29-35

Chapter 29 - Egg-cellent Nesting

Yue barely managed to retreat to 'her' hut without screaming out further.

She held the feather within her hands as though it was her newborn child, fragile and a fall away from breaking. She had to use Qi to steady her hands and prevent them from shaking, lest she dropped it. Though she knew that it was foolish--the feather would be just fine whether she dropped it or threw it into an active volcano, she couldn't help it.

Did she doubt her Master's words? No. 

Even if they were insane and something that would invoke mockery in the outside world, she knew that her Master wasn't simply 'bragging'. If he claimed that the feather had the ability to procure an attack at the level of an Earthly Immortal... she believed it. But just because she believed didn't mean she believed. 

Earthly Immortals, after all, were the figures of mythology. One of the first pieces of knowledge that every child learned in the schools was that the Ashlands, at the moment, only had one Earthly Immortal--the Venerable Sword God, Sect Master of the only Tier X Sect on the continent, Immortal Sword Sect. 

And yet, supposedly, the quaint, faintly-glowing feather lying calmly on her palm had the ability to produce an attack at the level of the strongest known figure on the continent. How could she not shake with terror and trepidation? 

Deep down, she felt like she should swear to the heavens to never use the feather--should an attack of that magnitude truly appear within the Lower Ashlands, she was far from clever enough to contemplate the consequences. 

But... if he handed them out as though he was handing out candy, perhaps, in her Master's eyes, something at this level was... partly worthless? Had she been his Disciple all her life, perhaps she could rationalize it as him wanting her to be safe, but that wasn't the case. Even if he was nice towards her, they'd only just begun their journey as a Master-Disciple pair. There was no reason for him to hand her what was effectively a weapon that could bring about the end of the entire Sect.

Was it a test? Yes, perhaps. Maybe this was his way of testing her honesty and her heart. If she were corrupted, she would go and immediately use the feather to exact vengeance. 

She was pulled from the thoughts by a gentle touch of a paw--glancing down, she saw Blackie climb on top of her lap and look up at her. It seemed to 'grin', almost, as she looked at the feather. Extending her paws, Blackie began to gesture--almost like a person would. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, it seemed to Yue that Blackie was telling her that it was 'fine'. That she could do with the feather whatever she wanted.

That was even heavier of a burden, however.

Thus, just before falling into deep meditation, she swore that she wouldn't use feather unless she was about to die. It would truly become the last resort, and she would sooner lose a limb or two rather than unveil to the world the existence of her Master. 

**

By the time Leo woke up, Yue was gone.

Once again, he mulled over his choice the last night--if the feather, perhaps, truly was something remarkable... was it right for him to hand it over? What if she sold it and never returned? Or, worse yet, what if she gathered a bunch of cultivators and used the feather to kill them all? Wouldn't that weigh terribly on his conscience? 

Even if he knew her and liked her well enough, they'd barely just met, after all. For all he knew, the anger she felt toward her family wasn't as simple as he believed--perhaps it ran much deeper, with hatred coursing through her veins, igniting her heart into one of vengeance. 

Alas, he was not afforded the luxury of mulling over his choices this morning--for a new quest appeared. 

This time around, it came from the friend who liked to curl up within his robes and around his arm. Well, it turned out that 'she' liked to curl up around his arm--Long Johnson turned out to be Long Jane-son, which just didn't roll off the tongue quite as naturally. 

['???????' beseeches you to help her]

[After grueling, 800 years long pregnancy, she is ready to lay an egg]

['???????' asks you to build her a warm and secure nearby]

[Time Limit: 2 days]

[Reward: ]

Looking at the (admittedly cute) face of the snake, Leo was a bit flummoxed. There was the whole pregnancy thing, sure, but he was fairly certain that the system mentioned something akin to '800 years long pregnancy', which he did not compute. As the window was no longer there, he convinced himself that he'd simply added a zero or two to that number, settling his mind. 

Unlike with previous 'nests', there was no new building with all the ingredients gifted to him. It seemed, for the first time, the system 'wanted' to see whether he was capable of solving anything on his own. 

Since he had about as much knowledge of snakes as a toddler did, he had no clue what kind of a nest snakes sought during pregnancy, labor, and before the egg cracked and whatnot. But, nonetheless, he swore to build one to the best of his abilities. 

Before starting, he prepared meals for everyone, and while they finished off the food, he looked around the nearby trees--there was a roughly sixty feet wide clearing that was slowly expanding, but there were still a few untouched trees there (such as the one housing the owl's nest). 

"No, wait, does it have to be near a tree...?" ultimately, he didn't know.

Sighing, he crouched, picked up a twig, and started drawing on the dirt. Long Jane-son (it truly lost the charm) was quite large, and seemed capable of illusions of sort. After all, whenever she wrapped around his arm, she was quite tiny and light, but on the outside and while eating, she seemed well over twenty feet long at least. 

As such, he had to scale the nest to not only accommodate her vastness, but also the egg. Who knew how big an egg that was gestating for 800 years would become.

"No, no, it must have meant something like 800 hours. Yeah."

Eventually, he went out and gathered materials for the mud hut, constructing the seventh one. Once it was up, he went inside and started digging into the ground--luckily, being a cultivator meant that he was able to dig out dirt with his bare hands rather easily. He went deep and wide, and even began decorating the hole a bit as the dirt was rather sturdy when not touched by Qi. 

After the hole was dug, he mulled for a moment before deciding to craft a single torch and light it up within the hole. However, after a few minutes, he began to choke on the smoke and decided against it. 

Leaving the hut, he was still uncertain. 

Ultimately, he didn't know how to make it perfectly comfortable, so he decided to simply decorate it. He brought a bucket of water from the pond and settled it in the corner; the corner opposite of it was a home to several jugs of the fruit juice, while the other two corners had plenty of his famous vegetable stew. He also lined the bottom of the hole with straw, and even took the pillow he was using and put it at the bottom.

Feeling at least somewhat satisfied, he wiped his forehead (of the non-existent sweat) and went for a quick bath. By the time he'd returned, the snake had occupied the mud hut and, eerily, there was a door-like contraption at the entrance that seemed to disallow others, including Leo, entry.

Similarly, unlike with all other mud huts, there was nobody on top of it or even around it. It was as though the forest knew to stay away from the mama snake. 

Just then, he felt something churn within his stomach--a mere second later, he was lying on his side, convulsing, as he felt fire burn through his veins. It was so painful that he cried out 'till his throat burned, but, eerily, no animal came to his aid.

Just as he thought he was finally about to die, it all stopped--the pain ended, and the burning sensation within his veins became a cooling and embracing one. He was still on the floor, covered in sweat and tears, for a moment believing he'd thought up the entire episode in his head. But the window floating in front of his eyes confirmed otherwise.

['???????' was extremely pleased with the nest!]

[Your reward has been upgraded from to . Additionally, once a month, you can squeeze a single drop of the out of you which can paralyze cultivators up to Nascent Soul Realm]

['???????' has entered a long process of egg-laying and cultivating. It will take anywhere from 3 to 10 years. You will need to replenish the water and food every 30 days; otherwise, there is a high chance that either '???????' or the child might perish]

[ -- in the Ancient Serpent Clan, during the Immortal Age, newborn heirs were bathed in 33 different poisons for 33 days. Those who managed to survive for at least 3 days inherited , though were considered failures and most often banished from the Clan]

Leo sighed, lamenting that the system was being rather stingy. Then again, the only thing he did was build a rather unremarkable shelter. Thus, perhaps, the reward was appropriate. 

Even if it was just a minor 'physique', any protection against poisons was nice. However, he swore he'd avoid quests granting physiques from now on--the pain he experienced for those few seconds was something that was unbearable. 

Standing by the perishing flames of the campfire, he once again found himself bored--sitting down cross-legged, he began to meditate in accordance with the . This time around, he managed to cycle his Qi thrice through the guidelines before he fell flat on his bum and got hungry. Luckily, there was a gourd of juice nearby that he chugged down, quickly recovering. Strangely, he didn't pass out this time around, and after the single gourd of juice, he felt fully refreshed.

Pondering for a moment, and noting the dozen or so still-filled jugs of juice... he decided to go on a bit of a mission.

Chapter 30 - Foundation Establishment

With the jugs of fruit juice scattered neatly around him in a circle, Leo sat cross-legged once again and closed his eyes, imagining himself inwardly. Taking the shimmering strands of milky-white Qi from the center of himself, he began to guide them once again. Though the route was simple, it was rather exhausting--mentally and physically. 

However, each time he got tired, he reached for a jug of the juice and took a few swigs, replenishing lost energy and Qi. Bit by bit, he felt the quantity of Qi grow--from a small, pebble-sized bundle, to a slightly larger pebble-sized bundle. As for whether he was growing stronger or not, he was entirely uncertain.

Beyond simply focusing on guiding the strand of Qi through himself, he pondered on his wants of this life; for now, he was entirely content being here, in the forest, cut from the rest of the world, spending his days feeding animals and completing their random quests. At some point, however, he would leave this place and enter the unknown, outside world. Would he still be content being a nobody? Probably. 

Ultimately, he wanted a life void of stress and boredom--he wanted to explore the world, visit all the breathtaking vistas it had to offer, meet all manner of unique people, and understand it as well as he understood Earth. There was beauty in his ignorance, he realized--starting from the blind corner of the world, he had a lifetime of places to explore, foods to eat, and people to meet.

At some point, he entered a strange haze--it wasn't quite the state of enlightenment, merely its ersatz. He'd stopped thinking about guiding the strand of Qi and was doing it unconsciously. Bit by bit, Qi in his dantian expanded and began to crash against the walls. 

Unbeknownst to him, he'd reached a bottleneck--the dividing wall between Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment Realms. Most cultivators of the world were more than half his age when they met this barrier, though few, if any, were as relaxed about it.

After all, though the strength difference wasn't terribly incomprehensible between the two realms, the passage determined a good amount about one's future potential as a cultivator.

Animals gathered around Leo who'd, eerily, began to levitate above ground--there was a strange, kaleidoscopic glow embossing his frame, vapors of white smoke dancing around him like flames. He began to emanate a peculiar hum, low and droning, as an image of a banyan tree appeared behind him--it was a barely discernible mirage, though its roots ran beneath him and into the maw of the world, while the sprawling canopy remained perfectly symmetrical. It looked like a looming shield over him, shading him from the sun and basking in the glow he was exuding.

The mirage faded as quickly as it appeared, and Leo landed on the ground as the tension between animals seemed to have vanished; they returned to their nests and homes and lives, as though nothing transpired.

[Consumed whilst breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm]

[ guarantees Perfect Ascension]

The windows faded before Leo could open his eyes and see them.

Inwardly, he felt the sense of peace and serenity that he'd never felt before in his life--they were fleeting, however, and once they were gone, they left a strange, almost aching yearning in their place. 

Sighing, he opened his eyes and saw a rather massive window floating there that startled him. There was a lot of information, and he never knew when it would vanish, so he quickly committed it all to memory.

[Congratulations on breaking past the boundary of Mortality and beginning your Immortal Journey]

[You have reached 'Foundation Establishment Realm' -- just as spires ascending toward the skies cannot hold the weight of the winds without firm foundations, so those in pursuit of Immortality cannot do so without a Foundation]

[Excess Qi had expanded and strengthened your meridians]

[Excess Qi had expanded and strengthened your dantian]

[Excess Qi had purified, strengthened, and evolved your Spirit Roots]

[ ---> ]

[Your vitality has been increased!]

[Your strength has been increased!]

[Your Qi has been increased massively!]

[Your lifespan has been increased!]

[You may now project Qi in elemental forms!]

[...]

[Congratulations on passing the first barrier!]

[System Level: 2]

[System XP: 13/20]

[...]

[Additional rewards: , , , ]

[ -- crafted from the finest Qi-purified steel, it is neither the sharpest nor the most durable, but it is a weapon trusted by many. Infusing Qi into it will allow you to form a tether and control it with your mind. The distance, power, and maneuverability are dependent on the quality and quantity of your Qi]

[ -- a vaunted treasure of the weak, the talisman will protect the wearer from a singular, lethal attack. Can block an attack from a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator]

[ -- contains trace amounts of Laws of Dao. Can study it for insights into the function behind the form]

[ -- contains trace amounts of True Wood Qi. Can study it to reveal the source. Absorbing True Qi of the elements increases the chance of successful Nascent Ascension massively, in addition to allowing the formation of Perfect Nascent Soul]

[... your journey, however inconsequential, towards Immortality has just begun. As a bonus, a temporary list of possible System purchases with XP will be available for the next 2 hours. You may only make one purchase of your choice]

[1. -- contains trace amounts of True Fire Qi (Cost: 10 XP)

2. -- keeps you from being hungry for 7 days (Cost: 5 XP)

3. -- project the image of your sword threefold and strike in the direction (Cost: 12 XP)

4. -- temporarily suspend Qi exhaustion. Lasts 10 seconds. Become severely hampered after expiration for 1 minute (Cost: 10 XP)

5. -- learn how to build a basic wooden cottage. Comes with the following furniture: a bed, a praying mat, a bench, a chair, a dining table, a storage chest (Cost: 13 XP)

6. -- allows for automatic preparation of the simplest of meals (max of 3 ingredients). Extremely slow, cumbersome, and lacking in taste (Cost: 1 XP)

7. -- increase the speed at which you gather Qi by 25% for 1h. Effect is increased to 40% for 2h for your Disciples (Cost: 8 XP)

8. -- strike out with an open palm and coalesce Qi into a slow-moving fire palm (Cost: 13 XP)

[Good luck, and don't die!]

Leo rubbed his eyes rather comically as he tried to put to memory all the information that he got. Four items seemed to fall out of the blue sky and land in front of him immediately after--a very simple-seeming sword, about thirty-five inches in length and two and a half fingers wide. It shimmered beneath the sunlight, its edges appearing cold and deadly. Its guard was rather simple and flat, and its handle was wrapped in leather. 

Besides it was a piece of paper no larger than a palm of a hand with a strange, runic character written on top of it that Leo didn't recognize. However, he quickly picked up the talisman with great care and shoved it into his robes--it was a life-saving treasure, after all! Even if he didn't know exactly how strong someone at a Nascent Realm was, usually, in the cultivation world, it tended to be the starting realm of the big shots! 

The last two items were rather similar--both were almost like seeds of a fruit, very rough to touch. The  was purely white and seemed aglow with strange sheen. If Leo looked at it directly for longer than just a couple of seconds, he began to feel light-headed and dizzy. As such, he set it aside for when he wanted to experience such states. 

The , on the other hand, seemed no different from any random seed--in fact, Leo was half-tempted to plant it and see what sprouted out in a few years. However, just like the , there was something about it, almost like someone drew blinds on what was 'inside', preventing him from seeing it.

For a moment, however, he set aside all four of the rewards and focused on the window in front of him. If he could, he'd buy them all--but he could only buy one. Though the cauldron was initially tempting, seeing its shortcomings eliminated it quickly. It was likely the sort of tool that was used in a war to produce massive quantities of food regardless of speed and quality. 

He was also tempted by the cottage, as he was tempted by the true energy pill, and even the --though, he had to admit that the only reason he was tempted by it was for the fantasy of shooting fire out of his hands, as the art itself seemed remarkably useless. 

Ultimately, and without too much contemplation (as he feared he'd make a selfish choice), he ended up buying ten . To him, at least, it was the best choice, both short-term and long-term. So long as Yue didn't betray him and ran off with the feather, she was his greatest safety net. Making her strong was making him strong--and she seemed like someone who could easily sit for two hours, wholly unmoving, to make full use of the pill. 

As soon as he made his choice, he saw his System XP dwindle back down to 5, causing him to sigh. It was a devil's game, he realized--though he was desperate to level it up and unlock new functions, the temptation of buying things... was too big. 

Right then, ten pills appeared in his lap--they were small and perfectly round, and a quick sniff revealed that they had a rather sweet and alluring scent. Though he was tempted to pop one in right then and there, he endured and put them away as well. 

Standing up, he stretched and enjoyed his bones cracking like thunder. There was one thing he was desperate to test out, which prompted him to pick up the sword and close his eyes.

The leather handle was perfectly comfortable to the touch, and he guided the strands of Qi from within him towards it--unlike while he was in Qi Condensation Realm, the speed at which he gathered Qi was just about six times faster. Within a second, a strand shot through his meridians and into his palm, entering the sword right after. 

As he let loose the grip and opened his eyes, he saw the sword floating in front of him, suspended in midair. A child in him awoke as his lips stretched out into a massive grin--guiding the thin, Qi tether between him and the sword with his mind, he began moving it around. He all but burst out into sonorous laughter at the sight, but as he got distracted, the tether broke and the sword fell down.

However, even that wasn't enough to ruin his mood--he was able to control a sword with his mind! If he got good enough with it, didn't that mean that he'd be able to jump on top of it and fly?! Naturally, he wouldn't go too high--what if he fell?! However durable his body was, it was certain to break from a high fall. 

He began to hum a rather pleasant tune while gathering materials for his next creation--the sword scabbard! He was certain he knew how to make it!... probably!

Chapter 31 - A Father's Greed, a Daughter's Resolve

Leo just barely managed to open his eyes before he fell to the side, entirely exhausted and paralyzed. His entire body ached, though, fortunately, it only lasted for a moment. While he lay on his side, re-examining his decision to seriously cultivate, Milky and Blackie walked up to him and started licking his face. It tickled quite a bit, and yet he couldn't even properly laugh due to paralysis.

They eventually got bored and sauntered away into the bushes, just in time for his paralysis to wear off. Sitting up, he quickly chugged a cup of fruit juice, revitalizing himself. 

Looking up at the clear, blue sky, he let loose a sigh and stood up, stretching. His bones creaked like floors in an old house, causing a ripple. Seeing that the night was fast approaching, he stretched for a moment further before he executed the footwork and raced toward the pond. However, halfway there, he stopped and turned back, having forgotten the buckets for water. Even here, he was a bit absentminded, it seemed.

**

Yue stared rather hollowly at the signboard hanging above the arched entrance--Lan Clan, a rather important name within a hundred miles or so. Past it, however, it was just one of the numerous mid-level clans all struggling for resources and connections. It used to hang over her like a ashen cloud spitting chains instead of rain, binding her. Now, however, she felt a certain level of freedom, knowing this would be the last time she'd take a step past this point.

"Good morning, Miss Yue. Has your trip been well?"

"Ah, Miss Yue! You look lovely today, too!" 

"Hm? Ah, it's just you. Where were you? Father's holding a banquet tonight. He's invited Young Master Mue over. You must attend." 

Most people ignored her, some greeted her, and one informed her of what she feared--her younger brother, Xae, the Clan's brightest star. 

Since his birth, she did nothing but love him with all her heart--but it was for naught. The shower of praises that he lived within all his life had morphed him into someone disconnected from the rest of the world. Over the years, Yue even grew resentful of it all--in many ways, demonic whispers within tempted her with the false truth that he'd stolen their parents' love from her. But he did nothing except be born talented. After all, he was just fifteen still--just a child. 

She merely nodded toward him and went back to her small abode tucked away in the eastern corner of the compound. She had no maids or butlers or attendants to care for either her or dwelling; as such, dust had piled up over nearly two weeks that she'd been gone. Ignoring it all, she merely reached for the small coffer she'd stashed at the far end of her wardrobe. That was where she hid a few bits of jewelry she hadn't sold yet as well as a reserve of around 500 Qi Stones. 

While far from any considerable wealth, it was very doubtful whether her Master had a stone to his name, and she still had things to buy on the way back. Putting it away into the ring, she was just about to leave when she felt a presence appear in front of the door. She recognized it immediately: it was her father. 

The doors were flung open carelessly, and the man walked in, holding true the gravitas of someone at nearly the Peak of Avatar Realm. He looked as he always did--falsely dashing, having used Qi to suspend the loss of hair for over a decade now. He'd put on his favorite, silver robes and a scarf made out of demonic wolf's pelt, his grandest possession. 

"Where were you?" he asked coldly. No greeting, no asking whether she'd gotten hurt on the outside... but she knew better, by now, than to expect affection from him.

"Grandfather died." she replied.

"Oh. Yes, they informed me. What of it?"

"I went to try and retrieve his body."

"Did you?"

"No."

"Might be better off that way," he said. "We may finally be able to shed the vagabond reputation that his presence gave us."

"..."

"What?" he frowned at her silence. Yue had stayed silent her whole life, never uttering a word to either him or her mother. She was a good daughter, a proper, obedient child. But watching the callous way in which the man talked about his own father, something cracked inside of her. 

"He was your father," she said rather calmly. A mere second latter, immense pressure descended upon her, pressing against her shoulders and nearly pushing her down to her knees. 

"Hm? You endured that? How--wait!" he exclaimed abruptly and appeared right in front of her, grabbing her wrist. She felt a strand of alien Qi shoot through her meridians, and though she tried to resist, it was futile. "How... how is this possible?!! Your, your Spirit Roots--" he looked at her, aghast, with a complex concoction of emotions in his eyes. There was joy, sure--if ever a trace of it--but it was mostly shock... and jealousy. "Heaven Roots!! Where did you go?! Tell me now! Ha ha ha, Lady Luck has finally blessed my Lan Clan! Tell me, dear child, how did you change your roots?" 

"... no," Yue yanked her arm back, biting her lower lip. There was greed in his eyes--he saw her likely as a mere solvent, means to excise the Clan's debts and propel his own name further. 

"No? What do you mean 'no'?" he frowned, his expression chilling. "Humph, it must be Demonic Possession! A True Demon must have possessed you to keep the lucky opportunity for itself!"

"Stop! Just stop!!" she exploded, batting his arm away. "What do you mean a Demonic Possession?! Do you see my eyes bleeding ashen?! Did you notice even a trace of Demonic Qi in my meridians when you inspected me? Enough with your sanctimonious tongue, trying to hide your greed!" 

"Lan Yue!" his voice exploded like a bolt of thunder, a violent burst of Qi shattering her house into thousands of pieces. She felt the energy hit her directly and push her back; it was so powerful that she was forced to vomit blood, still mid-flight, before barely managing to stabilize on her knees some fifty yards away. "How unfilial! You are my blood! How dare you disobey me?! Even if I ordered you to walk into the fire for the Clan, you should do so with a smile on your face!"

"Why would I be filial to a man who hasn't done anything in his life to earn it?" Yue clutched the feather between her fingers inside of her robes, but she wasn't planning on using it. If it turned out that her Master was telling the truth, and that the feather could unleash an attack of an Earthly Immortal, the entire Lan Clan would disappear in the blink of an eye. And however much she loathed her father at the moment, she was unwilling to destroy everything because of it. "I've returned to say the final goodbye. I'm leaving the Clan, and unless you are willing to defy the Heart and kill me, there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"Humph, ungrateful wench!!" he cursed, drawing out a sword from the scabbard. 'Thunder Bite', as her father called it, shimmered and twined in the rays of the sun, drawing Qi within a mile towards it. It was a Sky-Tier Weapon, one of the better ones, with a faint trace of spirituality. "How would slaying a True Demon who possessed my daughter and made her go mad be defying the Heart? Either submit, or be purged!" 

"..." Yue fell silent, staring at the eyes of a man who had nothing but anger and greed in them. Her own father. She couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. However, even with that, she knew that her chances of running away were low. Nonetheless, if she could at least leave the Clan's grounds and bait her father out, she might find a place where using the feather wouldn't harm anyone else. Even so, with her cultivation at merely Mid Core Formation, eluding someone at nearly the peak of Avatar Realm was simply fantasizing. Still... she had to try. "Purge me, then, bedeviled monster wearing human skin."

As soon as words faded from her lips, she shoved Qi into her feet and executed a footwork technique--not the one that her Clan taught her as her father could easily see through it, but the one that her Master taught her. She'd practiced it on the way, despite her Master's warnings, and could now endure it for full two minutes without passing out. Naturally, even just using it for thirty seconds meant that she'd have to recover for at least an hour afterward, but it was better than dying.

She became a blur, and barely managed to glance back and see a streak of thunder land where she was, shattering the afterimage she'd left behind. Her heart froze--though she saw the murderous intent in his eyes, there was still a part of her which held doubt that he'd be willing to kill his own daughter. But that attack... were she to have received it, it would have undoubtedly killed her.

There was no room for doubt any longer--that man, if he ever viewed her as his own blood and worthy of life, had long since ceased to do so. 

She routed to the rear of the Clan's ground, executing the nameless footwork technique and realizing something was off--despite her not moving that quickly, her father was falling behind. Looking over her shoulder, she saw his raging figure covered in bolts of thunder dementedly swing the sword but to no avail. None of the streaks came even close to hitting her. 

By the time she bounded the Clan's walls and exited the compound, only fifteen seconds had passed, and she'd already created at least a thousand yards of a distance. Sensing that something wasn't adding up, she temporarily ignored it and dashed forward like mad--the nearest city was about sixty miles to the northwest, and if she managed to reach it without being caught, even her father would be unable to do anything. 

Thus, she ran with all her might--thirty seconds into the sprint, she glanced back yet again and noticed an extra oddity: she could no longer see her father. She'd sprinted some two miles from the Clan's compound, and now he was merely a blurry dot in the distance. For a moment she considered that he was merely putting on a show and was letting her leave, but that was impossible. Ultimately, there was only one explanation: the simple footwork that her Master gave her, the one she thought was merely good for body and Qi training, was far more complicated than anything she could have even dreamed of.

She didn't dare ponder on it further--not because she did not want to, but because she wasn't nearly clever enough. As she stepped into the nearby forest, she decided to stop using it--her legs nearly immediately gave out, though she did her best to endure. In case her Father caught up with her, she'd have to use the technique immediately. However... there was only silence. There were no blasting thunders signaling the man's arrival, and looking at the sky, it was clear and blue. One way or another, it seemed, she'd managed to get away. 

"... what the hell is that footwork?!" she pondered aloud, once again needing to re-examine everything she knew about the man who'd passed it down to her.

Chapter 32 - Heavenspan Gathering

Heavenspan Tournament was a quadrennial gathering of all young Cultivators within the confines of Holy Blade Sect located in the deep, south-eastern parts of the Lower Ashlands, Bloodmoon Sect just to the north of it, Kingdom of Lingshan just to the north of the Bloodmoon Sect, Iron Mountain Sect east of the Kingdom, and Golden Crane Sect to the west of the Holy Blade Sect, past the Cradle of the First Men.

Though it was usually held within the borders of the Kingdom of Lingshan, it occasionally changed--such as this year where it was decided that it'd be held within the Holy Blade Sect. 

As such, a week before the tournament's start, thousands of new faces began appearing around and within the Sect. Most were youths below twenty-five years of age, the limit, though some were Elders from the Sects wanting to see the progress. 

Song and Lya, ever since their return from the forest, became really good friends and were spending more and more time together. It was no different today, the day before the tournament's beginning. They'd perched themselves atop the Sect's Treasure Pavilion since five days ago, observing the newcomers. Most were in the Foundation Establishment Realm, especially if they were eighteen and younger. There was only one notable exception besides the two of them--a very young-seeming (too young, even) boy and was accompanied by a hooded figure at all times. Just like Song and Lya, he, too, was at Early Core Formation Realm.

Once the age range exceeded twenty, all Cultivators were at least Early Core Formation Realm, as that was sort of a cut-off of talent. If one was unable to reach Core Formation before twenty, it meant that their future potential was uninspiring, and they were often sent out to branch Sects or businesses ran by them.

Seeing the sheer number of newcomers was rather startling; though they knew that Heavenspan Tournament was a rather big deal, as neither were a member of the Holy Blade Sect four years ago when it happened the last time, they didn't know what to expect exactly. 

"Are you confident?" Lya asked, feeling jitters. Even if she had participated in a few inter-Sect competitions, they were, at most, observed by a couple of Elders and her fellow peers at the Sect.

"Of course," Song said. The more she learned about her Junior Brother, the more envious she grew of him; he'd taken everything in life in stride, never letting it drag him down. Some might say that he was dumb, but Lya knew otherwise--Song was far from stupid... he was simply confident in himself. "You should be too, Senior Sister," he added, smiling toward her. "You are just behind Senior Sister Mei in strength." 

"Hm," Lya nodded. "Still. We'll see many arts used that we've never seen before. I'm a bit nervous, to be honest."

"We'll also see Bloodmoon Disciples," Song said with a trace of hatred in his voice. "Maybe even the ones that chased us. Wouldn't it be quite amazing if we met them on the stage, and played with them for a little bit? Maybe seal their ability to speak so they can't surrender, break a limb or two, kick them--"

"--Song."

"Khm." 

"I understand," she chuckled at his awkward reaction. "I'm angry, too, at what happened that day. Trust me. But this is bigger than us. We're representing the Sect, and the Sect Master already has a bad impression of us. If we go ahead and disparage the spirit of the tournament, he might actually lock us up."

"Would he?" Song asked, seeming curious. "I know you're wary of him, but I never once got the feeling that he'd harm us. Rather, he reminded me of my uncle."

"How so?" Lya asked.

"When I was a young boy," Song continued. "Both my father and mother were quite strict with me. Every once in a while, however, uncle Awn would come, and he... I don't know how to explain it. He made them different. They were laughing, all of a sudden, and they let me play with my friends and stay out late. Uncle Awn would then hide in my room and scare the daylights out of me when I'd return, and I'd wake up mother and father, and just as they were about to yell at me, he'd somehow manage to calm them down." 

"..." Lya listened carefully, but couldn't quite picture their Sect Master that way at all. To her, he seemed a distant, aloof man with deep goals, the ilk she couldn't possibly comprehend. 

"I mean, isn't he kind of amazing?" Song looked at her and smiled. "Our Sect Master, I mean. He, all by himself, is making all of this happen. Do you really think our Sect would be able to host anything, let alone a Heavenspan Tournament, if not for him?"

"No," Lya replied honestly. It wasn't a secret--not within the Sect or outside of it--that the Holy Blade was the sole reason the Sect was considered to have any importance. The reason was rather simple: there was expectation hanging in the air that the man would eventually leave the Sect, and nobody wanted to alienate him in case he wanted to join some other place. 

"Truth be told, I think he was worried about us," Song added. "He doesn't know what the Senior is like, or even that there is a Senior. All he knows is that two kids returned with far greater strength and evolved Spirit Roots, something that can only be achieved by either Immortal Treasures, or--"

"--large amounts of Demonic Qi," Lya exclaimed softly, having finally realized it. "You're right. I forgot." 

"Hm? There they are."

"Who?"

"Bloodmoon Disciples," Song said, harshness in his voice still there. 

Lya looked toward the entrance of the Sect where she saw an entourage of blood-colored carriages dragged by Bloodhoofs, massive and extremely rare stallions. Supposedly, it took fifty years to just breed one to the acceptable level, not to mention numerous treasures that had to be used in the process. And yet, there were sixteen currently pulling six carriages. 

Five of them were identical--gilded with dark-red gold and made of stainless wood--while the last in the procession stood out. It was twice as large, decorated with blood gems that were used to channel World Qi and change it into Blood Qi that the Bloodmoon Sect used. The pressure exuded from the carriage was massive and suffocating--the kind that both experienced only once... when faced with their Sect Master.

Suddenly, they felt a pair of eyes hone in on them like a hawk, and they found themselves short of breath. It was as though a cage was formed around their lungs, pressing into them. It lasted only for a moment, however, as a warm, sweeping force pulsated through, liberating them. At the same time, a voice echoed, soft and familiar.

"Next time you so much as glance at my Disciples, I will liberate your head from the neck and vault it on my walls." 

Though the voice was warm, the words were not. Rather, Song and Lya caught the glimpse of the largest carriage as it seemed to shake violently for a moment. The glimmer of the gems on its frame dimmed rather grandly as they lost almost all their luster. 

The two glanced at each other in shock before their eyes drifted over to the golden palace seated at the center of the valley. They were at a loss for words and merely bowed, with Lya feeling quite embarrassed over her words, as it was now certain that their Sect Master heard them. She hoped, deep down, Song was right--and that the Sect Master wouldn't take her doubts to heart.

**

Shen Rong spat out a mouthful of blood, nearly falling over inside the carriage. Gnashing his teeth, he endured the hatred in his heart and the worried words of the three Disciples in the carriage with him. 

Thinking back to what he'd done, however, he couldn't hold onto his hatred much longer--if anything, the Holy Blade was rather lenient with him. He did try to kill, or at least cripple, a pair of his Disciples within his Sect's borders, though it was an entirely instinctual reaction. 

To his knowledge, there were only twenty-two Core Formation Disciples in the Holy Blade Sect younger than twenty-five, and they were all older than twenty. However, he'd immediately taken notice of the four eyes staring at the carriage--a pair of kids, closer to fifteen than they were to twenty--were both at Early Core Formation Realm, something that even the pride of Bloodmoon Sect, young Blood Lord Tao, hadn't managed to achieve. 

"Master Uncle, what's wrong? What happened?" the young Blood Lord queried with a faint trace of worry in his scarlet eyes. 

"Hm? Ah, nothing, nothing. Just an old wound acting up," he said, taking a deep breath, and finally stabilizing his Qi. "Young Lord, it seems our information was wrong. There are two more Core Formation Disciples in the Sect than we'd thought."

"Is that so?" the Young Lord shrugged it off. "That's fine. It's possible that some of the older ones managed to break through after being given a Core-Forming Pill."

"... no," Shen Rong said. "Both of them... both of them seem to be seventeen, at most, Young Lord."

"..." having expected the Young Lord's reaction, Shen Rong had already insulated the carriage's interior with his own Qi, preventing the Young Lord's from leaking. Even so, the atmosphere in the carriage became suffocating--so much so that the other two Disciples found it difficult to breathe.

"Steady your heart, Young Lord," the young man woke up from the brief bout of anger, taking a deep breath.

"Are you certain, Master Uncle?" 

"Yes."

"Something must have happened, then," the Young Lord said. "Do you recognize them?"

"No. If they were Holy Blade members, they were insignificant to not even enter our most detailed reports. It means that they didn't showcase enough talent." 

"What do they look like?" the Young Lord asked.

"The girl is rather beautiful and not particularly tall. Black hair and green eyes, and she seemed to be cultivating some form of lightning art. The boy, on the other hand, was tall, bald, and had blue eyes. I sensed a faint trace of Sword Qi off of him, so it must mean he's training with the sword. I--hm, what is wrong with you, Yi?" Shen Rong noticed that something was rather off with his personal Disciple, Ru Yi. She had a mortified expression on her face, her lips parted and eyes widened.

"M-Master, I, I think... I think I know them..." she mumbled.

"How? Who are they?" Shen Tao asked.

"A-ah, Young Lord. A, a while back, some of my friends and I were out on a mission when the whole Yuvel Town business was transpiring. While there, we caught two Foundation Establishment kids with the Holy Blade Sect's garb and we started chasing them. Uh, we... we played around a bit, and the kids managed to get to the Nameless Forest and disappear within."

"WHAT?!!" 

"I--I was certain they died!" the young woman quickly collapsed to her knees, her voice afoot with terror. "I am certain I wounded the boy to the point of nearly destroying his dantian, and the girl was barely better off! We, we didn't dare chase them into the forest, and figured that it would devour them. I..." 

"Master Uncle," the Young Lord turned toward him. "Is it possible that they survived?"

"... everything is possible in this world, Young Lord," Shen Rong said with a sigh, stroking his chin. "If it is true, and the two are the same kids Yi chased into the forest... then that might explain why we don't know anything about them."

"I thought nobody left the forest alive."

"Steady your heart, Young Lord," Shen Rong thought the world of the Young Lord--he was handsome, clever, and, most importantly, beyond talented. He was the future of the Bloodmoon Sect. But there was one thing that even the Sect Master was unable to curtail in the young boy--his brashness. Shen Rong saw it, in the boy's eyes, the desire to go to the forest. The boy likely thought that, if those two 'nobodies' survived and came out of it stronger, then he, the heavenly-blessed one, would live the same story. "The forest is an unsolved enigma older than the oldest records we possess. It was always there, unchanging."

"..."

"While true that a few had managed to leave it having gotten an opportunity inside, those opportunities were minor compared to the danger. And even so, none of those who came out remembered how they got those opportunities or, more horrifyingly yet, who or what gave it to them. On the other end, there are stories of even those at Soul Ascendance Realm venturing inside only to never return. Their mere luck should not make the Young Lord so desperate that he would venture into that tomb. Even if they managed to break through to Core Formation, they'd only just now done so--they hadn't had the time to practice or learn any of the new arts. If you face them in the battle, it would be no different than facing Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Rather, it might even be better--humiliating them in front of such a big crowd might cause them to form Demonic Hearts and prevent them from ever becoming stronger."

"... Master Uncle is right. I'll listen to you." 

Though he said so, Shen Rong knew well enough that something was planted inside of the boy's heart, something that might just be impossible to erase. 

Ultimately, he, too, became quite a bit more curious about the pair of children he noticed. One thing about them, at least, became clearer now that he knew their stories--though it was just for a moment, he caught a glimpse of the purity of their Qi. It was... impossible, to say the least. Only Heavenly Pavilion Sect had the ability to 'create' Disciples with such pure Qi. If they got lucky in the Nameless Forest, however, then it was entirely possible, too. 

He sighed, inwardly, growing worried; it was his instinct as a martial artist, no less, that was warning him. Strange winds were blowing, and it seemed that this Heavenspan Tournament might change the course of the world as they knew it. Whether their Sect benefited from it or would be wrestling with despair... was yet to be seen.

Chapter 33 - Bejeweled in Silver

"Oh, well imagine, as I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor and I can't help but to hear~" Leo mumbled a song under his breath as he lay relaxed in a pond. He wasn't alone, either--the animals seemed to have started copying him. The monkey was lying on his back, floating, while the pair of the black and white panthers were thrashing about and swimming. The owl was perched on top of his head, occasionally hooting, while, on the other side of the pond, he saw the cub and mama bear pair splashing about. 

It was all very serene, if not a little bit boring. However, unlike what he expected of himself, he didn't... hate it. That being a strange and new feeling, he tried to examine it but was unable to reach the answers.

Back on Earth, he could scarcely even have a meal without a distraction. He always had to be doing something, even if it was entirely pointless, just to engage his mind. However, ever since coming here, he began to realize that he was finding it easier and easier to dwell in nothingness for hours. 

Soaking in a bath was something he hadn't done since he was a child--and yet, he now found himself soaking for an entire hour, just sitting in silence, completely at ease. It was somewhat liberating in ways that he hadn't even considered before. But, in some capacity, it was also a necessity. A mind's greatest trait had always been its ability to adapt to any change in circumstance, all in the name of self-preservation. 

Leo enjoyed it, though.

Thinking back on his life, every day felt like a short story written out that he was forced to live. But those days, however adventurous they were, also blended together into a continuous bender of hollow glamour. Furthermore, desires were ruined and shattered. What used to bring him joy one day could seldom keep him content the next. It was a constant pursuit, an eternal chase to relive a memory he'd ensconced into a gilded cage. But nothing was ever enough, and even if it could just about scratch the itch, it would not do so for long.

In due time, he became empty--he drank because he always did so, he hung out at parties because he always did so, he vacationed in exotic places because he always did so. None of those things brought him any joy, which was when he sought the isolating walls of a room. 

Opening his eyes, he escaped the dark memories. How was it, he silently wondered, that he was fine being alone here, but dreaded it beyond dreads back on Earth? His own thoughts were still there, ever-present, yet were... lithe. 

He wasn't clever enough to figure it out, the root cause of the changes. Perchance, it was simply him being grateful to live another life. Perhaps it was being surrounded by animals who cared for him, but didn't seem to expect more out of him than what he could give. 

Whatever it was, in the end, he was glad to be living here, in the moment. Even if his ultimate fantasies of becoming a world-renowned cultivator were never fulfilled, he felt, deep down, that he would not be disappointed with this life either way.

He didn't linger for much longer, leaving the pond and heading back home. The animals accompanied him--including the mama and cub pair, who seemed to have become the everyday visitors at the very least--some racing ahead like the black and white panther, and some, as always, hanging off of him and taking the free ride.

By the time he came back, the 'wanderers' as he called them (the animals that only came about for the meals and the juice) began gathering around the camp. He greeted them gingerly and they all seemed to at least nod, with an occasional roar or a howl, before beginning to cook. 

Feeling a bit adventurous, in addition to the standard-set meals that the animals enjoyed, he decided to mix it up a bit, if not for them then for himself. He felt a bit inspired ever since having made that strange candy for the crow, but never did find the time to experiment once again. 

He found serenity in the swirls of the dancing fires and the bubbling of the water. Stirring the stew, he glanced up and saw that quite a few animals were slobbering already. Smiling, he began talking, filling the void of silence.

"There's a concept that used to scare the soul out of me," he said. "It's called Boltzmann brains. It supposes that, whatever natural machinations are behind the existence of the universe itself, are far more likely to be behind simpler things--like us. That is to say, the machinations did not create the universe, but rather just a single mind filled up with lies. My life, you, this place, all my memories... they are just fabrications. Ultimately, though, it's sort of a self-jailed notion, one of those notions that if you are aware of them, they cannot be. 

"But a lot of it stayed with me. The fear that I'm alone, that nothing around me is real. Not in the actual sense, anyway," he took a sip of the fruit juice, chuckling and starting at the flames. "I spent like an entire year in my early twenties just looking for the 'glitches'. Melting my brain in theories, and 'truths'. God, I was so moronic, ha ha ha. This one time, I was convinced I found it--a friend of mine suddenly had a gold tooth, and I knew for a fact he didn't. Well, it was short-lived. A minute later, someone pointed it out, and it turned out to be corn. Ha ha ha." he took a moment, looking up from the flames at the dark sky.

"It all seems so silly, now, but back then, my mind was preoccupied with it all. Like, what if all of time is compacted into a singularity--so, all events, past, present, and future, are both happening at the same time and not at all? What if a choice I made without much thought in the present rippled and made a change in the future that I cannot ever undo? Well, that did happen, often. I wasn't always the brightest bulb, as it were. Haah, why is it that in my life, I always learned whatever lesson I needed to learn just a bit too late? Like I was always lagging a step behind, and if I could just sprint for a little while, I would have caught up. That's life, though... no?"

His faint chuckle faded into the forest as he turned around and went back into one of the huts. Lying down, he closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep rather quickly. He wasn't particularly exhausted--he never was--but sleep was a strange comforter, he found, that allowed him to reset his mindset anew. So, whenever he found himself drifting and yearning for things he could never have, he'd lie down and close his eyes, and by the time he opened them, it was the future, and he was no longer the same person he was just a few hours ago. He didn't know for how long the 'cheat' would work, but he would exploit it for as long as he could.

**

"And, begin!" 

A dashing, young man garbed in silver robes fluttered backwards, forming sigils with his hands at the same time. Opposite of him, some fifty yards of distance away, was another young man, approximately the same age, garbed in black robes. The latter had drawn out a colossal, obsidian blade with scarlet gems hemmed into the blade's fuller. 

The two stood atop one of the practice arenas of the Holy Blade Sect, with a somewhat sizeable audience of peers gathered around commenting on the fight. Both youths were at Peak Foundation Establishment Realm, though the man in black was about a year older than the one garbed in silver. The duel was precisely the result of that--the latter had pointed it out, and the former took offense to it.

Most duels, really, between the young people resulted from these small, perceived slights--any one of the people gathered for the Heavenspan Tournament were geniuses in their own right, and seldom liked coming up short against their peers or, worse yet, those even younger than them. 

The silver-robed youth conjured up several dozen arrays of light in the shape of a blade, using his fingers to manipulate them into attacking the black-robed man. The latter swung the colossal weapon violently, coating it in thick glum of red, easily deflecting the attack. At the same time, he soaked his feet with blood and erupted forth like a storm, leaving behind a deep imprint in the arena.

He flew across and closed the distance between the two in the blink of an eye, smashing the weapon from the side. The silver-robed youth mumbled something under his breath, covering himself with visible sheen of light and taking the hit directly without suffering any damage. On the other hand, the black-robed man found the colossal weapon bounce off the shield, dragging him backward for a moment before he forcibly stopped it and, with a crack in his forearms, he shot Qi directly into the weapon and swung it back down.

Under the aghast eyes of the watchers, the silver-robed youth's shield cracked like glass and, in panic, he put out his arms out to block the weapon from hitting his face. Just then, a smear of color appeared between the two and easily separated them. Indignant, the black-robed man tried to stand up and attack again, but found himself plastered on the ground. 

"I did not know when my Holy Blade Sect began permitting Death Duels," a figure appeared between the two--it was a young woman, seemingly in her late twenties. She had short, silver hair and a pair of silver eyes, and was wearing golden robes. Few among the audience recognized her as one of the Elders of the Sect, the titular 'Silver Soul Blade'. 

"He insulted--"

"--I don't care if he chopped your tiny little pecker," she interrupted, seeming beyond annoyed to be here. "While you are within the walls of the Sect, you can fist each other however much you'd like, but any attempt to take life will be considered a slight against the Holy Blade Sect itself. Since you're just a pair of dumb kids, I'll forgive you this once. If it happens again, I'll chop you into so many pieces that even the best cooks in the world won't be able to use you as an ingredient. Understood?"

"..."

"Hey, I asked you a question."

"U-understood, Senior!!" both youths exclaimed at the same time, seemingly both having caught up to who it was in front of them. They scurried off the arena with tails between their legs, while the woman eyed the audience silently for a moment, smiling right after. 

"Is your big sister so pretty that you can't help yourselves but to stare at her?"

"--!!" everyone, even the other Elders in the audience, immediately looked away while she scoffed, her eyes slanting into slits. 

"Pathetic," she left the single word as she vanished into thin air, disappearing the same way she came. Though she insulted them directly to their faces, no one dared complain.

After all, there was a reason why she was called 'Silver Soul Blade'--while 'silver' merely denoted the eerie hair and eye color she had, the 'Soul Blade' referred to the cultivation technique she used. Unlike most sword cultivators who used an actual weapon as a conduit for their arts, and even those--like the silver-robed youth--who used Qi to manifested bladed weapons made up of pure energy, her attacks were not 'physical'. Her 'blade' attacked the soul directly, ignoring everything else. 

The rumor was that, despite just being at the Peak of Fusion Realm, even masters at Soul Ascendance Realm weren't entirely comfortable fighting her. Though they would undoubtedly win, there was still the uncertainty that she might damage their souls, something that would not only cripple their any future potential in cultivation, but also shorten their lifespans. 

As such, most left her alone--expressly for a rather simple reason: she wasn't going to live much longer. 'Soul Blade Art' was such that it did not use the person's Qi to attack, but rather the person's own Soul. So, each time she attacked, even if she won, she shortened her own lifespan. It was also the reason why she was the only person in the entire Holy Blade Sect studying such 'powerful' art. Thus, she was left alone (even if it was also for the fact that any time someone challenged her, she would not kill them, but merely turn them into imbeciles which most martial artist considered a fate a thousand times worse than death).

In the meantime, Shui Xiaoling retreated back into the palace, settling herself on the balcony overseeing the entire sect. Sighing, she reached into her robes and took out a small, brown pill, eating it right after. Closing her eyes, she silently channeled Qi and dispersed the medicinal powder within the pill, causing her to vomit a mouthful of black blood that she immediately evaporated from the palm of her hand.

She sighed, smiling faintly. 

A month--that was how long she had. Though most lamented her choices and fate, she never once regretted cultivating 'Soul Blade Art'. It resonated with her, almost like a perfect love. Even if it was short-lived, it was better, in her eyes, than if she lived much longer, studying something that she loathed. 

"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice drew her attention to the side where she saw the Sect Master slowly walking up to her. There was worry on his face, causing her to smile further.

"What? I'm not allowed to enjoy the festivities?" 

"You're supposed to be meditating in the Healing Hall," he said, sighing and grabbing his head. She didn't fault him--all her life, she was likely one of the prime source of his headaches. "I'm very close to making a deal with the Pavilion. If you can cultivate in their Heavenly Pond for even just an hour, you can live up to fifty extra years!" 

"... and I already said that I don't want it," she replied. "Even if, for some reason, they were willing to help us, they would bleed us dry. I don't want to live longer at the expense of my home. Take whatever wealth you would have given to them, and spend it on the Disciples instead. We can't be lagging behind others." 

"If I could have just pressured the two Disciples a little bit--"

"--if you'd done so, I would have wrung your tits out and fed them to the dogs," she interrupted rather harshly. "The poor kids were sweating buckets because of you. Aren't you ashamed? You actually pressured a pair of Core Formation Disciples with your Sense! Ah, if the world heard, you would never outlive the embarrassment." 

"They've certainly enjoyed a Heavenly Pond, one of especially high quality at that," the Sect Master said, frowning. "Don't you want to live, Xiao'er?"

"... of course I want to live. But not at anyone else's expense. If they aren't telling us out of their own will," she said. "There must be a reason for that."

"... haah, why are you so stubborn?"

"I had a stubborn Master."

"I won't give up," he said, patting her head gently. He'd done so ever since she was a little young girl who'd happily chosen an art sitting in the corner and started cultivating it before ever consulting with any of her Seniors. As such, the Sect Master took her under his tutelage, and had spent a good part of the past thirty years trying to 'fix' her. "So, please, don't give up either." 

"Okay," she smiled. "We have to be wary with those kids. They've already piqued curiosity and might be targeted."

"Oh, they will be. But as long as I'm here, nothing will happen to them." 

"Master."

"Hm?"

"Thank you," she said, looking away. "For everything." 

"... Demonic Possession?"

"Bah! I am not so far gone that I can't express gratitude to my own Master!" 

"Is that so?" he laughed as she threw a random attack at him; it never had a chance of landing, but she would often do precisely that when frustrated. "I have to go. Other representatives have gathered and are waiting for me. Keep an eye out and inform m

e if you notice anything untoward."

"Will do, Master."

She watched his fading back in silence, sighing yet again as she looked out through the window and at the sea of excited youth beneath it. She, too, once glistened with the same glow, certain she'd stir the world with her talent. Alas, life was a long, dark tunnel, and few knew precisely the path they were taking. And she... she was never one of them.

Chapter 34 - Came for Cultivation, Stayed for DIY

Leo was a bit flummoxed, as he'd gotten a new quest. However, unlike before, it wasn't a quest to help any one animal, but to help them all... kind of. 

[Things have gotten cramped and there isn't enough room for everyone. It is time to upgrade from the primitive mud huts into a grander construction]

[New Building Blueprint unlocked: Simple Wooden Longhouse]

[Simple Wooden Longhouse: a roomless construct meant to house a large number of people(?) and provide them shelter. Can be decorated independently]

[Simple Wooden Longhouse: though technically a simple construction, a wooden longhouse still requires materials that are beyond the scope of your abilities. As such, you will only be tasked with gathering raw materials, and the system will process them for you.]

[Materials Required:

Timber (Raw Wood): 1000 pieces of timber

Source. Chop down trees to gather unprocessed logs

Clay: 200 units

Source: Mine clay from riverbanks or clay deposits to be used for sealing and insulating

Reeds/Straw: 500 bundles

Source: Harvest from the forest floor to use for thatching the roof

Stone: 300 medium-sized stones

Source: Gather stones from quarries or riverbeds for the foundation

Iron (for nails/fittings): 20 raw iron ores

Source: Mine iron deposits; system will forge nails and fittings

Animal Hides: 50 hides

Source: Hunt animals to gather hides for insulation and bedding 

Water: 100 buckets

Source: Draw water from a river or a pond; system will process into mortar for clay and stone

Fibers (for rope): 200 unites

Source: Harvest plant fibers or obtain from animals (wool) to make ropes for structural binding]

[To note: you will temporarily be given an artifact, , which you can use to locate quarries and mines. However, you must be within 300 yards of one in order for compass to activate]

[All gathered materials must be piled close-by. The system will provide that will preserve all gathered materials from rot and decay for the duration of the quest. It will only work for the necessary materials, however, and nothing else]

[You are allowed to seek help]

[Time Limit: None]

[Reward: Favorability with animals +30; , 3x , , a set of kitchen appliances, Blueprint for , +10 years of Cultivation]

[Good luck! Physical labor suits you perfectly!]

He was seated atop the random boulder, cross-legged, comically holding his chin up at a strange angle. It was all a bit too overwhelming, for he was changing genres again. For a brief while, he was actually living the life of a cultivator--even if it was often broken up by the bursts of needing to be a cook--but he was meditating, growing stronger, experiencing magic, and it was all so wonderful. And yet, once again, he was being tasked with switching genres.

Oddly enough, however, he didn't mind it; the mud huts, for however impressive they were, were still tiny constructions. None of the larger animals could use them as shelters, and even the smaller ones quickly filled them up. A longhouse, however simplistic it ended up being, would also be far more spacious. At the same time, though, it also required far more materials. 

His eyes shifted over to the side where two items appeared--a platform of wood that seemed beyond tiny in comparison to what it was supposed to hold (though, Leo immediately realized it would probably expand according to his needs), as well as a succinct, golden compass. It was no larger than the palm of a hand, its surface cracked and webbed with age and use, while its two hands lay still and unmoving, forming a cross. There weren't any markings on it, its face flat, though he was certain something would appear when he reached a mine or a quarry.

It would be a long, long, long quest, he knew. Even if the system itself would process all the raw materials for him, gathering just a thousand pieces of raw wood sounded exhausting. He also worried what would constitute a 'singular piece'--was it quite literally the entire body of a tree, or would one tree yield more than one piece? If it was one piece per one tree, he'd have to deforest nearly everything around him, and that felt like such a waste and almost not worth it. 

Furthermore, there was the question of animal hides--though he dreaded encounters with animals that wanted to impale him, he now needed to seek them out. 

All in all, it would likely take him at least a couple of months to gather everything on his own. If the animals (and Yue, when she came back) helped, though, it would probably go a bit faster. 

He didn't immediately get down to business--unlike with the mud huts, he wanted to plan out a little bit. Though he didn't know the precise size of even an average longhouse, let alone the one he was making, he did see one... once. It was part of a brief trip he did with some friends to an Amish community, and it was fairly big. Just in height, he estimated it was at least ten feet, which was nearly as tall as some of the trees around. If the system handed him some artificial behemoth, wouldn't he be planting a flag signaling to the entire forest where he was?

Sighing, he first put the compass into his robes and set the wooden platform to the side. The rewards were too tempting, overall. Though it was depressing on more levels than one, he most looked forward to the blueprint for a wooden house. He yearned just a tiny smidgen of privacy, even if he suspected the animals would crowd the house too, eventually. 

There was also the set of kitchen appliances--he didn't know precisely what this entailed, however. It most likely meant basic cutlery, perhaps a few pots, a few pans, maybe a dishwasher? 

"Heh," he chuckled at the thought, stretching lazily before digging out the sword from one of the huts. If he was to chop the trees, he may as well train a bit with the sword--even if it was hardly a replacement for actual training, he'd at least get the sense of swinging the sword around, something that he'd never done before in his life. However, he wouldn't indiscriminately begin tearing down the canopy. For starters, as ignorant as he was, even he knew well enough that you only cut the trees of certain age (though he had right about zero clue on how to estimate the age, let alone what the 'right' age was), but far more importantly, a lot of these trees were often occupied by animals. As such, he'd seek their counsel. 

"So," he broke the silence, drawing attention to himself. "I need to chop a few trees to test something out. Could you guys point out a few that are a-okay to cut?" because he knew (desperately) that the animals could not understand his words, he began gesturing, using his arms to replace the sword and unfolding chopping motion toward the trees before throwing out a thumbs-up... as though the animals from a different world were aware of a very Earth-human concept. 

Most immediately looked away, as though disinterested in the entire ordeal, while an animal that he'd seen occasionally (though never interacted with much) approached him--it was a stag with milky-white eyes and no irises, as well as antlers that formed a webbed pattern and went just about six feet above its head. Magically, however, they never seemed to collide with anything. It was an eerie phenomenon that Leo for the most part ignored as it clashed with his understanding of how things worked, but every time the antlers were about to hit something, that something would 'move' out of the way. Even if it was something that could not move--like a tree. It was as though the space itself bent beneath the will of the stag, allowing him to move unopposed no matter what.

The stag was a frequent visitor, but it was also one of those who merely stayed for the meal and then disappeared somewhere into the forest. As such, Leo was a bit apprehensive around it, but still followed the beast as it began to walk away, leading him deeper into the woods.

Only one animal, this time around, elected to follow him--the ever-attached owl perched itself on top of his shoulder and remained firmly there like a guardian. It brought a sense of relief to Leo, as it meant that he was unlikely to die. Probably. Possibly.

The stag led him westward, and they soon reached the pond--but they did not stop. Leo had never gone further than these waters, in part because he didn't need to, but in part because he walled the portions beyond it as 'wild animal territory' even if he had no evidence to support that claim. 

It wasn't long before the atmosphere began to change--and it all started with the little things that Leo seldom noticed. 

The colors of the flowers dulled, growing desaturated. 

The vibrancy of the moss and the grass faded.

The trees grew thin and their branches sparse. 

The ground beneath grew blacker and heavier. 

Leo paused abruptly, his heart leaping into his throat for a moment. Laid bare before him was a wasteland--trees lay scattered in the field of gray and black, their barks overcome with rot, their branches naked and trembling. Strange, pulsating cysts were latched onto their roots, their membranes thin and transparent, leaving a webbed pattern beneath. 

The stag stopped at the seeming edge of the wasteland, drawing Leo's eyes there until he received yet another shock--it was a tombstone. He approached is slowly and crouched--it was old, cracks diffusing outward, aging colors bleeding downward, letters yellow and carved into stone. Strangely, he could read them just fine, even if they weren't in any language he recognized. 

He who cursed the world with his dying breath.

Let thy name be forever forgotten, demonic fiend

Leo frowned, feeling a twine within his heart. It wasn't sympathy, grief, or sadness--rather, it was Qi within him reacting, as though awoken from its slumber. It began to churn and fidget restlessly, all the way until he stood up and looked beyond the tombstone and toward the forest.

He felt a strange resonance with the world before him, and a paradoxical thought emerged: that the rot was, in some small ways, beautiful and endearing.

Chapter 35 - Lya's Shine

It was Lya's moment to step up to the large arena, the echo of his name still resonating. 

She'd been watching others fight for two days now--mostly just kids her age and younger at the Foundation Realm, something that she would have been part of had she never met the Senior in the forest. 

Deep down, she felt a sense of trepidation; even if she was a Core Formation cultivator, she'd only been one for a short amount of time. She hadn't even fully grasped any of the arts that her Master tried passing on, and was struggling to incorporate the new cultivation method into her daily routine. There was fear that she would disappoint, that her showing would be miserable. But there was nothing to be done.

Her opponent was a young man from Iron Mountain Sect--he looked to be close to his mid-twenties, garbed in dark-gray robes with a pair of axes strapped to the sides of his belt. Standing rather tall--as did seemingly all Disciples of the Iron Mountain Sect--he was quite intimidating, but there was a somewhat warm smile on his face that she couldn't see past.

She stepped up to the stage and took a deep breath.

"Relax," the man suddenly spoke to her. She was so nervous that she didn't even hear his name when it was called out. "Even if I somehow manage to win, you are far more talented than me. Everyone here knows it. So, just fight with everything you got. Okay?"

"..." she looked at him oddly for a moment, wondering why he was trying to calm down his opponent. Perhaps he was trying to get inside of her head that way? It didn't seem so, however. Nonetheless, she had no time to think--for the Elder overseeing their fight had signaled its beginning.

The man immediately broke out into sprint--flutters of Qi danced visibly around his ankles, and he flew across the forty yards of distance or so between the two in a flash. Lya let go of her reservations the best she could and decided to do precisely what the man advised her to do--give it her all. 

Her feet flashed with lightning as she stepped to the side, a ringing echo of thunder eclipsing the sounds of the man's arrival. Both his axes were already out and swung, digging into the arena in a cross shape. While dodging, she'd already conjured several bolts of lightning and arced them toward the man. The latter, seeming somewhat stumped that she dodged, elected to not take them head on. 

His footwork was simple but fast--even if he couldn't quite make the corners as well as she could, in straight dash, he was far quicker than her. It was also quickly evident that he was much better at controlling Qi than her--while she'd have to violently splurge on all her actions as she was unaccustomed to it, he was far more refined in the usage.

It swiftly turned into a chase--Lya had never fancied melee combat, and grew tear-eyed happy when she learned she had affinity with thunder. Since then, nearly all of her training was about learning how to maintain a distance from her opponent and wear them down, which was exactly what she was trying to do.

Her feet moved in rapid flashes, leaving behind thundering booms, while her arms never stopped conjuring bolts of lighting; at the same time, the man danced between her strikes, his eyebrows slowly knotting into a furrow. She wasn't really precise with her attacks--she would send them out like a salvo, but because she'd always conjure up at least ten bolts before firing, he had no choice but to stop his straight-line dash and dodge instead, slowing him down and allowing her to create distance between the two.

The issue was rather simple: she was expending far, far, *far* more Qi than he did in doing these actions, and was essentially delaying the inevitable... at least, that was how everyone watching the battle saw it. 

Lya, however, felt different. 

While it was true that the reason she was splurging Qi in every action was her lack of ability to control it, there was also a rather simple fact that the purity and quantity of her Qi after the forest expedition had exploded. Both Song and her far outmatched everyone at their realm, and their Masters confirmed that the purity of their Qi rivaled someone an entire realm above theirs--Spirit Creation Realm. 

That wasn't to say that the two could fight cross-realm, naturally, but that, against their peers, they'd have reserves others couldn't even fathom. 

As such, once minutes began to pass and the battle hadn't changed at all, queries began. The man's brows furrowed even further, and even beads of sweat began to show up. Though he was almost immaculate at controlling Qi, he still had finite reserves, ones she was forcing him to tap into deeply.

Seemingly tired of the boring chase, and worried that he might actually lose the battle of attrition, for the first time since the battle's start, the man didn't stop and try and dodge her attacks--instead, he coated his axes with a thick sheen of Qi and slashed outward, ripping through the bolts as though they were made of paper.

Lya panicked a bit, coating her feet in Qi once again and throwing herself backward like a bolt, but the man persisted in his pursuit--his entire body began to faintly glow in a metallic sheen, and he quickly closed the distance between the two, swinging the pair of axes from over the top. She executed her footwork once again, dashing sideways and, in a desperate bid to create more distance, did something out of instinct--rather than creating a bolt of lightning, which involved carefully tethering elementally-suffused Qi to her own sea and controlling the bolts with her mind, she formed a spherical bundle of lightning in front of her and let it loose towards the man.

The latter, wholly unprepared, took the full brunt of the attack--however, the explosion never went fully off, as just before it did, a flash of lightning intervened and cut her connection to it. The Elder overseeing their battle appeared by the man's side and easily blocked the after-effects, dismissing Lya's attack as though it were nothing. 

"I have lost," the man suddenly bowed toward her as the Elder stepped away soundlessly. Still fraught with adrenaline, she wasn't quite yet certain what was happening. "That was very smart. Only using one type of attack the entire battle to force my body into a specific pattern of movement."

"T-thank... you?" she replied in confusion.

"But, you know," the man looked at her strangely. "You... you *are* just at the early stage of the Core Formation Realm, right?"

"Uh, yes?" 

"Hm. You seem to have just as much Qi as some of my Seniors at Peak Core Formation Realm. Probably even more, to be honest."

"Ah. He he..." she didn't know how to react--it was true, after all, but being praised directly to her face (by who now in her eyes became quite a handsome young man) was rather embarrassing. 

Luckily, she didn't have to participate it in any longer as the world around he erupted into rowing applause--she glanced up to the nearby balcony where she saw her Master nod toward her with a smile. 

Feeling fluttery in her chest, she stepped off the stage where she was quickly besieged by her fellow Disciples who flooded her with questions. Though averse to popularity, she had to admit: deep down... it felt nice to be the center of attention, and to spot the looks of envy in the eyes of those who'd dismissed her existence entirely just a few weeks ago. And that was all thanks to the Senior's kindness, the man who gave her the future without asking anything in return. 

**

"She must have re-forged her roots to some degree in a Heavenly Pond," a cloaked figure mumbled toward another sitting by their side. Though the two spoke despite being surrounded by quite a few others, nobody seemed to notice them, just as though there was a membrane disallowing any sounds from escaping.

"Hm. The purity and quantity could rival someone who created an Earthly Spirit," the other figure said. "I'm not quite sure that even the Heavenly Pavilion's pond is that pure these days." 

"Does that mean that the Holy Blade found a way to upgrade the Sect's pond?" 

"No, that's impossible. Besides, it's only her and another kid, both of whom were beyond unremarkable. If they had that kind of ability, they would have first given it to their most talented Disciples. Additionally, have you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

"Try to check her Spirit Roots."

"Hm?" there was a brief moment of silent before gasping exclamation. "Peak Sky?"

"Yes, but not just that. They're still... evolving," the cloaked figure said, their tone grave. "By my estimates, in about a year, they'll evolve into Low Heaven. In about ten years, Mid Heaven. And in about a century, she'll have Peak Heaven Roots. All this if she does absolutely nothing for the rest of her life."

"... how is that possible?" 

"I only know of one place with the ability. My Master mentioned it once, citing that the first writs specify that the First Demon only became as strong as he did because he took a bath there, in the Immortal Pond, one of the converging points where the purest of Qi is formed."

"Isn't that just a myth? Every historical record says that the First Demon was beyond talented from birth."

"That's just the Ashlands' version of the story. But, you're right. It's probably a myth. Still, if she did, in fact, partake in the waters of the Immortal Pond, there's a chance she might have a link with the First Demon, however faint. During the confusion, see if you can grab her as well as that bald boy. Relay it to others. If it's impossible or if it might interfere with the original goal, just ignore it. It's still just a passing curiosity, after all." 

"Okay. Ah, it's the boy's turn to fight. Should we stay and watch?"

"No. We have too many preparations to go through. Let's go, Four."

"Yes, One."