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*BOOM!*
A Tsunami of energy burst out of my body.
I wake up to the sound of the explosion.
"Uck!" I say when some wood drops on my head. The shack collapsed from the energy.
...
My fatigue disappeared...
This... I broke through to the tenth stage of Core Formation. The Core in my lower dantian is complete.
"Huff..."
"Uh..."
?!
I push the wood aside and look up, it's a young man in tattered robes. "..."
"Do you...need help?" He asks.
...
"No, it's fine," I reply. "Why are you here?"
"Ah, this is my grandmother's resting place, I come here every day to pay my respect." The young man says. Beside him is a tomb, I didn't realise it because of how tired and dark it was yesterday.
"I see. Sorry about it." I say
"No no no! It's fine sir practitioner. That cabin was in shambles anyway. Instead, I should congratulate you on your breakthrough. Do you...need help?"
"No. I will be on my way."
"In that?" The young man points at my body.
?
My robe is in a very tattered state and the top part is split open.
...
"At least get a change at my place, sir." He says.
I sigh and nod.
!
Grabbing a stone, I shoot it in the direction of a tree.
It crashed through about six trees before disintegrating into pieces.
"Yes?" The man asks.
"No, it's nothing," I say, looking back.
Someone was eavesdropping behind the tree, a foundation establishment cultivator.
With that taken care of, he guides me back to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. He goes into the cabin and fetches me a white robe, it is slightly torn but clean.
"Sorry, this is the best one I have." He says.
I nod and place 4 bronze coins in his palm.
!!
"N-No! You do not need to be so generous. That wasn't a very good robe..."
Without replying to his answer, I quickly left with the robe. I start to change when I am far enough.
"Ah shit, it's too small..." It became an outer coat, too tiny to envelop my entire torso.
Better than nothing I suppose.
*sniff*
Blood?
...
Blood Qi again...
It is coming from the cabin of that man.
??
No, I'm not going back there even when I am very curious.
I leave for Nielong. I'm still injured so it will take longer than usual...
-----------------------------
12 days later...
-----------------------------
Li Ye scratches his head in frustration. A disciple has gone for patrol and never returned for a month. No matter how much searching they did, the only clue they have is that Fu Cai caught and return a child kidnapped before disappearing.
Some even stated that they saw Fu Cai neglecting his duties and dining at a Pavillion.
"Wouldn't it be safe to say he left the sect without further information?" Says Gaoming.
"At the very least, we need to find where he went, the sect is not a place where you can leave and come as and when you please!" Li Ye exclaims.
Gaoming sighs. The issue with Zheng Cang and bullying still hasn't been resolved, Zheng Cang looked very relaxed in the prison and something seems to be up with him. Li Ye tried contacting his family but to no avail.
...
"Are we hopeless without the Patriarch?" Says Li Ye.
"Don't phrase it like that..." Replies Gaoming.
Li Ye takes a deep breath and slaps himself.
?!
"The Patriarch is probably trying to break through to the Nascent Soul. We shouldn't disturb him." Mumbles Li Ye.
"Gaoming. Call every elder here." Says Li Ye.
--------------
Zhiming, unlike his usual self, decided to attend the meeting when he heard that it was in regards to the Patriarch.
Zhong Han and Bu Feng glared at Zhiming. They don't like Zhiming's carefree behaviour.
Choi Inyoung gulps, wondering if she should even be here.
Zhong Han, the elder of finance.
Bu Feng, the elder of disciplinary.
Gaoming, the elder of training.
Inyoung, the elder of alchemy.
Zhiming, the elder of medicine.
And finally, Li Ye, the head elder.
Everyone is present.
Li Ye takes a deep breath. "First of all, thank you for everyone's continual support. We've come a long way and the sect is finally seeing its golden age thanks to the miracle our patriarch befell. However, we can not be solely reliant on him, he gave us a push and it's time we walk ourselves. Thus, I plan to send the top disciples of our inter-competition to the Golden Road of Kunlai next year." He says.
!!!!!!!!!
The Golden Road of Kunlai is an expedition every 5 years that last for about 2 years. Sects from all around Kunlai will send promising disciples to the expedition for the sake of gaining experience and learning about the martial world.
However, since every sect can participate, there will bound to be clashes and discontent. A clear hierarchy will be formed with the most influential and strongest disciple at the top.
This is one of the expedition's objectives:
To force disciples to "know their place" and not overstep their boundaries as every dissension being forgiven after the expedition is a golden rule. Something similar to a "second chance".
...
"Death isn't uncommon in the Golden Road of Kunlai!" Says Zhiming. It's rare to see him so worked up.
"If she doesn't have the experience, she will die in the future too." Li Ye countered. "Such is the dangers of the martial world."
...
"I agree with the head elder." Says Bu Feng.
The rest remained silent. It is a difficult decision to make as it involves the top disciples of the sect; the pride of the sect.
...
"I made this decision after a lot of pondering. We need to move and become more influential, striking while the iron is hot. Since almost everyone is talking about us, it's easier to gain attention when we achieve something." Says Li Ye. "Currently, I am negotiating backers of various organisations. One can be the Prosperity Merchants...the patriarch seems to have a huge influence on them."
Slowly, Zhong Han and Gaoming gave in.
"Zhiming and Inyoung, I know that the both of you are deeply anxious about safety. However, I trust both of your skills to prepare the disciples in an emergency." Says Li Ye.
Zhiming sighs. "Fuck...Fine, but at least for a month, let me teach some basic first aid to the disciples."
"Miss Inyoung?" Says Li Ye.
"Ah! Eh...u-uh... I...will try my best to create the best pills for them..." Says Inyoung.
"With that, it is decided-"
"Elder Li!!" Xiang Hou shouts outside the room. "I have urgent news! Junior brother Fu Cai has been found collapsed outside Nielong."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Zhiming jolts up. "Bring me to him!"
---------------------------
3 days later...
---------------------------
...
I feel comfortable. Did I collapse? Well, I did suffer a few major injuries that cannot be solved from first aid and I don't have the ingredients to treat myself.
...
".h...waking..."
I hear a glimpse of noises.
Opening my eyes, I see a wooden roof.
"You! You are finally awake!" Says Zhiming.
"Ugh...stop screaming into my ears," I say.
"Brat! You still dare to say that when you were in such a bad shape. What did you..."
Zhiming sighs.
...
"Rest for 2 days and report to elder Li Ye. He wants to talk to you."
I nod and Zhiming left the room, I'm in the medicine pavilion. I get up and did a little stretch with my arms. My body feels great aside from slight pain from every motion.
There's no one disciple here on the bed next, he seems to be beaten up and the attacker targetted his face, it's in a mess.
Also, it's dark out.
He Zhou should be at the same usual spot in the mountains, I check up on her.
"...It's you." She says before I reveal myself.
...
"What happened, Zhou Lei," I say when I notice there is mud in her hair and her robes are tattered. She's being bullied.
"I heard you were in a bloody mess when you arrived, a side branch of Matchless Dragon was destroyed overnight. Was that done by you? There are rumours that it was done by a disciple of our sect." He Zhou asks, dodging my question.
!
"..."
...
She turns around and glances at me. "You are a peak Core Formation... Even the weakest Elder of a high sect should have the cultivation of Nascent Soul."
"I was lucky and did underhanded techniques. The elder was injured too." I reply. The best lie is the edited truth.
"No...Why did you do it?" She seems more interested to hear this answer.
...
I sigh. I can't tell the complete truth to this question nor can I avoid it.
"I...did it for reputation. And also, they seem to be kidnapping children for a ritual."
He Zhou widens her eye at my gloomy expression.
?
"You are very straightforward." She says.
"What do I gain from sugar coating it?"
...
He Zhou gets up. "People like you die the earliest." She says and walks back to the sect.