someone who has '???' understanding of such method, however, to do it. This method does not adapt itself from an existing one, but simply appropriates the nature of Fire Cultivation into a simple and straightforward interpretation; any Fire-type beast, regardless of sub-species, can learn it as the requirements are extremely low. Though it's 'merely' an entry-level method, it is perfect as the first stepping stone into the world of cultivation for juvenile beasts][...][Creation Points Value: 620 of 1000 Comprehension Difficulty: Easy][...][Creation Bonus: Gain 100 C.P whenever a Beast learns any one of your created methods or arts]

I was a bit disappointed with such a basic creation bonus, especially since I thought a manmade method meant for beasts would elicit something better, but, alas. If I want to whore out my methods to the entire world of the beasts, I might get a nice little boost to the points.

Speaking of points, there was an influx of about 10,000 of them when the kids started gaining initial mastery of the Protean Song of Eternity, which was far more than any other art or method previously. There was also a bit of a stunned silence where Long Tao and Lao Shun stared deathly daggers at me once the kids started entering state of Enlightenment one after another, but my perfect act of blissful ignorance convinced them to leave me alone.

Sure.

It was the act.

Khm.

Now that we were out, I took in a lungful of fresh air--not that the air in the chariot wasn't 'fresh'--enjoying it deeply as the kids, one after another, started tossing themselves into the lake for a quick swim. I was tempted, too, but hesitated as I had my master's image to uphold.

Even Lao Shun went in for a dip, which left me alone on the shore, pondering and brooding in silence. The next big hurdle was Long Tao's next breakthrough--that into the Void Transformation Realm. With the explicit warning from the system that at least one of my disciples also had to make perfect breakthroughs, I couldn't not worry.

It can't happen just yet as the location requirements were quite strict, but I do recall the system mentioning that one of the suitable places happened to be the Nirvana Frontier Island--our ultimate destination after this small side quest. I feel like too many things, though, are tied up with that damned place.

There's the damn alchemist whom I both have to curry favors with and kill--something that I haven't yet fully accepted in my heart. While the nameless Empress was adamant that he was a vile human being, and while even Shuren implied it somewhat, I couldn't just sentence a man to death without even meeting him. And even if I could, also needing his help... ugh.

The moral implications are so broken that my mind just doesn't even want to think about it. Yet, think I must.

Because of that alchemist frolicking in the shallows over there.

Despite being with us for a while now, Lao Shun's condition didn't improve. His Heart Demon was still there, roaring like a fire, not to mention the ticking timebomb that was the Plume. The system explicitly said that only Alchemist Yuan had the means of fixing it, which is where the seeds of doubt reside.

I never quite thought the system was much of a 'moralist', as it were, but it had also never once requested me to interact with a truly evil person beyond killing them. Does that mean the alchemist was somehow good? No--I'm fairly certain that, at the very least, he's an abusive, neglectful douchebag who uses his status to do whatever he wants, but also... maybe he's not truly evil and deserving of death.

Haaah.

Why do my thoughts still dwell on shit like this? It's been years since I've come to this world--I've killed so many people by now that I'd have been locked up for eighteen lifetimes back on Earth, and I've watched many more die most brutal deaths right in front of my eyes. I've watched literal children execute people so casually it looked like some kind of a joke. And yet, here I am, still trying to moralize the 'need his help but also need to kill him'.

... no, perhaps it will never go away, no matter what. Do I even want it to truly go away? Ultimately, if it comes down to it, I know I can ask the man for help and then kill him after the fact. Even if he truly isn't nearly as evil as the Empress made him out to be. It's a choice I would have never made even a couple of years ago.

And, even beyond that, I know it won't cause me that much inner turmoil. Perhaps a couple of nights of silent brooding, at most.

Haah.

Circumstances truly erode and carve a man into a new thing, no matter what kind of a stone he's made from.

Chapter 531 - Dread and Quiet (2)

For the next week or so, we alternated between riding in a chariot and walking on foot. It was for no other reason than the kids not liking to be locked up in a metal(ish?) box for prolonged periods of time and wanting to stretch their legs. In fairness, it's not as though we were in some kind of a 'hurry'. It's been a while since I felt this unoccupied with our next destination, simply thinking we'll get there when we get there.

We also didn't beeline for the Jade Blossom City as it was quite some ways away, instead choosing the lesser of the region's two major cities, Lotus City. For that, we first had to travel northward to reach the banks of the Lotus Blossom River--I know, names so original they gave me a whiplash--which happened at the very last day of the week's travel.

The river itself was quite a surprise as it was genuinely pink, color of the faded lotus flower. Speaking of them, the banks of the river were absolutely overrun by the flower; spanning east and west, all the way to the river's entry into the lake, there were hundreds of thousands of lotus flowers, and they were all of the pinkish hue. Yes, they varied in the color slightly, but bearing witness to the sight left me a bit breathless.

It was a harsh cut just beyond the river's banks, as it transitioned into dull, dark-green grass that filled out most of the land we could see. There was just this one patch along the river that bled color to the point it was kind of difficult to look at.

"There's a legend about this place," Lao Shun said as we pitched the tent to rest of the night. "That a long, long, long time ago, there were two sworn brothers who met in their youth and formed a lifelong friendship.

However, by the time they became adults, their tribes had gone to war, and they were forced to pick up weapons against each other. Not wanting to kill a sworn brother, they made a pact that they'd place a lotus flower a day before they arrived at a place, so that the other would know to leave.

"Ultimately, they were both killed in the war, but once the chieftains of the tribes learned of their friendship, they made peace with one another and, in their honor, lined the length of the river with lotus flowers so that they would always be remembered."

Stories like these, ultimately, populate histories--as on Earth, so here. Whether they are true or not, and to what extent they may be truthful, is wholly irrelevant. They give life to otherwise meaningless things. In reality, there's probably some natural phenomenon--maybe some kind of a unique material in the river--that's the cause of the lotus flowers decorating the banks. But that's boring.

"That's lovely," Wan Lan said, and most of the other kids nodded.

Days started slowly blending into one another; beyond there being a couple of minor breakthroughs, and Eternity transforming into a house-sized lotus, there was little else happening as we made our way up the river toward the Lotus City. Once at a fork, we set out right, which is when we finally started seeing some change in terrain.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I saw a tree--then another, and then another, and soon there were small forests littering the landscape. And in just a few days' time, the horizon got blanketed by a massive behemoth that cast a shadow across the flats.

I immediately understood why it was called a 'Lotus City'.

Because it was kind of, sort of, if you squint real hard in the shape of a lotus flower. The walls kind of unceremoniously fanned out and I noticed earthly pillars shooting out of the ground that were vaguely shaped like flower petals. There's just no way those were natural, as they curved like a goddamn scoliosis.

Atop of them rested tall, looming buildings that overlooked the rest of the city, though the 'petals' only extended in three directions, leaving the front 'flat' and simple.

We climbed atop a small nearby hill and gave a slightly better view and, through the faint flickering, I could see an array extending all around the city and about full fifteen hundred feet into the sky.

Something unprecedented happened just then.

[--Creator's Eyes used][Target: Ethereal Lotus Array][...][Consume 500 C.P to deduce partial information on the array?]

... wait, why did this never trigger before? And if it was a new thing added to the system, I do not remember reading it.

I spent the 500 points quite easily despite it being on the expensive end of things, but as this was my first time deducing an array, it's not as though I had a frame of reference for what it's supposed to cost.

[--500 C.P consumed][...][Basic Information][Array Name: Ethereal Lotus Array][Rank: Intermediate][Type: Permanent / Sustained][Durability: 86 percent Effect: a relatively basic area-spanning array, containing multitudes. Its primary effect, as with most defensive formations, is the protection from the external. Once activated, it can temporarily hold out against Imperial-level threat, though it is ultimately designed to withstand attacks from sub-Imperial realm cultivators.

Its secondary function is observational. By restructuring and terraforming nearby terrain to resemble parts of a lotus flower, the array focuses them as points of interest from which Qi disperses, allowing for the array's Master to see the totality of the area that the array spans. Though it has some minor Qi-adjacent boosts, they do not do enough to boost it out of its subpar tier][...][Means of Destruction: Host's level is not enough to discern][Discern Construction Blueprint: Host's level is not enough to discern][Other information is impossible to discern at the moment]

... huh.

Huh, huh, huh.

What the hell? Where has this been this entire time?

It's actually kind of insane that I can just read so much info about an array, though I imagine a good chunk of it is mostly public knowledge. Still...

"Everything alright, Master?" Xing Feng asked.

"No, everything is fine," at least now I know that the petals fanning out aren't purely decorative but part of an array. "Just admiring the array, is all."

"It is quite basic, but the fanning petal-shaped terrain is decently unique," Han Yimu said. Okay, I have the system to help me figure it out, but how do you know?! Oh, you just learned it like a normal person would? Ah, never mind.

"Have you studied arrays before, Yimu?" though the system never mentioned it, it might just be that it was overshadowed by everything else.

"A bit," he said. "But Master--I mean, my former Master discouraged me pursuing any auxiliary field, citing that my time was best spent cultivating as my talents were severely lacking."

... huh. Was his former Master blind or a bit slow in the head?

I fetched something that's been buried in my ring for a long while now, a fairly thick codex, with an overly long name resembling certain web novels I used to read.

"Here," I said. "Study it, see if it interests you, and if it does, just keep pursuing it. You are more than talented enough."

Chapter 532 - Dread and Quiet (3)

With the thick codex about the arrays handed out, I did one last look-over and nodded; truly, we still did look like a common little group of travelers. Maybe. I'm not actually sure anymore. We haven't changed out appearances since we left the Spirit Sword Sect, and it might actually be the time since most of the kids had reached the next tier of understanding. We have done some, uh, odd things here and there with our current appearances, and though it would risk erasing our existing relationships somewhat, it might be worth it.

"Wait, Yimu, learn this too," the thought had reminded me of the fact Han Yimu was someone of the Upper Realm, someone whose appearance was likely recognizable, which would betray us immediately if he were spotted.

"What is it, Master?" he asked.

"An insurance," I said. "Speaking of: kids, do you think it's time we made some, uh, alterations, again?"

They were growing and naturally changing, so it might just be my paranoia, but if they collectively voted no because they developed some self-image issues, I'd drop the notion immediately.

"It might be," Wan Lan said. "Xiu has done some remarkably stupid things using her face. If for nothing else..."

"Me? What about you and your stupid face?"

"I've been nothing short of a proper lady."

"Hah," that snort of derision came from her soul, I swear.

"They don't need to be full makeovers," I said. "Just slight changes so it's not completely obvious."

"... t-t-this is a face-changing art?!" Han Yimu exclaimed in shock, which I'm getting more annoyed than pleased with as the years go by. It used to be that people being shocked by my shit would give me odd sense of pleasure, but now I'm just annoyed, honestly. "How, how is this possible?!"

"We don't have to do it yet," I said. "But we should change them a bit before leaving the city. Alright, everyone ready?"

"Yes, Master."

"Let's go in."

We crossed the final distance in a relatively short amount of time, joining a somewhat lengthy procession of people coming and going. All were cultivators, their realms ranging from Qi Condensation all the way to Shedding Mortality from a cursory examination, though there's a few--like us--who were undoubtedly hiding their strength, and it's not as though I had enough charges of my eye--or, well, Dao Sight--

--shit, that's it, isn't it? That's the reason I can see through the array, no? I just don't understand why the system still uses 'Creator's Eye' when it's evolved. Huh.

Anyway, we made our way to the front and were let in after paying some stones. The walls receded slowly as the dirt unfurled into a limestone-paved pathway, flanked by brick-made buildings on either end and the general hubbub of a city.

Luckily, the crowded entryway made way quickly for a much wider set of streets that fanned out in six different directions, with road signs posted against each noting where they led. Though it was a rather basic signage, it was oddly modern in that the paths led to distinct boroughs of sort; there was the 'Martial Arts District', the 'Auxiliary Shops District', the 'Auction Shops District', the 'Living Quarters District', the 'Inns District', and, lastly, the 'Palace'.

Without much thought we headed down the road toward the inns where a good number of other newcomers seemed to be going as well. The scent of freshly baked food and roasted pigs and lamb quickly took over the air as we were accosted no less than forty times before finally making it through to the other side. As Lao Shun was our de-facto traveler, he found us an inn--Boar and Bear Inn, it's called--and booked us three rooms in total: one for me, one of the boys, and one for the girls.

"Master, can we go exploring?" was the first thing Dai Xiu asked before we even had the chance to check out those rooms.

"Of course; just be careful. No trouble, alright? If you make any trouble, I'll be very sad."

"Of course, Master! No trouble!"

"... Lan'er, go with her."

"Yes, Master," she smiled faintly. Luckily, Dai Xiu had already left by then as, otherwise, she would have thrown a tantrum over how I didn't trust her. Before long, little Feng, Xi Zhao, and Rayce joined them, going out to see the city.

In the meantime, the rest of us headed to the inn's restaurant of sorts as it just so happened to be lunch time, taking up a table in the corner.

One good bit of news was that I managed to convince Lu Naǒ to get into the 'prison' and stay there for a bit. Though I doubt there were many who could recognize it as a Divine Beast, that didn't mean there were none. And, I have this sneaking suspicion if someone saw a Divine Beast casually making a nest in my hair, they might just not let it go with a simple, 'Huh. How curious'.

As always, while Han Yimu desperately tried to get to know Light who couldn't be less interested, and while Lao Shun was asking Long Tao something or another about cultivation, I perked up my ears to the other conversations in the room. We've been out of the civilization for a while now, and before making any choices beyond traveling to the mountains, it'd be good to know what was happening.

"... seriously? The entire leadership of the Mountain was wiped up?"

"That's what I heard," the most interesting of the conversations came about from the table right next to ours.

"Who did it? Someone from the Upper Realm?"

"No; by the time they arrived, everyone was dead. Right now, from what my Senior tells me, they are still investigating."

"Huh. Just yesterday, they were looming over the world as gods. And now..."

"Hush. They are still one of the top sects in the world, regardless. Who are we to judge them?"

"True, true."

Interesting. Who else would have the ability to actually go toe-to-toe with the strongest sect in the world? Maybe some other rival sect? Regardless, it had nothing to do with me. For all I care, that entire place can be wiped from the face of the earth.

I was just about to enjoy the soup and smoked lamb combo that I was brought when a sound that I kind of loathed at this point rang out in my ear: that of an emergency quest.

[--emergency quest detected][...][Sage of Dread (Legendary)][Within Lotus City currently resides one of the Sages of the Abyss, Sage of Dread. The reason is the final activation of the Parasitic Vine, which has been raised with the capacity to infect the city-wide array and close off the city from the rest of the world, slowly sapping it of Life Qi by killing everyone within. Prevent the Sage from executing their plan and save the city][...][Rewards][Reward 1: 30,000 C.P][Reward 2: A random Divine-tier item][Reward 3: Identity of the 3rd Sage of the Abyss][...][Due to the nature of the quest, time limits have been imposed][Time Left: 26 hours, 18 minutes]

... ah, for the love of all that is holy, will these annoying asswipes ever leave me the fuck alone?!!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, everyone ^^A small note: I'm attending a cousin's wedding tomorrow, and I'm not actually sure when it's gonna be over or when I'm gonna get back home. The chapter might be late, or I might not get back in time to release it. So, if I'm mia, you'll know why.

Chapter 533 - Dread and Quiet (4)

I'm so tired, really, of the entire order of those nutcrackers. They've been my shadow practically ever since we left the sect originally, and have been tripping me almost every step of the way. Now, the truth is probably the opposite; they've been around for so long their roots had penetrated so deep into the ground they can't be sensed, while I'm the newcomer with a shovel digging around like a freakin' mole.

But still...

"Everything alright, Master?" Long Tao asked as I turned toward them. Twenty-six hours. Can it even be done? A quest with 'Legendary' difficulty... at the very least, it is not asking us to kill the Sage, which either means we physically cannot with our current strength, or at least it'd take too long or too much of us.

Just to stop it... well, it might not be impossible, but I very much doubt the guy will just laze around and ignore us trying to do it.

"Neither of you have sensed it?" I probed Long Tao and Lao Shun.

"Sensed what?" they asked somewhat cutely at the same time.

"They're here, too," I said. "And concocting something that's about to infect the array completely."

"... the Sages?" Lao Shun frowned. "Are you sure? I haven't sensed anything drawing Life Qi toward it."

"Because that's not what it is," I said. "It's a different kind of a parasite; as I said, it will infect the array and trap everyone inside, slowly draining us of life until we are all dead."

"Should I even bother asking how you could possibly know that?" Lao Shun looked rather tired as he asked.

"You have the tongue and the lips and the throat," I said. "And a mind young enough to form words and sentences. You have the ability to ask anything of anyone. Don't sell yourself short."

"One day I'll concoct a pill that will make you go bald," he said. "And you won't even know which one it is."

"I think I'd look great bald."

"No, no you don't."

"... alright, your pettiness aside," I said. "I really don't know anything else. Not where it is, not what it looks like, not even who the Sage is."

"Wait--there is a Sage in here? Now?" Lao Shun quickly asked.

"... yes."

"How much time do we have?" Long Tao suddenly interjected before Lao Shun could tell me we need to leave.

"About a day before we are trapped," I said.

"Hm," his brows furrowed as his fingers rapped against the table for a moment. "That's not a long time."

"No, it's not," I said, sighing. "So, what we're going to do is this: we'll spread out and search for about half a day. Being careful goes to the top; make sure nobody discovers us. If, after twelve hours, we have found nothing, we will pack our bags and leave. If we do find something by some miracle, unless it can be interfered with stealthily, we will leave it be and get out."

"... are you sure, Master?" Long Tao asked, his brows arching. "If we do, this entire city will likely die."

"..." the words haunted me and caused my heart to stop for a second. Of course I wanted to stay and save them--I had to fight against every single one of my instincts to say otherwise. But... I'm worried. I'm worried that, one of these days, the kids will suffer unto my naive 'savior' complex or whatever it is. "Twelve hours," I said, gritting my teeth. "Be careful."

"... no seconds to waste, then," Lao Shun said as he stood up. "Tao and I will go. You stay here and wait for the kids; make sure everyone is ready to leave at a moment's notice."

"Hm."

It was not six seconds after the two left before Han Yimu spoke up.

"Who are Sages, Master?" he asked.

"Haah, I'm not quite sure myself, Yimu," I said. "Some ways back, we came across a small village in the middle of nowhere. Everything seemed ordinary except that there were some villagers who fell into what was essentially an eternal sleep. Alive, but not quite. We stayed to see if we could help, and eventually figured out that the source of it was some kind of a Parasitic Vine. It infiltrated the people's minds and would slowly suck their Life Qi away until they died. We ended up killing it, and learning from the man who brought it there of the Sages.

"Since then," I continued. "We kept encountering the Vines. Cities, wilderness, you name it. We even ended up running into one of the Sages and killing him. In fairness, he was extremely weakened and yet, even in that state, if he had remained of clear mind... who knows what would have happened. Even the thing you came down here to investigate is linked to them."

"They caused the realm's destruction?" he frowned as he asked.

"No," I shook my head. "No, that was one of the sect's own Elders. But, they tempted her with something she failed to achieve on her own--ability to ascend. I... I ended up killing one of them. I'm not sure whether he was a Sage or just a member of their order, but he was... quite strong."

"... huh."

"What is it?" I asked since it looked as though something in his mind clicked.

"No, it might be nothing," he said. "But... in one of the history books dating back to the Epoch of Wars, I read that the very first Order of the Sages was formed. They were original scholars and theorists of the martial arts; though they themselves weren't necessarily talented, they had the ability to teach others and were greatly revered. However, among them, there were those who were... hungry for even more knowledge. They sought to understand things that everybody else deemed impossible.

"One of those Sages, Sage Shenyuan, looked further back into the past, before even the Age of the Beginning when the first humans emerged. According to the codex, he sought to understand the Primordial Life, and eventually ended up declaring the existence of something he called 'The Abyss'. According to him, it was a mid-membrane of reality where beings that eclipsed even Dao itself in power resided, and if one could awaken one of those beings... they would become the ruler of the entire cosmos."

"Is that so?"

"Nobody believed him, of course," Han Yimu chuckled. "He was discredited and stripped of his Sage title, founding an order called 'Sages of the Abyss' in an attempt to rise back up. According to the text, though, they were destroyed immediately each and every time they'd appear, citing their blasphemous view of Dao."

"So, you don't think the Abyss is real?" I asked.

"No," he replied. "Before we had fully mapped out the worlds, there were a lot of places like the Abyss. These supposedly hard-to-reach dimensions containing things beyond our understanding. Not one of them was ever proven to be true; merely desires or fantasies or yearnings of those who created them. Just like them, the Abyss doesn't exist."

"Huh," that's a... surprising bit of history that I'd learned, honestly. If Han Yimu knows it, chances are that Long Tao knows it, too. But, well, he'd never really shared. Maybe, one of these days, he'll recall his granduncle's tale, too.

"It is real," a youthful, somewhat annoyed voice suddenly spoke up. I looked over and saw that Light was pouting as she stared at the both of us.

"What is real, Light?" I asked.

"The Abyss."

"... huh?"

"My papa said that it exists," she said. "And that's where Demon God lives. He took me there and I saw it. It is a prison," she added. "With no beginning or end."

Heyo, hope you enjoyed the chapter ^^The wedding yesterday ran quite late; I ended up coming back home sometime past 11 and basically only had the time to shower before conking out on my bed. But, no more social obligations for the foreseeable future. It'll take me month alone to recover from that one, I feel.

Chapter 534 - Dread and Quiet (V)

... alright. You can't just drop such a bombshell and go back to nibbling away at some meat from the bone like you're a rabbit.

I immediately noticed Han Yimu's expression shift and twist as though he'd heard the soul-crushing horror story ever told, his fingers freezing on the table.

"When you say you went there, Light," I probed gently; it's not that I didn't trust her, but I know firsthand how... distorted her memories can be. Maybe not distorted, but certainly incomplete. "What do you mean?"

"What else can I mean, Master? I went there with papa and mama when we were together," she replied. "Papa had a portal in the basement and we took it."

"So, you met the Demon God?"

"Hmm, not really? He was asleep, papa said. He also said that everyone there sleeps.

That is the only way they can somewhat stay alive." she said, her brows furrowing. "Mama also said that the Warden was scary and that nobody wants to anger it."

... what in the fuck could possibly be scary for a creature that calls itself a Demon God? I mean, a billion things, as that's ultimately just a name. For all I know, it's some con artist that swindles the hopeful, promising them some great demonic powers.

No, I'm just making shit up here. I've seen Light do the things she does, and there's no doubt in my mind that the creature she inherited those powers from... yeah, it's terrifying. Which was then doubly worrying, as that creature feared the 'Warden'.

"You didn't meet the Warden?" I asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Papa did when we went in. He brought it some gifts."

"U-uh, Light... w-when you say, when you say Demon God, you mean...?" Han Yimu seemed to finally recover from his little spell, asking with a shaky tone.

"I mean Demon God!" she was clearly a bit annoyed at us by this point. "Master, stop making stupid people your Disciples! They'll bring you great shame!"

... alright, Light, ease up a bit.

"You mean--"

"--Yimu," I interrupted. "Place and time."

"A-ah, right. Forgive me, Master."

"No worries," I said. Though we weren't talking loud enough to be heard, you never know who's listening. Well, I hope to god nobody was listening, and if they were, they'll just assume we're fucking around a bit. Light clearly has no Demonic Qi in her, which is probably why Han Yimu can't quite process the reality of things.

I do wonder, though, where exactly Light went. From the view that I got of everything, and the accounts of other people I've talked to, there truly shouldn't be an Abyss. Though, it's entirely possible it's a smaller, hidden realm, sort of like the Phoenix one we just went in, and Light's memories of it were... distorted, to a degree.

It still worries that it's presumed the Abyss is made up, and worries more that the Sages themselves have links to it. All the same, it also fills out a picture a bit better than before; if I make a shitload of assumptions, it's not difficult to venture a guess as to why they need so much Life Qi: probably to help something that's trapped in the Abyss get out.

What? Why? How? I haven't a clue. But the key to it all is an insane amount of Life Qi.

... does us stepping in even hinder their plans, honestly? While, from my perspective at least, it might seem as though we've siphoned a lot of Life Qi from them, in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not that much. If it truly were, I don't think we'd have never experienced a setback or a pursuit.

Haah.

There's no remedy for hasty assumptions. Whatever the case, I'll leave it to Long Tao and Lao Shun to look for the vine.

We went back into our rooms soon after, though Light went with Han Yimu since it was just the two of them still. I sat by the window and watched over the funneling street below, filled to the brim with souls fanning out into the four streets that emerged from it. They are all a day away from having their fates sealed, and none know it.

How many times have I had a close brush with death without being aware of it? Driving down the downtown street without paying much attention, with some asshole speeding from the other direction. Had I sped ever so slightly, would we have collided?

[--Lu Naǒ urges you to leave this place. She says that the Qi is thick with corruption]

She's a Divine Beast, after all. If there's anyone among us too sensitive to changes in Qi, it'd be her.

"Don't worry," I mumbled. "If we don't figure out how to end it, we'll leave before it hurts us."

[--Eternity offers to track down and annihilate the vine][C.P Required: 100000 Do you wish to pay?]

... hm? Wait. It's not that expensive, actually. I mean, it is expensive and well beyond what I can afford, but for Eternity to not just track it down but also destroy it... it's 'just' 100,000 points?

There's a discrepancy somewhere in all this horseshit, and I think it's about the specifics of the wording. Eternity's offer mentions no Sage or their plans, the Quest, on the other hand, directly interprets the actions as interference in the Sage's plans.

Was... was it really that simple? That the mere wording of a quest or an offer massively changes the price, even if the actual act would be the same?

"Eternity," I mumbled toward the gaudy, golden curtain that wasn't covering the window but rather the corner of the wall. "Can you rephrase the offer so it mentions Sages?"

[--Eternity offers to track down the vine disrupt the plans of the Sage of Dread][C.P Required: 150000 Do you wish to pay?]

... huh. So, there is a difference, but it's honestly far, far, far smaller than I thought it'd be. My fingers inadvertently began to tap away against the window pane, mind drifting in the all-consuming thoughts.

Is it that the system is overestimating the Sage? Or am I doing it in its stead? Do my thoughts in any way, shape or form color the quests?

I pulled up the quests window that I hadn't touched in a while since we seldom had the free time to frolic around and complete quests, looking through them all in as much detail as I could, looking for anything that seemed off.

Unfortunately, my theory didn't pan out as well as I'd hoped; none of the quests seemed to stray too much outside the norm, regardless whether I had a developed opinion on anything within their contents. Is it really just R.N.G? A roll of the dice?

Haah. Whatever. I'll learn when I learn, I suppose.

Hours slowly began to tick away as I remained seated by the window. I'd pull up the Creator's Window and mess around for a bit, even creating a few things as experiments, netting me a few extra points back, or I'd close my eyes and try and comprehend the Dao of Space a bit better, or I'd gaze off into the distance, worried about those two idiots and what they're doing.

The kids had returned before nightfall, though Long Tao and Lao Shun remained outside even as the midnight started approaching. They'd been gone just shy of eight hours, and worry had set itself quite deeply in my heart.

"We've found it," my heart stopped as a voice spoke up behind me. It was a familiar voice, but a voice that I was not expecting. "Forgive me, Master; did I scare you?"

"... no. Just annoyed me," I grunted and turned to face Long Tao. "Are you alone?"

"No. The alchemist had come back, too."

"You found it, you said? Where is it'"

"Deep underground," he said, pointing down.

"How deep?"

"Two miles, at least. There's a web of tunnels spinning out, an entire inverse city where some familiar faces live."

"... familiar faces?"

"The shadows that swarmed the realm, made of Death Qi." he said. "And, at the very heart, there's a parasitic vine, its body having already infiltrated three out of the four major points of the array."

"What about the Sage?" I asked.

"We didn't find him." he said. "He could be anywhere."

"... what are our chances?" I asked outright.

"Not the worst," he shrugged. "But, we might not need to do anything."

"No?" I frowned. "Why?"

"There's quite a few people here already making their way through the tunnels, culling the shadows as they make their way toward the vine."

"... huh? Wait, what?"

Chapter 535 - Dread and Quiet (6)

Darkness swayed like shadow against the light, curling up against the narrowing tunnels. Some were shaped like people, still, but fewer and fewer were; most were beasts, but not the kind Zi Tai had ever seen before. Amalgamations and abominations, twisted creatures that went against the nature of everything.

She flicked her fingers as fire erupted underneath one of them, consuming it whole. A frown deepened on her face, eyes wearily staring at the fading ashes.

"We should leave, Senior Sister," a youthful voice came out from her side. "Elder clearly lied and set us up; there is no way this is the work of some minor, nameless Sage. All signs point--"

"--enough," she interrupted, feeling the weight in her heart.

She wasn't blind. Rather, she was probably the first one to notice it, all the way to how the tunnels entrances were arranged. No, even the mere existence of the tunnels was as big of a sign as any. They'd been tracking the Sages for countless years now, and though many eluded them still, one they--and she--were intimately familiar with: Sage of Dread.

If it truly was him... they stood no chance. Though that man was not officially an Emperor, he was likely that way by choice rather than the lack of ability.

However, the reason why she stuck around was quite simple: Sage of Dread hadn't been sighted in over ten thousand years at this point, and practically nobody in her Order would believe him to be here, in this lesser realm. There was a greater chance that somebody was merely emulating his methods than it was his doing.

... and yet, the deeper they went, the more certain she became it was him.

The ease of entry.

The escalating difficulty of progress.

Barriers they had to overcome by working together.

He called himself 'The Storyteller', and this was what he did: curated places and used the living and breathing to write some twisted, macabre tales of heroism and sacrifice. Not that those heroes could ever win--they'd all end up dead, in the end.

"Do you really think Elder Na betrayed us?" another voice joined. There were six of them on the expedition, though most were Juniors half her age, and this was practically their first real outing. The one who asked, though, was her trusted friend and a second-in-command that had been with her since she was first elected to be the part of the Order.

"I wouldn't put it past him," she said, shrugging her shoulders. She certainly didn't make too many friends in the Order, least of all with a man who'd asked to bed her just shy of a thousand times now, never getting a positive response.

"Bastard," Hou Qing spat. "Once we get back, you need to clean house, Tai. Once and for all. For that to happen, though, we have to leave. Now. Going any deeper is too dangerous."

It was, she knew it--but she hesitated because she could feel it, the vine. It was so close, perhaps just a couple of hundred yards more. It has been ages since anyone in the Order managed to track down the vine, let alone destroyed one, and if she could do it, finally do something that even her Masters could not, she'd be able to immediately stamp her way to the very top of the Order. They'd have no choice but to let her Walk, even if they didn't want to.

But the rational parts of her knew that she would never able to do anything to the vine; Sage of Dread did not garner the reputation he did by allowing others to stop his plans. All of this was merely theatrics, a play he was writing, and though the story could have its small twists and turns, the ending was always the same: she would die, as would everyone who came with her.

"Let's go back," she ordered. "Maintain the formation; Chen, switch with Qiu and hold the lantern. Swap every thirty minutes on the dot; if you feel your mind slipping, let me know. Qing, take the rear.

If the shadows start chasing us, we'll start swapping. Once we start retreating, we cannot stop. Are you ready?"

"Ready."

"We're ready, Senior."

"Let us--"

"--why the hurry, little ones?" a voice echoed throughout the tunnel that caused chills to run down her spine. It was a hiss, twisted and eerie, low and chilling. "Since you are already here, why do you wish to leave?"

Run she ordered without a second thought, but they barely made it back forty feet before reaching the collapsed end--it was covered in shadows, from top to bottom, but not of creatures. Rather, they were the nefarious calling of the Dread, Ashen Shadows. The texts said that merely standing too close to them for longer than a minute meant certain death for anyone below the Imperial Realm.

"He he, it has been a long while since such delicious lambs have come. I would make a rude host if I were to not welcome you properly. Please, continue your journey; I am waiting. Ha ha ha~." laughter burst forth like a song of mockery, like a hammer to her bones. She stood frozen for good half a minute before unclenching her jaw and turning to face the others.

They were terrified. Even Hou Qing was barely maintaining his expression.

Just as she was about to order them to move forward as there was no other choice, she paused, barely catching the sound of some voices. She wasn't certain where they were coming from or even what they were saying, and it was entirely possible that the certainty of death had made her lose her mind, but she waited. Slowly, they grew louder--soon loud and clear enough that she could just barely make out the words.

"Are you sure it's here?" a somewhat aged voice asked.

"No, it is on the other side; I just thought Master could use some exercise so I have us going around in circles," a youthful voice responded.

"Stop blabbering, you two; just because only the Sage's Avatar is here doesn't mean we can afford to be careless," another slightly aged voice joined.

"Master, these shadows are funny," a youthful girl's voice said.

"How so, Light?"

"They tickle."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't touch that if I were you, Master," the first youthful voice said.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you will die."

"... right. Makes sense."

"We should also probably stop yapping."

"Why?" another unfamiliar voice joined in.

"Because we are being quite loud and the little lambs are listening in on us."

Just then, the wall that had been preventing them from escaping suddenly eroded, revealing a burst of light on the other side. From it, Zi Tai saw quite a few figures emerge--she though there'd only be five, but there were... a whole lot more than that. Leading them was a middle-aged seeming man with a somewhat unkempt beard and a tired look in his eyes.

"Hey there," he said, putting on a smile. "We come in peace." silence fell as nobody seemed to know how to respond to that. "I can't believe I actually said that. Sheesh. My entire body convulsed. Sorry. Uh, don't freak out; my name is Qi, this is my family, and we're here for the same reason as you, I imagine. To destroy the vine before it infects the array."

Chapter 536 - Dread and Quiet (7)

This might be the most awkward I felt in a long time. I mean, I did just utter a phrase 'We come in peace!' unironically, which might be measurably the most cringe thing I had ever said in my life at any point. Including the ever-delightful years of puberty, ripe with memories I'd rather forget.

The group stared back at us, though underneath that cover was a readiness to jump at us and fight immediately. I'd rather avoid it, as the leader of the little expedition was... uh, kind of nuts? No, not her--her window. Rather, nuts is being charitable. Just to see her window partially cost me 1,000 points which I barely had the heart to part with, but the curiosity got the best of me and, as usual with these high-number unveilings, I wish I had just remained the ignorant bastard that I was seventeen seconds ago.

[--1,000 points spent][Target: Zi Tai][Age: 44 Talent: quasi-Divine][Cultivation Realm: quasi True God Realm][Cultivation Method: Inaccessible][Cultivation Arts: Inaccessible][...][Traits][Heavenly Chosen (Legendary) -- as someone chosen by the Heavens, he will always get favorable outcomes no matter what][Blessed by Dao (Dao) -- a creature directly blessed by Dao itself; fate is uncertain][Righteous (Legendary) -- seeks justice no matter what and will never stand and watch what she perceives to be an evil act occur without interfering][Perceptive (Legendary) -- has an extremely keen eye; difficult to deceive and lie to, and will notice small details where otherwise most would miss them][A Herald (???) -- has the capacity to become the Herald of an Age, ushering in a new era of the cosmos][Child of an Epoch (???) -- her Bloodline traces back to before the Origin][Remaining Traits are inaccessible][...][Assessing suitability...][... numerous anomalies discovered. Host can view only two][...][Special Bloodline Discovered][Blood of the Progenitor (???) -- there is no recorded information in the Heavenly Courts about the bloodline, as it predates the very establishment of human civilization. Though extremely thin and diluted, its existence reveals the changing of an age, as it is only ever awakened within the trace descendant when the world requires a change. Those with the Blood of the Progenitor will never encounter any bottlenecks, be it in cultivation, understanding of Dao, or cultivating martial arts; however, they are natural vortices of karma and emergent catalysts of chaos][Special Anomaly Detected: The Hunter of the Order of Dao][Order of Dao is an ancient sect, established during the era of the first cultivators, largely remaining in shadows as observers and course-correctors of reality. They seldom ever directly engage with the world, though on occasion they send out one of the three types--the Hunter, the Inquisitor, or the Judge--to correct what they deem to be broken. Though they had been hunted by the Court before, as the identities of their leaders are unknown, not much came of it][The Hunter -- cultivators of the Order specializing in tracking down specific anomalies and uprooting them; the target belongs to a small sect within the sect that specializes in tracking and hunting of the Sages of the Abyss][...][Recommendation: the host is currently too weak to properly take the target in as his Disciple; it is recommended that the host first upgrade the system to the Sovereign Tier before attempting to recruit her.

Nonetheless, establishing a positive relationship is a must][Final Assessment: once-in-an-epoch figure who can alter the course of history all by herself. As she is quite young still, the end path of her journey is entirely unknown; what is known, however, is that it will be one of struggle, strife, pain, and unending loss. The Heralds never choose their fate--it is imposed upon them, the ungrateful role that none ever want, but the world always needs]

Honestly, when Long Tao told me that there was somebody else scurrying about in the tunnels, I just figured it was some small-time sect that picked up on something wrong in the city, or maybe even the city lord himself or herself realized there was something untoward and sent someone to investigate. Little did I know that I'd encounter Mrs. World-changer right here, surrounded by a bunch of kids.

Excluding the fact that I am a bit handsomer than she is (in my humble opinion, of course), it was honestly like staring into a mirror. I don't think my window would show the 'Herald' trait or anything of the sort, but I certainly feel that way more often than not. Which is why I'm booting it as far away from her as possible as soon as we're done with this godforsaken place.

If I'm always having my ass set on fire being just by myself and the kids, if I add her magnet for trouble, we might never sleep. No, we might never even stop to catch our breath.

This is a one-off, and I'll let her do her bringing-of-the-new age thing while we do our own thing. Unable to stand the awkward silence any longer, I coughed and broke it.

"Khm, alright, I understand that I'm very handsome and that staring at me is relaxing, but we should probably talk first."

"Master isn't handsome," Dai Xiu tossed in from the side. "Master is divine--"

"--not the time or the place, Xiu'er!" I interrupted, preventing the blood from rushing into my cheeks. "Uh, my name is Qi, as I mentioned. Are you alright?"

"... we are fine," the woman in the lead replied, her expression finally hardening. "What di you mean when you say you're here for the same reason?"

"To destroy the vine."

"... what vine?"

"The one vine that's trying to infect the array."

"I'm not sure what you're talking about. We're here because we heard the Great Mole is hiding here."

"..."

"..."

"Fine," I said, shrugging. "Why don't you go back to chasing your Great Mole, praised be his name, while we go chase the vine that's not there, trying to infect an array that's immune to infections, and we both never see each other again until the day we meet the Great Whale in the Sky who takes us to the promised paradise."

"... it's not fun when bastards like you play along."

"Don't tell me the Great Mole isn't real; you will break my heart."

"How do you know about the vine?" her countenance changed into one of aggression as she asked.

"Does it matter?"

"More than anything else in the world right now."

"... wow. We found it the same way we found all others," I said. "By sensing that they were disrupting--"

"--you found others?!!" she ran over toward me and grabbed my collar, but as there was no killing intent in any of her actions, the most she got were the frowns and stares from the kids. "Where? How? How many? Where?"

"..." we sat in silence for a few seconds before she realized what she was doing, promptly letting go, coughing awkwardly, and walking back a few steps. "I've let you see a shameful side of me, forgive me."

"No, no, I have a short-term memory so, come dawn, I'll have forgotten it," all I got was a sigh as a response. "That aside, should we finally have a normal conversation about why we are here?"

Chapter 537 - Dread and Quiet (8)

Zi Tai took a deep breath to calm herself down. This was that sadist's trap, she just knew it. There was no other explanation, not one that made any sense, anyway. As if she would believe that some random, silver-tongued nobody would crawl into the tunnels 'looking for the vine', and do so on the exact day they finally decided to go in after months of planning.

And though she knew it was a trap... she didn't know how it was being done. These people were real, that much she could tell. But they were far too weak to be 'guardians' of this place. The strongest was the man reeking of alchemical herbs, and the second strongest was the man who spoke to her and infuriated her a bit who, despite his pointless attempts to hide it for some reason, had just recently broken into the Void Transformation Realm.

The rest were just children that looked like they should be training behind the walls of a sect, not rummaging through the tunnels underneath a city.

Though she got a bit excited when he told her they'd found other vines, that just affirmed her theory more; she'd been studying Sages alongside everyone else since she was a little girl, and this was only the second vine they had ever discovered. And this one, rather, was mostly due to luck; they weren't sent here expecting a vine, but merely traces of a Sage.

That this man and his cohort of children somehow found and destroyed vines was beyond ludicrous. It was a simple case of mockery--the Sage of Dread was mocking her, taunting her by telling her, 'Look how easy it is to find the vines! Even these literal children do it and you can't!'

"You've gone mute again," the man said as she felt her teeth snap together.

"... should we walk and talk?" there was no leaving now; if she tried, there was no doubt in her mind that she would be buried. So, she would play along, buying them some time.

"Alright," the man shrugged. "Mind if my kids take the front?"

"... sure?" she frowned, uncertain as to why he was asking that.

The two of them stayed at the rear while the rest dispersed in such a way that her Juniors were always surrounded. Clever, though quite obvious. What were they playing at? If she wasn't angry, she'd almost be impressed.

"When did you find this place?" he asked. Zi Tai glanced over at him and smirked inwardly; he was interrogating her, trying to understand the methodology they used to locate the vine so that the Sages can remain one step ahead. As if she would fall for that.

"We haven't, not really," she said. "We came here on an unrelated mission and, during it, stumbled and fell into the tunnels. As we made our way through them, I slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together that it might have been made by a Sage."

"Lucky," he said. "Or, well, unlucky. Hmm. These ones are... weaker."

"Weaker?" she asked as they finally stumbled upon the shadows. She was looking forward to the play they'd put on, asking to send children in the Foundation Establishment Realm to wrestle against the shadows at the Revolving Core Realm.

"Yeah," he said, frowning. "No, not weaker. More like... diluted?"

"I--" Zi Tai's words got caught up in her throat as she watched the two young girls storm forth like bolts of lightning, tearing through the shadows with their bare fists with gleeful smiles on their faces.

"Hah, too slow Xiu~" the older one teased. "Looks like you'll be massaging me for another month."

"Ugh. Just wait! When I get to the higher mastery of my movement art..."

Watch out..." Zi Tai instinctively called out; despite everything, they were real children, and in her heart she could not stand to see them harmed. The pack of shadows tore open through the walls, lunging at the two of them. However, at the same time, the inconspicuous boy drew his sword.

It was a gentle draw, as though he were a painter holding a brush and pressing it against the canvas, yet it tore open through the reality itself, tearing the shadows asunder without making a sound or even kicking up any wind.

At the same time, she watched as another boy tore up a pair of parchments, flakes of color shooting out like fireworks, latching against the walls and wrapping around them.

"Ooh, that is a new one, Rayce!" the younger girl said. "What's this one called?"

"Word of Solidity," the boy replied. "It hardens the surfaces to the point that even shadows cannot penetrate them."

"Ah, more are coming. Feng'er, didn't you say you wanted to test something out?"

"Yes, sister Lan!"

The youngest boy stepped forward, holding a strange-looking ruler. He looked no older than ten, maybe eleven, though he braced with confidence of someone ten times the age. As another set of shadows came flying from the depths of the tunnel, she felt a wrangle against her heart, worried; but before she could voice them, the boy split forward, dancing like a performer, with spin conjuring breathtaking trails of colorful Qi, while the strange ruler began to rapidly change its shape.

A sword.

A spear.

A hammer.

A mace.

A polearm.

A rope dart.

By the end, there were no shadows and no sound, only silence.

"Ooh, that was really good, Feng'er!" the two girls who opened up the act rushed over to the boy and tousled his hair as he grinned widely. "Where did you learn that?"

"He he, I've been practicing."

"Yimu, go test yourself out," the man standing next to her spoke up. "You might finally win something."

"..." the boy's expression tensed for a moment before he sighed in resignation. However, he still stepped forward, a strange spear in hand, and rushed ahead of everyone else, becoming a bloodied blur.

One shadow after another dispersed into smoke and ash, the kickbacks of wind violent and hurried.

By now, Zi Tai couldn't remain calm; she wasn't being tested, she was being taught. After all, if this was what the Sages were grooming... the rest of the world stood no chance. These were all literal children who had been cultivating for the few years at most from the looks of it, yet they fought and showed poise of seasoned cultivators, and talents rivaling just about anyone her Order had.

It was as if the Sage of Dread was telling her, 'It isn't just the old guard; we have young blood to match yours'.

"Oh? They've stopped," the alchemist spoke up.

"I'm guessing that the rest retreated to combine with the avatar," the boy who stayed on the outside, not joining the fight, spoke up.

"Huh. We should probably hurry--eh? Are you alright?"

"..."

"Hey, the woman who never told me her name; are you here?"

"A-ah, yes, yes, I am," she finally came to, the way she looked at him having changed completely. If the kids were this way... then there was only one truth that spoke to her. This man...

"We should hurry--"

"--what for?" she said, drawing back. "You already have us here. Why are you putting on these plays?"

"... what?"

"I've seen through you!" she exclaimed. "I may not be able to defeat you, but I will die trying."

"... no, seriously, what?"

"Enough You are Sage of Dread! Now that I've seen through you, at least have the courtesy to show me your true colors, not this pathetic husk that you're embodying!"

"... pfft," the boy standing about twenty feet from them, the one who never fought, swallowed a laugh.

"Khm, pff--khm," the alchemist forcibly coughed to hide his laughter.

Why were they laughing? Why were they laughing at her?! Was her last struggle just a joke to them?! Was everything she ever worked toward just some farce? Would they keep mocking her until she drew her last breath?

"Haah," the man sighed, looking up as though there was a sky to look at. "I thought you're supposed to be perceptive... not just plain stupid."

Chapter 538 - Dread and Quiet (9)

There are a whole lot of weirdos out there in the world, no doubt. I remember, when I was... twelve? I think? I know it was before high school, but after what I sometimes called my 'fugue state childhood' where most memories are too fragmented and fuzzy to properly form some cohesive narrative. Anyway, we had a transfer kid join our class; her name was Dana, I'm pretty sure.

She said she was from some rando town in deep Midwest, and had a chockful of weird-ass stories to go with it. About that time she delivered a cow all by herself because her mom was so blackout drunk she couldn't get her up and her dad was nowhere to be found; or that time she accidentally stumbled onto a drug deal in the basement of some house, or a million other things just like that.

Zi Tia... she reminds me a bit of Dana, to be honest. Both had this affable certainty about them that bled into the way they saw the world and interacted with it. More than that, though, despite being keen and clever, they both were just a bit dumb when it came to reality.

"Put that thing away," I said as she stayed rooted, still holding her sword. The others on her side followed her example and became battle-ready, all while the kids looked at them oddly, and those two annoying asshats barely did much to conceal their laughter. "You really think I'm a Sage of Dread?"

"How long are you going to humiliate me?!"

"... I'm not a Sage," I said, growing a bit angry at this point. "Never was, never will be. But do you know what I am? A bit stupefied. Of the two of us, the only one who has been lying this whole time is you, not me. And then you go and concoct some insane story in that head of yours and accuse me of being what I presume is a monster. Why am I excusing myself to you? If you are so distrustful, then just leave.

The way out is the way you came in. Let's go, kids," I added, turning away. "We haven't got all day."

Watch Out it was Lan'er's voice, but before I could react myself, Long Tao had sped past me and deflected the strike of the sword. I caught the glimpse of his rather apathetic expression and saw that he was drawing his arm back, quickly grabbing it.

"Don't," I said, glancing back just in time to see the woman be flung back into the wall behind and become embedded a few inches into it.

"She just tried to kill you," Long Tao looked up at me.

"We both know that's not true," it really wasn't; I don't know her plan, but I felt no killing intent from her strike, and it was aimed at my left thigh, best I could tell. And if I could perceive it, despite the gap in our strengths, it likely meant she didn't truly want to kill me. Maybe test me? "And even if she did, you can't kill her."

"Why?"

"Because my fourth cousin twice removed on my father's side mentioned that a death of someone like her is the kind of karmic debt you never recover from," she's Blessed by Dao, above all else. And I distinctly recall a conversation with the 'King' and his three rules, one of which was that I can never kill anyone who was Blessed by Dao.

"... a particularly wise family member," he said, cracking a faint smile. "If I wanted her dead, she would be dead." he put away the sword and just walked away. Luckily, cooler heads on the kids' end prevailed and Xi Zhao, Rayce, Wan Lan, and now Han Yimu as well managed to restrain the others.

"Consider that a warning," I announced as her group slowly pulled her out. "If you follow us... well, just don't. For both our sakes."

I could practically feel her eyes scorching my back as we made our way through the tunnel, but I'm actually kind of happy that we had a falling out. The less we associate with that damn woman, the better. Though she provided a nice nostalgic trip and reminded me of Dana, that's enough.

I very much doubt she'll just disappear from our lives and there's a good chance she's going to 'stealthily' follow us and observe, but that's fine. Once she sees us destroy that Avatar, she'll realize I'm not the Sage or whatever, she'll want to apologize, but I'll feign the hurt of the world and ask to be left alone, forever, as that is the only way I can recover.

Not a bad plan considering it's been concocted in the span of forty-six seconds, give or take a few.

"Why'd you let her go?" Lao Shun walked up to me at some point as the kids continued breaking down who fought the shadows the best.

"You make it sound like I'm in the habit of killing everyone who looks at me wrong," I glanced at him as he smiled.

"Fair. But this is different and you know it. I'm pretty sure only that little monster and the two of us are aware of just how... unique she is."

"That's one way to put it."

"Kids like her are rarer than even yours, Qi," he added. "Outside that thing you call your First Disciple, I'd never met anyone more uniquely talented than her. But, beyond that, she has clear marks of being groomed."

"... groomed?" I glanced over, frowning.

"She has honed battle instincts, she has a physique that was cultivated through a small million of concoction baths, she has a shadow embedded so deep that I only caught the brief glimpse of it when that kid attacked," huh? What shadow? "She isn't just talented, Qi: she's important. And you've given her a target."

"... I'm pretty sure she already has a target," I said. "And it looks like I'm the only one who knows who groomed her. Hate the word choice, by the way."

"Who?" Lao Shun asked, clearly curious.

"Yes; who, Master?" for once, I wasn't really surprised to see Long Tao pop from the shadows as I fully expected him to be listening.

"I'm not in a sharing mood," I mostly just said it as a point of pride, but I probably shouldn't actually divulge. Who knows if Long Tao has some long-standing hate with the Order and wants to see it burn? Can I really afford yet another source of nightmares right now? Probably not. "For now, we should probably focus on dealing with the Avatar."

"The kids should give it a go first," Long Tao said.

"You're a kid, too, so I assume you'll be joining them?"

"If need be."

"And correct me if I'm wrong," I said. "But didn't you mention that the Avatar was at the True God Realm?"

"Even so, it's still just an Avatar," Long Tao shrugged. "It's the right time, Master. Everyone has just learned the new method and are about to start blazing through the realms; they will need a massive hammer and a chisel to work out the uneven edges."

"Even the kind of hammer and a chisel that could kill them in one strike?"

"... they'll be hurt," he said. "And broken. But... they won't be killed. Certainly not in one strike. You may love them and have faith in them, but you are severely underestimating them, Master. They're no longer just inexperienced pups getting by on pure luck and your inexhaustible bag of toys and random knickknacks; they've become hardened and experienced, and I have a feeling they've been itching to show you the full extent of it. Why not let them?"

Chapter 539 - Dread and Quiet (X)

We fell to silence as we made our way to the center of this tunnel system. Well, the three of us in the back remained silent, the kids were anything but.

They regaled the tales of how they fought against the same shadows back in the realm to Han Yimu who seemed eager to learn more and more, while I wondered just how difficult the upcoming fight would be. We've faced two Sages thus far--well, actually, only one for sure. The man I killed in the realm... I'm not sure whether he was a Sage or just someone who belonged to the order.

Regardless, neither of the fights were easy. They were anything but, really. And from the sounds of it, this one might be the toughest one yet despite the fact we'd only be facing an Avatar. From my understanding of cultivation, one could make an Avatar as early as Inner World Realm, though most cultivators waited until reaching the True God Realm to make theirs.

Now, considering that the Avatar itself was at that realm, I can only imagine the actual person's realm. No, I probably shouldn't; the only reason we're down here in the first place was because it's an opportunity, and if I wring my pretty little head over the implications of that opportunity, I might just get cold feet.

We walked for about two hours before the light emerged at the end of the tunnel, literally. It was quite blinding and if I weren't shielding my eyes with Qi, it would have probably taken quite some time to get used to it.

It was a massive cavity in the ground, a somewhat dome-shaped cave spanning close to half a mile in every direction that I could see. It had fancy, white-tile flooring of some sort, walls coated with almost facade-like surface, and just shy of a hundred white-tinted gems embedded into the walls that were blaring light like they were goddamn custom-installed beams on a car.

The entire hall was filled with strange, metal lanterns, sizes varying from that of a small child to that of a house. There were also pagoda-like structures, bronze and iron-cast, spiraling around the edges of the hall.

It all corralled toward the center where dark-twilight hue jutted from the ground in the shape of a massive, towering vine. It twisted and writhed, colored shadows and smoke jutting from its body; it started wide, almost like a tree, with roots undulating visibly. Stem-like parts broke away from the main body and floated in a concentric spiral around the vine, almost like broken-off stairways aiming up toward the tip.

The vine tangled and untangled as it grew upward, its tip touching and penetrating the ceiling where a massive, circular web of energy lines was visible to the naked eye--the core of the grand formation, I imagine. There were literal tens of thousands of lines and nodules and strange runes, and even trying to untangle it all for a second gave me a headache.

Dark smoke broke away from the tip of the vine and, like thin and lightning-like clouds, it spread out, gently shuddering like flags in the wind.

Beautiful purple hue would pulse frequently within the vine's body, giving light through the slightly transparent and thin surface; unlike the other vines, it wasn't taking things, but rather sending some kind of an energy out. And each time the vine would pulse, so would the array above.

Most of the energy lines shared the same color as the vine, dark and purple, while the very edges, as the vine corrupted from inside the circle towards its edges, remained of bright-cyan color, though clearly dulling in real time.

"... it's beautiful," Lao Shun said and I couldn't disagree. Honestly, the way it all twisted and tangled and curled and dissolved and diffused... it didn't quite seem real.

It was like concept art of some fantasy landscape, where the artist added the brush strokes that kind of, sort of resembled a shape, but zooming in would reveal... nothing. The vine and the shadows and the smoke around it were kind of like that; like strokes of a brush, lacking in fine detail, merely resembling a shape that's meant to convey an idea rather than being that idea.

"Some new children come," a voice broke the low sound of the hum that echoed throughout the entire hall. "You have interrupted a meeting I have been looking forward to for a long time, lowly things."

The source of the voice was the figure sitting in a lotus position at the base of the vine, facing away from us. His back was narrow and lanky, his shoulders almost seeming pinched toward his neck; his head was bald and wrinkly, even from the back, and his voice had a strange rasp to it that kind of annoyed me. Like when you have a knot stuck in your throat and refuse to cough it out, so your voice gets that odd rasp for a little bit.

"How will you repay me?"

Energy around him was... pressing. A small distinction I realized almost immediately and also recognized that he was by far the strongest person we'd ever met (excluding those unmentionable things I'd encounter on occasion) simply because not a single iota of Qi leaked out of him.

The only person I've known to be able to do that... was Long Tao, actually. For every other one (again, excluding the unmentionables), I could at least sense some Qi leakage. With him? There was nothing. He was like a dense star, sturdy and unmoving.

I tried using my Creator's Eye--or, well, Dao Sight--but it asked me to spend good 15,000 points to view it partially. There's a good chance that the person behind the Avatar is an Emperor, or at least a realm adjacent to an Emperor.

Now that I've met the 'man', I truly did not want the kids to fight. I believed in them more than I've ever believed in anyone, but... I don't think that they can contend, even in the slightest.

"Many, many, many years have passed since someone dared not to respond to a question I asked; at the very least, I must acquiesce to your courage. No... perhaps it is stupidity. That child you've sent away, though she would have failed, at least she would have entertained me. You? A heap of brainless, talentless children? Do you even understand what you have gotten yourself into?"

"Master, he's another yapper, it looks like," Dai Xiu said, taking out the gauntlets and putting them on her fists. "I--" she twisted her neck to the side just in time to dodge a needle made out of shadows that sped away and lodged itself into a wall behind us.

"Oh? You--"

"--you stealth-attacked, what did you call us? Brainless, talentless children?" Dai Xiu grinned. "Wow. I've met many pathetic old men in my life, and you could compete with just about any one of them."

"Ho ho, a child has a tongue on her. Very well; in return, I give you one attack. Any one of you can attack me, and I won't defend."

"..." everyone suddenly fell silent, looking at the man oddly. "Uh, are you sure?" Dai Xiu asked.

"You should hurry before I change my mind and flatten you all into a paste."

"... hey, it's your life," Dai Xiu shrugged, pulling back. "Go easy on him." she said to Xi Zhao who stepped in her place, hand on the handle of the sword, eyes flashing with brilliant light.

... uh, dude. Won't you destroy the entire damn cave and bury us in here?!

Chapter 540 - Dread and Quiet (11)

I kind of expected Xi Zhao to stand there charging an attack for half an hour like it's a filler episode of a shounen anime, but it was over in about second and a half. His fingers clasped tightly the handle of the blade as a pulse of Qi gently erupted around him before coalescing into silence of totality.

And then he drew.

It was soundless and impressively... dull. There were no stirrings of the world, no world-rending winds to tear apart everything, but a singular line crushing through the spacetime--like a singular black hair against white background.

The sage raised his hand to block it, but then the strike stopped midair, as though frozen by some invisible energy; not a moment later, however, just as the tensed muscles in the arm relaxed, the stroke fell.

... and that was when the shit I was expecting to hit the fan actually hit the fan.

The immediate reaction was an explosion that shook the entire hall, followed by a shockwave so violent that it ripped up all the tiles from the ground and sent them flying, and one so visceral that it dissected all the metallic lanterns and pagodas down to fine ash that was blown back in the wind.

All of us had to quickly erect a Qi barrier, and even that was an effort we had to endure as the shockwave rippled out against the back of the hall and inward, still brimming with energy it needed to somehow discharge.

The smoke undulating around the vine collapsed and the entire hall shook as though an epicenter of an earthquake was some forty yards beneath our feet. causing rocks to begin collapsing and kicking up no small amount of dust that covered everything.

It was... uh, well, terrifying in so many ways that I struggled to define them all. Would I even be able to defend against that shit? Probably not. Maybe blink away and escape it if I anticipated it quickly enough?

Judging by Lao Shun's and Han Yimu's hanging jaws, they probably were contemplating the exact same thing as me, though they still needed to learn to keep their cool as well as I do.

"Impressive," the voice broke from the storm of dust, sounding slightly amused more so than anything. A gentle wind swept out suddenly and revealed the figure standing by the vine, still--though everything else in the hall was rendered to ashes, the vine stood all but untouched.

The figure, though, was in a sorry state; he was missing his right arm, the one he used to block the strike, and there was a pulsating gash against his chest that opened up nicely to see the organs underneath. He'd turned to face us, his complexion ashen and weathered, face void of emotions.

Above all else, however, were his eyes; they were jet black, iris, pupil, everything. It was like somebody threw black ink directly into them.

"Even at my age, I pay the price for hubris. The age of change... it truly may be upon us. Like a song, long and sacred. But... be that as it may, I cannot allow you to disrupt our plans, children.

In another time, I may have captured you all and made you part of our Order--you certainly match the requirements. But this is a crucial moment for us, and you being here is dangerous. Thus, you must die."

"Prepare, everyone," that was Long Tao who spoke. "It won't be easy."

"... oh? You still believe you stand a chance, child?" Long Tao turned and faced him, throwing a smile.

"You're right that the age of change is upon us," he said. "But harbingers of that change, talented though they may be, still need to be sharpened somehow."

"And you intend to use me as your whetstone?"

"Yes."

"Ha ha ha," the man laughed as the sinister shadows began to slowly coalesce around his body. "Fascinating. I'll leave you for last, child. I will want to see the look in your eyes when all your friends are lying around you dead. Will you dare call me a whetstone then, I wonder?"

"I wonder, too," Long Tao smirked as he pulled back, while the rest of the kids stepped forward, lining up.

Dai Xiu was on the far left, and toward her right lined up Xi Zhao, Light, Xing Feng, Wan Lan, and Rayce, in that order. It has been a while since I've last seen the kids go all out since I missed all their fighting back in the realm, so I was curious as to how they'd do almost as afraid as I was of how badly they'll be hurt.

They broke formation immediately, with Dai Xiu and Wan Lan taking the front, fanning out to flank the man on both sides. At the same time, Light and Rayce drew back, with the latter rapidly tearing apart six parchments. A burst of colors flashed as trailed arrays of light shot toward the kids as well as around them all in a wide circle.

Xing Feng lagged a few steps behind Dai Xiu and Wan Lan but still went ahead directly. It was actually kind of amazing, and when I say amazing I mean horrifyingly insane, that there's a kid that's barely in the Foundation Establishment Realm currently striking someone at the True God Realm... head-on. Xi Zhao got lost somewhere in the shuffle, likely priming for a stealth attack.

Why did I ever agree to this shit?

Dai Xiu and Wan Lan were the first to reach the man, whose right arm was still completely missing. He extended his left one out whereupon a jet-black sword appeared, an aura of dread blasting off the surface of the blade.

He swung rather casually in a frontal cone, causing an array of spear-tipped shadows to eject upward from the ground in concentric circles, each one growing larger than the prior, until they were at around forty feet high and four times as wide.

Both girls tore through the layers of shadows and struck, but he nimbly dodged them, using the dull edge of the handle to swipe at their ribs, blasting them both back. The two recovered midair, grasping at where they were hit but only for a moment. Without hesitation, Qi stirred underneath their feet and they barreled back into the shadows.

The rising arrays of shadows were slowly diffused by concentric attacks from Xing Feng and Rayce, giving a clear view of the man toying with two girls; he dodged all of their strikes and continued using the dull edge of the handle to strike back.

I never could quite understand why cultivators fought this way--he believed himself to be so far above the rest of us that, in my mind, he should have struck to kill from the onset. And yet, he was entertaining them.

Then again, both Dai Xiu and Wan Lan were acting like headless chicken and just swinging about randomly; even if I was a moron, I'd realize they were playing at something. Chances are that the plan was for them to set up Xi Zhao for another strike. Even a 'hastily' prepared one dealt a lot of damage, though the caveat was that the man wasn't expecting it.

If I could see through their little farce, so could he.

"From above?" he craned his neck gently and twisted in place, contracting the sword-wielding arm and spinning sideways while extending the sword up in a singular motion. Oh boy, I better brace for this shit.

Chapter 541 - Dread and Quiet (12)

Shadow burst forth like a cannonball and struck the invisible thread of Sword Qi, causing yet another massive explosion that tore open the surrounding walls as though there were hundreds of drills digging out holes from within.

I saw Xi Zhao figure emerge from the nothing and catapult down like a falling star, dragging back for nearly fifty yards before stopping. His entire body was a mess, not an inch of it without a gash, but he barely even wavered before standing back up, wounds on his body visibly closing.

While I was paying attention to him, Han Yimu and Xing Feng attacked in a strange concert, with both using spears--one from the front and one from the back. I knew for a fact that Xing Feng's attack was actually more dangerous, but that was because I knew them--the man didn't. As such, he completely ignored Xing Feng and threw a small punch at Han Yimu. It was more than enough to basically toss him across the hall and embed him into a wall.

At the same time, however, Xing Feng's attack actually penetrated the Qi barrier and tore through flesh, though stopped only a few inches in. A surprised expression flashed across the man's face as he grasped the spear, but before he could use it to toss Feng'er, the weapon switched shapes and became a sword that slid out and down before the boy curved it, slicing open a gash on a man's thigh while at the same time blurring back into a shadow, crossing some forty feet of distance instantaneously.

... wow.

If I inherited their strengths as they are now, just how strong would I get? Ah, forget it. I shouldn't corrupt my mind by entertaining the idea of me ever using it again. They're more than enough. Though, even with that... all they managed to inflict were some surface-level wounds. If they had nothing else left in the mag, they'll probably fail.

The battle resumed as-was--the kids attacked quite relentlessly, not stopping even for a second to catch their breath. I'm fairly certain this was their greatest strength as far as combat went--at least so long as they were near me. They had a near inexhaustible supply of Qi, and the only way they could be broken was either by a hit so massive they instantly died, or they were mentally purged of stamina since the Surging Spirit Art made it so they would inevitably recover from most of the battle-borne wounds.

At a five minute mark or so of the fight, a frown creased my face; the man... remained on the defensive. Though he regularly tossed the kids back and hurt them to the point everyone had gotten at least one wound that would have killed an average person back on Earth even with medical intervention, he never stepped forward to 'finish' the job.

At first I thought it was merely that he was toying with them, but it looked more like he simply... couldn't move. Or, at least, there was a reason he had to stay where he was--the vine.

... duh.

If I told Long Tao that it took me nearly this long to figure it out, would he laugh? Or just say the casual 'Of course', supplemented by that patented smirk of his?

"Looks like we've underestimated the Sage quite a bit," Long Tao said as though timing it perfectly to undermine my own thoughts.

"... how so?" I asked.

"He's dedicated about eighty percent of himself to fueling the vine. The corruption rate had skyrocketed since the battle started. At this pace, he'll need another five minutes or so finish the job. However, since he's had to hurry, the quality of the work has... plummeted."

"..." this is him at twenty percent? I glared at Long Tao silently for a moment, wondering whether he had some deep suicidal tendencies that he'd let slip on occasion when he'd drag us to these death-infested scenarios that we had no right to be a part of.

"Do you reckon he's an Emperor?" Lao Shun asked; even he, by now, had gotten accustomed to asking questions of Long Tao that, realistically, a sixteen-year-old boy should not know. Especially not one from these here parts.

"No," Long Tao said with a rather dismissive snort. "People here really do think that Emperors are just any marginally stronger cultivators, huh?" that was the end of it, and though both I and Lao Shun (at least from the look on his face) wanted to probe further, we didn't.

I was still not quite certain on what the 'Emperor' meant, really; I understand that they are top-of-the-shelf cultivators, but from the knowledge of actual realms, they, too, are 'just' in the Imperial Realm. But not everyone who was at that realm was an Emperor or an Empress.

Ah, whatever. Not like it matters. Not yet, anyway.

"Shouldn't we interfere?" Lao Shun suggested. "If he corrupts the array--"

"--he won't."

"But you just said--"

"--that was supposing we never came."

"... you followed the teachings of one of your grandaunts?" I asked, looking at him as he glanced back and smirked.

"Big brother, actually," oh, he's got a big brother now. How great. "While you and that thing Dao made were playing out the comedy routine, I remembered something my big brother mentioned about arrays and formations. About how even the most intricate ones have a singular point of failure. Every system, even ones woven by Dao, is flawed; though we yearn for perfection, it cannot exist. Achieving it means overcoming Dao, and as Dao is pinnacle of everything..."

"..."

"Just as the formation itself has a point of failure--well, probably hundreds of them, to be honest--so does the corruption itself. Him dedicating eighty percent of himself to it leaves just enough room for the kids to have some fun, no?"

There are occasions I forget that this kid-looking thing next to me is terrifying. Probably more so than most everyone we've met so far in this world. His ability to prepare a stage like this... well, if I wasn't annoyed that he almost never included me in any of it, I'd be in awe.

Like Lao Shun over there whose jaw was making out with the floor. Our eyes met and I had to scream at him with my glare not to ask any questions, and he just barely swallowed them down.

"... that Yimu kid," Lao Shun changed the topic, for both our sakes, I think. "He's quite talented. There's a good chance he'll surpass the others in less than a year."

"He's quite talented," I nodded. He'd just executed an almost flawless string of attacks, and got his left arm blown to bits in the process, which only procured more blood for him to funnel into the spear, finally managing to actually land a strike that tore open the man's flesh however slightly. He got so happy over it that he didn't see the slice of the sword aiming for his chest, forcing Wan Lan to jump over and take the hit for him. "You'd think he was twelve, though."

"The Sage has finally started going for their lives," Lao Shun said, frowning. "What's changed?"

"Can't you see his shape?" Long Tao looked at him as though he were a moron. "Or have your eyes gotten bad from all the pill popping you do while testing?"

"... right," Lao Shun's eyebrows violently twitched as he snarled back. "Maybe we should go back to silently watching. I liked that."

Though it all seemed to be going well... there was still the question of what happens after. It's guaranteed that the kids can't actually kill him--he'd never allow it. So, what happens once he realizes that Long Tao did something to screw with his plans? When he figures out that he can't corrupt the array? Won't he just go ballistic on our asses, but now using all percentage of himself? Or maybe will he be a bit too exhausted?

... or did Long Tao set down yet another trap? I wouldn't put it past him. If there's anyone who knows how to over-plan for shit like this, it's the guy that's been hunted down by dozens of Emperors and eluded them for however-many years.

There is one point of concern aside from all that, though--Light.

She didn't really do anything yet. Just stood there and watched. I'm not worried for her so much as I'm worried she'll do something beyond insane that even I won't be able to rationalize anymore.

Eh. Maybe she's just taking her midday nap or something.

... yeah. Must be that.

Chapter 542 - Dread and Quiet (13)

Han Yimu was wrestling with a whole new set of demons in his mind that he'd never, not in a million years, thought he'd get. All his life, even if he lagged behind his peers, he never once considered himself lesser; if given time and equal resources, he fully believed he would have stood on top of them all.

Even before today that belief was shaken, but today it was practically shattered. He learned first-hand just how much the other kids held back during the spars.

The shock started with Dai Xiu; the way that girl fought was staggering. She was lithe and graceful, and she weaved between strikes and used momentum to such a perfect degree that it left Han Yimu aghast. It wasn't as though he was unfamiliar with momentum fighting--he had quite a few Seniors and Juniors use it--but none had mastered it to a degree she did, despite some being about ten to twenty times as old as her.

She looked like she had a total and complete control over every single one of her muscles--she'd dig a heel into the ground and kick off, swaying slightly to the left, reaching the man and swinging in a wide arc at him. He'd deflect and bounce her backwards, yet rather than losing momentum as would almost everyone, she'd use the repelling force on the landing to kick herself sideways and around in a fuller arc, striking yet again... but this time with twice as much force.

She'd done so four times before the man had to dedicate the full brunt of his strike to completely dismantle her momentum by tearing a massive hole in her left thigh, down to the bone, whilst taking a direct sword strike from Xi Zhao that left a massive gash on his back.

By now, Han Yimu had caught up to the marvels and divinity of the Surging Spirit Art--there was nothing like it, not here and not above in the Upper Realm. An art that allowed one to heal mid fight without popping toxin-infused pills was akin to a made-up story children were told about the ancient times. Rather, even if the only thing the art could do was stop the bleeding without needing to manually dedicate a portion of Qi to the wounded areas, it would already have been considered a divine art among divine arts.

Despite that, he couldn't help but suck in a mouthful of cold air as he watched, in real time, Dai Xiu's massive wound slowly close up; the edges of the torn flesh wiggled and squirmed like maggots, tiny, hair-like tendrils shooting out of the wounded flesh and slowly combining to form new parts. The entire wound that would have taken him as he was before coming down here a day or two, with a set of average healing pills, took her just shy of a minute to heal. And she still moved while it was healing, attacking with such precision and violence that it left him dispirited.

Then there was her even more violent counterpart--Wan Lan. Unlike Dai Xiu, whom he'd fought a few times before during spars, Han Yimu had never actually fought Wan Lan... or saw her fight. Best he knew, her all-out spars were limited exclusively to the ever-mysterious Long Tao, and today he finally learned why.

That woman was a battle maniac.

With each passed second of the fight, the look in her eyes grew more demented, and her actions more and more reflected that rising lunacy in her. Unlike Dai Xiu who dodged and lithely danced around the attacks, Wan Lan never bothered--she stormed through them all, taking them head-on without so much as a flinch. Her body was repeatedly besieged with attacks that would have killed Han Yimu if he'd taken them head-on even at the peak of his strength, let alone now.

And yet, most of the man's attacks barely managed to break skin; it was immediately clear that she had an amazing physique, but his shock only kept deepening the longer the fight had gone on. With each minute, she'd grown more frantic, more loose, and more frightening; while initially there was some rhyme and reason to her decisions during a fight, by now... that was gone.

She would be slammed back, half her body in tatters, and she'd just lunge back in like a beast. Every kick and every punch and every slam of her body was accompanied by ferocious Qi, and about five minutes into the fight or so, the true nature of it was finally revealed: it was Demonic Qi.

He was actually more horrified that he'd failed to notice she was a Demonic Cultivator than that she was one; it was likely due to her physique that matched the expected behavior of someone who had been corrupted by Demonic Qi, except... she wasn't. Even now, as the plumes of dark twilight eschewed light, coiling around her body, Han Yimu didn't notice a single sign of corruption.

Mentally she wasn't quite there, sure, but that wasn't due to Demonic Qi; whatever the reason was for her current mania, it ran much deeper than the choice of Qi.

At the same time, every few moments, a fresh burst of wind and Sword Qi would soar from one or another place, perfectly aimed at the minute openings that the man provided during the fight. Each time Han Yimu would catch the essence of it, he'd feel the hairs on his neck stand up; those impossibly silent and invisible arrays of Sword Qi were... dangerous.

They weren't merely dangerous for the realm... they were dangerous. Xi Zhao's ability to hide an attack so lethal it didn't feel real, and hide it so perfectly bordered on impossible. Only cultivators with deep understanding of Dao of Space could possibly conceal their strikes that well.

But that wasn't all.

Every once in a while, one of those arrays would stagger unnaturally. It would be descending toward the man in full bloom, and just as he'd raised his sword to deflect it... it would stop. Abruptly. Whereupon he'd be force to lower the sword to defend against another attack, while Xi Zhao's strike would 'resume' falling.

Try as he may, Han Yimu couldn't figure out how.

Then there was the shaman, the anomaly standing in the back, tearing parchments one, weaves of light emerging from them. Sometimes the array of light would find Han Yimu, and he'd feel his body suddenly lighten to a degree that was almost perverse. A few times while he was distracted, and the man's strike was about to chop off a limb or two, a shield of light would suddenly appear and buy him half a second of time to dodge the strike just barely.

And Han Yimu was quite certain he was being supported the least as his role in this fight was very simple: a distraction. Which was a sobering thought in and of itself.

Then there were the two literal children--Xing Feng who used a strange weapon that kept changing shapes, but, somehow, he managed to masterfully use them all. Unlike others, he didn't have one specific thing that made him stand out; rather, he was just... stable. Which felt insane to think about a boy that was maybe eleven or twelve years old. When Han Yimu was that age, as most other kids, he was wild and unrestrained, and hardly in control of much of anything.

And yet, the boy nimbly danced between being the vanguard striker to rear support to flanker and to a defender, all in the span of a singular minute. Were he not so massively restrained by his low cultivation...

And lastly, there was Light.

The youngest of the group, who stood at the far rear since the battle's begun. She's done... nothing. She simply stood and watched, seeming partly interested in the ongoing battle.

Nobody said anything, so Han Yimu didn't either. He'd never sparred against her as she only ever sparred with Long Tao. He didn't even know what kind of a cultivator she was.

But the instinct that he had honed in the years he'd lived and observed prodigies warned him like a screeching banshee that, outside Long Tao and Master, that girl was by far the most dangerous one.

He was curious, though.

... just how? How did an assortment of children that could rival almost any of the Divine Lands all just so happen to be under the same Master? No... he mused as he glanced down at the spear that was somehow the best quality weapon he'd ever held in his life.

It wasn't the kids.

It was the man guiding them.

Chapter 543 - Dread and Quiet (14)

Long Tao passively observed the fight that was a fair bit bloodier than he expected. Even whilst utilizing 'just' twenty percent or thereabout of his strength, the Sage was still far too strong for the kids. The best they could achieve were some surface-level wounds and a battle of attrition, one that they were likely to win, actually.

Time and again, Long Tao was amazed at the endurance the kids displayed, and time and again he was shocked by the realization it likely had everything to do with their Master. Even he, whilst near the man, found himself recovering far quicker midbattle than when away. Surging Spirit Art was one thing, yes, but the Qi recovery rate was the true difference maker.

One of the greatest advantages highest realms had, beyond the quality of arts, was the sheer quantity of Qi, especially before Laws of Dao became involved. But Long Tao was certain that he--and the kids, too--could outlast most everyone in terms of endurance.

And it all, somehow, had to do with the man standing next to him, making expressions that were a comedy unto itself over and over, wincing with each sound of a snapped bone or a torn ligament.

All the same, his eyes inadvertently wandered off to the Sage; though the man was not an Emperor... the scary bit was that the potential was there. There was a severe misunderstanding that plagued most of the world of cultivation, and it had to do with Avatars; realistically, the reason one would make an Avatar in the first place had nothing to do with combat. If anything, that would make them weaker as they had to equally dissever parts of themselves to fuel the Avatar.

It had to do with survival.

Long Tao never had an Avatar as he did not want to permanently get weaker, but a good number of his peers did, and the idea was that they'd hide them in some random corners of the world so that they'd still be able to survive in case their main bodies were killed.

How well it all worked was... debatable, at best, as they all inadvertently recalled back the Avatars to assist during the fights. But it was a fool's errand.

For most, that was.

Sage's Avatar was one of the most refined Long Tao had ever seen. And that was the scary bit of it all; they were guaranteed a victory today, he made sure of that, but every glimpse he caught of the Order further and further convinced him that they had some connections to one--if not more--of the Seven.

He recalled wanting to march over to their headquarters as early as their visit to the Silvercrest City and sighed inwardly at his own hubris.

Though the Order has to be rooted before they go to the Upper Realm, he feared it would be impossible. After all, Avatar's host body was not here--that was why there was no thread binding them, a direct link. It meant that there was a world boundary preventing the soul's vinculum.

Even if that part was a relief as it meant that the Avatar wouldn't relay information about them back to the host body and, thus, the Order itself, it also implied that the Sage behind the body was a supremely dangerous figure. If the man was the leader of the Order, Long Tao would have rested a bit more easily, but his instinct was telling him that was not the case.

He glanced up at the array; the corruption was just about 'done', which meant that the man was about to learn his efforts were in vain. And it was entirely possible that the anger would be turned toward the kids, none of whom could bear the brunt of it.

... no, perhaps that one standing casually and not doing anything would be able to hold it for a little while.

"I'm off, Master."

"... huh? Off to where? Hey, Long Tao--"

He blended into the shadows as the sounds of the battle ceased and colors began to fade. Before a moment passed, it was all dull and gray and unremarkable. Smoke and shadows danced and intermingled, and the vine itself... changed.

The rough, wooden exterior disappeared and revealed the singular, long stem arising in a helix-like curve. The body was thin and fragile-seeming, with the tip adjoined to the array above, pulsating incrementally.

He walked up to it and inspected it from up close; though it was different from other vines that they'd encountered, it was fundamentally the same. With each new one, Long Tao was more and more certain they were not natural; to the best of his knowledge which, admittedly, wasn't exactly world-spanning, there was no family of vines with attributes like this.

While parasitic vines were dime-a-dozen, none were fine-tuned for direct energy consumption; most either cannibalized other flora, or devoured animals that came too close. It was entirely possible that one of them was taken and force-bred to consume life, but that was only the start of it; the sheer differences in how each vine operated, even if they did the same or similar thing, was what gave him a pause and a nudge toward it being manmade.

Fundamentally, the shape itself does not matter; beneath the crude exterior was energy, shaped and curated, which defined the aspects of its behavior. All things under heavens, after all, were built as such, ultimately governed by the same laws. Every person's outward appearance was different, but underlying aspects of the body were universal.

The heart pumped blood.

The stomach processed food.

The bones held up the musculature.

He reached out and grabbed the stem, fondling it for a moment; it was surprisingly rough, as though there were tiny hairs going against his fingers embedded in the vine's surface.

"... huh?" a voice echoed from the back, but it was slow and distorted. He glanced back and saw the Sage staring up at the ceiling. In this world, the body's reality was revealed--it was luminous energy.

There was no flesh, no blood, no organs. Everything was merely an illusion condensed out of a small bundle of True Qi residing in the depths. "What is... happening?"

The voice had lost its choir-like cadence, turning out to be quite high-pitched and hiss-suffused.

"No, no, no! What, what have you done?!! What have you done?!!" the bundle of energy exploded, tearing open spacetime around it; Long Tao noticed every kid be blown back like a cannonball but, luckily, none were harmed too much. "What have you done?!!" the voice repeated yet again, the screech so powerful that it distorted the entire world around them.

Long Tao slowly dissolved the quiet and appeared just ten feet to the man's left, startling him.

"Simply what had to be done."

Chapter 544 - Dread and Quiet (15)

Han Yimu braced his ribs against the impact and coughed up a mouthful of blood as he just barely landed on his feet, digging into the ground with his heels and slowly skidding back some twenty yards before coming to a stop.

Just as he did, he keeled over and vomited thrice as much blood, coughing after the fact as his vision blurred for a moment. He immediately started circulating Surging Spirit Art and barely managed to stabilize his body before passing out; each and every time he'd use it, he'd be left in absolute awe, unable to fully comprehend how it was physically possible for an art to be almost as good as a healing pill of great quality.

His eyes wandered forward toward the man who started shouting about something, though Han Yimu wasn't certain what precisely was happening. Up until a moment ago, he was mostly deflecting them and almost looked as though he was 'entertaining' them, and now... now he looked to be on the verge of losing his mind.

"What have you done?!!!" he shouted yet again while, a mere blink of an eye later, he saw the oddest of Master's disciples--Long Tao--emerge from nothing not ten or twenty feet from the man.

Han Yimu's heart paused; though he'd encountered plenty of cloaking arts as they were dime-a-dozen in the Upper Realms, that clearly went well beyond something ordinary or average, as even the man himself seemed shocked.

"Simply what had to be done," Long Tao said in a relatively casual tone as an ordinary-seeming sword appeared in his hand.

Han Yimu's heart skipped a beat in excitement; he'd never seen the boy fight, though considering how the other kids treated him, it was evident from day one that he was by far the strongest. And now... he was openly challenging a man that all the rest of the kids, including Han Yimu himself, were struggling to merely contain.

"you Bastard!!" the man screamed and whipped the sword violently toward Long Tao, plumes of Sword Qi arising like a wave of a tsunami.

The boy, on the other hand, gracefully extended his sword arm and swung it rapidly within small area; an invisible whip of energy surged forward and tore open the wave, perfectly splitting it down the middle so that the two halves went past the boy.

At the same time, he moved, disappearing and appearing almost instantaneously next to the man, swing already charged and unloaded. The latter swung back but bucked under the weight, and the seemingly impossible happened--he was moved. No... he was outright catapulted just like the kids and he had been all this while.

However, unlike with them, Long Tao didn't wait for the man to free himself of the freefall, catching up to him midair and swinging violently yet again. Each strike was so simple, so ordinary-looking that, from the outside looking in, Han Yimu would swear they'd be beyond easy to deflect.

And yet, the man struggled.

He whipped the sword around while rolling midair, slowly dissipating the backward momentum, and deflecting the sword strike, using the energy of the collision to pummel himself down to the ground. As soon as he touched it, he dug his heel in and caused a small crater to explode before he shot back up, reaching Long Tao immediately.

And thus the dance began--one that Han Yimu could just barely follow, occasionally losing the figures and only seeing streaks of light.

There were no exaggerated moves--that was the first thing he noticed. Neither Long Tao nor the man went for flashy sword strikes that unleashed an unholy volley of winds and Qi; rather, their attacks were simple and deliberate, so much so that Han Yimu felt for a moment he was seeing things wrong.

... but he caught it, when Long Tao swung above with a slightly exaggerated downward force, and the man swung from below matching it. At the moment of collision, a terrible surge of Qi overwhelmed Han Yimu to the point cold sweat broke out of his back. He instinctively braced and covered his face, anticipating a shockwave that would annihilate the entire cave and possibly even damage the array above, but it never came.

They folded it, the energy. Somehow, they folded it unto itself and dissipated it between each other before it could echo out. Something... something only the Elders in the Sect could do.

More and more, it truly looked like a coordinated, choreographed fight, akin to those disciples would put on during annual festivals. But it wasn't. Both of them were simply adjusting so quickly that it broke Han Yimu's perception of reality.

Long Tao was merely at the Revolving Core Realm, that much was certain. And even though he was fighting 'just' an Avatar, and one that has clearly been exhausted, it should never be that a literal child was to do what he was doing.

It cannot be.

And yet it was.

Yet another collision sparked fire embers to shoot out like fireworks as the two made some distance between one another, staring back and forth in silence, swords at a ready. Though it couldn't have been longer than a second or two, it felt like it took eternity for them to move.

Long Tao was the first to execute an attack; it was a straight pierce, one so quick that Han Yimu didn't even really see it--merely the result of it, which was a sword stabbed in the man's thigh. On the other end, Long Tao was missing a good chunk of his left arm, the stump bleeding profusely. And yet... he looked as unbothered as he always did.

The man coughed and sprayed out a massive chunk of blood, black as tar, collapsing to his knees as the visage of him began to waver.

"W-who... who the hell are you?!"

"Just my Master's favorite disciple." Long Tao replied, pulling back the sword and slinging it sideways, cleaning it free of blood.

"Hah, as if!" Dai Xiu suddenly shouted from the side. "The day you become Master's favorite disciple is the day rest of us die!"

Why were they so unbothered? So casual? Were they not aware of what just happened?!

"Tsk, brother Tao, you have to learn to stop being such a showoff," sister Wan Lan said. "Be more like Master--humble and quaint."

"..." Long Tao's eyebrows twitched as he glanced at them for a moment. "I really have been going easy on you during the training, haven't I? Ah, I have been too kind."

"You can't threaten us with that anymore! You've broken our bones so many times that it's no different than snapping twigs in front of us!" Dai Xiu boldly proclaimed.

"I guess I should then start carving out your organs mid-fight and tossing them at you to see whether I can shove them back in where they belong by a throw."

... what was this conversation? Han Yimu felt his entire world spin, his entire understanding of reality collapsing. Just then, and before the others could utter a retort, Long Tao extended his left and grabbed at nothing in the air.

"Where do you think you're going?" he said as light beamed between his fingers, revealing trace of the purest energy Han Yimu had ever seen--True Qi! "So rude. We didn't even finish our conversation. Looks like I have to carve some manners into you, too. Oh, so many lessons to teach... it's all so tiring."

Han Yimu's eyebrows twitched as everyone rolled their eyes and grunted, ignoring him. Even Master had lowered his head, hand on the forehead, shaking it.

Truly, he thought, looking up with grief in his eyes. What the hell did I entangle myself with?

Chapter 545 - Dread and Quiet (16)

[--quest, Sage of Dread, completed][You have successfully prevented the corruption of the city-wide array and thus the death of everyone within its protection][...][Rewards][Reward 1: 30,000 C.P][Reward 2: Spirit Core (Divine)][Reward 3: Identity of the 3rd Sage of the Abyss][...][Spirit Core (Divine) -- a remnant core of a spirit who had undergone a Nirvana; can be used as a material for a pill, core for a Soul Weapon, core for a Divine-tier formation, or ingested directly. Note that the latter will result in all but certain death for anyone outside of spirit forms][...][Identity of the 3rd Sage of the Abyss -- though the totality of structure of the Order isn't known even among those of the order, it is generally though that it resides upon the so-called 'Seven Pillars of the Abyss', the seven strongest Sages. Seldom few across the worlds know of their identities, and even those who do largely know of the Seventh and the Sixth. The Third Sage, titular 'Sage of Nightmares', is Monk Song Bao, the Path's revered Buddha. He had been around since the Paths were first established in the Samsara Valley Region, mantling many identities, and taking upon the identity of Buddha approximately 8,000 years ago. Note that Monk Song Bao is an Emperor of the highest order, and that this, too, is merely one of his identities--rather, it's simply the one he is currently employing][...][Extra Hint revealed due to the exceptional feats of your Disciples: three out of the four strongest Sages of the Order occupy positions similar to Monk Song Bao, in that they have public identities revered by the masses. Only the First Sage remains elusive]

Huh. Goddamn. I--

[--Eternity offers to reveal the identity of the First Sage][...][Karmic causality incalculable; the system must regain its full scope and mandate in order to relay the information to Host][...]

... well, fuck.

It was like someone poured ice-cold water on me in the middle of me celebrating, bringing me back to reality.

I'd almost forgotten about the quest (not really), namely because I feared that the third reward, specifically, will drop a bomb on me that will rattle me, sort of undoing the self-soothing meditation of calm and peace I've had going on for some time now.

And it kind of did, to be honest.

I'm vaguely aware of the Samsara Valley Region; if we had gone directly south from the Eternal Mountain and across the lake, we would have eventually reached it. Best I know, there are three 'sects' within the region: Path of Eternity, Path of Nirvana, and Path of Nothingness. So, to know that one of the top-figures of the Sages is de-facto leader of that place... well, shit, it's scary.

Then there was the nugget about the First Sage.

I'm not surprised, per say, that Eternity knew who it was; it is likely that Eternity knows everything, at least everything not associated with me or the kids. What I was surprised by was that the system didn't even offer to relay the information. It wasn't providing it on its own, just 'translating'. And it still provided the most resounding 'No' it ever did.

... all this while, I think we've kind of passively been underestimating the Sages, both Long Tao and I, simply because they've been operating in this world, the lesser one and whatnot. Even now, seeing how relatively 'easily' Long Tao took care of the admittedly doubly weakened version of one, there was a sense of derision in me. In that I knew were weren't ready yet, but it wouldn't be too long.

But now, all I really want to do is hop off the entire train.

Even Eternity, a creature older than literally everything else in the world, who doesn't experience the passage of time, had a price associated with it. It was a mind-blowing price, sure, but it wasn't a 'No'. There's been a few times the system has told me no, or I could infer from what I've been shown that I should not fuck with whoever it was, and each and every time that happened, it had something to do with creatures that defied description.

Their Order is far greater than we assumed, though blindly guessing was... pointless.

"Here, Master," Long Tao appeared in front of me, handing me the ball of pure energy that was twisting above his palm. "A gift."

"... what gift?" I looked at him oddly, but before he could explain it, the system jumped in with a helpful few bits.

[--presence of True Qi detected][True Qi -- the most innate aspect of a creature born of Dao. It is the purest form of Qi, unmatched, and cannot be harvested in any capacity; though everyone's True Qi is of the same quality regardless of all else, people are born with varying amounts. Host is recommended to keep the small bundle of True Qi, as it can be a great help during the breakthrough into the Shedding Mortality Realm]

"... it's surprisingly little," Lao Shun commented from the side. "For an Avatar of that tier, I expected more."

"It's an adequate amount," Long Tao shrugged as I finally took the bundle and shoved it into the 'prison'. "The perfect amount that a person can survive without, with as few consequences as possible."

"You know," Lao Shun said, his eyes wandering over to the kids. "There was one a time that I'd be flying about after a battle like that, using my long-learned expertise to heal people and bring them back from the brink. They'd have the looks of awe and respect in their eyes, and they'd chat their gratitude toward me."

"..."

"You've stolen that from me," he then turned to me and said. "Robbed it so cruelly, without a care in the world. I was once--"

"--okay, pipe down. I'll give you a recipe or something. Happy?"

"... always," he grinned as that downcast expression turned upside down quicker than a kid jumped out of bed for a weekend game.

Soon enough, they all lined up in front of me, looking up at me expectantly. Though I wanted to give a speech, all I could focus on the fact that they were bloodied from head to toe, with clothes half-ripped and torn.

"... you lot need a bath," I said. "And some new sets of clothes."

"Ah! Stupid Yimu, you forgot to do your job!" Dai Xiu exclaimed.

"H-huh? What job?"

"Master is not good with blood! What if he passes out?! Ugh, the next time we spar, I'll have to punish you..."

"..." honestly, it looked like only Dai Xiu was still in any way passionate about that tired joke. The others merely looked at her and sighed, quickly donning on fresh sets of clothes and cleaning themselves with Qi. "Alright, and the next time we spar Xiu'er, I'll have to punish you."

"E-eh? M-Master...?" why do you look like you're about to cry?! When the hell have we ever sparred?! It was just a joke! Ah, whatever.

"Good job, everyone," I said. "You've shown me a spectacle that made me more proud than I can put into words. Each and every one of you... you have grown so much. But, no matter what, just know: before you are cultivators larger than the world, and before you are heralds of change, and before you are monsters others will make you to to be... you'll be the light that was my reason to live when I had none. And, as is the tradition by now, if you have anything you want as a reward... let me know, and Master will see about opening some of my ancestral coffers to find it for you."

Chapter 546 - To The Mountains (I)

Han Yimu felt a bit touched by the speech, as he'd never heard anything like it before in his life. The others, too, seemed to take a silent note of it for a moment, but it truly was just for a moment--before a flurry of requests exploded. The first one was, surprisingly, Long Tao of all people.

"I need an art that immediately makes me break through into the Demigod Realm--"

"--get lost." Master interrupted unceremoniously.

"I need a powerful attack art, Master!" Dai Xiu said. "Even though I punch a lot, I barely hurt them!"

"I'll see what I can do about that, Xiu'er," Master said with a faint smile.

"I need an internal art," sister Wan Lan said. "Something that I can silently charge up while taking a beating."

"... weird way to phrase it, but alright. Master will look through his coffers."

"It, it may be too much," Rayce said. Hmm? Wasn't he an Shaman? Han Yimu frowned, wondering why a shaman was seeking arts from a cultivator. "But perhaps an art that can automatically inscribe very simple, everyday Words? That way, I can dedicate most of my time to more complex and layered phrases."

... phrases? Han Yimu's frown deepened? He didn't know much about Shamans, but he knew for certain they wrote words and not phrases.

"It truly would be helpful," Master said. "Perhaps there might be one, Master will see."

There... was?

"Master... could, could I have an art that helps me with my weapon?" Xing Feng asked somewhat shyly. "I, I know there's so many stances, but..."

"No, no, you're right. You more than deserve it, Feng'er. I'll be sure to find something fitting you."

No, Han Yimu thought, you cannot simply find an art like that.

"I'd like an art that--"

"--you haven't even fought," Master interrupted the alchemist with a frown on his face. "What are you butting in?"

"Master, I've fought, though?" Long Tao said.

"Why are you still there? Didn't I explicitly tell you to get lost?" the kids laughed as Long Tao rolled his eyes, and Han Yimu found the entire situation more and more confusing.

"Master, I'd like an art that lets me stay underwater for as long as I want!" Light suddenly announced.

"... uh, w-why?" even Master seemed a bit confused.

"Fishes are pretty and I want to be able to swim with them."

"... sure. Master will see about that."

"She didn't fight either," the alchemist protested.

"... really?" Master looked over at him, the look in his eyes quite strange. "Really?"

The alchemist sighed and turned away, seeming to be pouting, which was quite a strange thing to do for a man that was hundreds of years old, at the very least. Just then, too, Master looked over at him as did everyone else, and they kept staring as his blood rushed into his cheeks.

"W-what?" he finally dared ask.

"What do you want, Yimu?" Master asked.

"... h-huh?"

"You've also done really well," he said, smiling gently. "And deserve an award. Look at these gremlins immediately demanding stuff. Be more like them and less like Zhao'er sitting over there waiting his turn."

"That's not fair, Master," Xi Zhao said. "All I want is just for you to be healthy and nothing more."

"... tsk, kiss-ass," Dai Xiu said with a good amount of derision.

"... alright, yeah, definitely don't be like Zhao'er," they laughed, once again, making him feel... odd. Since becoming a martial artist, he was taught that anything but proper behavior in front of a Master was considered disrespect. Though he'd already recognized this little group hardly followed conventions, he had still underestimated them severely.

Rather than a Master and Disciples, more and more they simply just seemed like a... family. A decidedly weird one, for certain, but a family nonetheless.

"So, what would you like?"

"..." he stared back at the Master for a moment, thinking whether to play along. In the end, he truly was lacking in everything since he had to abandon all the previous arts he'd learned. And the one he definitely needed the most... "A movement art," he said. "Any kind would be fine."

"Alright," his Master nodded, smiling. "I'll see what I can do. Anyway, everyone--rest for a bit and see if you can find anything we can sell in this place. Once we've rested for a bit, we'll change our faces--oh, right, Yimu, let me know if you have trouble understanding it. Also, I forgot to give you a sister-art of sorts. Master is truly becoming forgetful in his old age..."

"You're ten times younger than me," the alchemist said.

"And you've forgotten all your manners, so it tracks."

"... haah."

"Anyway," Master tossed him a crude-looking booklet. "If you have gained the initial mastery of the Art of Survival, change your face however you'd like. If not, you can come to me or anyone to help you along."

Han Yimu caught the booklet his Master tossed; as far as the face-changing art went, he did actually reach the initial mastery. Despite the art's complexities, he had been a prodigy, and one thing he didn't lose while losing all his cultivation was his comprehension abilities.

He opened the new art his master gave him and scrolled through the pages somewhat slowly. It was... a strange art, to say the least. It held within some very beginner concepts that even children would intuitively know how to use, but also some profundities that began to unfold Yimu's understanding of the world.

Han Yimu felt his heart stop for a moment--this was terrifying. Ability to change natures of Qi, to adjust them, to mix them... it was almost on the level of face-changing art. No, in some ways it was even more astonishing as it could be the difference of a victory and a loss in combat.

When would it all stop? The constant revelations that had him spinning out. How was it possible that this was just an 'ordinary' group in the Lower Realm? It wasn't. Master was either a being of the Upper Realm who descended, or they were part of some ancient clan that had decided to send out a generation of their kids out to train them.

... but why would Master accept him, then?

"If you think too deeply about it," sister Wan Lan suddenly appeared next to him, speaking with a faint smile. "Your head will start to hurt."

"Ah."

"I've stopped doing it... huh, it's been a couple of years, hasn't it?" she looked at the Master silently for a moment. "You'll come to learn that both he and brother Tao have a long list of family members--from brothers and sisters to grandaunts and fourth cousins thrice removed--who had left behind a good number of things. Such an extensive family tree is bound to have the endless coffers, no?"

"... you do know that's impossible?" Han Yimu spat out almost instinctively, regretting it. She merely glanced at him and smirked.

"Another thing you'll come to learn," she said. "With Master... nothing will feel impossible, trust me."

Chapter 547 - To the Mountains (2)

The kids went to the side and started playing back the fight they just had, noting what they did right and what they did wrong and how they could have fought better, and a million other things, I imagine. Their excitement was palpable, but mine was a bit faded.

I was once again in need of new arts and, as every other time, they were perfectly vague and nonchalant in their requests. As I have the image of a sagacious master to maintain (I think?), I didn't inquire any further, but that meant the bulk of actually making the damn thing was left up to me.

Plus, with the new points limit of gracious 1,000, even my healthy reserves of points resting in tens of thousands aren't immune to being drained.

"Are you conferring with your coffers, Master?" Long Tao interrupted my thoughts with a cheeky smile, prompting me to sigh.

"What do you want?"

"... my heart," he said. "I feel like I'm close to lessening the curse."

"Oh. That's good." wait, did we ever directly talk about his heart being cursed? I... I don't think so?

"Not really," he shook his head. "Whoever cursed me at my birth, no doubt due to my extensive family," ah, there it is. "Also left behind an imprint. And, despite the extensive knowledge my family left behind for me, I do not know how to hide the curse being slowly cured."

"... so, if your condition becomes better, whoever cursed you at birth will immediately know?"

"Probably," he nodded. Right. That actually is a bitch. But there's a small caveat that is lost in our deluded discussions--whoever cursed him... knows he was reborn. So, there's at least one person somewhere out there that knows Long Tao is alive.

It's actually kind of a hint; anyone who truly loathed him and wanted him dead would have immediately come over and killed him once they realized he'd reincarnated. However, seeing as he was quite healthy (otherwise) and very much alive, it meant that whoever cursed him just wants him to suffer. And since it's a curse of heart...

"If they hated your family so much," I probed gently. "Why did they let you live?" the look in his eyes shifted a bit as he likely picked up on it, lips stretching out into a bitter smile.

"There are kinds of hate, Master," he said. "And from what little I was told, this wasn't the loathing sort."

Yup. Definitely some lover or such, no doubt. Just what the fuck did you do for her to curse you with something even you can't dispel? Sheesh.

"So, you do need an art."

"If there's anyone who has it, it's the Master's coffers, no doubt."

"... alright. I'll see about it. Now shoo. I was meditating."

"Of course."

Haah.

Troubles never cease.

But I actually have my doubts over this; if he knew this was a risk, he would not have practice the Heart-Stitching Art or Harmonized Heart Sutra to the extent that he did. So, it was likely that either he was just straight-up lying to me, or that he already had the means of keeping it at bay, as it were, but was perhaps looking to see if I had a more 'permanent' solution.

The issue is, though, that I don't even know where to begin with this. Despite having memorized a good chunk of the options in the creator's window, none are screaming at me as a solution to his problem.

... so, kick the can down the road. It's future me problem. A tested method dating back to the ancient peoples, and it has never, not once, come back to bite anyone in the ass.

Especially me.

Nope.

Anyway, circling back to the easiest: it's probably Xiu'er's. All she wants is an attacking art, and I can just build off of her momentum-building movement art. No, wait, she already does that passively; in a way, she was explicit about what she wanted: a powerful attack art. Even though, in my head at least, it doesn't quite suit her, who cares? She asked for it, and she'll get it.

I opened the creator's window and fiddled around for a bit; when it comes to offensive arts, their entire structure alters depending on the core few parameters. And considering Xiu'er's unique physique as well as her, uh, average comprehensive abilities, something relatively simple but explosive is probably the way to go.

There was something I had to be extremely careful of before my physique evolved: I couldn't create arts that would have the kids relying on me constantly being around to gain the passive Qi recovery rate. However, now that it was global, I could let loose and have every art use inordinate amount of Qi, since they'd recover it quickly enough.

Xiu'er is probably the best guinea pig--I mean test--I mean she's the perfect one to utilize an art created with a simple philosophy: blow everything up, no bars held. Or something like that.

As such, I made it simple, sticking to just two forms: ready and go, pretty much, and only upgrading up to the Standard logic cohesion. I didn't add any special kinds of Qi or energies, saving all my points for just a few places. For starters, I added minor infusion of Destruction Law, costing me a whopping 300 points. I wept, almost, as not too long ago that was the total amount I could have used.

I did want to add an infusion of some of the Origin Concepts, but even the cheapest was 800, so that wasn't gonna happen.

The next spending bulk came in the specific effects: I stacked as many as I could. There was a concept called 'Extended Melee' which should, in theory, allow her to extend the arch of her attacks by a few inches. I think. Probably.

Beyond that, I added all sorts of debuffs, as it were, to whoever took on the art: they'd be slowed, their Qi flow would be disrupted, their perception would be dampened, their energy would be drained, there'd be a great chance of lingering damage, and the property to tear through the Qi barriers and even physical armors. In total, all of it stacked up to 455 points, leaving me with just around 200 to finish off.

There wasn't much I could add, ironically, that would alter the art too much, but there was one particular Unique Property that fit just right, costing me 170 points.

'Proportional Output'.

Per its name, vague though it kind of was, it will allow her to expend Qi beyond the art's innate capacity to increase the sheer output of the strike. How much and how useful this will be? I've no idea. Honestly, I'm hoping that the next system upgrade comes with a mental simulator or something, where I can clearly see how these arts are played out before I commit to them.

Oh well.

A boy can dream.

I quickly clicked 'Create', excited to see what will come of it--haaah. Again. It's happened again.

[--Congratulations, Host, on creating an offensive art, 'World-Sundering Fist'][...][World-Sundering Fist][Type: Offensive Art][Rank: peak-Myth][Host Comprehension: Minor (Host should not use the art in question; it demands and extremely sturdy physique and a Qi output beyond Host's means)][...][Fist Arts, since the dawn of time, focused on precision and repeated blows to exercise utmost damage, occasionally shifting into the territory of one-kill strikes. As philosophies of fighting began to change and evolve over time, so did the approach toward all fighting schools, especially so Fist Arts; most of the practitioners were slowly funneled into defensive schools, where the priority was to endure and wear down the opponent. World-Sundering Fist, however, utterly rejects the approach and goes in a complete opposite direction.

It is designed to force the martial artist to be on perpetual offensive, to strike repeatedly and strike fast, and to have nigh-inexhaustible amount of Qi to truly utilize the art to its utmost. However, if properly executed, its sheer force almost matches that of a sword. Though simple to learn and even execute, the major drawback is that it demands battle instincts beyond ordinary; an ability to quickly and precisely coalesce Qi at the point of impact in the heat of the battle is seldom found, especially paired with a physique that can sustain the expenditure of Qi required][...][Creation Points Value: 965 of 1000 Comprehension Difficulty: Easy][...][Creation Bonus: Dragon-Scale Greaves (Legendary)]

Chapter 548 - To the Mountains (3)

Alright. That actually turned out marginally better than I expected. I was a bit bummed that the system, once again, explicitly told me not to try and use the art despite me having some understanding of it, but hey, at least I'll be able to quickly bring Xiu'er up to speed if nothing else.

I was also a bit surprised by the reward as it was another piece of 'gear', which was one of the rarer rewards as far as they went. Weapons and such? I got those often enough, I feel, but actual pieces of armor were... rare.

As such, I quickly scoured through my prison and located them; it was a pair of quite shiny boots, sliding between dark scarlet and completely black in color, with steeped, layered front like scales would be stacked, and low, wide heel at the back. They didn't seem particularly comfortable, honestly, as they looked like they weighed as much as a semi did, but depending on their stats and whatnot... I mean, they do have a dragon in their name. That's got to count for something, no?

[Dragon-Scale Greaves][Tier: Legendary][Crafted somewhat roughly by someone who clearly lacked experience handling a material as durable as a dragon's scale, the greaves still offer exponential protection and benefits, even if they do come with severe drawbacks. As the scale in question wasn't a so-called 'living' one, but rather a discarded, flawed scale found in the wild, its Qi-conductivity ranks quite low on the scale, but its sheer durability is actually graded highly. Once donned, like every other piece of armor crafted from dragon parts, they become Soulbound to the wearer][...][Due to the sheer weight, topping at approximately 120 pounds, they must be worn by either a body cultivator or someone with an extremely powerful physique.

They are nigh-indestructible, outwardly, and can block strikes from virtually every weapon of sub-Primal tier. Additionally, the array inscribed within their soles can be engaged by moving a massive amount of Qi toward it, granting the wearer the ability to propel themselves in any direction at speeds beyond count. Note that the wearer will have to navigate by themselves, as the boots merely offer the speed boost]

... did, did this thing just say they weigh hundred-and-twenty-fucking-pounds?! What the actual fuck?! That's how much I weighed most of my freakin' life!

Can anyone even actually wear them? My initial idea was to obviously give them to Wan Lan, but even with her physique and prowess, I don't think she can actually wear them. Well, at least wear them and fight normally, that is.

Sheesh.

Well.

We'll see, I guess.

Shrugging it away, I pulled back and started mulling over the next art I was to make. I was a bit torn between going with Lan'er's request and Rayce's, settling on the latter as that one seemed a bit more complicated and exploratory.

What he was looking for was essentially a template--now, I don't think I can create one, as I'm not a shaman, but maybe I can create an art that allows him to make a few templates and passively spit them out?

The logic itself, at least on my end, was feasible; this was that division between manual versus automated labor, the cornerstone of the peachy modern world that I lived in.

Pulling up the creator's window yet again, I shuffled over to the shaman section--cutting of large chunks of options--and started looking through the options. Honestly, it kind of felt underbaked, like a thought that was never quite fully put into words and was left hanging. Huge parts of what was accessible in the ordinary window were missing, and they were hardly cultivation-exclusive aspects.

Nonetheless, I did stumble upon something.

There was a small, relatively inexpensive option called 'Impression' that cost just shy of 200 points. On its own, it was perfectly mundane, as its ever-perfectly vague description read, 'Leaves an impression of the Word for a short period of time after it is used'. Sort of like a DoT, I'm guessing, or a temporary area of effect.

But--what if I combine it with some permeating effects? Namely, 'Mindful Pen' and 'Living Ink'. Like the Impression, they were quite pedestrian on their own--Mindful Pen merely made slight corrections to the movements while he'd write Words, and Living Ink would 'spill out' into a line. So, he'd just have to 'block out' the word and Living Ink would, theoretically, 'fill it out'.

Theoretically, of course.

But, once I combined the three... the result was interesting. I wasn't yet sure if it actually worked, and since I had about 100 points leftover still, I combed through the cheaper options and found one last addition that might be useful: unlike the previous three, it didn't have an 'official' name, just a description of what it did.

Repeatedly written Words become quicker and quicker to procure.

I tossed it in as it 'just' cost 80 points (forgetting that there was a time when 80 points was almost the totality of what I could use to create an art), rubbed my hands together in a silent prayer, remembered to actually name the damn thing before creating it, and pressed that 'Create' button with anticipation, hoping against hope that it was not gonna make something like, 'Writing Words becomes passively faster; can write with both hands simultaneously, yada-yada-yada'.

[Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Wordless Writ' Shamanic Art][...][Wordless Writ][Type: Shamanic Art][Rank: ???][Host Comprehension: None (Fails to meet minimum requirements)][...][A creed of a Shaman is the pride in the written Word; even the most ordinary ones ought to be written with deliberate care, where each stroke was done with intent. That school of thought has permeated Shamanism from before the written records, though as for why, no one is certain. Words are not living things--they are merely intentions exercised through mana. They are actions upon the world exercised by someone, rather than on their own.

This art ignores the primary principality of Shamanism, and allows a Shaman to forge Words without intent; at the expense of passive consumption and time, the art can produce basic, one-vowel Words entirely independently of the Shaman themselves. Note that further increases in comprehension may decrease the time taken and increase the number of possible vowels. Due to the art's nature, however, even the willing Shamans must be inordinately talented, once-in-a-generation geniuses, as the difficulty of comprehension rivals some of the Fundamental Laws of Dao][...][Note: Host is warned that the art goes unilaterally against the entire Order of Shamanism; should it be discovered, there is a good chance that the Host might be declared a public enemy one of the Shamans][...][Creation Points Value: 990 of 1000 Comprehension Difficulty: ???][...][Creation Bonus: Codex of Parchments (Legendary)][Codex of Parchments (Legendary) -- a blank set of 100 parchments handwoven for the use in writing Shamanic Words. The quality of the parchment is top notch, and due to the deliberate handwoven nature, it increases the potency of the written Word from 10% to 50% in scant few cases. The parchment is perfectly suitable for beginner Shamans as it does not require the same precision of inking as more crude ones do][...][Creation Bonus: Word of Singularity Concept (???)][Word of Singularity Concept (???) -- contains a carved principality of the Word for Singularity; a Shaman may study it to properly internalize the meaning, learning to write it. Note that the concept cannot be used as a Word, merely a reference][A Secondary Note: beyond being able to imitate the strokes of the Word, Shaman must truly understand the internal meaning of it in order to properly facilitate its nature]

... huh.

Is it saying that I have to teach Rayce what a singularity is?

How the hell will I explain knowing that one?!

Chapter 549 - To the Mountains (4)

I've kind of knocked it out of the park with the first two, so it only made sense that my first attempt at Lan'er's art was a complete and utter dud. While it did what she asked very broadly, it was slow and kind of... off? I don't even know how best to describe, honestly, as I'm not quite sure what kind of an 'internal' art would be best suited for her.

She was a body cultivator with doubly reinforced meridians that could take a pounding like no other, and the way she fought kind of reflected all of her characteristics; even Dai Xiu thought more about her actions during a fight, while Wan Lan just... rammed. Through and through.

Which meant that the 'internal' art cannot be something that required an intent. It had to be something that would passively be there, and that would do its thing regardless of what she does. Because if the battle stretches out long enough, she will lose herself to that fire in her. And if she thought little before it, she'll think none during it.

I mean, it should be possible, but also there's only so much I can do with 1,000 points. The thing I noticed was that I can, generally speaking, make almost anything, really; it's not so much that the idea itself was restrained, it was just that the scope was so limiting it was sort of the case of, 'Well, what's the damn point?'.

Kind of like when I made that flight art for Light; it was borderline unusable, but it was technically possible.

Opening up the creator's window yet again, I began shuffling around and perusing the parts that I've yet to fully internalize, mostly the ones that I've unlocked later down the line. There were quite a few options specifying the passivity of the art, but that's not actually what I needed, specifically.

It had to be both--it had to passively pool, but it also had to actively discharge in some capacity. But try as I may, I wasn't actually able to marry the two in a cohesive structure.

I tried--spending about 4,000 points in almost unusable arts--but nothing came of it.

But I can't give up. Of all the kids, Wan Lan received the least from me, I'm pretty sure. What if I create a duality of Demonic Qi and ordinary Qi?

Have the core be passively 'filled' by Demonic Qi, and then use ordinary Qi as a 'trigger' point. So, once the 'pool' is 'full', it somehow balloons to just the right side to trigger itself through Qi?

... no, that's just dumb.

I wrecked my little dumb head trying to think of something, but nothing was coming to it just yet. It looks like Lan'er's gift will have to wait a bit.

One art that I was actually pretty confident in making was Feng'er's. Multi-mastery of the weapons was his bread and butter, and he's been pretty much improvising it all this while, but I did try to make something that fit him quite some time ago and got pretty close. The issue was--and still is going to be, I imagine--that every additional weapon added also adds a decent amount of points to the total.

Even fully optimized, and even using the drawback of it being extremely difficult to comprehend which added another 200 points to the total, I could only make it for four weapons.

There was some good news--I could actually make two separate arts to cover all seven stances of his weapon, and I could then hope that, someday in the distant future, once I've leveled the system up enough, there will be a way to combine compatible arts into one.

With that hope in mind, I quickly shuffled through the options and made the first one, covering the four weapons I'd seen him use the most: Sword, Spear, Polearm, and Bow.

The total cost was 1195, down to 995 with the drawback.

[--Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Way of the Weapon Master' Weapon Art]

... right. How did I forget to name it? Again?!

[...][Way of the Weapon Master][Type: Weapon Art][Rank: middle-Myth Tier][Host Comprehension: None (Fails to meet minimum requirements)][...][Those willing to pursue the Many-Weapons Path are few and far between. Even mastering just one is akin to summitting the heavens, and pursuing any more than that is often seen as an act of lunacy. However, there will always be those who are either foolish or brave enough to attempt it. Succeeding means becoming the mountain others cannot conquer, but failing means existing in perpetual mediocrity until death. As there has never been anyone who truly succeeded, there are no high-rank arts for anyone to follow, making the path easier. While this art fails short of being path-illuminating, it is good enough of a hammer to tear down the first hurdle and allow one to comprehend the Many-Weapons Path to quasi-Imperial Realm][...][Creation Points Value: 995(1,195) / 1000 Comprehension Difficulty: ???][...][Creation Bonus: Gloves of Enu (Legendary)][...][Gloves of Enu (Legendary) -- said to have been worn by one of the earliest Child of a Dragon and woven by a Draconic Tanner, the gloves contain incomparable capacity of grip, allowing the wearer to hold onto their weapons no matter what]

... alright. That's actually pretty good. The other one was practically exactly the same, just without the creation bonus which, on its face value, wasn't that good. However, it was quite case-specific, as it was probably kind of godsent for Xing Feng. He has to swap weapon stances somewhat slowly as the changing of the shape runs the risk of the weapon slipping through, but if these gloves just magically guarantee the weapon won't drop... can't he just disregard everything else and go for speed?

We'll find out, I guess.

Stretching, I glanced out and saw a quite comedic scene--all the kids abruptly whipped their heads away from me and immediately looked as though they'd been engaged in the best conversation of their lives.

Was I so engrossed in my shit that I didn't even notice they've been staring at me this whole time? Yeah, probably. What did they think I was doing, though? Like, literally searching through the 'coffers' or that I'm making their requested arts on the spot?

Huh.

Well, it would be odd if I magically pulled all of their requests at once, so it's a perfect time to take a break from creating and finally leave this godforsaken place. After all, there's a mountain a-waitin', and an old acquaintance that might be joining us.

"Alright, everyone," I announced. "Pack your things and let's leave."

"What about our rewards, Master?" Long Tao asked with a smile.

"They'll come when they arrive," I shrugged. "Until then, they might not even exist. Alright, let's go, let's go. We have places to be and things to see, and time waits for no man. "

Chapter 550 - To the Mountains (V)

We made our way out through the winding tunnels, not interrupted even once. I honestly expected someone to intercept us; if not any of the city's cultivators who may have noticed something off with the array, then at least Zi Tai. I'm certain she didn't just get up and leave, but try as I may... I can't see her. Was she so good at hiding? I mean, if Long Tao chose to hide, I can't quite see him either, but he's an old monster at the very least.

Ah, whatever.

The little side-mission paid off a great deal, and I'd finally got to see the full extent of the kids' abilities. They were... well, they were something else, that was for sure.

But that wasn't what shocked me the most, actually.

What shocked me the most was that I didn't think any of them could actually beat me as I am now. Which I know for a fact isn't actually true--Wan Lan could easily outlast me, Xi Zhao could do unspeakable things to me, and Light... well, anyway, the point is that I saw nothing in their attacks that made me think, 'Geez, I wouldn't be able to defend against that'.

And that's a first.

In fact, for a good chunk of the fight, I was running scenarios in my head as if I were in the sage's position. None of those scenarios lasted particularly long as the kids pummeled me into the ground, but just the idea that I even contemplated it...

I don't think about it often, but I truly have come a long way. I think. To be fair, I still yap and occasionally get anxious thinking about what we'll do next, but there's also a calm in me beyond using the arts that's just the result of living in this reality for so long.

It's sort like I was in high school; for the few months, I was extremely awkward and insecure and uncertain on what to do. I mumbled and stumbled my way through them, but once I got used to being there... well, it wasn't smooth-sailing, but it was sailing, at least.

The magic of being human, I guess, is being able to adjust to whatever hell's around you. I remember my biology professor mentioning something along those lines; supposing the existence of atmosphere, proper distribution of gasses, and presence of liquid water, and livable temperatures, humans can survive anywhere. Not live, but at least survive.

That's what I've been doing all this while, I feel--just... surviving. Taking it day-by-day, worrying, shuffling about and trying to make myself look small. But at some point, I think I tried living. I still dip back into that survival mode, but more and more I catch myself thinking the kind of shit that would have horrified me when I first came here.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" Lao Shun walked up to me and asked.

"Not much," I said. "Just that I don't have as many mental meltdown as I used to."

"... I don't think it's fair to call them meltdowns, though."

"Hm?" I glanced over at him.

"You were a bit cowardly, sure," he said. "And looked wracked with anxiety on occasion, but you never crumbled. True meltdowns... you witness a person unfold like a piece of parchment, completely vanishing before your very eyes. Before long, they're unrecognizable. Husks of who they once were."

"... fair," I nodded. "Happened to someone you know?"

"A Junior of mine from the Tower," he replied. "It must have been a few hundred years ago. I'd just become a Heart-Rank Alchemist not too long before that, and was finally beginning to make a small name for myself. A tradition in the Tower is that, once you reach the Heart-Rank, you take a few of the Body-Rank Initiates under your wing. Not as official Disciples, of course, but more so Juniors that you occasionally guide.

"It was one of the smallest batches that the Tower took in, twenty kids or so in total. He and a few others were assigned to me, so I showed them around, occasionally guided them, and helped them with the Tower's politics. I noticed it relatively quickly--though none of them were particularly talented, he was just... not suited for alchemy. Even some of the Elders in the Tower advised him to choose another field, or even pursue cultivation as he actually had a Heaven-level Root. But... he refused. Said that Alchemy was his divine calling, and that he'd sooner die than change it."

"Sounds stubborn," I said.

"He was," he nodded. "And a fool to a boot."

"What happened to him?"

"He fell further and further behind," Lao Shun's face turned quite melancholic as he sighed. "Before long, they forbade him usage of a cauldron. All he was allowed was picking up and sorting of the herbs. He started drinking, more and more.

Other kids started bullying him. He was eventually stripped of the Novice Alchemist title, but as some Elders felt bad for him, they kept him around, hiring him to discard the herbal sludge and some other small jobs around the Tower. One day... he simply lost it. Cursed out everyone, broke a lot of equipment, and set one of the small sheds on fire. He ran away before they caught him, and by the time they got to his quarters... he was dead. At some point, he'd thieved a stalk of Shadowgale, and we found him chewing on it."

"..."

"This world has a way of getting to people," he looked at me. "Honestly, you and the kids are vast exceptions. Most of the rest of us are walking around with demons in our hearts. The fact that you somehow managed to shield them all this while... it might be more impressive than anything else you've done."

"... the offer still stands," I said.

"The offer?"

"Your heart," I pointed at his chest. "If you're worried, you can ask Han Yimu about his experience."

"... huh. So, you really can do it?"

"You didn't believe me?"

"I wanted to," he said. "It's fine," he pushed a smile. "I meant it when I said the first time: it's my mountain to summit and no one else's."

"Regardless, even if you don't want it, I'm always here," I said. "You can talk and I'll listen. And I promise to judge you silently and never to your face."

"And I appreciate that greatly," he grinned. "You truly are donning the mantle of my Master, huh?"

"No, not Master. Just a friend."

"..."

"I know what it's like to be drowning and gasping for breath and have nobody there to pull you up," he'd quieted down and stared back at me. "So, even if you won't let me pull you out of the lake to the shore, I'll at least never let you drown."

"... thanks," he squeezed out after a momentary pause. "I appreciate it."

"No problem."

"I'd appreciate an ancient, forgotten recipe a whole lot more--"

"--get out."

"Ha ha ha."

His laughter rang a bit lighter, I felt, as he sauntered to the front, leaving me to sigh helplessly. He may be five centuries older than me, but it seems to hardly preclude one from being an internal mess. Then again, I imagine that at some point years begin to blend together.

Even back on Earth, toward my late thirties, I barely registered individual days. Rather, I counted my life in weeks. If I did that in my thirties, I can only imagine what I'll do in my five...hundreds? Yeah. Let's go with five-hundreds.

Can't wait.

... maybe.

Chapter 551 - To the Mountains (6)

We emerged from the tunnel just shy of the dawn on the outside. Not before we took just about half an hour for all of us--including Lao Shun and Han Yimu--to do some fancy face-altering.

In reality, no one really changed their appearance that much. Slightly higher cheekbones, rounder or more slanted eyes, different hairstyle and color, and some jaw-sculpting. They did look different, though, but just similar enough that those who've met them before are likely to have that 'itch' in the back of their heads screaming at them, 'You know those kids!'

The two who changed the most were Lao Shun and Han Yimu as it was their first time using the art; though they retained some general roughness to their appearance, especially Lao Shun who still had scruffy beard and somewhat bushy brows, but beneath them also had a face that was about a decade younger. It honestly kind of looked like bad prop work in a T.V show, like an infamous putting on wigs and hoods to de-age a character into high school.

Once we emerged, we stealthily dipped away from the city; though I had some plans to resupply initially, I'm not sure sticking around the scene of a crime would be the smartest thing to do.

All the same, we will resupply once we're in Jade Blossom City.

We all hopped into the chariot once we were about ten or so miles away from the city, finally relaxing somewhat. As the kids dispersed to their corners to meditate, I once again pulled up the creator's window; there were still arts to make, and I wanted to make them and share them all before we arrive.

Still kicking back Lan'er's, I focused on the easier of the remaining two: Light's. She wanted to be able to stay underwater for a long time to look at the fishes. Just like her last requested one where she asked me to make a flight art, this one was weird, too.

I don't know whether she's being considerate or just plain ol' weird, but regardless, creating the art was... well, easy.

In fact, I kind of went overboard and created something that went just a touch beyond being able to 'stay underwater'.

[Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Undying Breath' Special Art][...][Undying Breath][Type: Special Art][Rank: low-Myth tier][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Breathing is by many considered to be the most fundamental aspect of everything: life, death, and cultivation itself. Some old schools of thought even supposed that the only way to achieve true immortality was to learn to hold one's breath forever--as they believed that each exhale would rip parts of one's soul, slowly exhausting it and leading to inevitable death. Though breathing is considered the essence of life, and absence of it is by many considered death, it hardly rings to the truth of the matter; there are many who were bereft of their breaths, punished for their sins, who've lived eons since then.

One truth remains, however: perfecting one's ability to breathe is a necessity to acquiring many keys which lead to the doors of perfection. Mastering this art means creating the foundational block for the future. It allows the martial artist to hold their breath nigh-indefinitely, and control their breath to perfection. Once '???' mastery is reached, it allows for the body to effectively enter a state of decay, but so long as that singular breath is retained, the body can recover. Note: Undying Breath is close in concept to Path of the Unbroken Thought and their central art, Buddhist Sutra of Eternity. The central claim is that, so long a singular spark or thought or breath remains, true extinction cannot occur.

While their pursuits are inverse, they touch on the same principalities of existence; revealing Undying Breath's existence may be a boon or a curse][...][Creation Points Value: 880/1000 Comprehension Difficulty: Transcendent][...][--Creator of Myths has been triggered. New special effect is added to the art][Special Effect: basic physical attributes of a martial artist increase while not breathing. The extent of empowerment scales with the duration of being breathless.

Minimum to trigger the special effect is 6 hours, effects scaling with each subsequent hour][...][Creation Bonus: Minor Trait Unlocked, Breathless Touch Talisman times 1 Minor Trait Unlocked: Purified Breathing (Epic)][...][Purified Breathing (Epic) -- allows for clear and conscious breathing in nearly all environment, regardless of how toxic the air is. The body naturally purifies the air from toxins and poisons][Breathless Touch Talisman (???) -- ripping the talisman pulls all breathable air within a 30 miles radius around you into a pocket dimension. All sounds cease, all flames perish. Breath escapes the lungs and never returns]

Yeah, just a touch.

When I set out to create the art, I sure did not intend to create something that apparently near-mimics an existing Buddhist path. But now I'm here, wondering whether I should actually just give this to everyone. It doesn't sound bad, and it's kind of clear that its purpose isn't like it's for the Buddhist path; it's intended as a defensive, self-preservation tool, rather than means of finality.

Purified Breathing is a nice boon to have as it's literally always on, but the true mind-bender (besides the art, of course) was the talisman.

Though I may be way off, I'm pretty sure that it's saying if I rip this thing, it will create a literal vacuum of space within a 30 miles radius. Which, well, is legitimately insane.

I'm not quite sure whether it would be lethal to some high-end Emperor, but if it truly creates a vacuum, it goes beyond breathing, if my recollection of physics classes holds up. It does pair up nicely with Undying Breath, but I'm fairly certain I ain't gonna be ripping that bad boy any time soon.

"Yimu," I said, procuring the talisman and tossing it over to the surprised young man who caught it quite effortlessly. "What do you think it does?" though he'd just started reading the massive codex recently, short of asking Long Tao, he was my best bet.

"Hmm," he inspected the talisman for a few moments before quickly throwing it back to me, seeming a bit fearful. "Master! What if I accidentally ripped it? We would have all died!"

"What? What?"

"How would we have died?" as they all looked at me curiously, I sighed and let them pass it around until it came back to me. While the kids gawked at how it was amazing that I had it with me, Long Tao and even Lao Shun were a bit more... apprehensive.

"Well, to make sure we don't die if any one of us rips it by accident," I said, procuring tomes of the Undying Breath for all of them. "Here. It should be helpful."

Long Tao was the fastest, as his hand turned into a literal blur while he grabbed the booklet and started reading. For the next few minutes, the entire chariot turned so silent a shuffle of my smooth robes against the wooden bench was akin to rip of a goddamn thunder.

As I expected, Long Tao woke up from it first, glancing over at me with a... dull expression. Maybe the art wasn't actually as impressive as I thought?

"What?" I asked.

"... nothing," he said. "Just wondering whether your family has any connection to a certain Buddhist Path."

"Funnily, a cousin on my grandfather's side, thrice-removed, had a friend whose fourth child met a young boy on her travels who taught her the principles of that Buddhist Path."

"... haah," he sighed rather audibly as I caught most of their eyebrows twitch. Long Tao turned his focus back on the book while I pulled up the window, wondering how to make Yimu's movement art.

Chapter 552 - To the Mountains (7)

Long Tao blankly stared at the words that rang hollowly inside his mind. Undying Breath was a rather... peculiar art. He'd come across the old philosophies of existence which claimed that the barrier to immortality was one's breath, and so long as one could contain that breath within, they would never die.

From them spawned a thousand different schools that lived and died in the epochs since, with only a few surviving, the most dominant being a particular Buddhist Path. It wasn't a popular path by any means; in fact, when he had visited Su Ãn at the Valley of Temples, there were literally only three followers of that path.

It was quite obvious why: identity of the soul was not contained within a breath. It was merely a body's function--an important one, yes, and one that governed many other things, but it did not contain one's soul. Path of the Unbroken Thought was a stubborn attempt to escape the suffering through complete separation from the world. To contain one's everything into a singular breath and, upon exhaling it, simply... perish.

Master's art, of course, was nothing like that. If anything, it proved the Path itself to be kind of pointless, as it did the exact opposite of what those Buddhist were wishing for: it offered another life where, otherwise, there would only be finality.

When Long Tao first got to the Upper Realm and joined one of the sect, one of the first lessons he'd ever received was actually about holding one's breath: he was forced to find and run and swim and even fly whilst not breathing. It was meant to stimulate his latent potential and have him experience grueling nature of existence, and carve into his bones the ability to function without breathing, to contain the body's most essential instinct.

But even without that, the vast majority of Emperors could go on for days, if not weeks, without taking a breath. Going even beyond that, those ancient relics that entombed themselves literally counted their remaining lifespans by how many breaths they had left.

Old Elder of the Primordial Fist School, a now defunct sect, was said to have lived over 10 million years on a singular remaining breath.

Once again, his Master's art wasn't just rare and all-encompassing, but rather it defied reason. Nobody actually fought holding their breath; the entire point of the exercise was to simply become more aware of one's breathing and to attain complete control over it, likely to better utilize cultivation methods more so than anything else. And yet, Long Tao knew he'd have no choice now--none of them would. For this art alone, they'd have to slowly learn how to fight breathless.

Not to mention that strange talisman that gave even him the creeps; sharpened instincts of his were warning him against a lethal danger, a sensation he'd felt perhaps four times since coming back to life.

He once again glanced over at the young man who was already lost in thought, his eyes wandering about as though there was a massive book in front of him. By now, Long Tao had realized it--when his Master was like that... he was creating.

Though he'd suspected the man had been doing exactly that for years now, he still thought there was a ceremony of sorts to it. That he'd have to prepare mentally for a long time, and that he'd have to have perfect environment to achieve the Harmony of Heaven and Earth, but... no. He was sitting in a rickety, flying chariot, and was occasionally pulled out of it by the kids asking question, and would just go right back to it as though nothing happened.

Sighing, he put away the booklet.

Unlike the kids, it seemed, he immediately realized they weren't going to gain even initial mastery of that thing for a long while--months, at least, even for someone as talented as little Feng. Dai Xiu would likely take a year or two to grasp anything.

Trying to distract himself, his mind wandered to the pup that was possibly waiting at their destination. He had plans on 'collecting' him immediately once they had plundered the mine, but that thing they met inside... rattled him. Though he knew there were many people and beasts currently stronger than him--even in this, lesser world--that thing might have actually been stronger than him at his best. Which was a horrifying thought.

Long Tao had fought innumerable cultivators throughout his life; he'd won thousands of fights, and he'd lost many, too. But, by the time he'd become an Emperor, and especially by the time he'd started to slowly challenge the so-called 'Seven Pillars', he did not believe there were more than five or six creatures that were stronger than him.

Perhaps an ancient dragon, or an ancient Divine Beast, and maybe the God-Emperor.

But meeting that thing here, in some random mine... it rattled him. It signaled that the world was even vaster than he had thought. More than that, it worried him that his Master never truthfully divulged what the two of them talked about.

As such, by the time they exited the mine, he abandoned the plans to collect the pup. In fact, he abandoned ever coming back for it, as he recognized even if it could truly awaken its latent bloodline, it wouldn't be particularly strong.

What changed his mind was his Master, once again--or, well, not him, per say, but rather the little chicken that decided to follow them. Divine Phoenixes, even juvenile ones like Lu Naǒ, were proud. It was something carved into their blood and could not be taken out, no matter what.

They sought strength and perfection, and they'd never choose to follow a human out of the goodness of their heart. There was only one reason why that chicken decided to follow them: Master had the ability to aid it in cultivation. How? Long Tao had long since stopped asking that question.

But if he had the ability to aid a Divine Beast, then he likely had the ability to aid any beast. And though that pup likely didn't have the potential of a Divine Beast, the blood in its veins was... valuable.

Though his long-term goal had shifted ever since Master explained away the two behemoths, it hadn't shifted truly. The first step had always been to prevent those here trying to use those outside to change the world; despite those 'outside' being inanimate, unfeeling things, those here still had the same dreams and hopes. Like the Sages of the Abyss. Or the Heavenly Court. Or possibly even many more groups and sects that keep rising and falling so frequently he couldn't be bothered to remember their names.

There was rot beyond what even he saw in the past, and one that had to be rooted out. And, beyond what he thought before dying, he was not alone--far from it. Not just the Master, but these kids, too; one day, he had a feeling, they'd bring down the gilded walls of the Heavenly Court, and tear apart the holy facade.

And it would be one day far sooner than he believed even in his wildest dreams.

Chapter 553 - To the Mountains (8)

I was actually having quite a lot of fun coming up with Han Yimu's movement art as I decided to let the creative side of me (which I actually had, apparently?) take over when I was rudely interrupted by a notification that I was expecting, just not this quickly.

[--Spirit Mine has completely devoured the Spirit Core. While it has not processed it fully, it has underwent the first stage of evolution][Spirit Mine's Sentience has evolved: Infancy -- Adulthood][...][A Spirit evolving in any capacity is either a long, arduous journey that they may never complete, or an overnight miracle. Though the steps towards Intelligence are the same, results vary massively depending on how a Spirit evolves. As the Spirit Mine has used a Divine-tier Spirit Core, it has achieved nearly fully optimal evolution. Its intelligence is currently comparable to a two-year-old][...][The Spirit still cannot directly communicate with a Host, but Host should offer it a name first before proceeding]

I never truly forgot about the little thing that Eternity had stashed away somewhere, and I kind of just... let it be. I never even took Spirit Stones from it as I wanted to accelerate its growth as much as possible. After all, ten thousand Stones would have just barely been a temporary relief, and my mind is in the future, when I can use it to fuel an entire sect's worth of disciples.

Regardless, even with the Spirit Core, I didn't think it would evolve, least of all this quickly. I just thought that it'd consume the Core and gain a few extra abilities, and that would be that.

And now it was even asking for a name. Hmm. Name, name, name. My naming sense is obviously awesome, but I haven't named a living thing yet in this world. And, unlike quite a lot of parents back on Earth, I'm fully aware that it's a name this 'kid' will have to live with for a long time, so I should probably abstain from making it too exotic.

But also... one's name is the first imprint of identity; it should have some uniqueness to it, I suppose. I mean, I liked 'Jake' well enough, but in grade school alone I've met like eleven other boys with a name 'Jake', and that number continued to grow throughout my life. Most kids never even called me 'Jake' as it was reserved for one or two dudes who were considered 'the coolest'.

So, what should I name a spirit that's born of a mine, now taking its first steps into adulthood? I find it kind of weird, though, that the Sentience stage of 'Adulthood' grants it the level of intellect of a two-year-old. How the heck is that adulthood? I think we're both being scammed, little mine-y.

Name, name, name.

Boulder? No, I'd just be reminded of another Boulder and laugh every time I'd use the name. Rock? No, can't do that either. Stoney? No, that just sounds like it's addicted to quirky brownies and hotboxes.

... should I just give it like a generic, can-be-anyone's name? Ashley? Joey? Blake? Jamie? No, that'd just make it get bullied more as they'd stick out like a sore thumb against the conventional names of this world.

Haah.

Maybe I shouldn't complicate it too much and just call it Ling? It's simple, easy to remember, it sure as hell won't get bullied because it's too unique, and it's not some generic woo-hoo. Yeah. Let's just hope it likes it.

[--Spirit Ling has been registered as Host's Direct Disciple][However, Host will be unable to view its status window until it reaches the stage of Intelligence][...][Due to the evolution, Ling has experienced several changes and gained new abilities][Spirit Stone Evolution: similarly to Host's Spirit Qi Purification Art, Ling can now passively upgrade lesser stones into their higher tiers. The rate is marginally worse than the art's, but is helped out by the fact it does not have to consciously dedicate its time to doing it. The host simply needs to give Eternity the stones and retrieve them when the conversion is done][Material Consumption: Ling has obtained the ability to consume materials and process them into evolutionary progress. While common and usable materials such as ores can be used, toxins and poisons will work as well. Anything that contains a trace of energy can be fully consumed.

Note that Ling still cannot exist outside of Eternity's containment, so it cannot be summoned externally. Materials must be fed to it][Spirit Sense: Ling has become extremely sensitive to existence of dense pools of Qi, be they of another Mine or another nature. It can detect presence of Qi Swirls within a 100 mile radius.

Note that Ling does not have the ability to discern the source of the Qi Swirls: it could be another mine, or simply a battle between two cultivators. Trust the ability at your discretion][...][Ling has taken the first step towards Self-Actualization. At the current rate, it will take 39,458,393,009 years to achieve it]

... did my eyesight temporarily go bad or does that shit say thirty-nine freakin' billion? You know what--not even gonna ask.

Just like with the Spirit Core, I'm assuming I'll have to be another 'miracle' in order to facilitate it taking that next step. For now, though, I'm actually super happy with the Spirit Stone Evolution alone. I don't like when the kids take the time to upgrade the stones as it does take a while, robbing them of the time they could have spent cultivating. With this, some of that burden, at least, will be alleviated.

As for the other two, they're a bit more circumstantial, and my big fear is that the Spirit Sense will become an annoying alarm that's gonna be ringing constantly as I'm not even sure what constitutes a 'Qi Swirl' that's dense enough to trigger it.

Oh well, we'll see.

Not much to do about it just yet, so instead I circled back to the idea I had for Han Yimu's movement art. For now, he's kind of a blank slate, to be honest; he's still learning how to properly wield the spear, and if the basis of everything I've given him so far is to be the foundation of his future, I think he'll land somewhere between Wan Lan and Dai Xiu in terms of the style.

Sort of like an AoE machine that thrives in large-scale combat and loves when there are rivers of blood around. Now, I can't literally base the movement art around that, though it'd be morbidly cool, indeed, but if I make that sweeping assumption... I do have an idea.

Spear is long and has a great reach, but what if he could just... throw it places? I mean, I'm no weapon expert, but a spear and a javelin are practically identical? Right?

Khm.

Anyway, so, if he could throw the spear, could he not just... go to it as a movement art? He really could shock hearts into early grave with that jump-scare shit.

Chapter 554 - To the Mountains (9)

As it turned out, my brilliant (and totally original) idea couldn't actually be made. Well, it couldn't be made in one art. Try as I may, it was simply far too many functions to stuff into a sub-1,000 points art. I wasn't disheartened for long, though, as it simply meant I had to isolate the functions into their own arts, sort of like that single responsibility principle in programming or something.

In the end, I landed on needing precisely three arts: the first was the simple 'weapon throw' one. Not simple, really, but broadly speaking, that was its function. The second one was a 'marking' art, sort of like a destination point, and the third one was the actual 'blink' function that moved the cultivator to the 'mark'.

Surprisingly, the totality of points needed ended up being just shy for 1,500, as I didn't want to add pointless add-ons unnecessarily as I usually tend to do just to fill out the points.

[Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Heavenly Throw' Weapon Art][...][Heavenly Throw][Type: Weapon Art][Rank: peak-Heaven][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Though a Dao Path unto itself, concept of weapon throwing is hardly pursued by many. It requires one to bond and dis-bond from the weapon at speeds quite incomprehensible, and all so for a little extra yield beyond direct striking. Though Heavenly Throw hardly fills the gap, it offers an alternate path--those who gain '???' Mastery of it may freely control its trajectory, though it has to remain forward-bound. Additionally, at complete mastery, the cultivator will be able to retrieve the weapon into their hand regardless of the distance.

While any weapon can technically be thrown, the art is formed around spears and javelins, primarily, which gain additional piercing power scaling with the traveled distance. The speed and length of the throw depend entirely on the cultivator's prowess][...][Creation Points Value: 620/1000 Comprehension Difficulty: Prodigious][...][Creation Bonus: Retrieval Talisman times 10 Retrieval Talisman (Epic) (x10) -- physically retrieves the object it is attached to, destroying itself in the process. Can only retrieve objects up to Divine Grade and no further. The maximum distance of retrieval is 5 miles]

I was actually kind of surprised with the extra functionalities, especially the innate retrieval function upon complete mastery. Best I did was simply add extra 'balancing' functionalities to make it easier for Han Yimu to throw with precision in the heat of the moment, but I guess the system interpreted it... differently.

[Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Heavenly Mark' Special Art][...][Heavenly Mark][Rank: low-Earth][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Leaves a nearly imperceptible trace of one's essence behind. Though it can be detected by those with high perception, it naturally disguises itself to blend within the surroundings. The link can withstand up to 6 miles of distance before the tether is broken. Can be placed on the living and inanimate.

Each increase of mastery allows for an extra trace to be left behind. Upon complete mastery, the distance is extended to 1,000 miles, but each use of the mark beyond the distance of 6 miles--regardless of the nature--makes it so that another one cannot be used for 48 hours][...][Creation Points Value. 120/1000 Comprehension Difficulty: Easy][...][Creation Bonus: None]

Another one whose 'final stage' kind of surprised me. I just wanted a way for him to mark the spear with as little visibility as possible, but the system's generous interpretation made it quite... tantalizing. Honestly, I might actually try and gun for the complete mastery, too, especially since the comprehension difficulty was at its lowest. That little 'regardless of the nature' made my brain itch, as it meant that the mark could be used in many different ways beyond just teleporting to it.

And lastly, there was the actual movement art.

[Congratulations, Host, on creating the 'Heavenly Leap' Movement Art][...][Heavenly Leap][Type: Movement Art][Rank: low-Myth][Host Comprehension: Minor][...][Art made to surprise and shock those who are unprepared for it; as its execution depends entirely on the secondary art, on its own it is completely useless. Even leaving behind ordinary Qi Trace is not enough. The strength of the art is that it costs no Qi to execute, it has no limited uses--in totality or subsequently--and no distance limit.

All of them depend entirely to its sister-art. Though there are almost no changes throughout achieving the mastery of the art, upon reaching the total one, the art gains the secondary function of being able to move others--with their consent--in the same way. Note that, if used on a moving object such as a weapon, cultivator's own momentum is overridden by the weapons--the martial artist will always match the moving object][...][Creation Points Value: 700/1000 Comprehension Difficulty: Difficult][...][Creation Bonus: 1x Set of Materials for 'Ephemeral Comprehension Array'. The next time you set up the array, you can do so without any Spirit Stones and at 50% bonus efficiency]

Just like the previous two, this one, too, packed some surprises. The ability to teleport another person was the first, but the momentum thing was a silent upgrade that I actually kind of totally forgot about while making the art. I did have a good ol' C- in high school physics, so it does make sense that I'd forget about something like that.

Otherwise, he'd only be able to teleport to the spear once it's reached its destination--whatever that may have been.

So, uh, thanks, system. I really appreciate it.

...

Huh. As silent as ever.

Anyway, now there's just one left: Wan Lan's.

But I just couldn't figure out anything that would fit her beyond some gimmicky nonsense of taking damage and 'saving' parts of it to convert into 'damage'. Though it sounded fine in concept because of the way Wan Lan fought, the conversion rate would need her to lose a limb in order to leave a scratch on the other person. Not even the kind of a scratch that drew blood.

I imagine that, just like the three above, completely mastering it would narrow that conversion rate considerably, but... I don't want to half-ass shit at this point. As such, I'd rather just take my time and explore a bit more before giving her the art. In the meantime, I can just ask her for another, simpler thing...

"Attention, everyone," despite them all meditating upon one thing or another, as soon as I spoke, their eyes darted open and over toward me. "I've looked through my coffers and found some things; Lan'er, unfortunately I could not find anything matching your request. I will keep looking but, in the meantime, let me know if you need anything else. As for the rest of you, take your time reading through them,"

I said, distributing the arts. "And ask me if you don't understand anything."

Their eyes lit up like freakin' festival lanterns as they grabbed at the booklets and started chowing down like their lives would end if they didn't read through them in a damn nanosecond...

Chapter 555 - Judgments

He sat somewhat somberly in his seat, observing the youth tournament with tenth of his attention. It was a dull affair, as it was every year prior and will be every year to come, yet his presence here was a punishment for a sin he'd committed when he was no older than thirteen.

Every year, he had to return to the Abyss and watch soulless children hack away at one another, trying to stir whatever artificial root they were implanted with.

The arena spanned four hundred yards, embedded deep inside a mountain, with sharp, jagged sides looming from every direction. Cyan-colored soul lanterns hung from every corner, thousands of them, each connected to one of the children that was fighting or was yet to fight... or had fought, and shall fight no more.

Every so often, the color in one of the lanterns would flicker for a breath or two before it was extinguished, a dying flame turning into the last whimper.

While around seven hundred children stood lined up perfectly and unmoving around the massive arena, side by side, ordered by height, two were lashing out aggressively on the stage. Both were boys, twelve or so years old, wielding nothing but their tiny fists.

By now, he estimated that all their fingers were broken, one of the boys had definitely broken his jaw, the other his nose, and it would be a miracle if either could see past four or five feet with how swollen their eyes got.

And yet they fought.

They fought without so much as a wince or a grunt of pain.

"... this crop is not good," someone on his left commented. They were merely a shadow shaped like a person, as they were not physically here. But, from the voice, he could discern it was likely Sage of Madness. "Was there an issue?"

"A small one," a man who was here alongside him replied; it was Sage of Virtue, who was charged with raising the current generation. "Due to some incidents, a few of our vines were nulled, and because of that the total yield of Life Qi was not enough to match the roots of the previous generations. There are approximately ten percent fewer Heaven-grade Roots."

"Incidents?" another shadow said. "What incidents? Why hasn't it been reported?"

"Because they are minor," a different voice added, Sage of Shadows. His words silenced the hubbub that was emerging. Besides him, Sage of Shadows was the highest-ranked one currently present, standing at 13th spot. "The main culprit is that the base roots of these vermin were too low."

"Are you saying that it was our fault?"

"I am saying it is merely an unfortunate anomaly," the man reiterated, appearing entirely apathetic.

He could never quite used to just how pale Shadow's skin was; under right light, one could see through it.

"One bad generation does not undo the progress we've made thus far," he continued. "Wisdom," Shadow turned toward him. "You'll investigate the recent incidents. Do not reveal yourself. If they turn out to be connected, return and we'll form an investigative team."

"Yes." he nodded--all he could do.

He still cursed the day he came to that tower, begging for bread.

He should have just dropped dead instead.

**

"Father, why haven't you punished her yet?!" he'd grown tired of the whiny voice screeching through the halls, yet remained patient.

Continuing to water the Moonstalk, and without looking over to face him, Qian Yuan spoke.

"Have I not?" he said. "I sent her to battle the infernal."

"But--"

"--it will be alright, Chun'er," he said, softening his voice slightly. "You should go back. Your wounds haven't healed completely yet."

"... yes, Father."

Though he did not see it, he could hear the gritted teeth through which the words were spoken and the angered footsteps as they bounce against the wooden floor.

Sighing, he slowly stood up, looking over the garden of his making; this year's crop was just about to blossom, but the Haw'en had failed to bloom yet again.

He finally turned and faced the direction of the boy who'd stomped away; though he'd asked Shuren for what happened as well, as he knew Chun'er's account of things was likely enhanced due to his humiliation, she was... silent. She must have been realized she was being replaced, but the fact that she openly defied him by stating that Chun had aggravated the situation and broke the pact, without uttering a single word as to who the people with her were... it bothered him.

He sent her to the mid-realm simply as means of buying time, to try and understand what to do. It was impossible to simply discard her; he'd put in far too much effort and wealth into rearing her, and though he'd stopped favoring her, she was still his Disciple.

A fitting punishment, however, had to be meted out, as otherwise others might see it as an opening.

Sighing, he retreated into the central hall and paused--there was an uninvited guest there, sitting rather lazily on his cushion and nibbling away at some blood grapes.

"What are you doing?" he asked somewhat harshly.

"Eating," he said. "Have you gotten so old that you've started losing sight already?"

"... did you come just to annoy me?"

"As much fun as that is, no," he said. "I'm here for the latest batch."

"You must have done something wrong to be sent as a delivery."

"The cargo is simply that precious this time around," he grinned. "Master is looking forward to it."

"..."

"Ah, don't look so sour. The end of the promise is nearing; if you fulfill it, Master will fulfill his promise."

"Here," he tossed him a spatial ring and the man caught it, fiddling with it for a moment and likely checking its contents.

"Nice," he said. "I've noticed a slight influx of children on the island. Are you being invaded?"

"Hardly," he shrugged. "Those old things like to send children around this time as the war tends to ramp up. For training purposes, they say."

"And you let them," he said. "For a fee."

"... you've got what you came for. Why are you still here?"

"What? Can't two old friends sit around and just catch up for a bit?"

"Friends? I don't recall you being my friend when you beat me near to death."

"Ha ha, are you still holding a grudge over that? Come on, that was ages ago! That won't do, little Yuan. If you wish to come back to the Sect, old grudges must be forgiven. Besides, if you hadn't been adamant over becoming a cultivator, you could have saved us all a headache. You would have probably become the Chief Alchemist by now, I imagine. Instead, you're here, rotting in this godforsaken corner of the world. Funny how life works, huh?"

"... you should leave, Yong," he said through gritted teeth, too, feeling a bit more empathetic toward that child. "I'm sure there are plenty of others you need to annoy."

"... indeed," he grinned, standing up. "This was fun. I might just make this a regular thing from now on. Gets me out for some fresh air."

Before Yuan could retort, the man was gone, leaving him so angered that he drove a fist through a wall.

How lamentable.

If only he had his brother's talent, that would have been him. A quasi-Emperor before ten millennia of living, poised to become a fully-fledged one within the next century.

It could have been his--no, it will be his. Soon, it would all be his.

Chapter 556 - Guidance (I)

Han Yimu was a deep loss for words.

Precisely three booklets flew towards him, but his confusion didn't last long as reading through them once made it quite clear they were supposed to be used in tandem. He did ask for a movement art, but this was... not what he was expecting, to say the least.

For most martial artist, letting go of their weapon in any capacity during a fight was akin to committing a grave sin, the ultimate shame. And yet, this set of arts required him to let loose his weapon. Admittedly, if he fully mastered it, he'd always be able to retrieve it no matter what, but how many years would that take?

"Master, can we land so we can test these out?!!"

"Yes, please Master! Just for a little while!"

"Yes, yes..."

Though he said nothing, Han Yimu was just as excited as Dai Xiu and Xing Feng to see how this would work. Even if he was slowly picking up on the nature of spearmanship--especially with the odd Long Tao's occasional guidance--it was extremely difficult to break the old habits he'd picked up over the years and years that he had been swinging the sword.

For starters, he still wasn't quite comfortable with the spear's reach, often going in closer than he should; it was also quite more cumbersome to wield recklessly, so any wasted movement was doubly punished.

And now, he would also have to learn how to throw it--though the art itself was relatively simple and he'd be able to execute it immediately, the true difficulty lay in the throw and timing. How precisely would he toss the spear, and when would he 'blink' to it?

The chariot slowly descended and everybody rushed out, including him. They'd landed on open grasslands in the middle of a day, making for the perfect place to test it all.

Han Yimu walked to the side for a bit and took out the spear, marking it per the art's instruction, heaving it on top of his shoulder, and throwing it forward. He frowned immediately, as the spear's arc was too flat and the speed was a bit too wild. Taking a deep breath, he activated the movement about sixty yards into the spear's flight.

The world around him bent and shifted and twisted in such a violent way that it left him breathless; he landed on the flying weapon but immediately lost his balance, crashing both it and himself, rolling for twenty yards further.

"Ugh," he grumbled, standing up and hoping nobody had seen it. If they had, at least they were keeping it to himself.

Though he predicted it would not be pretty, that was quite some ways worse than he expected. Everything about it was wrong, from the throw to the landing. And this was him simply practicing it without pressure. In an actual fight, he wasn't even sure the art was useable--not anytime soon, anyway.

"Are you alright, Yimu?" a gentle voice called out to him as he quickly straightened up.

"Y-yes, Master! Forgive me for showing you something so shameful," he bowed just as quickly.

"... there was this one time when my dad bought me a bic--I mean, a horse. I'd never ridden one before, but because most other children my age were riding one, I wanted it, too. So, one summer, my father bought it for me. Ah, how excited I was. Couldn't sleep the night before. I promised him I'd wait for him to come back home so he could teach me how to ride it properly. But... well, I was nine.

Impatient to the moon. I snuck out and tried riding it myself. How do you suppose that went?"

"Uh..." Han Yimu wasn't quite certain what to say. He'd never actually ridden a horse himself--by the time there was any need for him to travel, he could just do it quicker than most of the breeds.

"Horrible!" Master exclaimed, his expression comically exaggerated. "I could barely go four yards before falling over and scraping every inch of myself! Father was mad. But more than that, I was... ashamed. All my friends were doing it, and doing it without seemingly any issues, but I couldn't."

"You mastered it eventually."

"Hardly," Master shrugged. "I mean, I learned how to ride it, but I was utterly convinced I was not made for horseback riding from what happened that day. The point of that embarrassing story from your Master's dark past is that we all fumble. You've completely changed everything about yourself practically overnight; even that thing over there that I call my Eldest Disciple wouldn't do much better if he had to abandon sword and learned how to fight with, I don't know, a shovel."

Han Yimu caught from the corner of his eye that 'Eldest Disciple' stumble and nearly fall, eyebrows twitching like two worms wiggling. Truly, only Master would dare talk about him that way.

"So, let's take it slow," Master said, extending his hand. "Give me the spear for a moment."

"A-ah, yes!" Han Yimu said, handing it over. Master tossed it up from the palm a few times, seemingly playing with it.

"First, you have to learn the proper throw," he said. "How you'd do it if you had all the time in the world. While applying an arch to the spear's flight is fine and will increase the maximum distance you can throw it massively, leave that for latter; those circumstances will make it twice as difficult to actually land properly. Keep on with what you tried--throw the spear flatly, but add rotation to it. See my grip?" Han Yimu leaned in and saw how Master twisted the fingers around the spear, a bit south from the center.

"Hold it like this and, at the point of a throw, violently twist your wrist in the opposite direction." Master pulled the spear to his side and crouched slightly as he threw his arm forward, twisting the wrist in the process.

The spear shot forward twice as quickly as Han Yimu's, without wobbling at all. Just as Han Yimu was about to say something, he saw Master appear about a hundred yards from him--catching the spear in his hand, doing the exact same maneuver, and throwing it back toward Han Yimu. The latter felt the tip of the spear encroaching upon his throat, fear gripping him, but before the weapon reached, Master appeared right there yet again, grabbing it just ten or so inches from his face.

"You don't have to blink on the spear," he said, smiling faintly. "Think of the weapon merely as the point delivery. There are no restrictions to how many times you can do it in a row; the brilliance of the art is that it can help you cover an entire battlefield, and make you a nightmare that others will wake up screaming from even in death. Come on, now.

You try it. Remember: twist it to add that extra speed to the initial velocity, and keep the angle flat and low. You can also twist your forearm bones clockwise to give the spear a slight upward tilt..."

Master kept on talking, and Han Yimu kept on listening. But one question rang inside his mind before all else: What the hell is velocity?

Chapter 557 - Guidance (2)

Dai Xiu's eyes lit up like the lanterns as she watched Master properly guide the newcomer. Even though she barely understood a word of what the greatest man alive had said, she cheered from the side with all her heart. And, once the lesson seemed to have been completed, she jumped over like a bolt of lightning.

The times their Master personally guided them were exceedingly rare; he'd either merely nudge them in the proper direction, or simply let the annoying Tao deal with them. And though she was almost sixteen, she yearned to be taught by that man directly, no matter what.

"Master!" she exclaimed before others could. "Could you help me, too? I'm struggling with something..."

"Oh? What are you struggling with, Xiu'er?" Master's new face was just as ordinary as his previous one. But, even if she had never seen it before, she was certain she would have been able to recognize him, and the reason was those eyes.

They were slightly dark, on a border between black and brown, but beyond their color or their shape, it was the look in them. The kindness that shone like a brilliant star.

"Could you demonstrate the World-Sundering Fist once for me?" she asked.

"Ho ho, are you asking your Master to destroy his body?" the man laughed momentarily. "In order to use that art properly, one must have a sturdy body capable of holding vastness of Qi--just like you."

"Oh! Forgive me, Master, I didn't know!"

"But that is no reason I can't help you a bit," he said, shifting into a strange stance for a moment. It wasn't quite the same as the one draw in the World-Sundering Fist manual, however. "Fists have the lowest reach of any weapon; while it is possible to forge projections and strike at a distance through Fist Arts, every foot of distance diminishes the true strength of the Path. However, because of your diminished reach, you have to patiently carve out an opportunity to strike. Unlike Lan'er who can withstand strikes directly and use that as means of creating an opening, your fluidity means that you carve out those openings with your movement. Though it may sound slightly heretical and even antithetical, Path of the Fist is as much in the fists as it is in our feet.

"Establish a position," Master said, slowly but precisely shifting himself. "Use fists as feints, and use your feet to move. World-Sundering Fist aims to accelerate that; rather than posturing defensively and hunting for an opening, its goal is to forcibly create one. The art, though, demands of both body and dantian something that most cannot match, but you can, Xiu'er. Strike with intent, building momentum as you do now, with the intention of either killing them or destroying their defense once they least expect it."

"Y-yes, Master!!"

Dai Xiu beamed as she quickly got into the stance; her Master's words rang clearly through her mind as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, stirring the Qi within her. She was almost at the Peak of Spirit Manifestation Realm, and had hoped she'd break through before they reached the island.

Qi within her began to surge like the tidal waves, raging against every inch of her body; she opened her eyes and started punching. Each strike caused the air to hiss as she began to accelerate, slowly blending into the stances of the World-Sundering Fist. It demanded that her feet be apart more than she was used to, and that she struck with shoulders held a bit higher than she'd learned.

Each strike energized her meridians, Qi within them seemingly growing agitated. At the same time, however, each strike also consumed about ten times as much Qi as any other attack she ever used.

It was a dangerous flux, she realized within a minute; she had to match the perfect pace to equalize the expenditure and recovery of her Qi. But the effects were more than evident: whereas, at the beginning, her fists would 'merely' produce hissing sounds, by the end, they were complete sonic booms.

In fact, she'd noticed that everyone except brother Tao, Master, and the alchemist had retreated, and that even those three were using Qi to cover their ears.

Falling into the rhythm of the dance, she sped up and grew more forceful without even realizing. By the time she did, her arm sloped down midway through the strike, her body fully spent of Qi. She barely had the time to gasp before she saw Master rush over and catch her.

Even as the darkness and silence sunk in, she felt safe. She used to be scared sleeping alone at night, and would have to have brother Hua sing to her when she was younger. Silence was a chain that would terrorize her. But those arms were like shields keeping all her demons at bay. For now and for forever.

**

Xing Feng was pouting.

Master had taught both that new man as well as Sister Xiu! And though Master had taught him chess before and tactics of a battle, he'd never taught him martial arts!

Even if Xing Feng didn't need it, having already grasped the essential parts of the Master's newest gift to him, Way of the Weapon Master, it wasn't fair! And he even caught Sister Xiu before she fell, and she smiled just before passing out.

With every new Disciple Master took in, Xing Feng realized that there were fewer and fewer moments that he'd have for them. What if Master eventually finds Disciples ten times more talented than he was? Even if he doesn't get abandoned... would he even have the courage to look Master in the eye?

Grumbling inwardly, he spun away and walked to the far rear, taking out his weapon.

Taking a deep breath, his countenance changed--were anyone to look at him, they'd hardly believe they were looking at a young child, but more so a seasoned veteran. As he extended his arm and swung the sword violently, he clutched the plumes of Qi within sword-wielding fingers just before the swing completed, transforming it into a spear.

The melding of the two turned the sword array stirring with sword essence into a strange combination--a slash became both a slash as well as a thrust, exploding outwardly and crashing inwardly at the same time.

The first principle of the Way of the Weapon Master: Weapon Combinations. One's ability to change the weapon mid-strike and alter its very nature. Not all combinations were possible, of course; for instance, he could not alter from a sword into a bow... but he could do the inverse.

Why? He wasn't certain. That was a wall that led to the next level of comprehension, and he feared he was still months away from it.

Without stopping, he used the rebound force of the thrust to swap the spear into a polearm, recoiling around counterclockwise with the weapon fully extended, forming a whirlwind. Whilst spinning, he rapidly changed the weapon's form into that of a hammer. Due the sheer weight difference, he immediately slowed down almost to a crawl, but as he still carried some momentum, the forcible winds caused by the spear were transformed into a singular point, whereupon the hammer slammed violently into the ground, causing a massive quake spanning some sixty yards around him.

"Hah!" he gasped for breath and immediately fell to his knees; unlike most of his Brothers and Sisters, Xing Feng felt that his Qi reserves were... quite pathetic. He would grow tired far more quickly, and couldn't match Brother Tao's pace for longer than a minute or so, whereas even Brother Yimu was able to last twice as long by now.

Even if he was of the lowest realm, it still annoyed him.

"Wow, Feng'er! That was amazing!" the familiar, warm voice startled him as he looked over and saw Master standing at the edge of the crater. "You've already reached Minor Comprehension? Ha ha ha! You really are a genius, Feng'er!"

He smiled, feeling his heart swell.

"Master," he exclaimed. "I don't quite understand this one part... could you help me?"

Chapter 558 - Guidance (3)

Light was pouting, arms crossed in front of her chest.

She was angry, too!

Not only was the art that was supposed to be just for her been handed out to everyone, now Master was teaching them their arts and completely ignoring her! Even if she didn't need his help to learn, it wasn't fair!

Her eyes wandered around and saw that he was now teaching something to little Feng, while others had gathered around and listened. Not everyone--sister Lan suddenly stepped up next to her, smiling.

"You can always just ask him," she said.

"... you're annoying," Light said.

"Am I? Well, big sisters are supposed to be annoying, I heard. Otherwise, the little ones stray."

"Humph," Light grumbled, glancing back over at the girl who was almost a full foot taller than her. Since they met, Sister Lan's body had changed completely; her arms had doubled in size, and shoulders were now like two mountain peaks guarding a passage.

Though she hid it under baggy and loose robes, she had muscles everywhere. Sometimes, Light wondered whether she'd never grow that tall, let alone that perfectly sculpted.

"Want to cultivate?"

"Fine," Sister Lan sat opposite of her as they both crossed their legs into a lotus position.

Though her Qi was no longer purely Demonic, it still remained eerily compatible with Sister's. Occasionally, the two would sit and cultivate together as it formed a small, thin barrier around them that sped up their growth quite some ways over when they cultivated independently.

Light's progress in cultivation had always been painfully slow and though it had sped up somewhat under her Master, it was still nowhere near the level of her Brothers and Sisters. But that was simply her physique and not her talent! She was just as talented as any of them, but her stupid physique was so slow!

In fairness, she didn't consider herself much weaker than any of them, and in the right circumstances, she knew that only her Master and stupid brother Tao could contend against her. Not that she would ever attack them, of course.

Qi swelled through her and she breethd in and out, slowly and deliberately, guiding the few tiny motes of Qi she managed to manifest inside of her down to the dantian.

The two stopped some fifteen minutes later. That was the main difference between cultivating Qi and Demonic Qi--the latter was actively corrosive, so much so that even someone like Sister Lan, with immensely durable meridians, couldn't cultivate for long.

"You two," Xiu spoke to them as soon as Light opened her eyes. "Did you understand what Master was talking about when he explained my fist art?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Are you really asking us that?" Sister Lan asked, and even Light was somewhat flabbergasted. Xiu was annoyingly petty and proud beyond her skill; the only person she ever asked for advice aside from Master was Brother Tao. So for her to ask them...

"There is no way I can fail at something Master explained to me personally!" she exclaimed, her eyes full of fire. "If I do, I will literally jump off a bridge and reincarnate into someone far smarter! So, help me!"

"... I'm not quite sure I understood much of it either," Sister Lan said, quickly glancing at Light with a meaningful look.

"Yes, me neither," Light said, picking up on it. "It's all fuzzy."

"... haah. Fine, fine. What do you want, huh?" Xiu said, sitting down in front of them with an annoyed expression. "Do you want my share of Spirit Stones? Or do you want to me kiss your boots or something weird like that?"

"Why would I want you to kiss my boots?" Light asked.

"Don't finish it--"

"--you would only make them dirtier."

"There it is," Xiu sighed as Light chuckled and Sister Lan smiled. "Are you going to help or just waste my time?"

"Why can't we do both?" sister Lan asked.

"Ah! I know what I want you to do!" Light suddenly exclaimed.

"... what?" Xiu looked at her warily and even backed off a bit.

"I want you to call me Most Beautiful Big Sis in the World for a whole year!"

"Huh?"

"Every time you talk to me or refer to me," Light elaborated. "You have to say the whole thing. Most Beautiful Big Sis in the World Light."

"Y-You're... not serious, are you?"

"I am."

"Huh, interesting," sister Lan mumbled, stroking her chin. "Interesting indeed."

"Hey, don't--"

"--and whenever you refer to me, you must say: My Complete and Total Superior For now and For all Eternity Until Death of Everything Wan Lan."

"--there it is. Haah," Xiu craned her neck back and exhaled deeply, but it was clear she was considering it.

It wasn't as though Light didn't understand why; the idea of disappointing Master was... scary. Not in a scary kind of a way, though, but in a painful one. They all wanted to do their best and make him proud, and Light was no exception.

"Ugh, fine," she relented in the end, surprisingly. Though, in her defense, she has grown a bit in the years they've known each other. Just like Sister Lan, Xiu was transforming--though she wasn't as tall or as broad as the former, she was still as tall as Zhao, and just as muscular.

And, unlike the last time they changed their faces, where Xiu made herself considerably more 'beautiful', this time around... she hadn't. She was average, like all of them were. They understood well enough that Master didn't like attention drawn on them unnecessarily, and understood just as much that a beautiful was could be as much of a curse as it was a blessing.

"You two win. I'll call you, haah, I'll call you Most Beautiful Big Sis in the World Light, and My Complete and Total Superior For now and For all Eternity Until Death of Everything Wan Lan."

"For a year," Light reiterated.

"... for a year," Xiu said through gnashed teeth. "Can you now help me, please?"

"Stand up," sister Lan said as the three scurried away from the group--where Master was currently explaining something to brother Rayce--not wanting to be seen. "Take the primary stance," Xiu obeyed noiselessly. "No, your feet are too close together. Push them out a bit."

"And twist your waist to the left," Light added. "A bit more. Hm. Move your right arm a bit back and drop the shoulder. Like that."

"Punch, now," sister Lan said and Xiu obeyed. "No, no. Too slow. You need to be quicker."

"Don't worry about being precise," Light said. "For now, just focus on gathering speed and momentum."

They instructed her earnestly--as they would have no matter what. It was all for Master, ultimately, and Xiu becoming stronger was as important as anyone else becoming stronger. Getting her to embarrass herself a bit on occasion for a whole year was simply a nice little benefit.

... Light simply worried that Master would make her stop and reprimand them for making her do it. No... though Master could be harsh, he very rarely interfered in how they spoke to one another. So long as they weren't outwardly hostile, he simply referred to it as 'sibling energy', though Light wasn't quite certain what that meant. After all, they were not siblings, and there wasn't some kind of a unique energy that they produced through their behavior.

But such was her Master.

Mysterious beyond mysteries, clever beyond cleverness, and handsome beyond handsomeness. But most of all, kind, loving, forgiving, and more understanding than even her Papa was.

But Master was also weak and cursed by the Heavens for being so handsome and talented; they all had to become much, much stronger to protect him, and make sure nobody ever, not even the Gods themselves, would dare even consider attacking him. That way, he could leave in the peace he yearned and deserved. Forever and for all eternity.

Chapter 559 - Guidance (4)

Rayce was floating on the clouds.

Not only did his Master actually somehow fulfill his absolutely insane request, it came with an extra set of rewards. One of them was a Codex of Parchments, a blanket name for a set of parchments made by a same artisan.

And this one was of the highest quality Rayce had ever seen.

Every parchment was a masterpiece on its own, and there were a whole hundred of them. Naturally, he had no intention of testing anything on them; these would be reserved for the most difficult and most potent Words, the kind that could alter the nature of reality itself.

... speaking of.

The last reward Master bestowed upon him was somewhat even more impressive than the previous two, and it was 'merely' a Word.

In Shamanism, words weren't merely conveyances of ideas. Just because someone was able to write 'Fire' and understand that fire is hot did not mean that the Word itself would conjure flames. One's depth of understanding of the concept, paired with the concept's own difficulty, ultimately was just the first step toward writing a Word that would actualize a thought.

Word of Singularity... was beyond his ability to understand. Though he could mimic the shape just fine, he had no actual idea what it was. Even if the Master's gift held a brief description, Rayce was unable to infer anything of note from it.

Condense matter into an infinite point of density.

He understood all of those words individually, but in a set... they may as well have been some ancient tongue that nobody used anymore. He though it a lost cause and was going to delegate it for the future when his Master approached him and asked a simple question.

"Is there something wrong, Rayce?"

"A-ah," he stuttered and smiled awkwardly. "Yes, forgive me Master. I'm far too incompetent and am not quite sure what 'singularity' means."

"Oh," Master nodded knowingly. "Hmm. This will be a bit of a lengthy explanation. Why don't the two of us sit down for a bit and talk?"

"Yes, of course!" he quickly procured two cushions and placed them at some distance from everyone else. It was for naught, though, as the swarm descended upon them rather quickly to listen to Master's lecture.

"To understand singularity, there's another word you should understand first," Master said. "Why do you suppose we don't simply... float away?"

"... h-huh?"

"Why are we anchored to the ground?" Master said, gently slapping the ground next to him.

"I... don't know," Rayce replied honestly. He never really thought about it that way. The reality had always been that people were landbound, and had to either use Qi or Mana in order to leave the ground.

"Because there's an invisible force weighing us all down," Master said. "And we use our arts to combat it. That is why when you toss an object into air, it must always come down."

"!!!" there were soft exclamations from the crowd of everyone that had gathered.

"My grand-grandfather used to call that force gravity," Master continued. "But gravity doesn't merely exist here--it exists everywhere. And it leads to a field of sorts that surrounds everything.

Trees, rocks, animals--even us. We all have it. Depending on how heavy an object is, that field is stronger. Now, imagine a point," Master added, raising his index finger. "And now imagine something so massive that its size cannot be understood normally."

"Like a big mountain?" Dai Xiu asked.

"No, much, much bigger."

"The entire world?" Xi Zhao supposed.

"No, even bigger than that," Master said. "Something so massive that it eclipses almost all else."

"!!!"

"A star," Master said, pointing up at the sun. "One just like ours. Now, imagine sizing down that star, but maintaining its weight.

Sort of like taking a handful of mud and squeezing it into a hardened pebble. Though the size itself changed, the totality of how much mud there is has not. Imagine that star is the mud, and you are squeezing it.

"Now imagine squeezing it until it fits this point," everyone's eyes drifted back over to Master's index finger. "And then squeezing it further and further and further. If you continue doing this beyond all reason, you will eventually reach a point that my ancestors described as 'singularity'. A point of infinite density."

Rayce frowned; though his Master explained it, he wasn't quite yet certain of the word's meaning.

"How is gravity connected to singularity, Master?" Xing Feng asked.

"By condensing that star into a singularity, you retain its totality; and, as I mentioned, the heavier something is, the stronger the field around it. Gravity that powerful, at the point of infinite density, shears space itself. It becomes so overwhelming that nearby things are stretched and torn apart. Manifesting a singularity would mean that, depending on its initial mass, you could theoretically end the world itself."

"Woah!!"

"Really?!!"

"Doesn't that mean brother Rayce is now the strongest one of us?!"

"No," Rayce said, understanding it somewhat. "I'm assuming that the feed for that mass will have to be Mana."

"You'd know that better than I," Master said with a chuckle.

"Master," Wan Lan spoke up. "Can that force--gravity--can it... be manipulated?" they all perked up as they awaited the answer.

"Of course," Master said. "But that has been done before, even if you might not have realized exactly what you are doing. Any time you use to Qi to just a bit higher than you can without it, or any time you use it to make an object heavier--you've been doing just that, manipulating gravity. Just in a roundabout sort of a way."

"Can it be done directly?"

"Why not? Gravity is merely a force," Master said. "But it's not some massive shortcut you lot seem to be thinking it is. It is like Rayce said," he added. "Just as he'd have to use his Mana to feed that singularity, you'd have to use your Qi to feed the change in gravity. So, if you're imagining making a field of your enemies kneel by just making the gravity push them down... well, good luck with that."

"..." everyone looked away somewhat awkwardly, making it evident that was precisely what they were thinking. But... it was enticing.

Rayce felt the thirst in him awaken; knowledge was a precious thing, and most of the world kept it close abreast. Even between a Master and a Disciple, a good number of things were often left unsaid.

But their Master had no such reservations--the man was a leaky barrel, and in order to drink from the well of his knowledge, one merely had to ask.

"Did that help, Rayce?"

"Of course, Master!" Rayce exclaimed quickly. "Though I may not be able to create one to end the world, I will do my best to make your gifts roar throughout it, at the very least!"

"Right," Master coughed awkwardly as he stood up. "Alright, everyone. Rest for a bit longer. We'll board the chariot and depart in an hour."

"Yes, Master!"

Chapter 560 - Guidance (V)

My God am I tired. I'm not even quite sure why; it's not as though I expended a lot of Qi or stamina teaching the kids, but it feels as though I'd ran a marathon under the sun, just without the severe dehydration to prove it.

Maybe it was the nervousness? I mean, this may have been the first time I've genuinely guided the kids in cultivation, rather than just giving them some vague advice about life or something like that. It apparently took a lot on my end to maintain some semblance of composure.

Made the kids happy, at least.

And it did come with some benefits--a total of 2,000 points as part of the kids gaining understandings of the art, as well as me actually being a proper teacher. Which made me curious about something: what if Long Tao gained this system instead of me? Maybe one more 'specialized' for this era, but with the same concept.

He'd be able to understand all the arts he creates, and would be able to effortlessly teach them to his Disciples.

... no, wait. Long Tao I met way back when would probably not have taken any Disciples. He may have just done what my supposed predecessors did: went at it solo.

Huh.

Anyway, the points weren't actually the most tantalizing award.

[--guiding your Disciples properly has triggered a special reward][...][Perfect Comprehension Talisman (???) x1 -- gain a complete comprehension of any of your arts or methods of Myth and below tier. Must still have minimum requirements to gain art comprehension]

This was applicable basically to... everything? Well, no, two arts came to mind that this couldn't be used on: Song of Hellfire and Tethers of Naẁa. Counting just those that I can learn to begin with.

Which one to use this on left me a bit befuddled, to be honest. There were the obvious choices: Protean Song of Eternity as my mainstay cultivation method--no, wait, that one's quasi-Divine as well--or maybe the Harmonized Heart Sutra, or even Surging Spirit Art.

None would be bad choices, I don't think, and reaching 'complete comprehension' of any of them would allow me to eventually transfer that onto the kids, letting them skip a huge grind.

If I think of it like that, and consider what would be the most helpful option... it has to be the Surging Spirit Art, no? One worry I have is that it's 'merely' quasi-Myth art, and that I'm leaving something on the table by not choosing a full-tier Myth art like Harmonized Heart Sutra or even Art of Surviving.

Though I first considered the latter, as that would allow us to have so many disguises we'd be a troop of a thousand faces, it doesn't really help us in combat. Besides, even with just two extra faces--three in total if we consider our original ones--it's more than enough to stay under the radar for now.

Ugh.

There's also the difficulty of comprehension to consider, which is why I'm leaning towards Surging Spirit Art as it's one of the arts with Transcendent difficulty. Very few of my creations reach that, but there is also a step above it, and something that was a back-screamer of sorts that I'm desperately trying to ignore: Enduring Eternity.

Not the upgraded version, but the 'original' one. Despite having 'graduated' to the Protean Song of Eternity, we are still technically also cultivating Enduring Eternity. I'm kind of curious what would the relationship and outcome be if I and the kids reached the complete comprehension of the method that has '???' in its comprehension difficulty segment.

... oh no. The curiosity is burning. It's surging like a tsunami wave.

What will happen?

Welp.

Time to find out.

**

Long Tao was lazily lounging around and thinking back to Master's little lesson to Rayce. Though the man had shared a good chunk of that with him already back when he taught him of the existence of black holes, he shared a bit more during this lesson.

While the idea of compressing things was far from unknown as virtually every cultivator who wanted to ascend needed to understand that concept, there was always a stoppage point--and it was usually around the size of a fingernail. Compressing any further was impossible, as it was simply too unstable and hard to control.

Now that he'd heard Master's lesson, Long Tao vaguely understood why; if it had been that simple, whole worlds would have likely collapsed by now.

But his thirst for knowledge wasn't satiated. It was clear that his Master had a completely alternate understanding of the world that was far more detailed than his. Even if Long Tao understood air, or understood fire, or even understood life itself, it felt like his Master understood them, too, but in unilaterally different ways. Whether they were more profound or not was irrelevant--just the fact they were different meant that Long Tao could use that knowledge to sharpen his strength.

Just as he was about to stand up and go bother the man, he paused; a surge of energy so pure and holy left him aghast as his eyes immediately flew to his right where, some forty yards in the distance, he saw the golden light burn upward into a pillar that faded into a shower of embers.

Within it, a figure of a familiar man arose from the ground. Master was in a lotus position, levitating some ten feet above the ground, his eyes closed, while countless halos of light surged and vanished around him in a continuous cycle.

He sped to the front immediately as everyone else gathered, worried and confused expressions across their faces. But Long Tao's held neither; instead, his bore an expression of abject horror and shock.

He'd seen this phenomenon--just once, actually. It was when he watched a Disciple of his comprehend a small martial art Long Tao handed over. By some miracle, the young girl entered a complete and total state of Enlightenment and managed to burn through the realms of comprehension until she reached the final one--that of Dao itself.

Master's figure was aglow with white and golden, plumes of energy swirling around him like cosmic rays. At the same time, an image surged from behind him, a reminder of something that Long Tao had seen a long while back when he stood as a Dharma Protector for Master while the latter underwent a breakthrough: the visage of an Azure Dragon.

But this time... it was not alone. Rather, it resided in the shade of a heaven-spanning bodhi tree that arose from the back. It sprawled and fanned out widely, its canopy seemingly bearing the weight of the firmament above.

The Dragon roared, but it was not the kind of a roar that the world would hear--but they did. Instinctively, they all sat down and crossed their legs, including Long Tao.

Master was resonating with Dao itself, and this was the remnant hum. If they could capture it, even just the smallest trace of it, the benefits would be unimaginable.

Though the question of what exactly Master did to trigger this phenomenon--or, rather, which art did he resonate with so deeply to emulate Dao--was burning him up from within, now wasn't the time to ponder. It was the time to grasp the opportunity and greatly accelerate his comprehension of Eternal Voidfiend Sutra, finally breaking away from Minor and reaching Intermediate.

You've reached the end of the book.