Chapter 36: The Exceptional Acting Skills of the Elders

Xian Yue stood there silently watching the entire scene. The elders were being far too theatrical as each one of them donned a grave face that seemed more put on than actually in life. They even carried themselves in an over-exaggerated manner, as if they are on stage, playing their roles in order to draw reactions from the younger generation. Xian Chen simply could not keep such a chuckle welling inside his chest, but he sat there silently and watched intently.

"Elders, what on earth is the matter?" Xian Yin asked, easing the tension in the air. He looked around at the saddened faces of the senior members. "Why are you all looking so glum?"

There was a silence even deeper, as if the darkness in the room had swallowed up even their breaths. Only the Great Elder's words came after long drawn-out minutes. His voice was low and serious. "Xian Ran has just sent us disturbing news. The Lingyun Sect and the Cangwu Sect, two of the incredibly strong forces in the Feihua Mountains, are preparing for war. Their conflict may spill into Feihua City, dragging us into the fray."

The room had grown silent, but now murmurs of disbelief were brewing. A war between sects? Xian Yin caught her breath as she attempted to understand the depth. The strongest families never awakened the anger of a sect; two in a combat to enthrone themselves? An ache seemed to squeeze the room, making the walls seem like they were closing in on them.

The voice of the Great Elder continued on, even more serious in tone. "On top of this, our clan leader remains secluded. No one has dared go near to disturb him. Without protection from him, we are truly on our own to weather this storm."

"What? Two sects to fight over?" Xian Yin couldn't help bursting with shock. "But...but the sects are unbeatable! How are we supposed to take them on?" His voice cracked with a tinge of fear lest, in an apparent state of depression, it slided out. Some nervous glances around the room were exchanged. Standing against even one sect was daunting, but two of them? Here was a nightmare waiting to be unleashed upon the world.

Xian Lang was, as ever the pragmatist, frowned; considering their predicament. "But surely there's a chance the fighting won't reach our city, right?" he forced a smile onto his lips, though his heart was racing wildly.

The Second Elder shook his head, his expression bleak. "Perhaps, but if the battle does come to Feihua City, our family could face total devastation. Casualties will be heavy, and we might not survive at all."

The room grew cold with dread. The reality of their situation began to sink in. For those whose faces could feel the weight of such absolute power, it started to feel like even the most talented of them had their strength siphoned away before they'd even had the chance to fight.

That is the reason the Great Elder's voice rose to a commanding tone: "Therefore, we absolutely cannot afford to give in. We will only be able to keep our family safe if each one of you devotes everything to farming. In fact, it is your efforts that will determine our fate-survival or death!"

Everyone was under the crushing weight of the declaration. This was indeed biting into the guard and the younger members of the family, under this crushing burden newly placed upon them.

"Our patriarch has been the family's backbone," Second Elder Xian Yuanshan added as he stepped forward. "But this time, with him unable to move and act, the mantle of responsibility is now placed upon us. We must not let him down!"

There was a chorus of mumurs through the air. The most timid among the youthful group felt a sense of responsibility for the very first time. Xian Yuanshan began to summon a firmness into his voice. "If we get out of this alive, the elders will see to it that each and every one of you will receive your due reward, according to merit. But first, let us survive! We must survive!"

He looked ahead at the gathered youths. His bald head shone under dim light, and a fringe of hair that circled his scalp did little to soften his sharp, piercing gaze. He appeared to be a figure from an ancient fable, an old master ready to lead his disciples through the storm. His eyes flared, and he asked if she had the courage and the will to stand with them to guard this family from the ordeals awaiting it.

The question hung heavy in the air with expectation. Long seconds of silence passed, as if the very air around them thickened. Then suddenly, Xian Yin clenched his fists together and bellowed, "Courage? Ha! Let them come! My fists are ready for whatever those sects can throw at us!"

His eyes flashed with excitement, a wild gleam that spoke of his eagerness for battle. Xian Lang, standing nearby, gave a slow, deliberate nod. "I've only recently broken through into the Golden core Realm," he said calmly, "and this seems to be just the right opportunity to test fruits of my cultivation."

Xian Yan straightened his back, though his own hardships already weighed him down. "I may not be the strongest, though," he began with a quiet but firm voice, "but if they want to harm my family, they'll have to get through me first."

One after another, the other younger members echoed in the same vein with their resolve as steel made hard by fire. "We're ready to live and die with the family!" they shouted at once, filling the hall with an energy that just moments before was nowhere in the air.

The elders exchanged pleased glances, nodded in approval, and continued. Their plan had worked -these young men and women were now tied to this one aim of defending their family, no matter how powerless they felt to face such vast hurdles. Yet all this private contentment aside, the Third Elder, Xian Zhenfei, couldn't help but from when he looked at Xian Yan.

"Xian Yan, what's going with your cultivation?" Zhenfei asked anxiously. "Why haven't you made any progress at all?"

"What is that?" Heads turned around to be able to take a good look at Xian Yan, who winced inwardly. "I... I do not know," he stumbled. "No matter how much energy I absorb, it just seems to vanish. I've used up all my spiritual stones and elixirs but nothing changes. It's like my body is a bottomless pit."

The Great Elder snorted in disdain. "A bottomless pit? Nonsense! The family has more than enough resources to support you, Xian Yan. You simply haven't yet reached your potential."

The Great Elder's voice gentled as he looked at Xian Yan as if taking care of a paternal concern. "After this meeting, go to the storehouse. I will personally see to it that you get more spirit stones and elixirs. Take in as much as you can. We have plenty of that.".

"But… but I don't want to waste anymore of the family's resources," Xian Yan protested with a guilty voice. "I am afraid that no matter how much is spent on me, it'll all be for nothing. It's better if those resources go to someone more worthy."

"Garbage!" the Great Elder roared, his voice sternning. "The family will never abandon any of its members. Our resources are abundant, and no labor will be slighted in helping you reach your utmost potential. Do not carry this guilt. Go focus on your cultivation!"

Xian Yan bowed his head in appreciation. However, he still remained under the shadow of a lingering doubt in his head. Though his elders tried to reassure him, something inside him could not dispel the feeling that something was very wrong in a way more profound than a lack of material resources.

The Third Elder, Xian Zhenfei, stepped forward, placing a reassuring hand on Xian Yan's shoulder. "With the patriarch emerging from seclusion, I'm sure he'll have it easily diagnosed. Don't give up, Xian Yan. There is a solution we just need to find it."

And as the elder ones, in all their benevolence, continued to urge Xian Yue on, the latter stood immobile at one corner of the courtyard, his razor-sharp eyes darting from that spot between them and Xian Yan. He had not uttered one word throughout, quietly piecing together a jig-saw puzzle that none of the others could see.

"Xian Yan, huh?" Xian Yue mused, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "I should've known from the start - the name alone should've been enough of a giveaway. I bet that ring of his holds more secrets than even he knows."

He hummed softly to himself. It's not too hard to see what's going on. The energy Xian Yan is sucking up and not disappearing is being drawn into two places: to one place for the nourishment of the other dormant body, and to the other for the ancient spirit slumbering inside his ring.

"Let them worry," Xian Yue thought to himself, his smile growing wider. Soon enough, the old man in the ring would be awakened, and when that happened, Xian Yan would become a force no one had seen coming. It seemed the Xian family might just find themselves with their destined genius.