Chapter 4: Frog Escaping Well

She then squinted at him, "Little brother aren't you going to greet your elder?"

Wang Zhu's lips stuttered, "Gre... greetings Elder Shi." His face was clouded by shyness and fear.

Elder Shi approached him, his face natural. He then burst into a grin. "There's no need to worry Junior Wang. And Elder Shi is far too formal, from now on call me Uncle Shi."

"Elder Shi... Uncle Shi, will I be allowed to join your sect?" Wang Zhu asked timidly, for the first time understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Haha, of course, you will! I promised you would didn't I?" Elder Shi was full of smiles, realizing he was looking at the hope of his sect. Elder Shi then turned again to Miss Xuan, who was standing their calmly waiting to give over a small bottle.

The bottle in her left hand was made of dark jade and looked extremely alluring. "Elder Shi, apart from the Ice Prince's formula my father also wished for me to give you this."

She flicked the bottle of pills into Elder Shi's hands, as he carefully inspected the pills his face lit up! "Young Miss Xuan is too kind."

"I trust you know how valuable these pills are." Miss Xuan's voice was full of pride.

Elder Shi could only nod in return. How could he not know what these pills were? They were Core Shattering Pills! They helped Core Formation practitioners shatter their core, and break into the next realm - Dao Seeking! There wasn't a single Dao Seeking cultivator in the entire Dark Water Sect! The pills here are enough to help five practitioners breakthrough!

This opportunity is perhaps greater than Wang Zhu joining the Dark Water Sect. It would allow a one-star sect to rank up to a two-star sect! In the Wastelands there were only a few two-star sects, three three stared sects, and a single four starred sect, who were to the pleasure of the Water Heaven Empire a neutral force in the constant struggle between the four palaces.

"Yes Miss Xuan, my Dark Water Sect cannot thank you enough." He took a deep bow, smiling like a child the entire time.

"Don't mention it. It's my father decided to hand them over." Her tone was light, but it was obvious that she enjoyed helping others.

"Forgive my rudeness Miss Xuan, but I would return to Dark Water as soon as possible. I don't feel quite right carrying something so expensive around." Elder Shi started to sweat, wondering what would happen if Dark Water's rival the Azure Forest Sect knew of this. They would mobilize their entire strength to capture him. Obviously, he wished to return home both swiftly and immediately.

Miss Xuan turned back to Wang Zhu, handing over the scroll in her hand, "Heed the Spirit's advice, and remember your humility."

"Yes, of course, Miss Xuan." Wang Zhu bowed deeply, accepting the scroll, placing it in his inner ragged shirt for safe keeping.

Watching him do this caused Miss Xuan to chuckle, seeing him store something so primitively was amusing she herself held a spatial ring which code store over 50 square meters of items. Although spatial rings were by no means rare to the upper echelons of the Sacred Beast Continent, the majority of cultivators would use small spatial pouches, which could store around 3 meters of items.

Elder Shi chuckled, taking a pouch from his side and chucking it to Wang Zhu. "Little Zhu, use this."

Wang Zhu reached out, catching it while fumbling, of course, almost causing it to fall on the ground.

Taking the scroll away, and slowly lowering it into the pouch Wang Zhu's eyes shone, it was disappearing! The pouch was less than a quarter of a foot long, a child could hold it, but this large scroll was devoured by it.

"How do I get it back out?" Wang Zhu asked slightly worried that the Ice Prince's Formula would be lost forever.

"Hehe, put the pouch on your waist, and envision the scroll appearing in your hands." Miss Xuan giggled.

Wang Zhu followed the instructions, attaching the pouch to his belt, and imagining the scroll in his had. Closing his eyes, slightly scared it wouldn't work he felt his hands get heavier.

Wang Zhu's jaw dropped, and his eyes lit up.

"Holy Heavens, that amazing!" He muttered, mystified and entranced.

Ignoring the frog, who hopped out of the well Miss Xuan turned to Elder Shi, "I suggest you take our little brother back to Dark Water Sect immediately. Both the Iron Worm and Fire Hawk Sects have got involved in the conflict over this lake and if their Elders appear they may try to snag the boy."

"Yes, Miss Xuan." Elder Shi bowed and whistled.

Over the horizon, a sharp skwark could be heard, and a giant bird appeared. It was purple-blue all over, with a horses mane going down its elongated neck. Its feet were webbed, and it had a beak at least two meters long.

Once again Wang Zhu was speechless. This bird looked like a monstrosity, yet it held a certain allure to it. Most of all he wondered how it could fly with such a large head!

Seeing his expression Elder Shi laughed, "This is Drek, she's my personal mount. I've had her since she was a hatchling. She's a Waterdactol and moves just as fast in the water as in the air. I still remember the first time she swam, she caught a fish for me and we shared it. Ahh, so long ago. Almost fifty years now." Elder Shi sighed, going over the happy memories in his head.

Drek sqwarked again, as she dived onto the beach causing all the sand to go in a whirlwind, Wang Zhu groaned and clutched his eyes as sand entered them, holding back the urge to wail in pain.

Drek lied flat on the ground so that she could be mounted, "I'll leave You Yin in your care for the time being if that's alright Miss Xuan?"

Miss Xuan didn't reply and just nodded instead. Waving Elder Shi off, as he grabbed Wang Zhu by the scruff of his shirt, and dragged him onto the bird. "We need to get you some new clothes." He mumbled, noticing the state of the rags he was wearing, which highly contrasted the dark blue, with neon stripes on Elder Shi's robes.

Wang Zhu waved to both You Yin and Miss Xuan, as he was dragged away by Elder Shi.

Slowly a voice transmitted into Miss Xuan's ear. It was old and raspy. It was the Artifact Spirit from earlier, "Miss Xuan, you gave him the Ice Prince's Formula?! It will change him, it's a peak Heaven ranked Art!"

"And?" A simple and cold reply came from her lips.

"First off it's unwise spreading such a technique, especially to outsiders! What if he goes into seclusion for a hundred years, and comes out with the power to topple our continent? What if he Masters it, has offspring and becomes one of those damn legacy clans?" The Spirit Artifact become more and more nervous, his calculations hadn't assumed the boy would have been given such a technique.

"Secondly, that technique particular, it belonged to the person that destroyed my Divine Beast Palace, fracturing it into the squabbling factions it is today." His voice slowly become encumbered by sorrow.

Miss Xuan paused for a moment, waving to Wang Zhu and Elder Shi who were now high in the skies.

"Your first point, so what if he topples the continent? I think he'll remember who gave him the art and perhaps spare us, and if he does manage to strengthen his bloodline and start a clan what of it? He has that right." Miss Xuan whispered harshly.

"And you belong to those 'squabbling factions', so I'd watch your tone."

The words sent chills down the Spirit Artifact's spine. He wouldn't be the first artifact to be decommissioned by the Black Turtle Palace!