Chainless Demon (cultivation/xianxia)

[Kachti]

Before you start, the ranks are in reverse.

---

The night was chilly, gloomy clouds covering the sky. It was the year 3160 AR in the Sunless Plane, when something like a black smoke glided through the hushed-trees of the Bats Forest at a blinding speed.

Once it reached the end of the forest, it transformed into a man dressed all in black, and gently alighted on a branch. With his left eye, he observed the chaotic, bloody plain that was far ahead.

Down there, on the ground, Faris Rahul opened his eyes, consciousness had returned. His ears buzzing and pain, as if waiting for him to wake up, it pierced through him. He winced.

Laughter echoing in the distance.

Have the dogs of the heavenly union arrived yet? He thought, the scent of blood and flames clogging his nostrils. Struggling to clear his throbbing mind and see what was the situation, Faris Rahul tried to get up.

But, his hands failed him. He couldn't even feel them. With great strain, he lifted his head to see.

His left hand was smashed to mash along with his lower body, they became like a dough of meat.

His right hand was still fine, though. It just was … two feet from him, clutching still his stick.

Shattered corpses were everywhere and the green grassy ground seemed dyed in blood, flaming with fire.

The horrific sight brought a slight grin to his old, bony face. The confusion went away.

Among the corpses stood many looters, rifling through the remains, searching for Keys with no requirements and other things. Their clothes were tattered and grimy, but they had something in common, the color red.

Their faces, painted with blood and twisted with savage grins, were clear even in the dark.

"The red-flames mercenary band." Faris Rahul murmured, letting head fall back again in exhaustion.

Even in the sky above, there were a few of them.

He thought of checking his Inner Domain, then swiftly dismissed the idea. Even if he still had all of his strength, which he clearly didn't, he knew that escaping from this place with this body was impossible. He didn't care, though. He had another plan.

Another plan with a better outcome.

The only reason he didn't kill me was because of the bounty on my head, he for sure has called the Heavenly Union, and is waiting for them.

Faris Rahul could pretty much imagine what would happen to him if the Heavenly Union caught him this time. He had been in the Infernal Pit Prison once and he knew the kind of torture served there. He had experienced them himself. For 300 years.

But even in the face of such trouble, Faris Rahul found himself smiling. He had expected this would happen before the fight even started and had prepared for it.

Faris Rahul sighed and looked up toward the night sky, his mind calmly thinking, But What if the plan didn't work? What if the Six-lines White Ring Ka isn't on anybody?

That would certainly be the end of him. But why? Why was there a small part of him—the exhausted part that just wanted some damn rest—wanted so badly for the Ba Switch Yantra to not work?

Understandably so.

Since reaching rank 4, Faris Rahul had never had a day of rest. As a wanted terrorist, he'd immediately joined a mercenary band temporarily to protect himself from the Union's Immortals, and to learn more about the Celestial Heaven.

Everything was going well until the heavenly union attacked the mercenary band, and he was sent to the Infernal Pit Prison.

He managed to flee when that incident in the prison happened. But the trackers implanted in the prisoners' Borned Kas and Bas and bodies still allowed them to pursue him relentlessly, giving him no time to rest or to strengthen his abilities.

Not only had he been pursued by the heavenly union, but also by mercenary bands and bounty hunters. The cultivation resources were scarce, and his bounty was extremely high— for he had broken the ultimate, unspeakable rule of all immortals, but most importantly because he had gotten his hand on something the union wanted so desperately— so he had been hunted from all directions.

A faint smile then touched his lips, revealing broken and reddened teeth.

I just need some rest, that's all. And if the Ba Switch Yantra worked, I'd finally be free from the tracker on my body. I really hope the Six-lines White Ring Ka does exist and is attached to a body… definitely not a non-wielder's bod—

At that moment, Faris Rahul noticed movement beside him. Turning his head with effort, he saw a man full of wounds digging his way up through the pile of dead corpses, panting with a desperate effort.

Faris Rahul recognized him - he was the captain of the iron fang mercenary band. Not long ago, when the heavenly union had been closing in on him, Faris Rahul had joined this band as a kind of shield.

They hadn't known his true identity, of course - His bounty was too big. If they'd known, they'd have turned him in immediately rather than accepting him as one of their own.

The captain gasped for breath as he finally emerged from the gruesome mound, his eyes locking onto Faris Rahul's.

His expression transformed from pain to hatred. He had realized who was responsible for this massacre.

"You," he rasped, spittle flying from his bloodied lips. "You're the demon shepherd?"

Faris Rahul's mask he'd been wearing had shattered.

"That would be me," Faris Rahul said, his head dropping back down.

Anger flared in the captain's voice. "You dare to admit it?" he roared.

"What can you do about it?"

"You're dead.. You're d—" he gasped for breath. "You're fucking dead, you hear me?"

"I don't you can," replied Faris Rahul, his voice calm but tremulous, the voice of an old man with over 600 years. "Why do you think they are still here?"

The captain glared around him before fixing his gaze back on Faris Rahul. "I don't give a damn," he spat and then tapped his index finger. In an instant, countless massive swords appeared from nowhere, charging towards Faris Rahul with terrifying speed.

Faris Rahul remained calm, confident that they wouldn't allow him to die. Then, as if in response to his thoughts, a powerful inferno flared up before him, easily diverting the swords. The flames disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Faris Rahul's face scorched.

Ignoring the stinging pain, Faris Rahul looked to the side. A man approached him, followed by all who were there and their noises. "Here you are, and I thought you'd never show up… You're still not angry at me, are you?" asked Faris Rahul, scoffing.
It was Warren Frye, or as Faris Rahul liked to call him, 'Two Faces' due to the scar that divided his face into two. It's the captain of the red-flames mercenary band. One of the most notorious bands in the world. Everyone knew about them. And everybody feared them.

Warren Frye glared down at him without a word, then turned towards the other band's captain. He tapped a finger, and four threads of fire formed in the air. The threads met each other, turning into a fire serpent before swiftly charging for the Iron Fang Mercenary's captain.

The iron fang mercenary's captain, too exhausted to avoid it, screamed something, and a semi-transparent black layer covered his whole body. The fire serpent crashed into him with a hissing crunch. And it crushed him completely.

There was no way he could have blocked that. He was just a High Lord—Rank 4—who could barely stand, while Warren Frye had been a Rank 3 for a long time.

In the spot where the dead captain had been standing, the air seemed to tremble for a moment. Then a Key formed. It looked like a sword in shape, silver in color, and was about the size of a man's hand.

Some of the red-flamed mercenary looters strode towards the fallen captain, rifling through the remnants of his body.

Faris Rahul turned back at the two faces standing beside him, his thoughts racing. This is the moment, he thought. I may never get another chance like this again.

He knew if the heavenly union's immortals arrived, it would be too late.

The first part of his plan was simple — he had to die, his body had to die. It was the only way he could escape and avoid being chased by everyone after he escaped.

If he failed to die, they would continue to chase him relentlessly. That's if he managed to escape the heavenly union again. Which was… impossible. There's no escape this time.

But the last part was the problem though as he had no control over it. If the Ka wasn't on anybody, which was the other part, he'd be doomed.

All I can do is to make sure that I would die after activating the Switch Ba Yantra. If the Ka isn't on anybody that meets the requirements. Faris Rahul thought. That would be a shame.

He'd done his best. Living as free as he could in this damn prison.

This meaningless prison.
Faris Rahul took a deep breath and said, his voice raised so that everyone could hear, "I've never imagined you to be this soft, two-faces. It's just… a woman and three children. What's the big deal?" He said with a provoking smile.

The aura around Warren Frye instantly grew hot, his face distorted with anger. The surrounding noise of his crew went silent.

Faris Rahul smiled at that. Who would've thought that this notorious demonic cultivator loved his family so much that, the moment Faris Rahul mentioned them, his veins bulged out of his face?

"They weren't even Immortal?" Faris Rahul added. "Why are you—"

"You better shut your ugly mouth now, old man," Warren Frye finally said, his voice heavy. "I'm barely holding myself back from smashing your head."

And that's exactly what I want. Faris Rahul thought with relief. It was no big secret why Warren Frye had been after him all these years. It wasn't just for the bounty; Faris Rahul had killed his wife and his two daughters.

Faris Rahul didn't really recall how or why he'd done it. It'd happened a long time ago, when his cultivation was still in the middle realm. Back then, he'd been completely out of control.

He could only imagine the horrific things he'd done and how many innocent he'd killed during that time just… to amuse himself. He didn't regret it though. Nope.

If there's one, it would be that he'd been a dumbass back then. With no clue what this world really means, with no purpose. But now he knew. Now he had a purpose. And that had only turned him into a… even more demonic.

"Aren't you overreacting a little bit? I mean, come on now, for such useless things that you can have anytime! Seriously, you're better than this."

The two faces took a deep breath as if trying to calm the volcano erupting inside. "This is the last time I'm warning you. Cut out the childish games or you won't like what I'm going to do," he warned, approaching. His body was massive.

Well, that's good. That went smoother than Faris Rahul had expected.

"Don't fall for his trick, redhead." But then a female voice interrupted and the two faces froze. "What do you mean, Mae?" He asked, turning his head to the side.

Faris Rahul also turned to see the bitch who messed up everything. Not too far away, a skinny young woman with black lips was sitting on some corpse's face.

'Those headphones and those leather clothing. She must be that Key Hacker, Mae Zaytseva.' Faris Rahul recognized her. Who wouldn't? This chick possessed one of the Ten Mysterious Yantras in the world. She's pretty famous. 'When the hell did she join the red-flames mercenary band?' Couldn't help but wonder.

"He's trying to piss you off," Mae said, painting her nails with black dye and bobbing her head to the music.

"He wanted to die?" The two faces asked, looking unsure.

"He sure as hell does."

The two faces kept staring at her, waiting for her to explain.

Mae stuffed her dye into her purse and got up with a loud sigh. "I think he's scared to death of the thought that he'll be going back to the Infernal Pit Prison. You've heard the rumors? We all have. The horrible stuff they do to people there. Oh my, who the hell wants to end up in that pit?" She turned to Faris Rahul, smirking. "Am I right, shepherd demon?"

Faris Rahul shook his head. "Far from it"

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

Faris Rahul sighed. "Why do you think my bounty is on par with that of Rank 2 Immortals? Why do you think those modernists fuckers spending this much resources chasing me down, me, of all people?"

The two faces squinted as though those very questions had been swirling in his mind.

Mae didn't seem curious though, still bobbing her head. "You broke the unspoken rule and went for mortals?"

Faris Rahul snorted. "Bullshit. How many have broken the rule and how many have the same bounty as mine?"

"So, what's the deal then?" Mae asked.

"Because I got something the Heavenly Union wanted so bad," Faris Rahul explained. "Something that those modernists would follow me to the end of the world for. The moment they capture me, they'll seize my Ba to search for it. The thing is, I'm dead, I'm dead. Whether here or there, there is no different."

Faris Rahul then shifted his attention towards the two faces. "I just want to understand why this friend of yours is acting like a little girl. Seriously, it wasn't personal. I didn't even know who they were back then. Do you want to know what happened that day?"

There was silence.

"I think you need to know this so you can move on." said Faris Rahul while laughing inside. Sure, he didn't recall what had happened to them, but...why not make up a story.

Faris Rahul had already done just that.

"That day, I was so exhausted from the Heavenly Union's chase that I went to the Second Heaven to rest. I think it was the sunless plane. I stepped into a village, slept for three days, and when I woke up, I…I don't really remember what led to it, but I started killing everyone there." Faris Rahul said, closing his eyes, pretending to enjoy the memories.

'Alright, here we go.' Faris Rahul thought to himself. The Yantra had already been crafted. He only needed to activate it before the two faces killed him. He had to be ready or he'd be gone for good.

"While I was doing that, I noticed a woman with white hair, running in the chaos. She was a bit beautiful— nothing special. But something in me moved. It wasn't my heart, obviously," Faris Rahul smiled. "It was my snake.

"You know, before that moment, for a long time, and after that day to be honest, my snake was in a state of, I don't know. Death? If it wasn't that I needed it for peeing, I would have removed him without a second thought.

"But when he saw that woman, he woke up at once, as if he came back to life. So I followed her to a house and I cornered her. I'm not…that kind of person who takes things by force, you know. I gave her options. You submit to my snake or you die. Simple as that. But she started to stutter nonsense about the red-flames mercenary band. Trust me I didn't know that she was your wife so I sl—"

Without warning, with a thump, something heavy slammed onto the side of his head. A pounding throb erupted in his temple. He could barely hear anything. The scent of grass mixed with blood filled him as he struggled to breathe.

His heart began pounding hard as excitement surged through him. 'It's working! I need to...'

Turning his gaze sideways, his right eye saw no one. No one was there. Where they—

Before he could conclude anything, a sea of extremely burning fire enveloped him.

Faris Rahul started laughing like crazy in happiness and pain, waiting just for the right moment so he could activate the Switch Ba Yantra.

From a distance, Warren Frye and his followers stood there, silently watching as a river of blaze engulfed Faris Rahul. Their faces eerily illuminated by the flames that reached skyward.

A sense of unease washed over them. The creepy laughter of Faris Rahul held no trace of sorrow or guilt, only joy, as though Faris Rahul were enjoying it.

"What's he so happy about? Death?" one muttered.

The laughter lasted only for moments before it stopped.

With no hesitation, Warren Frye spun around to face his crew. "Time to go. The heavenly union will be here any second," he said coldly. "I really tried my best. Sending him to the Infernal Pit prison and taking that big bounty on his head didn't seem like a bad idea but tha—."

At that very moment, something shocking happened. Everyone exchanged looks of pure confusion. What the hell was that?

Warren Frye's eyes widened in shock and he sharply turned around.

The scream had come back. But this time, it was filled with desperation and suffering. That wasn't what surprised everyone though. It was what Faris Rahul was screaming in his pain: "Mama, mama, helpme, mama, mama," in a childlike manner.

The place went silent for a moment, then everyone lost it. The shepherd! The famous demonic shepherd who had been causing the Heavenly Union all sorts of problems was… was crying for his mama! It was a sight none of them had ever imagined seeing.

"Damn, turns out the demonic shepherd was mama's little baby all this time," Mae joked as laughter filled the air.

"He tried to act tough until the end, haha, but it seems he couldn't," another said.
"I can't wait to post this," another said while recording the whole thing with his mobile. "This will go virtual ma."

Warren Frye's lips curled into a satisfied smile. He might have missed out that bounty. But he certainly boosted the band's reputation.

The screaming stopped.

---

In the meantime, in the blue sky of the Eastern Plane in the Second Heaven, an Immortal was flying at a blinding speed. He was full of gashes and cuts and his dark blue Yukata was covered in blood.

The man was constantly looking over his shoulders, panting hard and fast. You could see on his face that he had just escaped one hell of a battle.

"I can't keep going like this," he thought and stopped mid-air. "I need to find a safe place for him."

His gaze shifted down to the baby in his arms. The baby, about a year or so old, stared back at him, frowning like he's thinking deeply about something.

There was a white ring hanging around his neck.

The man smiled then turned his attention to his surroundings, scanning and searching for something. He hovered there for some time before heading left.

After a while, he arrived at his destination. He landed in front of the door of a dwelling—an ornate yet rustic mansion built from timber and stone and located inside a frosted mountain.

The man was beyond exhausted. His face was so pale from blood loss that he looked like a vampire. Yet he knew he had to fake some strength in front of these people.

He took a deep breath and put on an intimidating face.

And as if sensing something wasn't right, the door swung open, and a short-bearded man showed up. He eyed him with suspicion. "Who are you?" he asked, his hand making a sealing.

The Immortal didn't say a word. He instead released a bit of his Force. The mortal's eyes winded, and he froze in sheer terror; he realized that he was in the presence of an immortal wielder.

A woman then came from inside at that moment, followed by two kids–one in her arms and the other crawling. The baby on the floor seemed to be the same age as the one in the immortal's hand. "Who is there?" she asked.

The immortal didn't waste anymore time. He moved past the bearded man, snatched up the younger child, and then returned to his place. It all happened too fast for the parents to react.

He then looked terrifyingly at the already terrified man and handed him his young master. "Take this one. It's your son now, you hear me?"

The bearded man looked like a statue, unable to respond out of fear.

"You hear me?" he repeated aloud, more threatening than asking.

The man nervously swallowed and started nodding his head up and down. "Without question,without question."

"You'll protect him as you would protect yourself, you hear me?"

"Without question,without question…"

The immortal then took an object out of his robes—the Pointed Jade Box Ka.

It looked exactly like its name. A Pointed Jade Box in purple.

The Immortal held it out and asked, "Do you know what Yantra this Ka belongs to? "

"T-t-the Black-Slowed Hold Yantra, a storage-type Yantra." the man stammered.

"Good. When the boy opens his dantian, give it to him." He handed it over to the terrified man and then took another object out . It was the Square Paper Ka. "What about this one?" He asked again.

"N-no, I don't know, elde–"

"You don't know! Well, let me tell you. It's called the Five Colored Leaf Yantra. When you affix it to somebody, even for just seconds, it will burn the very moment that body dies, no matter the distance between them." He paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the man before him. "You understand what this means?"

"I-"

Before the man could speak, the Immortal continued in a threatening tone, "If this paper burns." The aura around him seemed to chill the air as he fixed the man with an intense gaze. "Trust me, I will come back and when I do, you will wish for the mercy of death."

Silence fell as he gave the man some moments to swallow the new reality. He turned his gaze toward the woman. Her eyes were round with horror, mouth moving without a word as if still trying to comprehend what was going on.

The immortal turned around and flew away, leaving the couple watching him in disbelief.

Only when he was no longer in sight did the woman start shouting and crying, "My child, give me back my child…"'

Sa Huiqing paid her no attention. He simply stared down at the child in his arms; he looked as if he was holding a bomb.

Faris Rahul, who had been watching the whole thing, looked at him with cold eyes, smiling.

The Eastern Plane…

---

Note:

This is another shot at the series I started like five months ago. Back then, I only managed to write five chapters before something happened. This time, I'm taking it more seriously.

 

[Kachti]

"Sa Min, stop hiding. I know you're inside. Get you ass over you fucking bully. I'm not leaving until you come out!"

And the screaming just wouldn't stop outside his dorm, with those loud knocks on his door.

Sa Min, who was leaning on his lumpy bed, let out a frustrated sigh. What did this bitch want this time? He shut the yellow- covered book in his hand and put it away.

His glassy eyes went up to the old wooden roof of his room, ignoring the noise of the crowd that had awakened him earlier than usual. It's fine. He had to adjust his schedule anyway. Today was Harvest Day. Which meant…tomorrow was the Awakening Ceremony of the three clans!

But since the Liuo family was forbidden from entering the Sa Clan, the Clan would probably—as he heard—send someone to their house to give them the Force Apples and supervise their awakening.

I have enough apples force to open my sea core here and now and start cultivation immediately, Sa Minthought, casting the cotton white blanket aside. But that would only lead me into unnecessary trouble with the clan.

With a hushed yawning, he got up, stretching his arms wide, before approaching the window to open it. As the old wooden frame opened, a cool, crisp mountain air rushed in, bringing with it the fresh scent of pine needles soaked by the light rain of spring that had fallen all night.

He stayed there a while, chest bare, clearing his mind in the sunlight.

How was it now…sixteen years? Sixteen years since I'd owned this body. Sixteen years doing literally nothing but eating and shitting and wandering Tetra Blessing City. And from time to time, he would take some mission from the Cultivation Academy to break the boredom.

But that wasn't bad. He'd needed some time for his tired mind to rest.

Thinking that brought back vivid memories of his life before entering this body.

Those beautiful times, when he'd been always glancing over his shoulders, constantly being chased by the Heavenly Union Immortals, giving him no time to shit in peace, let alone cultivate. The whole world had been after him, all for the huge bounty on his head.

Until eventually he'd been forced to use the Ba Switch Yantra, losing his cultivation foundation in the process.

Regret using it? Hell no. He was thrilled that he'd used it.

Yes, he lost his rank 4 cultivation foundation that he'd gone through so much to reach, and if it weren't for the situation he was in, he probably would not have used it.

But what he gained in return was much greater.

The Ba Switch Yantra was an unknown ranked 8 Yantra and its requirements to work were quite challenging. Not only that its Ka — The Six-lines White Ring Ka — needed to be physically attached to the one you want to switch minds (Bas) with, but the target also had to be unsuspecting the switch, and his cultivation must be in the Bottom Realm.

And since Sa Min didn't have its Ka, what really worried him the most was whether the Ka ---The Six-lines White Ring Ka---- did exist in the first place, and if it did, whether it was attached to a Ka wielder with a cultivation in the Bottom Realm

There was no guarantee he would succeed in the first place.

So when he'd realized that it worked, he'd felt overjoyed, which he hadn't experienced in years.

If I had another way in my hand to get rid of the tracker that was on my body other than The Ba Switch Yantra, I definitely wouldn't use this Yantra but…

His bounty in itself hadn't been the problem, as the Immortals wouldn't have known his whereabouts. The real trouble, though—the source of all the troubles—had been those damn trackers. Because of them, the Heavenly Union had constantly been aware of his whereabouts and had constantly spread the information to the world.

I might have lost my cultivation foundation and strength, but my Ba (mind) and Boat are still with me.

Thinking on this, Sa Min could feel himself grow excited.

His mind, with all of his over 600 years of experience, the countless Yantras crafts, Ka recipes, rich battle experience, and his attainments. Such a mind would allow him to advance through ranks smoothly and quickly — well, that would depend on his aptitude grade, but still, if he used his experience well, no matter what his sea core he had, there's no question he would return to the Third Heaven.

I had a lot of time to rest and plan how I would go from here. But now it's time to cultivate. I'm now no different from non-wielders… actually, non-wilders is even more valuable than me.

Sa Min walked away from the window to his bamboo cabinet. The dorm was wide enough. It had three beds. None of them were currently occupied, though. Sa Min had kicked the only man who used to live with him after he'd found out the man had brought a whore into the dorm and banged her in his bed, leaving it dirty with piss and semen.
Sa Min opened the long, elegant bamboo cabinet wide and picked up his only robe—simple and gray with the Sa Clan's symbol on the right side of his chest. As he slid an arm through a sleeve, he couldn't help but glance to the corner of the room at the exquisitely carved wooden-framed mirror hanging on the wall.

A slim framed young man with an indifferent face looked at him coldly, a white ring around his neck.

He ignored his face in the reflection and gazed at his stomach area. There were two black round points, one atop the other. The one above sat just atop the navel, and it's called force gate; its size was half the size of the first one.

Sa Min touched as he watched in the mirror, feeling nothing as though he were touching a numbed area.

Good thing it's complete this year, or else I would wait a whole other year.

Only those whose force gate had been fully formed could join in the awakening ceremony and open their sea core and awaken their Borned Ka.

The age at which the force gate would be shaped completely was different from person to another, from fourteen to thirty. The majority of wielders, though, completed this process at eighteen years old.

Fortunately for Sa Min, the formation of his force gate had reached completion a mere month ago. And now he was ready to begin cultivating.

But I really hope to be lucky again with good aptitude, or at the very least avoid the Ordinary sea core… which would make my cultivation pretty slow.

Forming your force gate ahead of others did not necessarily mean you would get a better sea core. In truth, most of those who formed it early, found their aptitude to be low.

At that moment, a soft whisper floated in from the window, putting a stop to his thinking. "Master Sa Min, Master Sa Min."

Sa Min strolled over, throwing on his robe. He already knew who it was.

"Forgive me, my master but your door is crowded with outer disciples. So I figured I'd come through the window if you don't..." his personal slave, Hou Qing, whispered hesitantly.

Though she was doing her best to avoid his chilling gaze, Sa Min could see the abject fear in her eyes.

She was very afraid. She should be. After all, she was just a non-wielder.

Sa Min sighed. "It's cool. Bring it here," he said, reaching out his hand.

"Yes, my master," replied Hou Qing and tipped a bit of warm water from the pitcher onto his hand. "Also my master, your father has asked for you and your sister tonight."

"Of course he did," muttered Sa Min with no surprise as he brought the water to his lips, rinsing his mouth before splitting it into the basin. "Where is San Juan now?"

"She stands just…just outside your door, my master."

Outside? She too? With her personality like that, I thought she would be at home waiting anxiously for the night to come so she could open her Sea Core.

The awakening ceremony day served not only as the day Ka Wilders entered the path of cultivation, but also as the day of discovering what their potential was and how far they could reach…it was the day on which they learned their places in the world. So you could kind of say that it was the most important day of their lives.

Sa Min quickly washed his face and cleared his nose. "You can go," he dismissed to his slave, grabbing his wooden ID card with his dagger from the desk and heading towards the door.

---

Just moments ago, outside the dorm where dozens of outer disciples had gathered and crowded, swarming around two young women who stood right by the door.

The first woman, a seventeen-year-old with short hair, pounded on the door with all her strength. "Sa Min, get out, you coward," she shouted impatiently.

"Come on, Tan Chen, it was just a joke. He didn't mean anything by it," the other young woman standing behind her pleaded. She had a red veil covering the lower half of her face, but just through her sorrowful eyes, you could see that it was not her idea coming here. "Besides, he might not even be here."

She was Sa Juan. Sa Min's sister.

"Stop being afraid of him," Tan Chen snapped at her. "If you keep acting like this, they will never stop bullying you."

"That's…"

"She's right, Tan Chen," a big man with an incomplete beard and a bald head from the crowd said, his voice rising above the chatter of the crowd. "If he's there, he would've come out a long time ago."

It was Sa Wen. a young master of the sa clan.

"None of your business, get lost," Tan Chen retorted.

"Even if he is, it's not cool to…"

"Look, Wen, I know what you're looking for." Tan Chen turned, a smirk on her face. "So, let me get this strength. I won't marry you, so get lost."

Sa Wen blinked. "What?"

Tan Chen let out an exasperated sigh. "Your dad has already told my mom, and my mom has told me. So unless the four great walls fall, and sun turn off for good and we start pooping force apples, I won—"

"You won't marry me," said Sa Wen with a thankful look. "With a voice like that, I doubt anyone would want you."

The crowds burst out laughing, but they stopped immediately when the wooden door cracked open and Sa Min stepped out.

"Greetings, senior brother."

"Greetings, senior brother."

The outer disciples nodded as Sa Min looked around coldly, stopping on Tan Chen.

"How can I help this time?" he said.

Tan Chen hesitated, those icy blue eyes of his locked on hers. "I'm…why are you bullying Sa Juan?"

Sa Min sighed. "So all this chaos because I bullied my sister? Tell me, what did I say to her?"

"Calling her 'Big lips'," Tan Chen blurted out, while Sa Juan stared at her toes in embarrassment as people laughed.

"But it's true though," one said.

Sa Min's cold eyes were still on hers. "That's it?"

"What do you mean, 'that's it'? Don't you understand how it feels to—"

"Get the fuck out here," said Sa Min as he closed the door. He had no patience for these childish fights. He had to eat something before heading home. Noodles maybe? Noodles with that sauce if—-

"No," Tan Chen snapped, blocking his path with her hands. "You're not going anywhere until you apologize."

Sa Min didn't say a word. He merely took a step back. Then, out of nowhere, threw a kick, slamming her upper head. She fell down. She went to sleep.

The crowd went wild. This was what they'd been waiting to see all this time. It's the third time Ta Chen went to start a problem with him. And it's the third time she went to sleep.

Sa Min carried on with a leisurely stride, leaving the clamor behind.

"You're not coming to the Clan Ceremony tomorrow?" asked Sa Wen from behind.

"Why ask about what you already know."

"Well… good luck then."

"Has something important happened within the clan?"

"The clan elders are holding an emergency council. Probably just preparing for tomorrow's event."

"Probably," muttered Sa Min as he walked out of the colossal outer gate of the Foundational Cultivation Academy of the Tetra Blessing City.

 

[Kachti]

Light clouds drifted across the sun, casting shadows on Tetra Blessing City.

Once Sa Min walked out of his usual inn, having satisfied his hunger, he promptly set forth to the house in the mountains.

He had to start walking now, if he wanted to arrive on time.

Though Tetra Blessing City was at the bottom among the nine cities of Shaanxi Province, it's still not small by any means. And since he's not allowed to set foot within Sa Clan's territory, he had to take the long route through the northern gate of the city.

The main street was bustling with people and wagons. And from time to time, he'd spot a bike. If he had one of those, life would be much easier. But those things were rare in the city.

All the nations of the Eastern Plane, especially the Xi Empire where he'd found himself, prohibited the making, trading and the use of any kind of technologies. Except for bikes and anything that didn't need electricity, of course.

Having a technological device here was pretty much a treason act.

A taboo.

Just last month, a rank 9 official in the Tax Bureau had been found with an MP3 Player, and he'd been sentenced to be crucified naked by his shoulders in public after cutting his limbs.

This place was literally everything the Heavenly Union despised, still holding on to the traditional values.

Sa Min loved it; the Heavenly Union had no control over it, and that's exactly what made it perfect for him.

After some time, by the evening, Sa Min eventually arrived at the house. The door was open and he entered directly, heading straight to ancestors room.

In the hallway, beside the room, he saw a young woman wearing a decorated red upper garment with long sleeves and a red skirt. She was kneeling, her head deeply bowed, her arms hugging a book—the book that was illegal to read in other planes. She was nervously muttering something: "Our ancestors in heaven, please, please, please ask the higher one to give me a good sea core, please… "

She seemed to be so submissive in prayers that she didn't notice Sa Min squatting beside her.

Sa Min glanced around to see where this father was before turning his attention to his 'young sister', Sa Juan.

How could this sister understand that the sea core has already existed in her since birth and she is only going to open it? And no matter how much prayer and tears she shed, nothing can change it.... Besides, what help could the dead offer her anyway?"

He watched her for a moment before loudly clearing his throat.

Sa Juan hastily looked up. "Brother," she said, shocked as though she'd seen a demonic beast. She quickly stood up, adjusting her beautiful robes. "Good morning, senior brother," she anxiously said with a forced smile.

"What the hell was that back in the outer circle?" Sa Min coldly asked.

"I didn't ask her…I tried to stop her.."

Her long black hair was braided and decorated with pearl hairpins. Her skin was flawless. Her innocent eyes were beautifully black and wide and she had a small nose.

So far, everything was good; everything looked beautiful.

Sa Man's eyes slowly lowered, landing on her big, too big-lips with a brown, ugly pimple at their sides. He smiled that annoying smile of his. "How can I bully you if I only tell the truth…."

Embarrassed, she swiftly put back her red veil. But he could still see them trembling, her big lips. They always did, every time he looked at her big lips.

"Pardon me please, I forgot something in my room," she whimpered, her eyes looking defeated.

Sa Min calmly nodded, and she scampered out of sight.

Sa Min let himself fall on the ground, leaning against the wall, waiting for the Elder to show up. He didn't mind waiting. He had nothing else to do anyway. However, as soon as he opened his sea core, all this free time would disappear.

I might have succeeded in getting rid of the body tracker but there is still a tracker on my Borned Ka and my Ba. The heavenly union still knows I'm alive. I need to ascend back as fast as possible. But that all depends on the aptitude of this body. If….

Sa Min was lost in thoughts when Sa Huiqing, the father of this body, appeared. He had a short-gray beard and smiling eyes.

Sa Min stood up and noticed that Sa Huiqing was by himself. Is the Elder not here yet? he thought.

"Oh, my son." Sa Huiqing clapped Sa Min's shoulder, faking a smile as usual. "I apologize I'm late; I had something to do. But I didn't expect you to be waiting for me. Are you excited?"

"Sure, sure, it's an important day, my father" replied Sa Min, faking a smile in turn. "How am I not excited?''

Sa Huiqing cast his glance around. "Where is your sis—" And before the last word could escape his lips, a voice cried out from behind him, answering his incomplete question. "I'm here, Father. I'm comi..." shouted Sa Juan as she scurried to stand beside Sa Min, her voice trailing off as she watched the smile on her father's face curdle into a scowl.

She bowed, greeting her father with both fists pressed together. "Father, I was w—" she began, but Sa Huiqing cut her off with a derisive snort. "Did you take your time? You dressed well? Or should we wait a little longer until?"

"No, no, I was her—" She tried to explain, but Sa Huiqing interrupted yet again. "Ah heaven, what is this daughter you gave me, this foolish daughter." He sighed angrily, shaking his head from side to side. "Can't you just try to pretend to make us proud for once? Why are you like this..."

"I was—"

"Can't you be like your brother? He was waiting here for a long time," he rebuked her, nodding to Sa Min. Sa Min nodded back. He had no interest in backing her up.

"Yes, my father. I will do my best," Sa Juan resignedly muttered, seemingly accustomed to such treatment.

Sa Min looked into her sorrowful expression and noticed smoldering anger in her eyes.

In the first days, after he'd been handed to this family by that Immortal, the parents had hated him; they'd still treated him well, though. But only out of fear of the immortal's threatening words.

Sa Min knew that fear didn't intend to last forever, and he had no intention to rely on it forever.

Knowing the family situation in the Sa Clan, he'd decided to take another approach to make them care about him and accept him.

Sexty years ago, after an incident with Sa Huiqing's father, Sa Long, this family, which was a really important and influential family in the Sa Clan, was banished. So even though Sa Huiqing was rank 8 ka wielder, he's not considered an Elder, and he hadn't any say in the clan decisions. Hence, he couldn't even enter the clan's territory.

He was still a member, though, as he was the head of Sa Clan's Drinks Barn, which was located in the mountains near their house.

The wages he received were low compared to the Elders—rank 8 wielders— and he only had B-grade aptitude, so he had neither the resources nor the talent to advance in his cultivation.

In other words, there was no way he could dream of returning to the clan, Sa Min believed.

But what if his son had A-grade aptitude, huh? The B-grade aptitude in itself was very rare. Only a handful of ka wieder had it. And A-grade aptitude, the Grand sea core? No one in Tetra Blessing City had it.

That showed how precious and rare it was.

If his son had such talent, the Sa Clan would undoubtedly welcome him with wide arms.

The moment Sa Min learned of the circumstances, he began straightaway to show those signs—signs that people believe only heaven-gifted children would show. He began walking at the earliest possible moment, talking like some old wise man as soon as he used the dialect of the eastern plane, claiming he received visions and revelation from Heaven, showing his natural knack for kung fu, and so on and so forth.

And indeed, as he'd presumed, the parents began looking at him differently—no longer as a suffocating bomb that had been forced into their throat, but as a luminous gem that could resolve all their troubles.

And while they kept carefully and cautiously caring for this invaluable treasure, Sa Juan appeared to them as a mere dull stone that was not worth their attention.

They barely noticed her presence.

"Be more like your brother," her parents constantly reminded her in an admonishing manner. "Learn from your exemplary brother."

She'd tried. Sa Min was witness to it. But she'd failed every time. Sa Min had seemed to her as…what's the word? Special, unique, destined for greatness? Someone she could never compete with.

And after all this time, she's still hoping to prove herself, to impress them. How pathetic she can be!

Sa Huiqing took a frustration puff and turned towards Sa Min. "I think you all know why I called you here," he said; the fake smile returned. "You know the situation of our Liuo family. Since you can't participate in the Awakening Ceremony, the clan will send an Elder with apple forces to supervise the opening of your sea cores and awakening you Kas, just like how I opened my sea core."

Sa Huiqing lifted his arm and looked down at the watch on his wrist.

"He should be here by now…" Sa Huiqing raised his arm and glanced at the watch on his wrist. "When will the outer circle competition take place?" He suddenly asked.

"Thursday, after the awakening ceremony by a day," muttered Sa Jua with a depressed tone.

"Three days..." Sa Huiqing repeated, clapping his hand on Sa Min's shoulder as if he's the one who had answered him. "I'm sure you won't need to fight in the competition anyways. With your aptitude." His smile wined. "You will go directly to the inner circle."

Sa Min smirked in his heart. He's absolutely hoping for a good aptitude. The better his aptitude, the faster his cultivation would be, obviously. But what if he hadn't? Sa Min couldn't help but imagine this man's reaction.

Sa Huiqing then looked at Sa Juan with cold eyes, beckoning towards the room at their side. "And you, go, go ask the Higher One in heaven his blessings, may they grant you a good sea Core or at least help in the competition.

"Yes, father." With teary eyes, Sa Juan gave a little bow and made haste inside.

Sa Min watched her as she crossed the threshold of that dim room. It was filled with smoky incense burners and flickering candles. At the front, ancestral plaques were placed on the altar.

As Sa Min turned, Sa Huiqing suddenly approached him and put an arm around his shoulder. "Son, I want to speak with you about something important," Sa Huiqing said tenderly. "If you don't mind, of course."

This tone. I know this tone, Sa Min thought. A faint smile crossed his face. He will try again, hehe. How many times now—nine, ten? But I have to give it to him, he's persistent

And as if to conform his thought, something came out of Sa Huiqing's sea core, and Sa Huiqing hastily grabbed it as though he were afraid someone would see. It was the Pointed Jade Box Ka.

"My son, my righteous son," breathed Sa Huiqing in a sorrowful voice. "You already knew our sad predicament, and you fully understand how unlocking this Ka could really help our family." He paused, silently gazing at Sa Min with hoping eyes. "Won't you try activating it once more?" he asked gently, handing him a knife.

"Yes, of course father," said Sa Min tranquilly. "I'll do everything to help the family."

The Black-slowed Hold Ka was ranked 8, the same Ka the mysterious immortal had handed it to Sa Huiqing to give to Sa Min when he opened his sea core.

Its Yantra was one of those Yantras that activated not by Pure Force but by blood. The blood that activated the Yantra— It could be anyone's blood—- would be the sole individual capable of unlocking its Ka. If the blood the Ka Yielder employed to activate the Yantra belonged to any other, even to the ka wielder himself, could not unlock the Ka.

And the Ka that Sa Huiqing held required the blood of Sa Min himself to unlock it.

When the greedy parents had overcome their dread of the immortal, they'd attempted to unlock it using the infant Sa Min's blood. But much to their astonishment, they hadn't succeeded.

To open the Ka, one did not need merely the blood of its owner, its owner must also be not unwilling to open it. This wasn't why the parents were shocked, though. This particular Ka was well known and Sa Huiqing knew of this requisite. What shocked them was how a baby who knew a nought of the Kas could be unwilling.

They tried many times, and each time they failed. And when little Sa Min arrived at a point when he appeared to comprehend things, Sa Huiqing began relating a story of his own invention to induce him to unlock it.

In this story, Sa Huiqing's brother, was researching high and low for what caused their unexpected banishment from the clan.

He eventually found some evidence that could prove their innocence. However, he faced a grave threat from a dangerous enemy. To hide the evidence he'd found in the Black-Slowed Hold Ka activating its Yantra with the blood of Sa Min before leaving.

And the man disappeared after that.

This was the story Sa Huiqing had made up.

"My righteous son, the family has no honor now. We are a disgrace to the clan. Do you know what they call us? The traitorous family. There is only one way to show them we're not. You will have to unlock this Ka. I know you can open it. You are the only one," Sa Huiqing had kept telling him.

But damn if the Ka would unlock!

Though Sa Min would give them his blood, though he would give them that willingness expression, it would not unlock. And here was Sa Huiqing again, hoping in vain that Sa Min could open the Ka.

Sa Min cut his finger and let his blood fall on the Ka. Sa Huiqing watched; he waited with bated breath. One second. Two seconds. Ten seconds later, nothing happened. The Ka did not glow; it did not budge.

It did not unlock.

"I'm sorry, father, I don't know what is wrong," Sa Min said with a sheepish tone. "I do just as you told me to, but-but—"

"It's okay, it's okay," said Sa Huiqing in a pleasant tone. Sa Min could see the man's face twitching, barely managing to keep up his amiable front. "Don't blame yourself. Maybe it's because you haven't opened up your Sea Core yet. We'll try again once you do. Go, son."

"Thank you, father," said Sa Min and he strolled away.

Just as Sa Min vanished from behind him, the smiling mask of Sa Huiqing dropped, revealing an ireful, frowny face behind.

He let out an exasperated sigh, composing himself before he made his way to his study room.

He flung open the door aggressively and slammed it shut behind him as he went in.

"This little bastard…this little bastard is still trying to play stupid with me," he said wrathfully. "Does he think I am stupid?"

"Still refusing to open it?" Sa Qiao, his wrinkled-looking wife, who had been waiting eagerly in the room, asked scowling.

"This boy is too smart." Sa Huiqing sighed heavily. "I don't know what he thinks it contains, but he clearly doesn't trust us."

"What are we going to do, then?" she said. "We tried everything with him. Maybe..maybe we force him?"

Sa Huiqing looked sharply at her. "Are you stupid?" His face reddened from anger. "This boy had the talent to reach rank seven, fucking rank seven! This boy will become an important figure in the empire. How can we make an enemy of such a person? That's without mentioning his… powerful background…If we force him, we must ensure he dies before he becomes stronger than me, but if we kill him, the Ash Leaf Ka will burn, and who knows what will happen then."

"So we're just going to give it to him?" Lin Qiao's face looked unwilling.

"No chance," Sa Huiqing firmly said as he walked to the small wooden window. "The reason he's like this is because he thinks he needs no one but himself. He's arrogant and proud. But that won't last for long. Not after tomorrow. When he opens his sea core, he'll come to know how valuable we are."

The gentle drizzle of spring began falling again.

 

[Kachti]

Sa Min walked out of the kitchen, holding a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup and chopsticks. It'd been hours and the Elder still nowhere to be seen.

The aroma engulfed his nose, and Sa Min could barely calm his stomach—noodles, slices of succulent beef, vibrant green scallions, and fragrant cilantro—all bathed in a rich, golden broth. Sa Min took a deep breath, enjoying the view before he took a bite.

"Good, good." Sa Min muttered under his breath as he emerged from the house, propping himself against the doorframe, allowing the rain propelled by the wind to hit him.

The food in the Eastern Place was something else entirely compared to that garbage of those civilized people.

Sa Huiqing and his wife already know that I'm aware of their intentions. They must be thinking that my stubbornness will fade away once I open my sea core and start cultivating. And if that doesn't work, hehe, I bet they'll try to do something else, something stupid to make me unlock the Ka.

With more than 600 years' worth of experience, Sa Min could see clearly through Sa Huiqing's mind. Wielders would do everything to gain resources for their cultivation. And these people were no different.

Those fuckers think without question that I have a great sea core, but I know better. Just because the parents of this body are immortals, that doesn't guarantee a superior aptitude…

I may have it, I may not. Everything is possible. Sa Min looked up at the sky, a soft veil of clouds adorned the sky. A smirk appeared on his cold face. But isn't this what makes life so damn interesting?

At that moment, Sa Min heard a thundering sound. In the distance, he spotted four black horse-like-beasts thundering toward the house, their terrifying speed piercing through the dense forest.

When they drew close enough, Sa Min managed to see the solemn faces of riders. They wore a green robe with sa clan symbols—the wolf.

Sa Clan' reapers— what are they doing here?

The horse-like beasts, at their speed, suddenly began to change shape, turning into a mist. The gray mist swiftly gathered together and took the form of a small, gray object before entering their Sa Core.

It all happened before the wielders' feet hit the ground.

The wielders kept sprinting until they reached in front of Sa Min.

"Are you Sa Min, the heaven's miracle?" One of them asked. "Is your father in the house?"

Heaven's miracle? Sa Min thought calmly, taking another bite. Isn't the little devil what they call me?

Before Sa Min could utter a word, approaching steps resonated from within the house. He stepped aside from the door, allowing Sa Huiqing, Lin Qiao and Sa Juan to pass.

"I, Sa Huiqing, am his father," declared Sa Huiqing as he stepped forward. "You must be the reapers appointed for this year. What brought you here? Did something wrong happen in the clan?"

The three wielders bowed to Sa Huiqing, their fists pressed together in greeting. He was the head of the Drinks Barn after all.

The one who seemed to be the leader took a step forward; sorrow filled his face. "This is a terrible day for our clan indeed, Elder Huiqing," he murmured with a depressing tone. "You are already aware of the tragedy of the three Elders who died months ago fighting the Hungry-Tigers mercenary band. It was a heavy blow to our clan indeed. But yesterday.."

Elder Huiqing? Sa Min thought, still busy with his meal. Is this going where I think it is?

"...Yesterday, the young master, the future Patriarch, returned injured from the Academy. His Essence Center was destroyed," He said with a heavy sigh. "He can't cultivate anymore."

"What did you just say? The young master, injured?" Sa Huiqing's eyes widened a bit with a slight flutter, his hands closed into tight fists. "Sa Qiao is injured?" He was genuinely in shock.

Sa Qiao was the only one in Tetra Blessing City that ever had a grand sea core in hundreds of years. His aptitude was A-grade! In merely four years, he'd managed to reach rank 8. And a year ago, he'd managed to enter the Prestige Cultivation Academy of Shaanxi Province.

The young man was the hope on which the Sa Clan was relying on, to extend its dominion within the city and restore the clan to its origin status.

And now that hope seemed to be gone!

Watching the shock on Sa Huiqing' face, Sa Min couldn't help but wonder whether his shock came from the clan's bad situation or the opportunity it would give him.

Definitely the last.

"Unfortunately, it's the truth. The whole clan is in shock. Not only do we have a shortage of Elders but we also lack someone suitable to be the next patriarch," the reaper who seemed to be in his forties said bitterly. "We're truly in an unfortunate situation compared to the other three clans."

Sa Huiqing took a deep breath. "That's indeed an unfortunate situation. So why are you here?" he asked, though he already knew why.

"It is not hidden from anyone from the clan or from the city… how genius your son is," said the reaper. His eyes glanced at Sa Min. "The boy showed all the signs of being talented, and many suspect he possesses S-grade aptitude...including the patriarch himself."

Sa Min could see Sa Huiqing's face twitching, as if he were trying to hold back a smile—a genuine smile this time.

"The Clan Council held an emergency meeting this morning," continued the Reaper, an object emerging from his force gate. "It ended with the patriarch's decision to pardon your family and grant you the title of Elder." He carefully handed the object, the Elder Seal, to Sa Huiqing. "Please accept it."

"From this moment onward, you are an Elder of the Sa Clan, and you are welcome to return to your house within the city."

Sa Min gently stirred the bowl, drinking the remaining broth.

---

Distant thumps of the dawn drum resonated across the sa clan's territory with the chanting of crickets, announcing the start of a new day.

It's the opening ceremony day in the three major clans of the city, where wielders were supposed to open their sea core and awaken their ka.

Of course, it's just a tradition that the three clans picked up when they'd established the city. There's no law that dictated when people should open their sea cores. Outside the three clans, wielders could open their sea cores whenever they wanted—as long as their force gate completely formed.

Tan Chen, for example, had already opened her sea core. Her aptitude was B-grade.


Beneath a tree, in the courtyard of their new house, Sa Min sat serenely on a stone chair, eyes closed, thinking and enjoying the gentle morning breeze. The warm scent of tea wafted from the clay cup he cradled, rushing into his nostrils.

The other night, Sa Huiqing, having transferred his responsibility as the head of the drinks barn to a rank 9 Ka wielder, wasted no time in returning to their ancestral house within the sa clan's territory.

They were overwhelmed with joy. Sa Min understood why.

Although they'd been nominally members of Sa Clan, there were many privileges and resources they could not access before. Now, however, with the patriarch's forgiveness, they could fully rejoin the clan and use all that their blood afforded them.

The pardon indeed lifted what must have been an immense burden for them.

Throughout the night, Sa Min found himself unable to sleep. It wasn't out of excitement, of course, like Sa Juan, who couldn't remain still for a second, pacing back and forth on the cobblestoned courtyard, extremely nervous.

He just wanted to enjoy these moments of peace that he might never have again.

With many cups of tea he'd had his slave, Hou Qing bring, Sa Min spent most of the night facing the Celestial Heaven, wondering, What was going on up there? What were his enemies doing? What were his frie — Sa Min had no friends…!

He's sure there would have been no one who had mourned his death, not even his children. Sa Min knew that very well, but he felt nothing—no sadness, no anger, love, or hate, and definitely no guilt.

I wonder how the world has really changed in the last sixteen years. Sa Min mused to himself as he took a sip. From what I read in journals, things are certainly getting more exciting… The clash between the Resistance Army and the Heavenly Union is growing. The world's order is changing and…

Thinking on this, Sa Min's heavy, stony heart could not help but stir a bit with excitement. Yet this flicker of emotion stayed hidden behind his calm, indifferent face. Sa Min understood well that his excitement would not fasten his cultivation; only aptitude would.

"Brother, brother! Wake up." Suddenly, a cry came to him, thrilled and familiar. "It's time for the ceremony. Come on, let's go."

Sa Min slowly opened his eyes, casting his gaze over the moon gate. Two young women stood there—the nervous Sa Juan, anxiously wringing her pale hands, her pleading eyes urging him to hurry up. She wore her veil as always.

Most women of the Xi Empire wore veils that covered the lower half of their faces. The law that required them to wear it had long been abolished. But many women still wore it willingly, considering it their shield against creepy eyes.

Behind her stood her slave, a woman who looked like all non-wielder females: beautiful, and submissive, and depressed. She wore a pale yellow robe, which was the common clothing for non-wielders on the Eastern Plane, men or women.

His eyes then shifted to his cup, still half full.

"Not yet," Sa Min said nonchalantly, raising the cup to his lips and taking a slow sip. Though the tea had cooled down a bit, the sight of his sister's fretful expression brought a hint of amusement.

"What? When? It's already time!" cried Sa Juan, her silk robes fluttering anxiously. "People are already heading—"

"When I finish my cup," Sa Min interrupted with a calm tone.

"Please, please, brother." Her voice trembled, sounding as though she were about to cry. "I want to get a good position on the list."

Sa Min regarded her again, this time giving her that intimidating, piercing look that always made her count her toes. "Am I speaking to a donkey with big lips and a hairy, ugly pimple? Or maybe you're deaf? I've already told you, but it seems you're not listening."

"I'm…"

She mumbled something, her face distorted with anger and injustice and frustration and unwillingness.

"If you think going first will somehow give you a better sea core," Sa Min paused, taking another sip. "Then go ahead, no one is stopping you."

"My fath-father… He told me to follow behind you."

Sa Min shrugged and she abruptly turned and stormed away, with each step pounding the ground. Her slave obediently followed.

Curious what she would do if her aptitude turned out to be better than mine, Sa Min rumbled to himself, a wry grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He already knew. She'd be trouble. That, for sure.

Slowly, Sa Min savored the last sips of his tea. When it's gone, he rose and stretched the laziness away from him. "Hou Qing," he called, "bring water." Nearby and waiting, Hou Qing hurried to him.

In the eastern plane, everyone had a non-wielder slave that followed them wherever they went — They're very cheap to buy. Sa Min however never let his slave follow him around or stay close to him. They're too dangerous. Even for high ranking wielders.

Sa Min washed himself as usual, then headed outside. Sa Juan, who was hiding nearby, silently followed behind him through the moon gate, her face down and clenched fists.

Sa Min gave her no mind, as he noticed a bunch of wielders sitting in the forecourt.

Noticing his presence, they hastily stood up, waiting for him to approach.

They were the clan's guards.

"Greetings," said one of them. "You must be Sa Min, right?"

Sa Min frowned, but he had an idea why they were here. "That me, something wrong?"

"No, not at all," replied the ka wieder with a respectful tone. One must show respect for those of high status, after all. Especially for one with such A-grade, maybe even S-grade aptitude as the young man before him who would surely lead them all one day, or that's what they assumed.

"Before your father went to the main courtyard, he .. no, the clan has ordered us to escort you there," he explained.

"Why is that?" asked Sa Min knowingly.

"You're an outer disciple of the Basic Cultivation Academy. So you already know about the incidents happening in the city. About the disappearances of people with colored eyes. And you…" The wielder paused, carefully considering his words. "You have colored eyes."

Black hair, almond-shaped dark brown eyes, and white skin— that was how humans on the Eastern Plane generally looked. It's very rare to see someone with blonde hair, blue eyes, or brown skin.

Some people— and they are few — hated seeing people with blue eyes walking around them due to the past they had with Westerners from way back when the Heavenly Union had come and colonized their land hundreds of years ago.

The wielder obviously was afraid of offending Sa Min, for Sa Min had light blue eyes, and different looking in overall.

But when Sa Min's expression didn't change, the wielder let out a sigh of relief. He really didn't want to offend the next patriarch.

Sa Min raised an eyebrow. "So the clan fears I may be next because of my blue eyes."

Sa Min hadn't lived the last sixteen years sleeping, of course. Though he hadn't been active like other outer disciples, he'd gathered information about where he was, the rules, the traditions, the people, and all that stuff that he needed to survive as a weak ka wieders.

But in the last months, as news of the colored eyes people disappearances spread, Sa Min had raised his guard, avoiding any dangerous places, since he has colored-eyes himself.

"Well, yes, that's one reason," replied the ka wieder. "Also, in case the other clans tried something stupid. Who knows, you might have S-grade aptitude."

"Please, the ceremony is…" In the background, Sa Juan tried to point out the time, but no one seemed to notice.

Sa Min smiled at the respectable man. "Don't praise me too much. I haven't even opened my sea core yet."

"No, no, you definitely have it," another wielder piped up, his eyes filled with admiration. "No one doubts that, and you shouldn't either."

"No doubts?" Sa Min took a deep breath. "I hope so."

I really hope so. Not only would that make my cultivation much easier, but it would also give me time to figure out the ba's lifespan problem.

But… If Heaven tried to play its usual games and it turns out I only have a shitty sea core, I would be … fine. I had a shitty sea core before and I managed to ascend. There are ways…demonic ways. Besides, Sa Min nonchalantly scratched his nose to cover the creepy smile on his face. Seeing these stupid people's eyes realizing how stupid they were would be enough to make my day.

Sa Min liked that feeling. He liked watching people realizing how stupid they were. He liked watching their desperate eyes, their angry eyes, their sad eyes, their fearful eyes. It's one of things he really enjoyed. In that time, when he'd been strong enough to get away with it, he would corner people with two devastating choices and watch in joy.

But this was long ago. When he'd had no purpose and been a slave to his desires and emotions. Now he knew better. Now he had a goal. Now he's the one controlling his desires, not the other way around.

"All right, it's time; let's hit the road," said Sa Min, seeing the sun's light had already touched everything.

They stepped out of the house. The guards leading the way towards the heart of Sa Clan's territory.

 

[Kachti]

After a time of walking, Sa Juan and others eventually found themselves on the main street.

Trying to simmer down her anger, Sa Juan took a slow breath, lifting her gaze from this piece of shit of Sa Min who was front of her to the bustling street—the high buildings of tetra blessing city stood proudly, at least two stories high, their rooftops elaborately decorated with colorful tiles and intricate carvings.

Though it was empty of carriages, the cobbled street bustled more so than ever; countless people of all kinds came flocking towards the arena from every alley, all wearing colorful robes and decorated with talismans.

The dusty flagstone-paved ground was filled with old journals and wanted posters.

The noise of chatters and excited laughters sounded like a loud hum.

Today was no ordinary day. Was it not true that a member of Sa Clan was about to open his Legendary sea core? The anticipation was evident as everyone yearned to bear witness to this moment, a moment that hadn't happened in hundreds of years.

And then…

"Hey, guys! Look, ain't that Sa Min?" one exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's him! Look at his eyes, man! They're like two pools of ice. Chilling."

"Check out his expressionless face. Maybe those rumors about him killing a non-Wielder when he was just five are true... Maybe he's really a little devil."

"I've heard he got visions from Heaven in the form of Yantras..."

"Doesn't matter; he's still the descendant of a traitor…"

Voices filled with shock and awe and jealousy echoed around Sa Juan as people began to recognize that evil shit, Sa Min. Each praising word she heard felt like a needle stabbing her heart, making it harder and harder for her to breathe.

As though enjoying the attention, Sa Min moved forward with a leisurely walk, flanked by five gerd, leading the crowds to clear his path.

He looked like he owned the place.

Sa Juan put her hands over her ears, wanted to scream, hard and loud, to demand attention, to implore: Look at me! I am here too; please look at me!

Yet her rapid, labored breaths stifled her throat.

This is unfair. This is unfair, Sa Juan whispered to herself, trying to subdue her tempestuous emotions, knowing that if she were to collapse onto the ground, people would trample over her and follow that worthless devil.

Please Heaven, please please, people don't know that he is evil. I know, I know very well. Sa Min screamed within her heart. Please don't give him the legendary sea core, he doesn't deserve it…I do, I deserve it, I truly do…

Glancing around and seeing the many eyes on him, watching and admiring, Sa Min felt nothing. His expression remained as it had been, indifferent.

The loud praises and the envious whispers couldn't reach his stone-cold heart, let alone touch it. He would be damn stupid if it did. Who, besides stupids, feels joy or pain from the words of others?

There are few things I have found enjoyment in during my life, Sa Min scoffed within his heart. but seeking others' attention has never been among them, even in my stupid days.

What if they see you handsome or ugly, strong or weak, righteous or evil, rich or poor—so what? What significant do their opinions hold besides restricting your already restricted freedom?

People in this world try to make themselves forget the real truth. Why are they here? Who put them here and why? People try to distract themselves with,... useless purposes, people's admiration, people's attention, friendship, love, cultivation, family, because they don't have the courage to question their reality.

They don't want to see that their family, their love, their emotions, people around them, and everything, literally everything are merely chains that enslave them to a certain path. They surrender to their chains because they are weak. In this world, how can I be attached to them and I know that they are only going to distract me from my purpose?

---

It didn't take long before Sa Min and his five guards arrived at the main courtyard— Sa Juan was likely behind somewhere… If she hadn't gone missing in the crowd.

Calmly, Sa Min looked around, disregarding the many curious onlookers and their noises.

The main courtyard sprawled before him, a spacious space where members of the sa clan trained their Yantras and cultivated. At its heart stood a large six-story pagoda, serving as the residence of the patriarch and a gathering place for the Clan's elders.

Beside the pagoda was a circular, medium-sized arena; a huge black canopy was above it, floating, shielding it from the sunlight.

"Young man," said the guard that was leading the way as they reached the arena. "I know you're excited to take your seat and stuff, but first, you must go to the elder Sa Yu Guo so he can check your force gate." He stopped, turning his head and offering Sa Min a smile. "Don't sweat it—I'll show you the way." And then he stepped in.

Sa Min merely nodded, his face showing no excitement whatsoever, as he followed suit.

Inside the shaded arena, the stands were divided into three sections. The largest one was designated for the watchers; their seats weren't full yet as they still continued to stream in. While the areas designated for participants and elders looked much smaller and were already filled.

The boisterous noise of the crowds' conversations suddenly subsided as they noticed Sa Min' presence. For a moment, the place fell into a hush, then the clamor returned, louder and filled with excitement.

As though they didn't exist, Sa Min continued on walking, his unflinching eyes fixed on the elder's area.

On the upper stairs of the stands was a slender, middle-aged man, wearing a black robe, a red lotus embroidered on the right side of its chest.

In the Xi Empire, only those who broke into the bottom realm and awakened their Ba had the honor of wearing this clothing.

In the world of cultivation, there were 10 ranks that were divided into four realms. From 10 to 8, considered the bottom realm, and from 7 to 5 were the middle realm.

The rank 7 middle-aged man sat away from the rest of the elders, surrounded by two finely dressed women. One of them had eyes that had an unusual color.

The patriarch, Sa Min thought to himself, witnessing the man as he boldly grabbed one of the ladies' asses and, without shame, smelled it and smiled. The womanizer patriarch...maybe the rumors have some truth after all.

Sa Min had of course come across rumors and stories about the Sa Clan's patriarch and his habit. Seemed the skinny man had an unnatural urge and supposedly needed to ride a woman every hour, or else he would go mad. Though people exaggerated, it seemed there's some truth in it.

Not that Sa Min had any problem with that.

Upon reaching the high yellow arena floor, Sa Min saw an old man sitting on a rickety chair on the edge of the stage, impatiently tapping his foot.

Even from a distance, Sa Min could see the man's wrinkled face, scowling.

Sa Min knew him. It was Elder Sa Yu Guo, the head of the sa clan's guards and also and also the teacher of sa clan's member.

Not just anyone could enter the Inner Circle of the Cultivation Academy. In fact, most couldn't even afford to make it into the outer circle. But unlike the three clans' members, those without access to the inner circle had only themselves to rely on in cultivation.

Without the academy's support, there would be no much mission, little rewards, scant resources, expensive materials.

Cultivation was extremely hard without the help of the xi empire.

But at least in the major three clans—big families as well—ka wielders could still manage to cultivate just fine. There were enough resources. There were teachers, and so on. Members who entered the academy would come occasionally to teach them something. There were also libraries with Yantra manuals.

Though they couldn't even come close to the cultivation academy that was funded by the great Xi Empire, they were still better than nothing.

This was one of the clan's advantages.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the arrogant Sa Min!" chuckled Elder Sa Yu Guo, his deep voice sounding as if he wished to hit him. "You were walking on eggs or something? The participants have arrived a long time ago."

As Sa Min smiled and stepped onto the stage, the wooden boards groaned and complained beneath his leather boots. "Elder," he offered a convincing greeting, bowing formally with two fists pressed together, "I apologize for being late. The crowd is—".

"Tut, always making excuses."

Then, the guard in the side swallowed loudly and stepped forward. "Please forgive him, Elder," he said, head down. "The fault is mine. I'm the one who was leading him."

Elder Sa Yu Guo gazed into both of their eyes with his small, beady eyes before sighing heavily, dismissing the guard with a wave of his hand and addressing Sa Min, "Alright, alright, get over here!" he grumbled. "And take off that filthy robe—let's see first if your force gate has formed."

Complying silently, Sa Min slipped off his normal belt and black robe, standing bare-chested before the crowd. He felt the elder's calloused and cold fingers checking the black round point on his stomach area, just atop the navel.

The elder recorded something in his book. "So, the force gate is established," he said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "But remember, boy, talent is merely legs; you still have to climb the mountain yourself. Now, get to your place." He gestured with his head toward the participants' area. "And await your turn... You happen to be the last one to—"

"I'm- I'm still here…please…" Before the elder could finish his words, a desperate cry pierced the space, interrupting him.

Sa Juan, disheveled and drenched in sweat, stumbled into view, tears streaming down her sorrowful face.

Sa Min's eyes widened. Not at the sight of Sa Juan. Something happened in his body. A sudden, searing sensation that seeped into his very bones. It felt as though an invisible hand was chiseling away at his flesh, etching an indelible mark on his back.

It's so painful that one would fall to the ground screaming.

But Sa Min's face was blank, showing no sign of it. In the Pit, he'd learned to suffer worse, much worse without making an ugh of sound.

"What the hell is going on?" Sa Min thought, ignoring the fierce itching that felt like it would ruin his mind and swiftly putting his robe back and tightening his belt. He gave the elder a quick bow and, as if nothing were happening to him, retreated toward the participants' area, his thoughts racing.

There, a group of youth awaited their inevitable moment, around 70. Most of the men, if not all of them, were bare-chested, showing their muscles. While most young women beautified themselves in elegant dresses.

All their gazes silently followed Sa Min as one as he picked his way through with calm steps.

"Hey, Sa Min. Welcome back." Sa Wen stood up, his chest filled with hair. "I knew the clan wouldn't let someone with your talent away," he said, genuine joy lighting up his face.

Sa Min forced a smile through pain. "Thank you, appreciate it, brother Sa Wen."

Ever since they had fought off those bandits together in an outer circle mission, Sa Wen had been constantly asking him to join him. The man seemed obsessed with battling bandits and seeking justice.

Sa Min continued his walk and approached a seat at the far edge, having the perfect view for both the stage and elders' area. Someone had already sat there— a young woman. But that wasn't a problem, was it?

"Out of the fucking seat," he coldly said, paying no mind to Sa Wen or anyone else; instead, he squinted aside towards the near elders' area.

The elders sat there, some of them elderly, some still young, laughing and conversing with each other. Some cast their gaze towards him, Sa Huiqing among those. But Sa Min couldn't hear a thing, as though a shroud of silence enveloped them.

Some concealing Yantra must be in work, preventing others from hearing their voices. Sa Min sighed, before turning his head to the dumbfounded young woman.

The young woman simply stared up, open-mouthed, "What?.."

"Pleease," added Sa Min, offering what he thought was a gentle smile. It only made him look more scary.

The young lady swallowed aloud at his glare, then quickly stood up and walked away.

As he made himself comfortable in his seat, Sa Min looked over his shoulder. The pain had stopped, and he had this urge to check what the hell just happened to his back. But Sa Min knew that there might be Kas recording around, and that would only lead him to unnecessary troubles.

Those who hastened, had died…I'll check it out as soon as I get home. Sa Min thought, turning his head towards Sa Juan who had just arrived, searching for a seat.

Sa Min gave her a faint smile before turning back to look at the elders, to see if he could make out something from their mouths.

If something unexpected went down and he couldn't make it into the inner circle of the cultivation academy, he'd just stick with the clan for his cultivation needs. That's why he's curious about the elders. He had to figure out how things worked in the clan, so he could know how to go.

But if I actually got into the inner circle, the clan would be useless to him. In fact it will only be a burden. In this case I'll find a way to ditch it.

"Playtime's over, kids. Listen up." Suddenly, the voice of the elder Sa Yu Guo boomed out from the stage across the arena, capturing everyone's attention. "Eyes front before I plow them out of your skulls."

 

[Kachti]

The children instantly fell silent. Everyone knew Elder Sa Yu Guo and everyone knew he wasn't joking.

"You all know who I am, and you all know why you're here, so I'm not going to waste anyone's time," said the Elder, his tone serious. "This is indeed a crucial moment for you; it will determine how far you can reach and your status in the clan and in the world. But…"

The Elder paused for a moment, sweeping his small eyes through the tensed children.

"But make no mistake, you're all returning home with your sea core opened, you're all going to start cultivating today." The elder slapped his knees before tossing his chair back and standing up. "True, some of you hold better aptitude and can most likely reach higher ranks than others. But, always remember, the foundation, the breaks, the pillars, the summit are all important for the house to stand. You're all important pieces of our clan, be it as a lowly rank 10 or an esteemed rank 7, we all got our part to play in sheltering this house."

Sa Min watched the children grinning like idiots. And why not? It was a good lie to comfort themselves with if a shitty sea core was what they found.

They're little kids after all… Sa Min sighed. But they'll learn soon enough…how the world really works.

The elder opened the book in his hand with a grunt. "You'll take any aptitude you're given and thank the ancestors for it. Now let's see who's first to face his fate..." He glanced down at the book before announcing. "Sa Gou Wen, get your big ass over here!"

And all heads in the arena turned as one to watch the big young man stand up. With his beard — though it wasn't full — and his large body, one would hardly believe that Sa Wen was only eighteen.

Sa Wen was the scion of the second influential faction's leader in the clan, Sa Gou Wei. The Wen family.

Sa Min had learned about the Gous from how much Sa Huiqing had talked about them. Sa Huiqing hated them like he hated no one.

Understandably so.

When the leader of Lis, Sa Li Huiqing's father had mysteriously vanished sixty years ago, it was the Gous that had advocated for the banishing of the Li family, as these two rival factions had always been at war with each other.

And seemingly still were. Sa Min noticed Sa Li Huiqing glaring murderously at Sa Gou Song as though he wished to throttle the life out of him.
Elder Sa Yu Guo smacked Sa Wen lightly on the back of his head with his book as he stepped onto the stage. "Leave some bandits for your brothers to fight, will you?" He quipped.

Sa Wen scratched his bald head, smiling. "Don't worry elder, they never end."

"Indeed, those bastards just keep coming." Elder Sa Yu Guo moved towards the heart of the stage. Sa Wen followed him.

You'd think from his wrinkled face that Elder Sa Yu Guo would never smile. But he did right now. He looked proud of Sa Wen. "With your hard work and determination, I guarantee you're going to have a good sea core," the elder said as he moved towards the heart of the stage. Sa Wen followed him.

A circular spot was there, covered with a finely crafted silk covering, and it was a bit elevated and designed for only one person to sit. Beside it stood a big wooden receptacle, intricately engraved and filled with white apples— force apples.

"Take four force apples, and go sit over there," commanded the Elder Sa Yu Guo. "And I'll assume you already know what to do."

Sa We nodded and snatched four of the force apples up, putting them on a nearby wooden plate before making his way to the designated circle. Sitting legs crossed, he placed the plate before him.

Everyone in the arena carefully watched him in silence.

He then closed his closed eyes, grabbed one of the apples, and gingerly positioned it before his force gate. Instantly, the force apple shivered, then energy like a white smoke began coming out of the apple and entering his force gate.

The more primal force came out of the force apple, the weaker the apple became. It continued like this for moments before the apple became lifeless in his hand, all shriveled like a dead leaf.

Closing his fist, it slipped from his hands like dust.

"One apple," announced the Elder Sa Yu Guo, his voice echoing in the arena. "He escaped the D-grade aptitude."

The crowd roared, and the looks on the participant's faces seemed filled with jealousy.

Without opening his eyes, Sa We's hand reached out again, finding another force apple, the same size as the first—they were all the same size. And again, placing it before his stomach, letting his force gate absorb the primal force within.

Became dry again, and the Elder announced, a hint of satisfaction in his voice, "two apples, you escaped the C-grade aptitude."

Some kids were holding their heads in shock.

Sa We grabbed the third force apple and began absorbing it yet again. But this time, he only managed to absorb a bit before his face twitched for a moment, as though someone were tickling his flat feet. Then a smile spread across his long face.

"Sa We, B-grade aptitude, the Elite sea core," announced the Elder Sa Yu Guo, and the crowds went noisy. The kids around were watching with open mouths, a look of disbelief on their faces. The elders, on the side, began shaking Sa Gou Wei's hand, congratulating him.

The aptitude of ka wielders was determined by their sea core' type—from D-grade aptitude to S-grade. Those who had Ordinary sea core, possessed D-grade aptitude. They would have a hard time reaching the late transformation in rank 10.

Those people were the majority in the world, as eight out of ten ka wielders in the world had D-grade aptitude.

Then there were the ka wielders with Average sea core. With C-grade aptitude, with enough resources and the hard work, in a couple of years they could reach rank 9.

As for those who possessed Elite sea core, they had B-grade aptitude. They were considered rare and important. Their potential was enormous.

And those who had the Grand sea core, the A-grade aptitude, were extremely rare. With time and resources, they could even awaken their Ba. In Tetra Blessing City, only six people had it: the patriarch of the three major clans, the city lord and the head of the Qing family, that broken family that had sought refuge in the city a few years ago.

Though for some reason, Qing Xieren had not yet advanced to rank 7.

Rank 7 ka wielders could hold significant positions in In the Xi Empire — or any other place— whether in governments, the military or in the investigation and justice office or any other office.

Some of them choose to stay in their clan rather than entangling themselves in the affairs of the empire.

But those who possessed the Legendary sea core, those with S-grade Aptitude, were considered invaluable and could enter the Prestige Cultivation Academy in the capital. They had the potential to reach rank 5, which is the highest rank in the middle realm of cultivation.

B-grade aptitude meant that Sa Wen had the potential to reach rank 8, so long as he cultivated with seriousness. That's the reason everyone was cheerful and shocked.

The Elder Sa Yu Guo raised an eyebrow. "You must have awakened your borned Ka," he said in a curious tone.

Sa We nodded, getting up, a big smile on his face. "Should I summon it, elder?" He asked, his voice filled with excitement. And before the elder could make a sound, a Ka flew from Sa Wei's force gate. It looked like an eye with delicate butterfly wings, flapping madly, its black pupils darting around terribly fast.

"The Black Flying Eye Ka," said the elder, his wrinkled hand stroking his beard. "Interesting… this Ka works with two Yantras, the Bon—

"Interesting... this Ka works with two Yantras, the Bone Armored Yantra and…"

The Flying Spike Yantra, Sa Min thought, watching the Black Flying Eye Ka from afar.

The Kas were mysterious beings that lived in the world. They were invisible to the eyes of ka wielders. Untouchable too, only manifested when they wanted to satisfy their hunger or when refined by a ka wielder. These beings were invaluable resources to the ka wielders.

Elder Sa Yu Guo turned towards someone standing just outside the stage's edge. "Bring the belt," he commanded. And a rank 10 ka wielder swiftly came, respectfully holding a well-arranged blue belt with both hands.

Each time a ka wielder leveled up, they'd get a new belt in a different color. It was a sacred tradition of the tree clans. And just like wearing the clan's clothes—the clan's symbol—it was mandatory to wear those belts.

The blue belt meant rank 10.

Elder Sa Yu Guo took the belt, dismissing the woman with a nod, then turned back to Sa Wei, his face turned solemn. Sa Wei, as though he knew what was about to happen next, composed himself.

The arena also fell into an expectant silence.

The elder stared down Sa Wen for moments, then barked. "To which clan do you belong?" His voice was louder than needed.

"The Sa Clan," shouted Sa Wei.

"To which land do you belong?"

"The Xi Empire" screamed Sa Wei, spittle flying.

"Where does your loyalty lie?"

"To the Emperor Xi Feng Zhou!" Louder still.

"Who's your enemy?"

"The Heavenly Union and whoever supports them!" Sa Wen stopped, panting, his face twisted in a smile of satisfaction.

The crowd roared in approval. Louder than ever. Sa Min could barely make out the Elder's words to Sa Wen on the stage.

Sa Min could see two frail twin girls clapping joyfully in the elders' section. They must be his little sisters he talked about a lot.

Moments later, Sa Wen stepped outside the stage, heading back to his seat in the midst of everyone's applause.

The Elder Sa Yu Guo raised his weathered hand to the crowd to hush, then turned his scrowled face towards the anxious children, waiting to be called.

"You all know what to do by now," his voice boomed over the murmurings. "When your name is called, I want to see you running over here, and I want you to open your Sea Core quickly, you understand?"

The kids nervously nodded, and the Elder squinted down his long nose at the book of names in his hand.

"Second is…Sa Xiu Lan."

 

[Kachti]

The sun hung there in the sky, where it always hung in the third month like a lamp, spreading its light and heat.

The ceremony dragged on in the arena, and Elder Sa Yu Guo kept on calling names. Hours slowly passed, and the overwhelming majority only possessed D-grade aptitude. Only about nine of them had C-grade aptitude and no B-grade aptitude had shown since Sa Wan.

The elders' faces darkened. Compared to last year where they had seventeen D-grade aptitudes and three C-grade aptitudes, this year was terribly bad.

A young woman dragged herself from the stage, returning to her seat, sobbing loudly. With her D-grade aptitude, she'd mostly be stuck in rank 10 for the short lifespan rank 10 Ka wielders had.

The elder, Sa Yu Guo called out: "Sa Min."

And the arena instantly went dead silent, as though everyone had stopped breathing. That was normal. After all, wasn't Sa Min the heavenly miracle who had received visions and blessings from Heaven.

Some people had already made up their minds that he had S-grade aptitude, and they came here just to witness it.

Sa Min lifted himself up, groaning loudly as he stretched his muscles. Though the pain in his back had long gone, there was still this itching sensation, like something was stuck to his back. Sa Min brushed off the feeling as he glanced around.

The participants watched him, silent, wide-eyed, shut-mouthed. Their faces were filled with respect and admiration and a lot of envy.

Except for this San Juan, of course, who was sitting alone, isolated by the other children. She just looked… miserable and afraid and angry—so much anger coming from those naive eyes.

What a pitiful slave! Sa Min sneered in his heart, walking down the stands. They were all slaves in one way or another, including himself. He never denied that! But was he a slave who loved being a slave? Was he a pitiful slave?

On the side, Sa Wen nodded at him. Sa Min pretended not to see him and strolled towards the stage.

The sound thud, thud of his steps hitting against the ground could be heard.

Everyone's attention was focused on him.

It didn't take long before he reached the platform. On the stage, the scowling Elder Sa Yu Guo rose from his wooden chair, beckoning him over with his head.
Without a second of hesitation, Sa Min stepped onto the weathered platform, as calm as ever, making his way to the big wooden receptacle, the aged boards beneath him creaking.

Still one complete force apple and half remaining after the last young woman's awakening, Sa Min only took three of the force apples with both hands and continued his walk to the designated circle

The force apple felt a bit cool and heavy, their surface slick as glass and their color as white as snow.

Getting there, Sa Min threw one last glance around the silent faces, impatiently staring at him. A smile formed on his face but was swiftly stifled by a soft sigh. Sitting down with his legs crossed, Sa Min placed the three force apple before him, next to the other two.

He calmly closed his eyes, then held one of the apples to his force gate. straightway, the force apple trembled in his hand, and he could sense the primal force flowing into his force gate.

It felt like... that refreshing feeling you get when you wash your snake in cold water and walk out into the cold breeze

After some time, Sa Min opened his eyes, the force apple now spent and dry. Brushing away its leavings from his hand, he picked up another one.

These force apples were more than mere fruit, obviously; they were vessels of pure primal force…or more accurately, they were the tangible form of condensed primal force. Such valuable resources could only be found within the White Garden.

And what was the White Garden?

The White Garden was the reason for Tetra Blessing City's existence. It was the most valuable place in the city, producing large amounts of apple force. In fact, it was considered the foundation of the city. Controlled by the city lord, the White Garden was heavily guarded by the local army.

Nearly 900 years ago, after the Bloodthirsty Invasion incident had occurred in the area, the survivors — especially the 4 Clan — had banded together and moved to this place after discovering it contained a White Garden, thus forming Tetra Blessing City.

Before Sa Min began absorbing the next apple force, he glanced up at the elder nearby with an indifferent face. Sa Yu Guo looked…more scowled than he normally was.

Sa Min couldn't help but snicker in his heart. He knew exactly why that was.

One of the aspects that differentiates the five aptitudes was the speed of absorbing the primal force. And the time Sa Min took to completely absorb the first force apple did not… look great at all.

I can tell which sea core I have just from this absorption speed. What a coincidence! It's just like my first time; there's no doubt about it.

Once more, Sa Min closed his eyes, his face showing no grief whatsoever as he placed the force apple before his force gate, letting the primal force flow in.

It continued like this for moments. Then, suddenly, Sa Min felt a weird…. it was as though he were being stripped naked in the snow. Goosebumps ran over him, awakening every hair on his body

Sa Min paid the strange sensation no mind, as he steadfastly fixed his inner sight on his spherical sea core that had just opened. It had been quite some time since he last saw it, but still, it looked all familiar.

A layer of sky blue enveloped the sea core, or dantian as some called it. With a surface as rough and rugged as a wild beast's hide, this reflected the natural state of rank 10 Ka Wielders' sea core walls in the first transformation. These walls served two key functions — Supporting the sea core from collapsing was one of them.

The sea core in itself was an enigmatic, internal, separated space that shared no physical space with any organs. Its size, however, differed based on one's aptitude.

For example, the size of the Ordinary sea core was only 20% of the size of the Legendary sea core

Within Sa Min's sea core was a huge sphere of his unique pure force— sky-blue in color, smooth as glass, glittering with tiny copper flicks — sky-blue pure force, the kind of pure force that only ka wielders at his rank possessed.

This sky-blue pure sea was not his yet. It was still filled with the real Sa Min's Copper Essence Marks.

There was a distance between this sphere of sky-blue pure sea and the wall. All ka wielders' sea cores were like that, no matter their aptitude or cultivation Rank.

Above the sea sphere surface, something was hovering—a dark jagged rock with its edges jutting out, filled with tiny darker holes glowing in red. This was the Borned Ka of the original owner of this body.

Volcanic Glowing Rock Ka of the Fire Smallway, Sa Min mused to himself. This Ka can only be used with one Yantra. If the frame of this body is Highway Frame, then it is possible that my essence core is the Reality essence core.

At that moment, the Volcanic Black Rock Ka suddenly trembled.

Now, Sa Min thought quickly. Without wasting a single second, he immediately summoned a group of small golden grains that, if you looked closely, you would see that they had intricate lines. They came in through the wall of the sea core and swept over everything.

The Kas were born into this world in three different ways, one of them as Borned Ka of ka wielders. Every ka wielder had their own Borned Ka that they borned with, their very essence, the thing that made them who they were, like their… souls, giving them their unique identity.

So even though Sa Min managed to take possession of this body, its Borned Ka was not his.

When a ka wielder's Borned Ka got damaged, its wielder would have a severe reaction, and when it got destroyed, the ka wielder would die, no doubt about it.

That was why, before the battle between him and the red-flames mercenary band, he had hidden his Borned Ka in a safe place, providing it with enough food that would suffice it for many years.

Because if they had managed to seize his Borned Ka and refine or destroy it, he would have died no matter if he succeeded using the Ba Switch Yantra or not.

With almost no resistance, Sa Min's rank 7 Essence Marks erased the rank 10 Essence Marks of the old Sa Min entirely, replacing it with his. Now, the sea core's walls, the sphere sea, the Borned Ka, all belonged to him.

That wasn't the case, naturally. Refining Kas, whether they were the Natural Kas or the Created Kas, was a very difficult process, requiring a lot of Mark Essence and patience, depending on their ranks and the ranks of their past owners.

But this Volcanic Black Rock Ka was rank 10 — meaning it only produced rank 10 Essence Marks — and it had just awakened, still weak as it hadn't drunk yet. Moreover, the old Sa Min was just a one-year-old baby—his will was weak.

But Sa Min's Essence Marks were rank 7 as his borned ka was rank 7. It had been ranked 4 but one of the flaws of the Ba Switch Yantra was that the rank of the Borned Ka would be lowered with an entire realm.

That was why Sa Min had managed to refine the Volcanic Black Rock Ka in no time.

Watching the Ka sink down into the sky-blue pure sea, Sa Min calmly opened his eyes, smiling, indifferent to the outcome of his awakening. He'd hoped for a good aptitude. It hadn't happened, what could he do?

The crowd was in a state of… silence, not that curious anticipation silence of before, when they had eagerly waited for him to open his Legendary sea core. This..this was a silence of shock as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

"Hey? Have you opened your sea core?" asked Elder Sa Yu Guo, his voice sounded like… he was begging Sa Min to say no. Sa Min slowly pushed himself to his feet, answering the crowd's silent question.

The crowds went crazy! Their faces contorted with mockery, and disappointment, and rage; some people were laughing like they had never laughed before, and some were already turning to leave.

Sa Min grinned as he turned his head from side to side, enjoying the bustling sight of the crowd.

Before him, Elder Sa Yu Guo let out a heavy sigh. "Legendary sea core... huh, can't believe I bought into that," he mumbled quietly before turning his head to look at Sa Min.

Only to find Sa Min's face showed no sadness, no disappointment, no anger, no emotion at all, in fact. And this only made the elder's disappointment turn into anger.

"What are you still arrogant about, little brat?" The elder rapped. "It's merely an average sea core. You…you need to hide your face in shame, like everyone else, like your father over there." He nodded towards the elders' section, where Sa Huiqin sat, his own head buried in his arms like an ostrich trying to hide itself.

The elders surrounding him looked like they were attacking him with their mocking eyes and words and laughs.

"Aren't you disappointed that Heaven has betrayed you?" Elder Sa Yu Guo continued with anger. "Aren't you angry that people are leaving you—you see them, don't you?" He nodded towards the stands that were getting emptied.

Sa Min met his gaze calmly but remained silent.

"Why are you so bland? Do you not understand the importance of aptitudes in cultivation?"

Oh, I know, trust me, little man, I know very well the great difference between aptitudes, not just in terms of cultivation speed or potential but also in terms of battle strength, crafting Yantras and creating Kas, and more and more...

But… I had a C-grade aptitude before and I know that this is not the end of it. Disappointed in Heaven? Brother, if anything, I should be grateful to it. I could have transmigrated to a non-wielder or failed entirely...that is if it exists in the first place.

As for the people leaving me, heh, aren't they going to leave no matter what, whether they like it or not…nah… I cut that slavery thread a long time ago.

Growing impatient, Elder Sa Yu Guo stepped closer, "Why are you not talking? Are you so disrespectful that you can't even respond when an elder is talking to you?"

 

[Kachti]

Sa Min, not intimidated in the least, finally spoke up. "Disappointment you asked me? No, I am not disappointed, I am not angry either, Elder."

That creepy smile of his, the one that never touched his cold eyes began to form. "And why would I. This is what my ancestors gave me, and I'm grateful for it, shouldn't I? Beside…"

Sa Min nonchalantly scratched at his nose, knowing very well that his smile was about to get even creepier. "Aren't we all important pieces of this house?" He mockingly asked.

Elder Sa Yu Guo's beady eyes sharpened at that before furrowing in a frown. "You..." He stared at Sa Min for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh. What could he say to words like those in front of everyone?

"You're right, I was a little emotional; I let my hopes run wild, I apologize." He patted Sa Min on the shoulder. "I apolo… let me see your sea core, son, just to ease this old man's worries." He gave Sa Min a gentle smile. "You have no problem, do you?"

"Of course not, Elder. No problem at all," Sa Min evenly replied, his smile vanished.

He didn't bother checking the sea core of anyone before me… and tossing it out like that, trying to catch me off guard. Hmm, he's definitely suspicious of me, Sa Min calmly thought to himself

Sea Cores were... more private to Ka wielders than their private parts, and that for very good reasons. Asking a ka wielder to let you see his sea core was more inappropriate than asking to let you see his ass, that's for sure.

But Elder Sa Yu Guo here wasn't asking, and Sa Min was too weak to resist even that.

Out of the elder's sea core, through his force gate, a Ka surged forth, landing in his palm. It was a tiny square mirror in the size of an egg, dangling from a long, thin wooden bamboo stick.

The Bamboo Mirror Ka, huh, Sa Min thought, recognizing the rank 10 Ka. It was a well-known Ka that all kinds of organizations had, be it academies, clans, armies, mercenaries, or anywhere else.

Its ability was to see inside a ka wielder's Sea Core for a limited time, but it could only work if the concerned ka wielder allowed it to enter. It could not force its way in.

With a tap of Elder Sa Yu Guo's index finger, the Ka's bamboo stick stretched out, entering Sa Min's force gate. The elder carefully watched the reflection of Sa Min's sea core in the mirror in his hand.

Finding there was nothing suspicious, he let out a sigh and the stick shrunk down to its original size with a screeching sound. He then casually dropped the Bamboo Mirror Ka back into his sea core and looked around, shouting to the remaining crowd: "Sa Min, Average sea core, C-grade aptitude."

The few people who remained in the stand, the ones that had been clutching onto a thin thread of hope, turned and began to drift away as the elder's clear words reached their ears.

Sa Min's gaze shifted towards the participants' section. Only a handful of children were there, and they were now leaving, casting contemptuous looks his way. Sa Juan was the only one still sitting, staring at him, her face covered with shock and disbelief.

It was not really obligatory for the participants to remain after awakening their own sea core.

The only reason people stayed until now was to witness the awakening of the legendary sea core — the sea core that they only heard of in myth and books.

However, after watching Sa Min's failure to fully absorb the second force apple, most of the participants start leaving—they had just opened their sea core, so they were naturally eager to begin cultivation.

Not far away, Sa Min could see the womanizer patriarch walking away from view, followed by his two female slaves. One after the other, the elders left, casting scornful glances at Sa Huiqing, who still hid his face between his arms.

Gradually, the noise in the arena faded away.

"To which clan do you belong?" Elder Sa Yu Guo mumbled in a disappointed tone, his beady eyes on the approaching belt holder

"The ca clan," Sa Min indifferently responded.

The elder, finding it a waste of time, grunted and snatched the blue belt from the ka wielder's elegant hands and, without further questions, tossing it to Sa Min. "That's enough. You're done here," he scornfully said, turning his wrinkled face to the nervous Sa Juan in the stand. "Sa Juan! Your turn."

Caught unprepared, Sa Juan nearly tumbled off her seat in shock. "Y-Yes Elder!" she stammered, hurriedly and awkwardly descending the steps.

Sa Min immediately walked off the stage. Obtaining a C-grade aptitude meant he had to fight in the outer competition tomorrow to secure his spot in the inner circle. After all, the inner circle's first year only had twenty seats, which were reserved for those with B-grade aptitude and above. The remaining seats would be filled through the outer competition.

But before that, I need to check what the hell happened to my back.


***


"Brother…" Sa Juan's mouth hung open as Sa Min passed by without so much as a glance. "That's…"

She couldn't believe it. His face…

His face was as always, calm and indifferent, seeming to not give a damn about anything.

His light blue eyes were cold and bland.

His walk was slow and measured.

How can he be this calm? Isn't it merely a C-grade aptitude? Isn't he afraid of what our father's reaction would be?

Countless questions spinning around In My Head as she watched her brother's retreating back.

Isn't all of his coldness coming from the idea that he has the Legendary sea core? That's he is geni—

A frightening thought struck her head then, sending a wave of dread into her chest. If Sa Min, that genius— and she'd lived with him all these years, she knew very well how genius that little devil was— only had an average sea core, what sea core could she possibly possess, and she was just…normal?

Her heart started pounding.

Sa Juan took a deep breath to calm her nerves, then stepped onto the stage. She glanced at Elder Sa Yu Guo, but he paid her no mind, sitting in his chair with his head down in his book.

She nodded to him anyway and carefully took two force apples from the receptacle and proceeded to the circular spot.

Taking another deep breath, Sa Juan sat down and crossed her legs.

Then, closing her eyes tightly, she began her usual begging: "Please Heaven, dear Ancestors, dear the Higher One, please, please, please, I beg you, I'll do anything, I'll do..."

The first force apple was absorbed completely, safely escaping the ordinary sea core.

She grabbed a second force apple, and luckily for her, she managed to entirely absorb it as well.

A wave of overwhelming happiness washed over her heart. Thank you, thank you Heaven, I have the average sea core. I'm like Sa Min now…she thought, her eyes still firmly shut.

She reached for the third force apple. Another one, please, please, just this one and I'll start giving one force apple to the poor monthly, I swear, please…

And the third force apple was completely absorbed.

Haha, Elite sea core, I had Elite sea core, thank you, thank you! I'll never forget this. I can become an elder, I can reach rank 7, just like father. Haha, my father will be proud of me...

A feeling of joy like she had never experienced before coursed through her body.

She wanted to open her eyes and let out a loud cry. And why not? Only one Sa Men possessed an Elite sea core this year. And now she was the second—that was unique. She was unique!

Oh, how much She wanted to scream that.

However, she held herself back and grabbed the fourth force apple instead. Once more, she began to whisper: Just this one, if...

The primal force began flowing into her force gate.

This time, though, she wasn't really expecting anything. She would be content with Elite sea core… it would definitely be enough to make people notice her, right?

Besides, the grand sea core was something rare and unique; only the special few had it. Wasn't the only one who possessed it in hundreds of years the patriarch's son, Sa Qiao?

At that moment, the primal force stopped flowing and the chilling feeling she had heard the Ka wielders had when they opened their Sea Core enveloped her.

This is…

She couldn't dare to believe it. The A-grade aptitude? Could she possibly possess a Grand sea core? Surely, this couldn't be true. No, no, this was overwhelming. This was simply too much!

Disbelief enveloped her thoughts. However, all her doubts were washed away as she gazed on her sea core with her inner sight.

Hahahah…

This time, the overwhelming joy was too much for her to contain. She opened her eyes and screamed as loudly as she could: "This is the Grand sea core! I have A-grade aptitude. Look at me!"

She hysterically stood up, looking around the stands like crazy. "Look at me! I have A-grade aptitude; I have the Grand sea core!"

However, apart from the faint chatter of five people over there, there was no reaction, no shouts of joy, no applause. Sa Min wasn't here, nor were her father and all those bastards who had mocked her.

There was only silence, and the Elder Sa Yu Guo who stood clutching his head. His old eyes widened in complete shock.

The smile on Sa Juan's face slowly faded away.

 

[Kachti]

Unaware of Sa Juan's situation, Sa Min continued to stride back towards the house. What had happened to his back was still troubling his head. However, he understood that no amount of speculation would help until he saw with his own eyes.

As he walked along the bustling main street, Sa Min could hear people mocking and insulting him. Sa Min paid them no mind as he suddenly took a turn down a small alley and approached a small, humble cultivation store.

Over the counter, there were already three ka wielders waiting. The moment they noticed his presence, their expressions changed.

"Isn't this the heavenly miracle, or should I say the trash, son of the traitors, haha," one of them jeered.

"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be back at the mountain? Or do you actually believe that the patriarch's pardon still holds?" another spat.

"Look, he's still pretending to be cool. Let me bring you back to reality." Annoyed by Sa Min's indifference, the last one stepped forward. However, before he could try something stupid, the storekeeper saved him. "Hey, don't fight in front of my store." He placed six large glass bottles filled with a gray liquid on the counter. "Here are your things."

"Don't you have bags?"

"Unfortunately, we've run out of bags," the storekeeper responded with a pleasant smile.

"Stop lying old man. I know you hid them right there." They held their bottles and moved away. "This is the last time we are going to come here."

The one who was bothered by Sa Min turned his head, shooting a threatening glare at Sa Min. "Our business isn't finished yet. I'll see you at the outer competition."

Sa Min only sighed, then stepped forward.

"Soul Liquor too?" The old storekeeper asked.

"Yeah, the large size."

"Give a minute." The storekeeper went inside for seconds before returning with two bottles. "Here they are."

"Only one," said Sa Min as he brought the only apple force he had out from his robe.

"Haven't you just awakened your Borned Ka?" The old man snatched the force apple from Sa Min's hand. "Your Borned Ka needs two of them to be fully satisfied. You know that, right?"

Sa Min smiled. "I already have one at home," he said, summoning the Volcanic Black Rock Ka forth through his Force Gate.

The Ka hoved above the counter, its tiny holes aglow with orange hues.

Sa Min could sense that it was only at 5% of its energy—as all Borned Ka was when they first awakened.

The storekeeper's eyes widened. "You're planning to feed it here?!"

"And why not." Sa Min uncorked the bottle and poured the gray Soul Liquor. Instantly, the Volcanic Black Rock Ka absorbed every drop eagerly; not a single trace spilled onto the counter.

Sa Min could still tell the ka's energy was at 5%, but he wasn't surprised. He knew that after drinking, Natural Kas would get drunk for a while.

The Kas were super crucial for ka wielders since they serve as the key to Yantras. Each Yantra had a specific Ka or Kas that the ka wielder had to have in order to activate it. This was common knowledge. Without the specific Ka, activating the Yantra was simply impossible

It didn't matter what rank the Ka was in or what Highway or Smallway it belonged to, it was just impossible to be activated without its Ka. Some Kas simply needed to be within the ka wielder's sea core or on their body to get the Yantra working, like this Volcanic Black Rock Ka.

Others had to be physically placed on the target for the Yantra to perform, like the Six-lines White Ring Ka. And then there were those Kas that actually played a part in the Yantra's ability, like the Pointed Jade Box Ka and the Square Paper Ka.

There were two types of Ka. And both of them needed feeding. The natural type's food was quite simple. It was the Soul Liquor that was produced in Drinks Barns. Sa Clan's Drinks Barn had been headed by Sa Huiqing before the pardron came.

Rank 10 Natural Kas required two bottles every three days to stay at peak of their energy. In each meal, it needed two big bottles.

One force apple was all that Sa Min had, so he could afford only one big battle. Besides, he didn't need to anyway.

"Young man, you've just awakened your Born Ka. Take this advice from an old man," the storekeeper said in a serious tone. "Never reveal your Borned Ka in public. It's your life. Imagine if someone damaged it or stole it—you'd be in serious trouble."

Sa Min nodded. The old man was right. Everyone knew this. Even in battles, ka wielders would never reveal their Borned Ka unless they absolutely had to. But this Ka wasn't his Borned Ka, so he had nothing to fear.

"Appreciate your advice." Sa Min said with a smile, summoning his Ka back before leaving. He had barely taken a few steps when he sensed a surge in the Volcanic Black Rock Ka's energy—its power was now 50%

---

As Sa Min entered his room, he swiftly shut the door and closed the window. The chamber went dark; he lit the oil lamp on his desk. Immediately after that, he took off his robe and walked straight to the long, bronze mirror hanging behind the door.

A frown instantly formed on his face as he laid his eyes upon his reflection.

There were five words etched in black across his slender back.

"What the hell..." he muttered, confused.

Running his fingers along the marks, they felt like old wounds etched deeply into his flesh.

Sa Min's frown deepened. This had to be some kind of Yantra, there's no explanation other than that. But what Yantras was this? Who the hell did it? And Why? Maybe it was those bastards from the Heavenly Union? Has his identity been exposed?

Taking a long, deep breath, Sa Min tried to calm the flood of doubts swirling in his heart. He plopped down behind his scarlet wooden writing desk, determined to figure this shit out.

Alright, let's take this step by step. What kind of Yantra that engraves words on the back of someone? he thought to himself.

How the hell was he supposed to know? The amount of Yantras out there was unimaginable, even though Sa Min was over 600 years old and had reached rank 4, his vast knowledge of Yantras, Kas, recipes, and all that, felt like a mere drop in the vast ocean of what really existed.

All he knew is this Yantra is some kind of communication thing. No idea how it worked or what it really meant.

Sa Min could feel himself getting frustrated. Who the hell wants to send me a message like this?

Sa Min sat there for a while, thinking and thinking. But he eventually concluded nothing. There was not much information in hand to conclude anything. He took a frustrated sigh. He hated this feeling, this lack of control. It pissed him off when he felt like someone was pulling the chains. Like a slave.

Another deep sigh and he turned his attention to the content of the message. No need to look again, he remembered those five words: Key. Qings. Colored eyes. Blood.

To the ka wielders in the Bottom and Middle Realm, the concept of the Key might be unfamiliar. However, in the Upper Realm, Keys held a special place. Because whenever an Immortal died, a key to their Inner Domain would naturally form.

The Qings were that torn family that came to Tetra Blessing City a few years ago. Sa Min knew them. Their young master was an outer disciple in the academy.

"Colored eyed…" Sa Min muttered, his thoughts immediately drawn to those colored-eyed people who had gone missing.

And when he reached the final word, a grin spread across his face. This simple word, 'Blood' was all it took for him to connect the dots. 'Don't tell me...there's a Key in the city… and its passcode is… the blood of… the colored eyes people.'

This should be it. Now that he thought about it, the disappearance of the colored-eyed people had started three years ago, at the same time the Qings family arrived. This was no coincidence.

But people are still disappearing, which means… they haven't found it yet.

Sa Min could feel himself getting excited. This was an opportunity. An opportunity that he might never meet again in a long time.

With his aptitude, his cultivation speed was doomed to be slow.

But if he got his hand on the Key, if he could enter the Inner Domain… that would definitely change a lot of his plans.

But then.

His grin vanished, and his face went indifferent again. His doubts about who had sent the message resurfaced again.

It could be another party that is interested in the Key. Maybe they are afraid to be caught by authorities, so they want me to get it and then take it from me? But why me of all people, a poor outer disciple who hasn't opened his Essence Core yet? How do they even know I know what Keys means?

This just didn't make any sense.

The Qings, whoever is messing with me, and who knows who else is involved in searching for the Key, Sa Min thought, rubbing his left eye. I'm barely rank 10 who knows nothing but there is a Key. Throwing myself into this game is no different from searching for my death.

His strength was too weak, and the risk was too high.

But again…

Sa Min reached out to his back, feeling the words; a helpless sigh escaped his mouth.

If the information was true, which he needed to verify first, he was already involved. Some son of bitch had gotten him involved without his permission.

Sa Min kept musing about how he could benefit from this information and drove himself away from trouble.

After some time, the voice of his personal slave, Hou Qing, called out from outside the room. "Master Sa Min, may I come in?" she said in a seductive tone.

Sa Min's eyebrow raised. He hadn't summoned her. But whatever, he was just about to call for her anyway. With a calm demeanor, he put back his robe and replied, "Sure, come on in."

The door opened, and Hou Qing stepped inside, closing it behind her. Though she had already reached her thirties, she still looked as stunning as ever. She had to be. How else could she have escaped the Drinks Barn if she weren't?

However, something was different about her this time. Her pale yellow robe was hanging loose, showing almost all of her breasts. Her flawlessly white legs were visible up to her thigh. It was clear that she wasn't wearing any underwear.

"You haven't eaten since morning, so I thought I'd bring you something," she said, trying to keep a seductive face despite her obvious fear.

Sa Min smiled. He knew why she had come. "Sure, why not? Just put it down over there and wait for me. I'll be done in just a few seconds."

Hou Qing ogled at him as she placed the loaded tray on a nearby low table with trembling hands, then gently settled onto the cushion, moaning softly.

Noticing that Sa Min was looking at her, she purposely dropped her robe even more, uncovering her entire breast.

Sa Min's indifferent face didn't move at all. But his snake did, as it began to wake up. And that's not good. Sa Min looked down at it and sighed helplessly.

He always thought of his snake and his stomach, and the other things as slavery chains that their only purpose was to remind him that he was a slave. What uses did they have, really?

Kas at least did something for you when you fed them. But what did those things do?

Realizing where his thoughts had gone, Sa Min rubbed his left eye before snatching up a quill and some yellow parchment and frantically beginning to scrawl without pause.

As someone with colored eyes myself, I'm not going to let myself end up being a sacrifice by the Qings family or anyone else searching for the Key. Sa Min sneered within his heart.

Prior to the Awakening Ceremony, the situation of the missing children with colored eyes hadn't really bothered him that much. He had shown them signs that he could be a genius with an A or S-grade aptitude. The Cultivation Academy would never have allowed him to be harmed or taken.

But now that he had been revealed to have only Average sea core, Sa Min was certain that neither the Academy nor the Clan would give a damn if he were to disappear.

After a few moments, Sa Min stopped the quill, his eyes scanning the words he had written. Satisfied, he nodded to himself and carefully rolled the parchment tight before tucking it into his robe.

This was just a precaution, should they come for him as well.

Sa Min then turned his attention to Hou Qing. "So, what's your next move?" He asked coldly.

"W-What?" Hou Qing's head turned in shock.

"You clearly came here to seduce me. I asked you what's next?"

Moments of intense silence fell over the room, and then Hou Qing forced a soft chuckle. "Forgive me, master," she said, touching her body in a lustful way. "All the female slaves had long done this theri master. Sixteen is the legal age for having sex. Yet, you've never touched me. I began to wonder if I'm the problem and that I should've been the one to—"

"Take off your robe."

Hou Qing's face twisted for a second. "Of course," she said, standing up and casually releasing her belt as she approached Sa Min. And right when she appeared she was about to take off her robe, she suddenly pulled a blade out of her pocket and recklessly charged at Sa Min.

Sa Min easily swatted her arm away, causing the blade to drop. Then, with a powerful slap, he threw her onto the yellow wooden floor.

"You think I didn't notice the blade?" Sa Min sneered, looking down at her with his icy blue eyes.

"Please, please, I don't want to die…" Hou Qing began to cry desperately.

Non-wilders like Hou Qing were humans who weren't born with Force Gate, nor Imprints Gate on their body. They had no Sea Core nor Essence Center. And instead of Kas, they had souls.

People like them could not cultivate, but everything in the world had some role to play and they were no different. It's just their roles was not…How to say it? They're not enjoying their roles, that's for sure.

Because their souls were the food of Natural Kas. And that made them valuable resources to the ka wielders. And so, they were kept in a place called the Drinks Barn, where they were raised and fed and stored, and ultimately absorbed.

Watching her plead, Sa Min snored and summoned forth the Volcanic Black Rock Ka.

At the sight of the Ka, Hou Qing, like a rabbit seeing a wolf, instinctively leaped towards the door. She knew pleading would be a waste of time, but she didn't know running would be as well.

Before she could even take three desperate steps, the Ka caught up to her. And immediately, she crumpled to the ground, kicking her legs and gurgling loudly as a gray liquid began to ooze from her mouth and eyes and every orifice in her body.

Her soul was being violently sucked by the Volcanic Black Rock Ka.

If she had been born in the Western Plane or other planes, she would definitely have a better life, Sa Min thought. He didn' blame her for trying to kill him. She had to do what she had to do to survive.

But that's exactly why he fed her to his Ka — other than that he had no more force apple to buy another Soul Liquid bottle — non-wielders were dangerous; many ka wielders had died by their hands while sleeping or while fucking them.

Unless you used some Yantra to keep the obedient, you wouldn't know when they might strike you.

Hou Qing's body was growing darker and darker, emitting a stench fouler than the smell of shit.

That's why Drinks Barnes and Soul Liquor bottles existed. Because if ka wielders were to feed their Natural Kas directly from the non-wielders, the world would... a filthy place.

Sa Min calmly watched her until life had completely faded from her eyes. He then beckoned the Volcanic Black Rock back into his palm.

Moments later, the Ka energy increased to 100%

---

The cultivation system will be explained gradually with the plot. But let me know if there's anything you didn't understand.

 

[Kachti]

A day passed, and the news of Sa Juan's A-grade aptitude spread like wildfire throughout every corner of Tetra Blessing City. Though she was a woman with a seed core, indescribable joy and pride filled the residents of the city.

Last night, within Sa Clan territory, the lights had never gone off. There had been noisy celebrations and banquets. It'd felt like people were celebrating a new year.

An emergency council had also taken place, and luckily for Sa Huiqing, he'd managed to keep onto his Elder position. The Sa Clan's once weakening prestige had now risen to the sky!

Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the influential Wen family, two twin young girls, about ten years old, were clinging desperately to a man's legs, crying.

"Please don't leave us, big brother. Please I beg you..."

"I promise I won't bug you to go out anymore, brother please don't go…"

Tears streamed down their skinny faces as they pleaded with Sa Men, their cries filled the air.

Sa Men regarded them with a gaze filled with love and affection. "I've already told you. I'm not going anywhere," he said, trying to calm them down.

"Stop lying to us! Why are you carrying a backpack then?"

"You wouldn't have taken this much clothes with you if you're just…"

Their faces were pallid, their bodies weak and skinny. It was obvious that they were terribly ill.

Their appearance made Sa Wen's heart ache.

If only there is a cure… He sighed with helplessness.

Sa Men sank to his knees and caressed the hair of his little sisters with his big hands. "I'm not going anywhere. How can I just go and leave you behind? I'm just returning to the Cultivation Academy."

"But why do you appear like you're never coming back," sniffled Sa Ruiba, one of his sisters, while the other, Sa Huin, continued to sob uncontrollably.

"Because, my beautiful flower, the first year classes in the inner circle are obligatory," Sa Men spoke in a gentle tone. "Cultivation takes a lot of time, and the distance between the Academy and here is very very long. Or do you want your brother to stay weak and become a joke among his friends?"

"Why don't you just cultivate at home? Dad's got plenty of those force apples," Sa Huin said, looking totally confused.

Sa Men gave her a loving smile, wiping her tears with his thumb. "Because I don't want to be stuck here all my life. I want to get that Academy certificate and explore the world. Remember how you said you wanted to see it too?"

"You taking us with you?"

"Of course! How could I leave you behind? Just don't tell father, alright? He won't be too…happy."

The girls finally laughed, brushing away their tears with their weak little hands.

This brought warmth to Sa Wen's chest

"When you come back, don't forget to bring those pink candies," Sa Huin said.

"A lot of them," Sa Ruiba added with a serious face.

Sa Wen hugged them carefully, fearing he might hurt them. "I love you so much," he whispered.

Though Sa Ruiba and Sa Huin weren't his biological sisters, Sa Men considered and treated them as if they were. From the moment they'd entered the house, they became a part of his family, for whom he would do anything.

Just as he was about to let a tear fall, a mocking voice came. "Are you seriously going to cry?"

Sa Men drew the tear back. "In your dreams."

A lean man in his sixties came out of a room, holding a cigarette in one hand and a small tea cup in the other. Unlike Sa Men, the man had a mustache and hair, gray and messy. He was Sa Wen's father, Sa Song.

Sa Song gave the little girls a look and they immediately bowed. "Dad," they said, terrified and ran into one of the rooms.

Sa Wen slightly frowned. "Why are they terrified of you, father?"

His old man took a puff from his cigarette as he approached. "Try giving them medicine everyday and you'll see."

Sa Song's teeth were yellow and around his mouth was black. Cigarette effects. Sa Wen had always talked him out smoking. But the man's head was as hard as a rock.
"Can you take them back to the hospital in the city, they might—

"I already did."

"When?" Sa Wen asked, unconvinced.

"Last week, when do you think I asked Doctor Xun about her daughter for you," Said Sa Song, exhaling a puff of smoke. "Wait, has she responded yet?" he suddenly remembered to ask.

Sa Wen ignored his question. "I think you should take them to a big city, you migh—."

"I already asked the City Lord before he took off to Ancient Blade City to find a doctor who knows about their illness." Sa Song let out a frustrated sight. "And I've been constantly bugging the patriarch to search in the Sea of Knowledge too. I wouldn't let them suffer if there was a cure, you know that. They are my own daughters." He paused to take a drag. "Whatever those colored-eyed kidnappers did to them, it's incurable."

Sa Men could feel an uncontrollable rage surging through him. He still vividly remembered that rainy day when his father, covered in wounds, had first brought his sisters into the house. His father had told him he'd saved them from the hand of a powerful kidnaper, and that he'd found them in this state.

Who the hell wanted to kidnap innocent little girls? What had they done to put them in such a state? What's their sick purpose?

Seeing the rage on Sa Men twisted's face, the father approached him with a concerned look. "Hey, don't get involved in this matter. You've just opened your sea core. You need to focus on cultivating and advancing in ranks."

He's right. Sa Wen took a deep sigh, calming his anger. I'm too weak. I haven't even opened my Essence Core. I just need to trust the Investigation and Justice Office to do their work and find these demons."

Just as Sa Wen was about to say something else, his father grabbed his shoulder, pulling him into a hug. "Don't worry. Nobody's going to lay a finger on them while I'm here."

Ignoring the terrible cigarette smell, a strange calm came over Sa Wen. This all he needed to hear before leaving with a relieved mind.

"Go and cultivate hard and stay alive. I know you don't want to stay in the clan. Don't worry, son. Do what you think is best for you, and don't let the clan hold you back. Just make us proud, that's all."

Sa Wen felt a little embarrassed. "I'll do my bes—"

"Don't cry again," Sa Song said sarcastically, taking a drag from the cigarette that was still in his fingers.

Sa Wen, being all big and bearded and bald, you wouldn't think they two hugging each other were a father and a son.

"Alright, go," said the father with an encouraging nod and Sa Wen immediately walked away, carrying his backpack in one hand, heading to the Cultivation Academy.

---

Tetra Blessing City was rectangular in shape, divided into three parts. The western part where the three major clans and the cursed zone exist. The central part was where the City Lord's mansion was located, surrounded by the wealthy families and big merchants, and beyond them lived the commoners.

And the Cultivation Academy, by far the most important place in the city, occupied the entire eastern part.

In a fancy house in the central part of the city that was in the direction of the academy, a young woman sat, hurriedly putting on her blue lotus shoes.

"Ugh, those shoes again," groaned a woman in her forties, leaning by the door with a helpless expression. "They're too long. If you keep wearing them, no one will marry you."

Small feet were one of the conditions for women's beauty in the Xi Empire. From a young age, women used to wear very small shoes — at the expense of their suffering — to keep their feet small.

"Good," Tan Chen said with a satisfied smile. "That's exactly what I want."

Her mother, Doctor Xun, her face covered in thick makeup in an attempt to hide the traces of old age, shook her head in disbelief. "Where are you going anyway in such a hurry?" she asked.

"To the outer competition," Tan Chen said, leaping to her feet, and walking hastily towards the door. "I'm too late. They might have finished already!"

"Why are yo…" Doctor Xun paused, realizing something. "Is it Sa Min again?" she said with an amused smile

Tan Chen stopped and looked at her mother with an annoyed face before continuing her hasty walk.

"Is he your type?" Doctor Xun followed her to the courtyard, laughing. "Are you interested in him?"

Ta Chen turned, her face filled with rage. It was as if someone had touched her dignity. "Until the four great walls fall and sun turn off for good and—"

"We start pooping force apples," Doctor Xun completed Ta Chen's usual saying with a chuckle.

With an annoyed huff, Ta Chen turned around and stormed out of the house.

With a smile still on her face, Doctor Xun stared to the side at the four black Great Walls. They were very very far away, but they were clearly visible as they were scratched endlessly to the sky with no end in sight, enveloping the Eastern Plane like a box.

"I don't know about pooping force apples, but I have a feeling that one day, those walls will fall."

---

It was evening; the sun had still some minutes before it completely turned off, still emitting some light.

The first year in the inner circle of the Cultivation Academy only offered twenty new seats, which were reserved for those with B-grade aptitude or above. Each of the three clans had two seats. The remaining seats would be filled through the outer competition."

The Sa Clan's two seats were occupied by Sa Juan and Sa Men. Duo Clan, who had only one B-grade aptitude this year, had the right to give the other seat to one of their own members.

As for the Lin Clan, they didn't have anyone with B-grade aptitude this year.

In addition to five people outside the three clans who had gotten B-grade aptitude, only nine seats were left for the outer disciples to fight over.

And since most of the outer disciples hadn't opened their Essence Core, the fights were done with kung fu, swords, daggers, and any other weapon they could use.

In the arena of the outer circle where the competition was taking place, a heavy silence engulfed the air.

The outer disciples, the supervising inner disciples and whoever else who was watching. They were all silent, watching what was happening with faces with absolute shock and anger and disbelief..

Over the stage, a young man dropped powerlessly to his knees, moving his mouth, trying his very best to say something, but nothing would come out. His fear, the extreme fear… prevented him from doing so.

Blood-gushing down from his shoulders, his arms were chopped off.

And then…

A young man came standing behind him, Tears streamed down from the helpless man's eyes, pleading with his face. He could see it. Death. Could someone intervene please? Someone stopped this demon.

A young man came to stand behind him. Tears streamed down the helpless man's eyes, his face was pleading. He could feel it. Death. Just behind him. He didn't want to die. He never thought he would die.

An overwhelming fear had paralyzed him.

Could someone intervene, please? Could someone stop this demon?

Sa Min drew the man's chin up with one hand, and with the other, he pressed a cold dagger against his neck.

One of the inner disciples supervising the competition, shouted. "That's enough. There's no need to kill h—-"

With a thwack sound, Sa Min started beheading the man and looking into his terrified eyes.

Blood spraying onto the floor like a fountain; screams and cries of some echoed in the arena.

This was how Sa Min liked to do it. Killing people. He liked watching their eyes as their life slipped away from them. He liked to see them realizing how stupid they had been, realizing that the thing they tried so hard to forget about was… real.

After the man completely went away, Sa Min put his dagger back behind his belt and began searching the man's pockets. It didn't take long before he found a bundle of force apples.

Sa Min casually let the dead man fall and strolled down from the arena bloodstained, indifferent to all those furious and disgusted looks directed at him.

"Husband, husband!"

A woman came running past him to the stage, crying her eyes out.

Sa Min ignored her and went straight to the supervisors who were sitting behind a table.

He gave them a respected node. "Can I have the seal of the inner circle, senior Xie Jin?" he asked one of them.

Sa Min had spent a lot of time at the Cultivation Academy, and he naturally knew many faces.

"Frowning, Xie Jin regarded him in silence for a moment. 'Why didn't you stop when I called out to you? Why did you kill him…in that way when he was clearly no threat to you?' he said, a trace of anger in his voice.

Why did I do it, Why did I do it? Sa Min paused for a moment trying to find an answer that wouldn't anger this inner disciple in front of him any further. He knew that if he told him he'd done it because he simply could, the man would hold on to the seal.

"He didn't surrender," he finally said.

He didn't lie. If the man had surrendered, like the previous five he'd faced before him, he'd have let him go. Why would he drag himself into some trouble just to kill some random person?

Though it happened that the person he'd killed was the same Sa Clan young man who had threatened him at the store yesterday.

A coincidence, for sure.

Xie Jin's frown deepened. "He was trying to surrounder; you didn't have to do it."

Sa Min shrugged. "But he didn't, and the rules are the rules. Are you going to give me that seal or should I take it from the dean?"

Xie Jin grimaced, then turned to his partner by his side.

His friend nodded, didn't seem bothered like Xie Jin was. "Give it to him. He didn't break any rules."

Xi Jin turned back to him, and threw the seal away. "Fucking demon," he muttered under his breath. "People like you shouldn't be in the academy in the first place."

Sa Min calmly went and picked up the seal. Then, wasting no time, he strolled away.

The inner circle was his destination.

 

[Kachti]

It was the 9th of the third month in the year 17 756 FS — the day when the first year Inner Disciples always took their first class.

Everyone in the Cultivation Academy was well aware that the Inner Cycle was where the real teaching and real resources were, and the Inner Disciples were the true disciples. As for the Outer Cycle, it was merely a preparation step to select those who deserved it.

"Strengthening your Ba is a very important aspect of your cultivation that needs practice every day…"

In the west lecture hall, a young female ka wielder continued the lesson. She wasn't the formal instructor, merely a young disciple in her third year called Hu Guo. Typically, the classes of the first-year were overseen by senior disciples appointed by the administration or the instructor.

In the courtyard of the hall, Sa Min threw his gaze around, ignoring the deathly smell of sweat, trying to measure their Ba's strength of the disciple just from their faces.

Sitting cross-legged on a mat behind a small wooden table, under the gentle sunlight, a group of disciplines were tightly closing their eyes, their faces contorted in intense concentration. They looked as though they were trying to shit some large, jagged stone that stubbornly refused to get out.

In truth, one of them had indeed shit his pants. He had left… taking a flurry of curses from Hu Guo.

If it had not been for Hu Guo wisdom in conducting the lesson in the open air, the hall would have been blindly drowned in a stench.

Just as they'd stepped out into the courtyard, Hu Guo wasted no time in having them sit and began cultivating, shifting their sea force within their sea core and trying to clear the blocked blockage that was keeping them from reaching their core essence.

The process wasn't… as easy as it sounded.

You could see that form the disciples' faces.

However, not all disciples were stinking; some, even though few, looked relatively fine.

Ta Chen was among them. In fact, she'd sneakily open her eyes from time to time to see how those in front of her were doing, then closed them again with a happy smile.

Sa Juan also seemed to do okay as well.

Sa Wen, you'd think with his big frame and bored shoulders and black beard and B-grade aptitude that he would be much better than the rest. Wrong. His veins were popping out like crazy. He was dripping with sweat.

Clearly, he wasn't having a good time.

Sa Min sighed.

The strength of Bas had nothing to do with your aptitude, physical strength, or your Born Ka. It's a whole separate thing. Some were born with stronger Ba, some were very lucky.

The reason? There were different theories. In the Eastern Plane, most people believe that it was related to how much good you had done in the First Heaven. The more good you'd done, the better Ba you would receive in this Heaven.

Sa Min rubbed his left eye. That's why people didn't become specious of me when they discovered I only had C-grade aptitude. They likely assumed that I have a strong Ba.

Having a strong Ba was nice. Gave you a solid start. But it was not as impressive as having a better aptitude. Because, unlike aptitudes, Bas could be cultivated and strengthened.

It's a shame. If my Ba still had all its strength, strengthening my sea core wall would have been much faster.

These were the two drawbacks of the Switch Ba Yantra. Besides, his Borned Ka had leveled down by a Realm, his Ba had been drained of all its strength and had returned to its original state, which was not… very good.

The senior disciple Hu Guo kept going, her voice sounding as light as a little girl's. "Strengthening your Ba will not only help you move your sea force with ease, making it much easier to strengthen your sea core walls, but it will also help in manipulating the imprints within your essence core effortlessly."

She was sitting inside the hall putting herself as far away from the smell that filled the air as possible.

But even from there, and even with her lower face hidden beneath a white embroidered veil, she couldn't help but pinch her nose closed in disgust, fluttering her fan non stop.

She glanced at Sa Min through her white frame circle glasses. In spite of him doing literally nothing while everyone else was practicing intensely , she didn't seem to mind.

"Crafting Yantras required manipulating tens to hundreds of imprints at the same time, and that required huge mental strength. In terms of importance, cultivating your Bas is as crucial as cultivating your sea core."

She paused again, giving their burdened mind the time to digest her words. The disciples' heavy breathing was the only sound huffing in the courtyard.

"That's why this is your first lesson. Moving your sea force is the traditional and the simplest way to strengthen your Bas. Just like the body, you strengthen it by driving to its limit, and so is the Ba…"

Sa Min ignored Hu Guo. What could a rank 9 ka wielder possibly say that Sa Min didn't know already?

He wasn't some arrogant who thought he knew it all, but all she's saying was simply basic terms that everyone should already be familiar with.

Truth to be told, Sa Min knew very well that the knowledge he had was… barely a drop in the ocean of knowledge. Hence he'd planned to pay the Yantra Library a visit after the class was over.

The words that had been engraved on his back and remained there for about 24, still troubling his mind. He had to see if he could find something useful over there.

Coming to think of the message, Sa Min instinctively turned his head to the side.

A young man with untidy hair was sleeping on his small table, face down. Though there were a few steps between them, Sa Min could smell alcohol wafting from him.

It was Qing Lian, the second son of the Qing family, the family that, according to the encrypted message, was searching for the Key. The family that was behind the disappearance of the colored eyed people.

Did he believe that? Not just yet. How could he believe a message whose owner and their intentions were unknown without verifying it?

First, he needed to check if what the message stated was true. He'd already asked around about the Qing family. Nothing suspicious. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for the fact that this Qing Lian right there was an alcoholic who wandered the city at night like a madman, throwing punches at anyone who talked ill about his sisters.

As if sensing his gaze, Qing Lian lifted his head and met his eyes.

They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.

"What's up?" Qing Lian finally said with a cock, frowning.

Sa Min noticed that his eyes were dark brown. "What's up?"

Qing Lian strengthened his back in an attempt to intimidate him. "Why are you looking at me, brother?"

After the man Sa Min had beheaded yesterday, most of these fresh disciples who had never killed a human had been avoiding him like the plague, terrified.

But this man…was different.

Sa Min smiled. "I can look wherever I want, brother."

Still glaring. "Not at me."

"Really?" Sa Min said, giving him a serene blink.

"Yeah, really," Qing Lian said, drawing out the word.

"What are you going to do?"

Qing Lian took a long breath and was about to stand up when the senior disciple, Hu Guo, came out of the room, angrily.

"Hey, hey, you two! You don't want to cultivate like everyone, that's fine; it's only a less stinky smell." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "But to act like I'm not her while I'm talking, who do you think you are?"

Qing Lian snorted and went back to sleep.

Sa Min gave her a little nod. "Apologize."

Hu Guo ignored him and glanced around, continuing her class.

"The higher you advance in ranks and wish to craft high-ranking Yantras, the stronger your Ba must become." Her gaze settled on a huge man in the first row raising his hand. "What is it, Sa Wen?"

Sa Wen' white robe was dark with sweat. "Senior Sister," he managed to say through his heavy breathing, eyes still squeezed shut, still concentrating on manipulating his sea force. "How long does it take before we notice the difference of our Ba's strength, and please talk more about other methods besides just manipulating our sea force."

Noticing that Sad Wen was…suffering at this point, barely holding himself up, she said, clapping her hands: "Alright, that's enough. You can stop now."

The disciples instantly fall onto the ground before even opening their eyes.

They were extremely exhausted.

Ta Chen was the only one who seemed to be just fine. Even Sa Juan was panting, reaching out for the water bottle in her bag.

If I did cultivate with them, I would probably be worse than Sa Wen but worse than Sa Juan.

That's why Sa Min chose not to cultivate with them in the first place. If people knew he had a weak Ba, they might start questioning how then he'd showed these genius sighs when he was young and that might bring some unwanted attention.

Sa Min knew the Heavenly Union's methods, so he wanted to stay as unnoticed as possible.

Hu Guo gave them some time to rest, then began addressing Sa Wen's questions.

"I know it's frustrating," Hu Guo replied, with an understanding tone. "But you are a big man, Sa Wen, you know that in order to improve your body, you need months or more of constant hard training. The same applies to your Ba. You need to dedicate at least four hours everyday to cultivate, and within five days you will feel your Ba getting stronger."

By now, the disciples were listening carefully. People loved to hear when exactly they were going to improve. People loved numbers.

"After 20 days you'll be able to manipulate your sea force more effortlessly. But always remember, each rank is divided into six transformations and each transformation has denser sea force than the previous. This means that your Ba needs to grow stronger continuously as you progress. As for other ways. You can use Spherical Coins. But these items are very rare and therefore very expensive. Here in the Cultivation Academy, you need a very large amount of merits to get one."

There was disappointment in some disciples' faces.

"Look, I know the traditional way is slow and takes a lot of time, but it's something you're going to do, you're going to do, whether you have a Spherical Coin or not. Because, in all cases, you still have to cultivate your sea core and how are you going to do that without manipulating your sea fore, huh? In fact, I'd say that the traditional way is the better way, since you get to cultivate your sea core and strengthen your Ba at same time. I never used a Spherical Coin and here I can form a rank 9 Yantra just fine. You just need to persevere. Otherwise, you won't be able to go anywhere in the path of cultivation."

Her words did little to brighten their faces, apparently.

Idiots, Sa Min sneered in his heart. What do you think cultivation means? Using Yantras and performing abilities? They clearly don't know the amount of suffering that awaits them.

"Now, of course, you will focus your sea force solely on opening the blocked passage. Without an essence core, none of these would really matter. Ba, Ka, sea core, everything would be useless. That's why your first test would be opening your essence core. The second one who opens her and his essence core."

Hu Guo paused, making the youths before her grow curious.

She continued: "The second one who opens her and his essence core will get 20 merits and one."

The disciples' eyes went wide open.

"As for the first one, he will get 30 merits and…first-rank Spherical Coin."

The courtyard immediately went turbulent. Disciples couldn't believe what they had heard.

Spherical Coin? Sa Min thought. That's quite a reward.

He was a bit surprised. This item could strengthen the Ba quickly, and it was expensive. He'd heard that the rank 1 was worth more than 100 merits in the Treasure Hall of the academy.

He wasn't alone in his surprise. Some were talking to each other with excitement, while the others wore desperate expressions. They knew they had no chance in getting it.

"Alright, alright, except for women, everyone leaves," Hu Guo said, cutting off their conversations. "Don't go right or left, go directly to the bathhouse."

Taking the monthly pouch of force apples Hu Guo had given them at the beginning of the class, Sa Min walked out from the East Lecture Hall.

In the distance, Qing Lian was lumbering away.

Sa Min frowned slightly, surprised. It was as if the heated exchange they'd had in the class never happened.

I guess he's smarter than he looks, Sa Min thought, stretching his stuffed bones from sitting for two hours without doing anything, then glanced back at the lecture hall, where the woman stayed. He could tell why Hu Guo kept them in the class.

After that, with a long breath, he strolled out from the area of lecture halls to the center area where the Yantra Library was located.

 

[Kachti]

Sa Min looked up. A tower-shaped pavilion of four stories stood before him. It was the Yantra Library. The free resource that the academy offered to its inner disciples. Wasting no time, Sa Min walked up the stairs. He didn't really have any hope of finding the Yantra manual of the Yantra responsible for engraving words on his back.

But whatever…

Who knows. I might be able to find some interesting Yantra manuals here that I have never seen before. Sa Min thought with a clear mind. All in all, it's a good thing for me to increase his knowledge about Yantras and Kas.

In front of the doors, a group of ka wielders stood guard. The Yantra Library held a huge number of Common-tier Yantra manuals; it was only natural for it to be closely guarded from outside and inside.
.
Sa Min took his ID and Seal out of his robe, waiting as the guards checked out those who arrived before him. When his turn finally came, Sa Min stepped forward and handed his things to one of the guards.

The guard glanced lazily at them before passing them over to the elderly guard behind the desk, who was responsible for registering names. "You'll get them back when you leave on time," he said, giving Sa Min a small stick.

Sa Min frowned slightly. This was a time-stick, but for how long?

"How much time, if I may ask?"

The guard raised an eyebrow. "You're new?"

"He's a first year student," answered the old man registering his information.

"Oh." The guard rubbed his forehead with his finger; his companions laughing at him. "I... I totally forgot about that. Anyhow, rank 10 ka wielders in the first transformation only have one hour on the first floor every week. The stick I gave you is a one-hour-stick that will completely melt when one hour has passed. Make sure to come out on time if you don't want to get expelled."

He opened the doors. "And… you probably haven't opened your essence core yet, but I'll say it anyway. Don't use any Yantras, otherwise, you will be… punished."

Sa Min nodded and entered; the guard immediately shut the door.

Without using some memorizing Yantra or picturing Yantra or something, one hour is definitely not enough, Sa Min thought, scanning the red-lit room filled with bookshelves. But I believe as we advance in ranks, we'll get more time.

Except for some whispers and paper fluttering, the room was utterly silent.

Sa Min made his way through the aisle, his eyes drifting between the Yantra manuals.

Thankfully, the bookshelves were divided into sections, and that saved Sa Min a lot of time in searching for the communication-type Yantra manuals. In no time, Sa Min found himself before the communication-type bookshelf; roughly thirty manuals were there.

With no hesitation, Sa Min reached out and snatched one of the manuals from the shelf, its cover displaying the Yantra's name: [The Whisperflying Blade].

He quickly returned it; he was well familiar with it. He pulled another manual, but it held no surprise for him as well.

"The Short Sound Carrying Yantra," muttered Sa Min, looking down at the third manual he'd selected. This one he didn't know. Curious, he opened the first page.

*[Yantra Ability: Record your voice in one cube and transmit it to its twin cube.

Yantra drawbacks: Sound takes three days to arrive. Cubes must be within 700 meters.

Yantra Type: Communication.

Yantra Highway: Reality.

Yantra Smallway: Sound.

Required Ka: The Green Dotted Cubes. Wooden Beak Cubes.

Imprints: 15 gray, 12 white, 21 blue]*

Unimpressed, Sa Min casually flipped through the pages, skimming over the pentagon-shaped dots meticulously placed on every page. With each turn, the dots multiplied, gradually turning into a complete design that unfolded on the final page — a cube with two lines coming out of it, swirling it twice before meeting at the top.

That was the Yantra. That was the design ka wielders needed to craft within their essence core in order to use the Yantra's ability.

I can think of 20 rank 10 Yantra that can do the same, if not better, Sa Min thought, shoving the manual back onto the shelf and searching for another one that would really interest him.
.
Sa Min didn't expect to find anything special, though. After all, the Yantras manuals found here were merely Common-tier manuals of rank 10 Yantras.

Yantras, like ka wielders and Kas were classified from 10 to 1 based on their ability, the number of imprints required, and various other factors. However, when it came to their manuals, the classification was entirely different.

These manuals were ranked into a mere six tiers, ranging from Common-tier to Mysterious-tier, and their rank depended solely on how common they were. The more common a manual, the more it lost its value, whereas the rarer the manual, the more valuable it was.

And in spite of the fact that a manual being Common-tier or Mysterious-tier had nothing to do with the Yantra's strength itself, Yantras with Common-tier manuals tended to be weaker among Yantras of their ranks.

The reason for that was quite simple: people didn't like to share powerful Yantras.

Even though the Common-tier manuals were not worth much compared to others in the same ranks, ka wielders still needed to pay for them.

The Yantra Library here was offering them as free resources to the Inner Disciples, even if only for a limited time.

As for whoever wanted Yantar manuals above Common-tier, there was a big store not far from here called Treasure Hall that offered that and more. They just need enough merits.

Sa Min closed the last communication-type manual out here and put it back. Nothing about engraving words on someone's back. But Sa Min was not disappointed. He didn't expect anything to begin with.

'I'll check the Treasure Hall once I open my essence core.' Sa Min thought as he moved away to another bookshelf. 'There are all ranks and types of Yantras manuals there.'

Naturally, he wouldn't be allowed to check them with his eyes like he's doing here. But that's fine, he only needed to give them hints about the ability, and they would tell him all the possible Yantras.

The Yantra's name was all he needed.

There were other places he could go as well. Especially in the cursed area.

Sa Min took his time, examining other manuals, before he eventually decided to leave, the small stick in his hand had shrunk and was about to disappear.

Stepping out of the library, he went straight to the desk at the side to retrieve his belongings.

"You are that Sa Min who beheaded an outer disciple yesterday, aren't you?" The old man behind the desk spoke casually as he continued to register information.

His words grabbed the attention of the other guards and the inner disciples, who were on their way to the library.

Sa Min sighed in his heart, giving the man as respectful of a face as he could. "Pleasure to meet you, Senior."

He didn't want to go around defying everyone while he hadn't opened his essence core yet.

The old man looked up at him, no anger or annoyance in his eyes. He just seemed like he wanted to put Sa Min on the spot for the heck of it. Perhaps he was just too bored of jotting down names all day and wanted something interesting to break the monotony.

"You know, after you'd killed him, his poor wife killed herself and her daughter out of grief," he said.

Sa Min widened his eyes a bit, acting as if he were surprised. "That's… I had no idea," he lied. He had actually heard the story earlier this morning when everyone was gossiping about him in the lecture hall.

She'd killed herself and her daughter, and? What did that have to do with him?

"Why did you do it?" The guard who had opened the door to him jumped in with a hint of curiosity. "Why did you kill him that way?"

Putting on a sorrowful expression, Sa Min stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to come up with a convincing story that would put an end to this problem once and for all.

Finally, he let out a weary sigh. "I guess I must say it, don't I?"

They merely looked at him.

"That man was actually from my own clan," Sa Min said, a hint of regret in his voice. "We had some issues in the past. I don't want to go into details and disrespect him, especially now that he's dead. But before the competition, we agreed to settle our problem with a fight to the death. That's why he didn't surrender."

Sa Min paused, glancing at everyone as though he had no choice. "How could I back down when he himself chose not to? That would kill his honor as a man."

Their curiosity satisfied, the inner disciples who had been standing there to eavesdrop continued on their way to the academy.

A few guards nodded in understanding.

"That would certainly hurt his manhood," one guard said.

"And I was wondering why he didn't simply surrender, now this makes sense."

"I knew there had to be something more to it. You wouldn't just kill him without reason."

The old man handed Sa Min his ID and Seal; from his face, he didn't seem to have gotten the scene he wanted.

With a slight nod, Sa Min turned and strolled away, tucking his stuff into his inner pocket. 'When it comes to crafting lies, I dare say no one can surpass me,' Sa Min sneered in his heart.

After a short walk, Sa Min stopped and took a deep breath, clearing his head of the message problem for the time being.

Once ka wielders opened their sea core, the first thing they did was, without doubt, shatter the blocked passage that led to the essence. Only when you opened the two cores did you enter the path of cultivation. But Sa Min wasn't in a rush. There was still a matter that bothered him.

The Qing family!

 

[Kachti]

Ta Chen stormed out of the lecture hall with a frowning face, striding with fast steps as if that would help her calm her anger. She clenched her fist tightly, wishing for that damn Ka Seed that senior Hu Guo had given them to get shattered into pieces.

"Ta Chen, Ta Chen, wait..."

The voice of Sa Juan came from behind, continuing to urge her to stop.

But she didn't want to stop. She wanted to get to the house and vent her rage at opening the blocked passage. Why was heaven unfair? Why did it create her with such a flaw? Why did it make her weak? Why did it put her in this damn empire?

Sa Juan, having caught up to her, grabbed her from her hand. "Ta Chen, wait…"

"What?" Ta Chen turned sharply, barely holding herself from exploding. "What do you want?"

Sa Juan looked genuinely concerned. "What happened? Is it, senior sister Hu Guo? She did not mean to offend you—"

"Damn her," Ta Chen cursed, her face contorting even more. "I won the argument and she didn't like it. Damn her."

"What argument?" Sa Juan gave her a confused smile. "Everything she said was true; you're just… overreacting a little."

"Overreacting?" Ta Chen could feel her anger going out of control. She needed to stop talking. She needed to just swallow the words and continue on her way home. She needed to…"Which part did I say I was overreacting to? Was it the part where I said that women are burdened with a damn flaw that keeps us weak, that keeps men always above us and keeps us treated like some kind of resou—"

Sa Juan forcefully slapped her hand over Ta Chen's mouth. "Shh, shh, shh. Senior Hu Guo was kind enough to not take you seriously, but if the wrong person heard you, you… you could get in serious trouble," she whispered with a concerned voice. "Don't you know the punishment for blasphemy?"

Ta Chen uncontrollably stopped at the thought of her being cut down by a saw from above while she was hanging upside down. She drifted her eyes around to see if it was too late. No one was around. She let out a sigh of relief.

Noticing that she had realized her mistake, Sa Juan let loose of her hand. "Besides, the seed core is not a flaw; it's a gift given to us women by heaven," she explained earnestly. "Ask any man if he would rather be borned with this third core and see what they say.'
"I asked Sa Min," Ta Chen snored. "And that son of whore replied that he thanks heaven every night for not being born as a woman."

Sa Juan cocked her head to the side. "Sa Min is…not a man..trust me, he's a monster. How can anyone refuse the gift of producing one Natural Ka... every month?"

"Yeah," Ta Chen shook her head, frustrated. "You're right. It's just that 80% of our sea force gets sucked for a whole week every month by the seed core to nourish those Ka Seeds…"

"That's not–" Sa Juan tried to cut her off but Ta Chen didn't let her. "leaving us vulnerable that week with only 20% of sea force and slowing down our cultivation progress, which makes men superior. Get your naive face away from me," she said, then turned away and strided off.

"Have you never read the First Book, Ta Chen?" Sa Juan's soft, but annoying words followed her from behind. "It teaches us that heaven is just. It gives you something but takes another. This is how the world works. This is….the way of heaven."

"Damn you and damn that old book of yours," Ta Chen cursed under her breath.

Natural Kas came into the world through three ways. The first, as Borned Kas of ka wielders; the second, through the seed core that only women had, located just above their sea core.

Every month, during the time of their monthly blood period, the female ka wielders experienced a draining of 80% of their sea force into their seed core. If Ka Seed was put in there at that time, there was a chance for a Natural Ka to be born.

Senior Hu Guo had said that the academy would give them a Ka Seed every month to give birth to a Natural Ka. That wasn't why Ta Chen was mad, though. Because, whether she planted a Ka Seed or not, her sea force would still get sucked away.

It was those words of Senior Hu Guo, telling her to be happy about her sea force being absorbed that set her on fire.

---

Once Sa Min left the Cultivation Academy, he went straight west along the lively eastern main street that connected the academy to the heart of Tetra Blessing City. When he arrived at the area filled with merchants and wealthy families, it took him a while to locate the Qing family place. By the time he finally found it, the sunlight was on the brink of fading away.

Keeping an eye on the gate of their residence, he casually strolled down the road toward an inn that was just across their gate.

"Greetings, young master, how can I help?"

A servant immediately approached him with a warm smile as he crossed the threshold.

Sa Min glanced around.

The dining floor was crowded, tables crammed with people, eating and talking. On one table at the side, there were three men with formal blue robes and black headgear with a metal circle on it. Officers of the Instigation and Justice Office.

"Do you have any rooms that overlook the street?" he said in his usual cold tone.

The servant nodded gleefully.

A few minutes later, Sa Min stood before a lattice window, peering through its panes at the busy street below.

The servant's voice kept droning on in the background.

This is the perfect view. Sa Min smiled, satisfied with the room and the discreet window that made it difficult for people to notice him. Within the house of the Qing family across the street, he could see a few guards walking around the courtyard.

Now, let's see if the message has any truth to it.

He turned to the woman who was still trying to convince him about the room. "How much a day?"

The servant was surprised at him convincing this quickly. "With food, we normally charge 62 gold coins. But I'll leave it to you at 60."

Sa Min calmly reached into his robe. Two pouches were there. One was filled with 5 force apples that Hu Guo had given them before the class. She'd said that the academy would provide this much every week until they opened their essence core.

The other pouch held gold coins.

In the Eastern Plane, there were two currencies. The force apples were used in the field of cultivation, while the gold coins were for goods and services that were not related to the cultivation aspect of ka wielders.

To keep things balanced, and keep both currencies needed, there was a law in the Xi Empire that forbade trading and exchanging normal goods and services with force apples. If someone was caught doing that, there was a big financial penalty waiting for him.

Naturally, there was a bureau in the city where people could change currencies. The exchange rate stayed generally fixed: 1 force apple for 6000 gold coins.

Sa Min counted out 60 gold coins from 95 without adding one more or one less before he handed them to the servant.

"Thank you, young master." The servant nodded happily. "Have a good—-" And Sa Min tossed two more gold coins.

"Thank you for your generosi—"

"For this month's journal, and bring a towel with it."

She smiled to brush away her embarrassment. "Of course, just give it a few moments and they'll be here along with your meal."

And sure thing, a few moments later, she came back with his meal and journal.

Sa Min closed the door, lit up the lamp as the sunlight had vanished, and then dragged a chair in front of the window. As he settled into the chair, a leg over a leg, he opened the journal, his eyes on the resident of the Qing family.

I don't know if I can catch something useful from a family that has been, supposedly, kidnapping people and sacrificing them for three years without being noticed by the Investigation and Justice Office of the local army.

Sa Min kept his eyes there for about twenty minutes. He managed to notice nothing interesting, besides the man he believed to be the elder son entering the lit main hall. No trace of Qing Lian or his father.

Sighing, Sa Min turned his attention to the journal. He knew that this way of doing things was probably useless: going to the Common-tier library to search for a Yantra that he himself had no clue about, and watching from a window if a powerful family was involved in murdering people and searching for a Key...

He understood that these attempts were probably a waste of time. But, this was all he could do now, and he was with this weak cultivation base.

He either stayed, doing nothing and let his mind trouble him, or made these desperate attempts.

He had chosen the latter.

Sa Min frowned slightly, flipping the page, searching if some interesting events had taken place last month. The journals were the official way to disseminate news across the Xi Empire. They were owned by the White Crow Association, which belonged to the Ministry of Information.

That's why Sa Min never really took anything he read in them as real. He knew very well how governments around the world controlled information and used it to propagate their own interests, manipulating their own people.

*[Jian Bai of the Imperial Academy deservedly won the Eastern Plane Championship…]*

*[The Poisonous Snakes Mercenary continues to wreak havoc in Gansu Province…]*

*[Two Heavenly Union Immortals have been spotted in the Kensey Empire with the Minister of Defense.]*

A spark of interest passed through Sa Min's eyes when they landed on this particular title.

*[The Xi Empire responded by raising its defenses in the Tight Sea, making a clear statement that any violation of the Treaty of Nine Nations will be faced with force.]*

This is not good. Sa Min tossed the journal onto the bed behind him. The tension between Xi Empire and Kensey Empire is growing, and that's exactly what the Heavenly Union wants.

Since the Heavenly Union and its allies had been kicked out of the Eastern Plane after they had colonized it for years, they hadn't been able to extract any real influence here, either from the people who deposed them very much or from the nine emperors who held a council after the colonization ended and created a law called the Law of Belief.

The Law of Belief simply considered the Heavenly Union as a heretic organization that possessed rebellion beliefs that went clearly against the Temple of the Thousand Swords, and so against the heaven itself, and so any nation in this plane, allied with, adopted any of their ideologies, or even brought any member of the Heavenly Union to the Eastern Plane as an enemy who declared war against all the Eastern Plane, and should face the anger of all Eastern Plane.

This law made it extremely difficult for the Heavenly Union to secularize this plane. And it also kept the Eastern Plane isolated from the rest of the world.

This, until 209 years ago, when the current Emperor Ishino Uchitoki of the Kensey Empire came to power.

When I was Immortal, I heard rumors about him thinking that the Temple of the Thousand Swords beliefs needed to be reformed to suit this modern era. Sa Min cast a brief look at the Qin family resendant before standing up. But to call members of the Heavenly Union here… a war is coming.

Sa Min could smell it. His over-600-years intuition told him that. A bloody war was coming and it would engulf all of the Eastern Plane.

He took off his boots, gray robe and the small underpant. I need to be strong then. I need to at least pass the Bottom Realm and reach rank 7, to not get caught in the middle of this war.

Completely naked, Sa Min returned to sit on his chair, crossing his right leg over the left.

In the Eastern Plane, ka wielders often, if not always, cultivate while sitting with crossed legs. However, it was not necessary to do that. You could cultivate however you like as long as you are comfortable.

In the Western Plane, ka wielders cultivated while waiting for their bus.

As long as you could concentrate on manipulating your sea force, you could even cultivate while under a comfortable blanket.

Sa Min liked to cultivate on the chair.

As he made himself comfortable on the chair, Sa Min took a deep breath. The reason he took off his clothes was because he knew he would get really sweaty.

I should probably buy a new robe.

This was the last thing he thought of, before he closed his eyes.

Cultivation began!

---

Author's note: For the release schedule, I'll be posting on Mondays and Thursdays at 12:15 p.m. New York time for now.

 

[Kachti]

In ka wielders' cultivation, there were 10 ranks. From rank 10, the first step ka wielders stepped on when they first opened their sea core, to the exalted rank 1. In the Bottom Realm which contained the first 3 ranks, each rank of them had 6 transformations.


The night had fallen, and the noisy street below only grew noisier.


Sa Min closed his eyes, focusing his mind — not too much as to forget about the outer world. He needed to stay vigilant just in case something should happen within the Qin residence. With his inner sight, Sa Min looked around his sea core.


A rough and rugged blue layer enveloped his sea core. The kind of wall that ka wielders with C-grade aptitude had. The hard wall that was extremely difficult to refine and strengthen, compared to the walls of better sea cores.


The better the aptitude, the less hardness a sea core wall was. And that was a huge advantage.


Inside the sea core, there was a sea sphere of Sa Min's unique pure force. It had a sky blue color, smooth like glass, and sparkled with his Essence marks. It was the sky-blue pure sea, the first transformation of rank 1 provided.


This sea sphere of his pure force remained separated from the core's wall, creating a gap between them. It appeared to be floating there, as if suspended by a mysterious force.


The sea sphere was moving slowly in place towards the right; on its surface, the waves rose and fell.


With Sa Min's thought, the Volcanic Black Rock Ka emerged from within the sea sphere onto the surface like a fish emerging from the ocean.


Sa Min sighed. Tomorrow, I need to feed it again. I only have 7 force apples, the 5 Hu Guo gave us this morning, and the 2 I took from that man in competition. With 2 Liquid Bottles, I'll be left with only 5….this is not enough.


The force apples were not just currency in the cultivation field. They were much more important than that.


Letting out another sigh, Sa Min shifted his attention to the bottom center point of his sea core.


Unlike the rest of the rough, sky-blue wall, a pitch-black spot stood out there. It wasn't supposed to be black; it was meant to be open, allowing the pure force to flow down to the essence core.


This blackness blockage was what was holding Sa Min from accessing his essence core. And shattering it was the first thing he should do before even considering strengthening his sea-core wall.


Sa Min took a very deep breath. Another one. Then another one. He balled his hands into tight fists to prepare himself. And with a determined grimace expression, he began channeling his sea force.


Immediately, on the bottom of the sea sphere, a portion of pure force shifted, emerging and moving towards the black roadblock, while Sa Min's fists squeezed, his body stiffened and shook under the strain.


It felt like a skinny man with 100 catty trying to move a boulder of 500 catty.


With a great effort, Sa Min kept dragging that portion, kept dragging it, until he splashed it against the bottom of the sea-core wall.


Half of it had missed the black roadblock.


Sa Min paused, gasping some breaths; sweat had already begun to appear on his naked body.


The sea sphere had diminished in size — the pure force had been decreased by 5%; however, the portion he had used didn't seem to do any real damage to the roadblock.


This time, curious about his Ba's limits since it'd been a long time, Sa Min tried to channel three portions at the same time, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth. Before the three portions could leave the sea sphere, Sa Min released his grip and gave up. He felt like if he didn't stop, his mind would explode.


The three portions of his pure force returned to the sea sphere as if there were a magnet pulling them.


I think I should stick to small portions for now. Sa Min's breathing became heavy, sweat trickled down his entire body. He had to take some moments to rest; he had to open his crossed legs to let the air flow in.


This was the Bas strength that Hu Guo had spoken of. Sa Min believed that her explanation of their importance was just all a waste of time, though.


Advancing in rank meant channeling your pure force to strengthen the sea-core wall.


Channeling this pure force would automatically strengthen your Ba.


If advancing in rank was like pushing a boulder of 500 catty to a mountaintop, the suffering your skinny 100 catty body endured would naturally strengthen it until the point where you could move that boulder with super ease.


And once you reached the mountaintop, a heavier boulder would await you, requiring even more suffering to ascend to a higher peak, further strengthening your body, and the cycle continued.


That's exactly how cultivation worked. Ka wielders had to strengthen their sea-core in order to advance, and by doing that, their Ba would naturally suffer and so, strengthened. That was until their Ba strengthened enough and they could manipulate their pure force with no effort. However, when they moved to a higher rank, there would be a denser and stronger pure force that would require their Ba to suffer yet again and yet again, strengthening their Ba.


Those born with a stronger Ba merely had a temporary advantage that was not going to last long.


If I can get my hand on that Spherical Coin that the academy offers to whoever opens his essence core first.'Sa Min opened his eyes slightly, checking on the Qin residence before closing them again. I can strengthen my Ba faster… which is going to help cultivate faster.


But Sa Min only sneered in his heart, and resumed manipulating his sea force. He knew he had no chances in getting it. The only way he could get it was by gathering enough merits, from taking the academy's missions and completing them.


Which was going to take years and years.


But whatever.


The room naturally became stinky.


Whatever. With extreme difficulty, Sa Min continued channeling his pure force, all the while his sea sphere continued to shrink. No real damage had been done to the blockroad. But he wasn't surprised. He knew it would take time. Maybe about two months or more, depending on many things.


Minutes flew by, and his face turned deadly pale. His Ba was screaming at him to stop, and his body as well. He stank. Extremely exhausted. That's probably enough for today. But…who was Sa Min again?


I must strengthen my Ba to 5Q before I stop, he thought, huffing and puffing.


Similar to physical strength, Bas could also be measured. The unit of measurement was called 'Q.' To be able to manipulate the sky-blue pure force effortlessly, your Ba had to have 50Q. And Sa Min didn't need to check his Ba to know it only had 3Q.


About two hours later, Sa Min paused and leaned on his knees for a few moments to catch his breath, before he stood up. The sea sphere in his sea core had shrunk to 4%. 96% of pure force had been used.


Meanwhile, his force gate was generating his pure force.


There were two methods for ka wielders to replenish their pure force.


The first way was the natural way, which cost nothing. Allowing the force gate to draw the primal force that existed in the world in — the world force. However, the force gates would only begin absorbing the world force to replenish the sea sphere once it had diminished to 10%.


Unfortunately for Sa Min, given his C-grade aptitude, it would take approximately eight hours for his sea core to be filled once again.


The speed at which ka wielders' sea sphere replenished depended on their aptitude. The more talented a ka wielder, the faster his pure force regenerated. Naturally, the force gate continuously replenished the pure force until the ka wielder's sea sphere was 100% full.


The second way was through absorbing force apples.


With his head aching, Sa Min wiped his entire sweaty body with the towel that the servant had brought him, then walked over to the bed, took out one force apple from the pouch in his robe and returned to his chair.


For a poor ka wilder like him, who only had 7 force apples, using force apples to refresh his sea sphere, which could naturally be refreshed if he simply waited, would be considered stupid by ka wielders' standards.





But for Sa Min…


5 force apples are not enough if I want to cultivate every day, Sa Min thought, and without hesitation, he placed the force apple before his force gate and closed his eyes. I'll have to find some way to get them. I have to.


This was his way. Leaving the problems of tomorrow to tomorrow's him. If he started keeping his resources unused for whatever he thought might need them in the future, he would never go anywhere. And opportunities would never show themselves.


The force apple trembled in his hand, and with a refreshingly cold feeling, the primal force condensed in it started flowing into his force gate sea. At the same time, the sea sphere began growing, expanding.


With his aptitude's grade, Sa Min understood it would take minutes for his sea sphere to be completely refreshed. Wanting to waste no time, he struggled to direct his pure force to the black blockroad even as he absorbed the force apple.


Time continued and no change had occurred to either the black road or his Ba's strength. Not a surprise, but an exhausted sigh couldn't help but escape his thin lips as he stopped to take a rest.


It'd be a lot more helpful if only I can get my hands on that Spherical Coin, Sa Min thought, leaning back on his damp chair. But compared to Sa Juan and Sa Wen and Ta Chen, their aptitude is better, which means their black road is less hard to shatter.


Not to mention their Ba strength, he's no better than Sa Wen. He might have the advantage of not being a woman with a period of weakness. But still, there was no way he could get that Spherical Coin.


Sa Min knew that. That's why he wasn't in a rush to cultivate like the rest.


If he had to guess, one of these, Ta Chen, Sa Juan, Sa Wen, or Qing Lian would win that reward. It was hard to tell exactly. Sa Juan had the best aptitude, but her Ba was weak compared to Ta Chen.


Sa Wen had a weak Ba, but he was a man with no seed core, which gave him an advantage. It was truly hard to say for sure, as there were many variables involved, but one thing was certain: all three of them had wealthy families backing them


As for Qing Lian.


Sa Min suddenly leaned forward, his eyes narrowing at the courtyard of the Qing's residence.


A young man with disheveled hair had walked out of a room and was heading towards the main hall.


It was Qing Lian. Sa Min didn't know his Ba's strength.


However, even if it was weak like his and Sa Wen's, he still had a chance of getting that reward.

 

[Kachti]

With even breaths, Qing Lang opened his dark brown eyes. He'd just performed his first cultivation session. It'd gone well. Besides the two seat beads on his broad forehead, he didn't feel as exhausted as those in his class.

At this rate, I'll probably open my essence core in about two weeks, he thought, pulling out a tiny bottle of booze from his fine blue robe and taking a swig.

Noticing it was two o'clock in the morning on the blue willow square clock hanging on the wall in front of him, he jumped to his feet and grabbed the other big bottle nearby; it was black with a fake alcohol brand label on it.

It was the time of day he went for the search. However…he glanced down at the bottle and waved it. It was empty. He had to refill it.

And activated it, as well.

He snuffed out the candles that lit his room and immediately made his way out.

Gentle raindrops of late spring fell over him as he walked through the courtyard with his penguin gait. The guards of the family solemnly nodded at him as he passed them.

The weather was the kind that made you crave to bury yourself under a cotton blanket and drink some lion's head soup with a hot mantou, rather than wandering the city for… probably no result.

Qing Liang grimaced at his thoughts. How could he stay at home knowing his sister was being raped in Sa Clan? He squeezed his grip on his minibottle, and took another gulp before tucking it back into his robe.

None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for him.

Wandering the city like a madman was the least he could do.

Reaching the big doors of the main hall, two voices conversing with each other could be heard from within.

"...the only thing we can use now is our own blood," the thick voice of the head of the family guards said. "Only a few colored-eyed people are left in the city, and all of them are hard to capture. Not to mention that my Blue Blood-Pail Ka has a little time before it expires."

There was a moment of silence, and then a gravelly voice spoke: "Do what needs to be done. We cannot stop now. We only have the eastern part of the city…"

Are we sacrificing our own people now? Qing Lian scratched his disheveled hair to calm the guilt aching inside his head. If I'd known how things would end up, I would never have told them about the Key that man had told me about. My mother wouldn't have died. My sister would have been sold to that fucking womanizing patriarch.

Feeling his scalp was about to come off, he stopped, forcing himself not to reach for his minibottle. What had happened had happened, there was no changing it. Now, he could only bury the unwanted emotions inside and carry on; otherwise, all their sacrifices would be in vain.

He pushed open the doors, and as he stepped in, the smell of the cheap Chunghwa cigarettes the guards' head smoking tickled his thick nose. The room's walls were filled with lanterns and ancestral paintings.

Before the two main chairs there were two men. One was a white-haired old man with his hands clasped behind his stooped back — his father, Qing Xieren. The other one, with shaved hair and an even thicker nose, was squatting like he was taking shit. It was Qing Yun. He liked to smoke that brand he hated so much.

At Qing Lian's sight, the guards' head, Qing Yun swiftly got to his feet, offering a respectful greeting to his father before he retreated. "Young master." He nodded as they crossed paths.

Qing Lian nodded back and approached his father. With that heavy expression, the rank 8 old man didn't look like he was in the right mood. And from his conversation with Qing Yun, it was not hard for him to tell the reason.

"How is your first cultivation session, Qing Lian?" His arched father shuffled away with his nimble steps towards the wall shelf.

The long eleven hairs left clung to his head always reminded Qing Lian what he would become if didn't stop scratching his head.

"Pretty easy," he replied. "I didn't have any trouble manipulating my pure force. With my B-grade aptitude, I'm confident I'll open my essence core in like half a month."

"That's… good." His father nodded slightly as he took a small, rectangular wooden box from the shelf. "But are you sure you can get those Spherical Coins?"

Qing Lian scratched his head. "Yeah, maybe. Why…are those Spherical Coins so important, father?" He hesitated, genuinely couldn't understand. He knew that they weighed a lot of merits that could help him buy other valuable things, but his father wanted him to use them himself. "I mean, I already have strong Ba."

"You're Ba is not going to remain strong forever," he said in a biting tone, opening the box in his hand.

Qing Lian's eyes went wide. "Is this… Force Olive?"

"If you're not sure about getting that first place, use it."

This made Qing Lian's eyebrows furrow. Force Olives were precious objects filled with primal force. Unlike force apples that needed to be absorbed, Force Olives simply needed to be sneezed on and then thrown into the sea core, where they would explode with force.

Ka wielders mostly used them when they wanted to break into rank 2.

There were different types of Force Olives. The black one held the force of 50 force apples within. Using it to just break through the roadblock was kind of… foolish, wasn't it?

Looking at his expression, Qing Xieren sighed. It was more of a snort than a sigh. "You Ba's strength is merely a fleeting thing," he said. "You'll come to realize this when you advance in transformations and ranks and see the suffering you are missing. Also, keep in mind, people will eventually catch up to you. Your Ba must always be much stronger than it must be."

Though still unconvinced, Qing Lian listened carefully.

"This not only going to make your cultivation easier, but most importantly, it will enable you to craft Yantras quicker, which is a huge advantage in fights. Imagine being able to craft a Yantra instantly or craft two Yantras at the same time."

That was something Qing Lian had never thought of.

Realizing how ignorant he was about these things, he bowed deeply. "I understand now. This one is grateful for your guidance, father," he said, grabbing the little box and closing it.

"You haven't learned this in the academy today?"

Qing Lian scratched his head in embarrassment. He had ended up sleeping during today's class. Having wandered throughout the entire night prior, tiredness had overcome him.

Qing Xieren threw his arms back behind his arched back. "The importance of Spherical Coins is more than you think. They are much rarer than these Force Olives because they are only produced in the Sea of Knowledge."

"I will make sure to win those Spherical Coins."

"Good," Qing Lian said with his gravelly voice, turning around. "Does your bottle need to be reactivated?"

"And a refill too," Qing Lian added, following his father to the corner of the room.
His father tapped on a painting depicting birds and flowers, and with a crack of a sound, a hidden door slid open, revealing a dark pathway. Without hesitation, the father and the son descended.

"Alright, let's refill it."

"Also, I know that the blood is running out, so I want to let you know of a man with colored eyes whom we can easily capture."

"Who is it?"

"Sa Min."

---

A few minutes earlier, far away in a small room on the second floor of an inn in front of Qing's gate residence, someone, breathing heavily, peered out from a lattice window, watching Qing Lian as he walked towards the main hall.

Sa Min's eyes were burning, and he had to force open them wide until Qing Lian disappeared into the hall. The moment Qing Lian did, he shut them again. Burning even more. Now, he had to force himself from falling asleep as he continued his cultivation.

Within his sea core, a new portion of his pure force came out of his sea sphere and headed toward the blockroad below. It was a very small portion from what he had been channeling earlier. However, given that his exhaustion reached its peak and his focus was hardly there, this was all he could manipulate.

This was how cultivation worked. You could not just cultivate forever, even if you wanted to.

Sooner or later, your Ba would reach its limit, and your concentration would begin to wane. You would need to give your Ba some time to rest and for your pure force to replenish."

Sa Min pushed himself for a few more minutes before he opened his eyes once again.

They were bloodshot from fatigue.

I don't know if my Ba has reached 5Q. Sa Min thought, letting the crumbs of the force apple slip through his fingers. But… this is my limit.

This mere thought sent a sharp pang lancing through his weighted head.

He winced. No. This was it. That was as far as he could go for now. He'd planned to follow Qing Lian if he decided to roam the city, as was his usual custom. Sa Min's 600-year-old intuition was telling him something wasn't normal about that habit.

However, with his Ba's state, he knew he wouldn't be able to do that.

Fine. No big deal. He would try again tomorrow. However, with his current Ba's strength, he should really arrange his time: when he should cultivate and when not, so that he would not end up in this situation again.

Feeling his body sluggish, Sa Min sluggishly pushed himself up from the chair and stood up; his legs weighed as though shackled by a 100-katty iron as he moved to the bed nearby.

When he reached the edge of the bed, he glanced aside at the clock on the wall. Was it 2 or 3 o'clock? Who cares? He let himself fall, face down, his naked body glistening with sweat.


….


Frowning, a middle-aged man with curly hair threw a glance over his shoulder.

Two terrified children with brown skin and eyes were still trailing behind him, their feet bare.

"You wish to become like her?" the man said coldly.

The girl tightly clutched her little brother's hand as he stopped, both still trailing behind him.

There was a burning anger in her eyes.

The man smiled faintly, shaking his head, before he resumed his stride with his stake.


….


At the sound of heavy rain, Sa Min woke up, darkness of the night enveloped the quiet room. The candles must have burned.

He looked aside, squinting his eyes, which now felt much better, at the clock to see what time it was. Apparently, he had just slept an hour or so. Glad there was still a lot of time, Sa Min was about to roll over to continue sleeping when he heard this noise coming from outside.

Sa Min stilled in his place for a moment.

The sound came again and It sounded like the squeak of a gate.

Still drowsy, Sa Min hurriedly stumbled over to the window to see.

A young man with a backpack walked alongside the fence of the Qin residence, a black bottle dangling from his hand and a red umbrella shielding him from the heavy rain.

Sa Min smiled faintly. That was Qing Lian!

 

[Gelly³]

Whew. In a world where every single cultivator requires at least two human souls every three days to maintain peak performance, this guy still managed to develop a bad reputation. That's surely something.

 

[Kachti]

Immediately, Sa Min threw on his gray robe on his sticky body—sticky from sweat—and picked up his dagger, putting it behind his belt like most men in the Xi Empire did.

This 1 hour of sleep was definitely not enough. He should sleep 5 more hours if he wanted his Ba to recover completely.

No time for underpant or boots, he yanked the door open and jumped down the stairs.

The inn was empty, in complete silence. Stirred from his sleep behind the front desk, the innkeeper straightened up as Sa Min approached him.

"Got an umbrella?" Sa Min asked, his eyes swollen with sleep. "I'll return it later."

The furrowed, thick-mustache man took a gray umbrella from beneath the desk and passed it to him.

Sa Min nodded and walked out of the inn. The pouring rain slapped down on him. He stood there for a moment, rubbing the water over his eyes and face to awaken him completely. Then he put the umbrella up and set off.

The street was dimly lit by those oil lamps on the poles and completely empty. It was 3 in the morning, and with this heavy rain, everyone was indoors.

In the distance, the figure of Qing Lian disappeared as he turned into an alley. Sa Min hastened, following his footsteps until he reached the edge of the Qin residence fence, where the alley Qing Lian had gone to was, and stopped.

He had to be careful. Couldn't have Qing Lian noticing him, or appeared suspicious to anyone who might pass by.

Certain that Qing Lian was at a discreet distance, he crept into the alley, keeping the umbrella low and his eyes vigilant, ready to catch any suspicious thing his intuition kept telling him there was.

Ahead of him, Qing Lian was simply… strolling. And there was nothing suspicious in his penguin-like stride Sa Min could see.

No lamps in this alley, which made it difficult to observe him keenly. Nevertheless, Sa Min continued to cautiously shadow Qing Lian as he made his way through the darkened alleys.

After a while, the rain began to abate, and Sa Min emerged onto Red Spring, the northern main street that led towards the northern gate. Soon enough, he arrived in the commoners' area, where the houses were small, short, and lacked refinement.


There were few people walking along the street.

The road was well-lit, and perhaps this was the reason Sa Min managed to catch onto something.

He never drinks from that black bottle he is carrying, Sa Min thought, his blue eyes locked on Qing Lian ahead. Whenever he wanted to drink, he pulled out a tiny bottle from his robe. Is it empty or...?

Sa Min frowned. What was in that bottle? Why was Qing Lian swaying it like that? Don't tell me...

Right when a sudden thought struck him, a manly voice called out from behind, "Aye, you there."

Sa Min turned around and stopped. Oh, fuck.

Two male officers of the Investigation and Justice Bureau approached him, their umbrellas matching the deep blue color of their uniforms. "What are you doing this time, young man?" the younger one asked.

"Going to my clan. I'm a member of the Sa Clan." Sa Min said.

The middle-aged officer raised an eyebrow. "Sa with blue eyes. You must be…"

"Sa Min, officer, here is my…." Sa Min took out his ID and the academy seal and showed them to them. He had this unconcerning look on his face, but in his head, thoughts were racing.

And he brought his hand close to his dagger under the belt.

If they want to search me, I have to kill them. Can't let them see the parchment I've written. They might be in rank 10, but I'm sure I can slice their necks before they can craft any Yantra. But then I have to run form—

"Be careful, Mr. Sa Min. This is not the time for a walk," the officer said and returned Sa Min his stuff. "You should know what happens to people like you. Be careful!"

Sa Min gave them a smile of thanks, taking his ID and the Seal. "Sorry officers, I'll be more careful," he said.

"Alright, you can go," the middle-aged officer said, moving away with his partner. "And remember to keep yourself on the main roads. This is the time of day those thieves come out to their work."

That was a close call. Sa Min breathed a sigh of relief to calm himself and continued his pursuit. The situation could have easily gone out of control. And honestly, he wasn't really sure if he could take them down or not.

He didn't know what Yantra they possessed and what transformation stage of rank 1 they were at. So it's impossible to predict how much time it would take them to craft and activate their Yantras.

He only knew they were rank 1 because only rank 10 could be officers. When officers advanced to rank 9, they would become captains.

He only knew they were rank 10 because of their uniform. Only police officers—the lowest rank of the Investigation and Justice Bureau—were required to wear hats. Almost all of the police officers were rank 10 ka wielders.

Sa Min knew before he'd even decided to follow Qin Lian that things could easily go wrong.

It wouldn't take a lot of thinking to know that going out to the city where colored-eyed people were getting kidnapped by who knows how many parties were searching for the Key, while he was colored-eyed himself and hadn't even opened his essence core yet, was indeed dangerous.

Let alone that, without even the matter of the Key, the city at this time was not safe for the weak.

A random criminal could cross him at the wrong time and attack or even kill him to loot him, and he could do nothing about it.

A random criminal looter could cross paths with him at the wrong time, attack, or even kill him to steal his Ka and Imprints, and he would be helpless to do anything about it.

He didn't open his essence core after all.

There were always possibilities of things going out of control, always. However, if Sa Min kept brooding about these possibilities, he would never do anything. If he kept thinking like this—'this might happen, this might not happen'—he'd be stuck in a state of paranoia. And this wasn't how Sa Min lived his life.

Sa Min was cautious, yes. He liked making plans. He liked to think ahead and prepare in case he encountered trouble. Yet, as long as death wasn't certain and his principles wouldn't be crossed, Sa Min was never afraid to put himself in danger if that would benefit him.

Sa Min quickly shifted his attention to Qin Lian. He didn't want, after all this trouble and time, to lose him.

Qing Lian had distanced himself further, walking into a side street that led to the eastern part of the city — and specifically, the Cursed Area. Sa Min quickened his steps, determined to confirm the thought that had hit him earlier.

The western part of Tetra-Blessing City was divided into four territories. The southernmost territory belonged to the Lin Clan, followed by the Sa Clan, and then the Duo Clan. The Cursed Area occupied the northern part.

Considered the most dangerous and infamous place in the city, the Cursed Area was where poor people, gangs, criminals lived; where wanted people went into hiding. It was a place where brothels, gambling dens, black markets, and illegal fights thrived.

Simply put, anything the law forbade, you would find there.

Of course, that didn't mean the entire place was under the criminals control. There were safe Neighborhoods there and many poor people lived there just fine. After all, a branch center of the Investigation and Justice Bureau was there.

It was not always like this, though. And this was not the reason it was called the 'Cursed Area'.

Just 60 years ago, there had been four clans in the city - the four clans that had helped establish Tetra Blessing City 900 years ago. What was now known as the Cursed Area was once the territory of the lost Hui Clan."

That had been the case until that Cursed Day, the day everyone in the city knew very well. On that day, every last member of the Hui Clan had turned into demonic donkeys with bloody fangs.
A mysterious kind of demonic beasts.

Thus it came to be known as the Cursed Area.

The rain gradually decreased, and the sun began to brighten.

Qing Lian turned into a murky alley. Soon after, Sa Min walked into the same alley. His eyes were no longer gazing at Qing Lian in the distance, but on the ground he had stopped on.

This sunlight this time of the day did not really do much, Sa Min had to lean in and scour through the darkness for something that sudden thought had told him about.

It didn't take long for a smile to creep onto his face. He bent down, touched the red dirt on the ground with his finger, and then tasted it. Blood. His smile turned into a grin as he spat it out. That just confirmed what he was thinking.

That bottle must be some preservation-type Ka, Sa Min thought, moving ahead, searching for more blood to confirm his suspicion even more. And, here it was again. Blood drops. He moved ahead again. He found it yet again.

This is the way they search for the Key.' Sa Min thought as he stopped, watching Qing Lian disappearing into another alley. He had no intention to follow any longer. He had only come out to figure out two things, and he did.

It makes sense, since blood clots quickly and they can't just take people around and behead them. Too dangerous, and a waste of blood. Sa Min turned around, and began strolling back to the inn. So they kill them in some place and use this Ka to preserve their blood for some time. In searching for the Key, they only spray drops of blood around, if the Key happens to be around the blood, the area would be shaken, and that's all they want.

This was all he needed to know for now. The Qin were indeed the one — or at least one of — responsible for the disappearance of colored eyes people, and they were indeed searching for a Key.

Sa Min took a deep breath. He needed to think of what he would do next. But first…

He glanced down. His feet were filthy with dirt. His body? He didn't need to smell it to know he needed an urgent shower. After that, he had to sleep. His eyes were already closing themselves.

He walked about three steps, then, he felt this weird sensation on his neck. He stopped, reached to touch his neck and he found a needle sticking at him. This was not good. Frowning, he wanted to turn around to see who had attacked him, but… he couldn't. He fell to his knees and he began losing control over his body.

Fuck.

This was the last thing Sa Ming thought before he passed out.

From a dark corner, a man who looked and dressed like a homeless person emerged and hastily approached the fallen Sa Min. He glanced over his shoulder to see if someone was there, then he grabbed him by his dirty legs and dragged him back to the corner.

Waiting for his young master to come as he had notified him with a communication-Yantra, the man withdrew a Ka from his sea core that looked like a plastic sack the size of his hand. Then he started moving his fingers — a Yantra seal — crafting the One-Man Sack Yantra within his essence core.

The little sack resting on the ground gradually expanded until it matched his height.

Using this rank 2 Yantra, you could put one man in this sack, zip it up, and it would shrink right back down to its original size. Only for 4 hours. Or else the Ka would be destroyed. And it should be a man.

At that moment, Qing Lian came back to the alley, hastening towards the hidden corner.

The man clenched his fists tightly together. "As I told you, young master. He had been following you from the moment you walked out the residence," he said with a gravelly tone. "And... I fear he knows."

A sudden surge of urgency gripped Qing Lian's chest and his face went ugly. Someone was aware! How? This was bad. This was extremely bad. If they got exposed, the entirety of what was left of the family would be eliminated. They needed to inform his father immediately and… see what they could do.

"I already informed the Patriarch," the guard added.

Qing Lian felt the need to take his mini bottle for a quick swig. "Have any idea who it might be?" he asked the guard, glaring down at the stinky unconscious young man lying face down.

Why was this… robe familiar?

"I didn't recognize him. I don't think he's this stupid but, but let me check if he has his ID on him." The guard leaned closer, and pushed the man aside.

And Qing Lian's eyes went wide. What in the world? "It's… Sa Min," he said in shock.

"Sa Min." The guard frowned. "I've heard the name before, bu…" He noticed a rolled parchment inside his robe. "What is this?"

Qing Lian didn't give him any attention. He couldn't. He was as confused as he could get. Why the hell did the man he'd talked to yesterday follow him? Wait. Maybe this was why he had been following him in the first place. Maybe he didn't know anything about the Key. Yeah, how could someone who hadn't opened his essence know about such a thing.

With a glimmer of hope, Qing Lian turned to the guard. "Why do you think he knows abou…what happened?"

The guard was sitting on his ass, clutching the parchment in trembling hands, reading it with an open mouth.

He was in shock.

"What is it?" Qing Ling asked again.

But the guard didn't seem to hear.

Qing Ling scratched his head and snatched the parchment from his hand. "What's wrong with you…"

And his eyes instantly widened in disbelief.

[I know that you, the Qin family, are the ones kidnapping people with colored eyes. I know that you're taking their blood to search for the Key. I have proof of this. There are many other parchments like this in safe spots and with anonymous people. If anything were to happen to me, the entire world would come to know the truth."

 

[Kachti]

Sa Min jolted awake, his eyes instantly darting to the right where he felt someone pulling that needle that had put him to sleep. He could smell smoke, but he could see nothing.

Surrounding him, all blackness. There was not even a trace of light, as though he hadn't opened his eyes.

However, from the touch on his face, and from the sound of his stinky breath, very close, filling his ears, it was clear there was a covering draped over his head, blocking both his sight and hearing.

Tiredness was still aching his eyes and head a bit. It couldn't have been long since he lost consciousness.

Sa Min didn't panic. He had an idea of who might have attacked and apparently kidnapped him.

Must be the Qin family' he thought to himself, though he was not entirely certain yet.

It could be the one who had marked his back, or perhaps just some random criminal who happened to meet him and loot him.

Many possibilities could have happened, and he had prepared himself for the worst.

Trying to move, Sa Min felt this familiar feeling. His hands were heavy, as though there was lead within them, pulling him down.

He frowned. I'm chained.

And this brought him some horrific memories that he didn't really mind. However…

If there was something Sa Min despised from the depths of his heart, it would be to be chained.

And why the hell do I need these chains anyway? I haven't opened his essence core yet.

Drawing a deep breath to calm himself, Sa Min sat up and spoke up, making sure to sound worried, "Where am I? Is there anyone here…"

The cloth lifted, and the dim light of the hall's lanterns and fresh air attacked him. His breathing was no longer heard. He blinked. Then, ignoring the man beside him, he focused his attention on the elderly ahead.

Sa Min held in a smile of relief. He recognized him.

With only a smattering of long, white hairs on his head, the Qin family's head, Qing Xieren, glared down at him. People in the city often called him 'The Man with a Mount', referring to his arched back.

And though he tried to conceal it behind his stern face, Sa Min could clearly see his helplessness.

This reassured his heart.

Because if he possessed some Mind-Highway Yantra that could dig into memories — or some similar investigation-type Yantras — and had used it on him to search for their questions, he wouldn't be standing there before him like that.

And Sa Min wouldn't be sitting here like this.

Sa Min glanced around. This seemed like a normal hall with no windows.

"Who told you about the Key?" The gravelly voice of Qing Xieren spoke then, throwing the parchment Sa Min had written towards him. "How the hell do you know about this?"

Sa Min looked up at him, his heart as cold as calm. Qing Xieren gave him a chilling look that would terrify the shit out of anyone at his rank. But not Sa Min. Who is Sa Min? Not to mention, he had known this moment would arrive. And he had already thought of the best way he could benefit from it.

Frowning as though frightened, Sa Min stared down at the parchment at his feet. Who had told me about the Key, huh? Understandable question. They don't believe someone who hasn't opened his essence core and has never traveled beyond this city can know about such a concept. Good. This is what I want.

Someone must have told him, they thought, and they were partially right. Someone had indeed told him.

"I can tell you. But... how can I be sure you won't just ki—?" And a fierce punch to his temple slammed him aside. He turned his head a bit and watched the man who had been beside him approach.

He had a cigarette between his thick lips. "Who told you about the Key? Answer the damn question!"

You don't threaten people with annihilation and expect them to act rationally, Sa Min sneered in his heart.

"I'm not going to tell you until yo—" And the man's black boot came slamming down into his face brutally. The blow was so powerful that Sa Min blacked out for a few seconds.

Chained and without having even opened his essence core, Sa Min looked powerless. They could kill him easily if they wanted, as easily as drinking water, and his 600 years of experience could do nothing to protect him. He was weak, far too weak.

But he wasn't really helpless, though. In reality, it was they who were.

"Do you want to die?" the man screamed.

Blood trickled down from Sa Min's left ear and nose as he struggled to sit up. "No, I don't want to die," he said, shaking his head. Then he motioned to Qing Xieren. "You want to die?"

"Are you threatening…us?" The shaven-headed man threw a swift blow towards Sa Min's head, sending him flipping across the wooden floor a few feet.

With a blank face, Sa Min raised himself once again, spitting out a mouthful of blood. It's time to show some dominance.

"Every single word on that parchment is a fact," he reminded them, his blue icy eyes fixed on Qing Xieren. "If anything happens to me, everyone will know that you're the one responsible for the kidnapping and killing of the colored-eyed people."

Furious, the man drew near once again and Sa Min squinted his eyes, expecting another blow. But then, Qing Xieren spoke up, "Qing Yun." He gave him a look that told him that it was enough.

Qing Xieren approached, his arms behind him. "You understand the meaning of your words, do you?"

Of course, I know. Your destruction. Your death, Sa Min thought coldly.

"Do you know what a cat pushed into a corner with no escape route does?"

Sa Min remained silent for a moment. He understood the meaning behind his question, and he was right.

" I have no intention of exposing you. This parchment," Sa Min glanced down at it momentarily, "is but a way, an insurance if you people come for my blood.

He spoke nothing but the truth.

Qing Xieren squatted down. "Hmm," he murmured, unconvinced. His old, wrinkled face was so close Sa Min saw white hairs sticking out from his nostrils.

"Why do you think I've never informed the authorities of what you're doing, even though I know all about it?" Sa Min noted.

"Fear, perhaps."

"Trust me. The reward they're offering is enough to wipe away any fear." Sa Min spoke in a confident tone.

And once again, he was telling the truth. The bounty offered varied depending on the usefulness of the information shared. However, if you were to provide clear evidence of their true identities, a huge reward would await you—10,000 force apples.

The thought of claiming that reward, which could help him very much in his cultivation, had crossed Sa Min's head. However, he knew that doing so would put him in grave danger as well. How did he come to know about them?

Unless he decided to report anonymously, but then he would get no bounty. Besides, if he could enter the Inner Domain, it would be way, way better.

Reporting them was not a good idea…right now.

The old man gazed into his blue eyes, and Sa Min's eyes didn't waver one bit.

They sat there like that for a time, silence hanging heavy between them. Then, with a sigh and a frown, Qing Xieren rose. Perhaps because of the stench emanating from Sa Min.

Or perhaps he'd come to believe that Sa Min, though looking defenseless and weak and young, had the ability and capability to destroy him and his family, and he could do nothing with his rank 3 and his whole family to stop him.

Perhaps it was the latter.

Sa Min observed him with his expressionless face as he strolled away. "So, what do you want?" he asked Sa Min.

A faint smile came to Sa Min's lips, and he wiped the blood from his mouth to hide it. "All I want is to leave this place alive."

"Nonsense!" Qing Xieren barked, turning around abruptly. "Why the hell were you following my son, then? Clearly, you want something. And how can we trust you to let you go? How can we be sure you won't run straight to the authorities and inform them?"

"What if I told you there's a way for you to be completely certain that I'll keep my mouth shut and you keep your thing going?" Sa Min suggested, the sly smile growing out of control.

Qing Xieren snorted. "Why should we trust a word you say? Why were you following my son?" he repeated.

Sa Min nodded. "I understand your doubts, and I am ready to answer your questions and address all your concerns. but first..." He glanced at the gray, heavy stony chains binding his hands.

Qing Xieren's frown deepened. "What is it that you are after?"

"You need to understand my situation too. Take off these chains as a gesture of goodwill, and I'll wipe out all your doubts. How I know about the Key, how I came to know about your search, and why I was following your son. I will explain everything."

Qing Xieren remained silent, weighing his options, and what options did he really have?

He signaled Qing Yun with a slight nod, and Qing Yun approached. With force, he pulled Sa Min's hand up. Sa Min threw a cold glance at him, though he didn't really mind. He was considering his next words.

Qing Xieren made his way to his chair. "Let's start with how you know about the Key."

Sa Min said nothing, waiting for Qing Yun to remove the chains. Only when the chains fell away and he rubbed his wrists did he bother to look up. "The answer to your question is simply…"

---

The sun shone brightly, the rain had stopped for a while now, leaving Tetra Blessing City with the scent of damp earth.

"Why the hell are they taking so damn long?" thought Qin Liang, anxiously pacing back and forth outside the main hall, his eyes locked onto the door.

Every time he imagined what would happen if the city lord found out about them, fear would creep into his heart, pressuring his chest.

The entire Qing family was freaking out. They were running around like crazy in the wide courtyard, on high alert. The family head had given orders to be ready to bolt out of the city at any given moment, just like they did the last time.
And last time they had to fight their way out; a huge number of them had ended up getting killed.

Most of them had no clue about the Key or what the family was doing in the city. It was too risky. Anyone could rat them out to get that reward from the Investigation and Justice Office.

Only a closed circle of a few knew the danger in which the family was facing right now.

At that moment, a scruffy-looking man with an urgent look on him rushed up to Qin Liang. It was his subordinate, the same man who had attacked Sa Min and brought him here. He always tailed Qing Lian from the shadows, keeping an eye out for any danger that might face Qing Lian while searching for the Key. That's why he was able to find out about Sa Min.

Qin Lian stopped at his subordinate, looking straight at him. "Well?" he asked impatiently.

"We just communicated with your sister, young master, she said..." the man hesitated.

Qing Lian felt a tightness grip his chest. "Did you tell her to hurry up and come to the meeting spot?"
"Yeah, but she said she can't make it in time."

"Damn it." Qing Lian pulled out a mini bottle, took a swig and then hurled it angrily to the ground. "Damn it"

In moments like these, he couldn't help but regret the day he crossed paths with that weird, black-clad man who had told him about this cursed Key.

He opened his mouth, about to tell his subordinate to gather some guards and rush to Sa Clan and get his sister out there, but then he remembered that the Sa Clan's security was tight, only those with the Sa name could get through their walls.

That's the reason Qing Xieren had sold his daughter to that patriarch in the first place. They needed to search Sa Clan territory for the Key as well, and that was the only safe way to do it.

This is it. I can't wait any longer. I have to open my essence core now.

Originally, he had intended to save the Black Force Olive until he opened his essence so he could advance in transformations quickly. However, the situation had changed. If a bottle were to break, he didn't want to be left without a weapon."

And the Ka wielders' weapons were the Yantras, and there was no Yantra without Imprints and there were no Imprints without the essence core.

As Qin Lian was about to retreat to his room to consume the Force Olive, the main hall door swung open with a cracking sound, and Qing Lian turned immediately. What now?

A young man emerged, and it was Sa Min. His face was bruised and bloodied. He stepped out and paused, gazing blankly at the sun for a brief moment before he continued to walk away.

What the hell? Qin Lian frowned. Why is he… leaving? He was confused and he had no intention to wait any longer. He hustled his way towards the hall, looking at Sa Min as he passed him.

Sa Min, with that expressionless face, didn't even bother to give him a glance. It was like he had no idea who Qing Lian was, like they hadn't talked just yesterday, like he hadn't been tailing him just hours ago. He was just strolling away, acting like nothing at all had happened.

What the fuck?

Qing Lian pushed the doors and walked in.

His father, sitting in the main chair, clutching his wrinkled head with one hand, and Qin Yun stood before him, puffing away on a cigarette. They seemed so wrapped up in heavy talk, that they didn't even bother to glance his way.

He silently greeted them and moved closer to stand beside Qin Yun. It didn't seem like a good time to interrupt them, so he just tried to listen, hoping to learn what the fuck had happened. Why was Sa Min allowed to go free?

"...a vision from Heaven?" Qin Yun exhaled the smoke through a chuckle. "Did he seriously expect us to believe that?"

"How do you think he knew about the Key?" his father asked Qin Yun. His face looked heavy.

"I think there is another group in the city searching for it."

His father nodded. "And they know about us. That kid Sa Min may have said some truth. I think he has really prepared and written that parchment just to protect himself," he paused. "Killing him would've only harmed us."

"There are still some questions I can't…" Qin Yun said. He didn't look as worried as he should be, but he did look confused. "If they already know about us, why don't they just report and eliminate us so that they're the only ones who know about the Key?"

"Because by doing that, not just us, the entire city will find out about the Key. And with the City Lord's involvement, they won't stand a chance of getting it.'"

Qin Yun puffed away at his cigarette. "And why would anyone want to recruit someone who hasn't even opened his essence core?"

"Maybe it's because he's just like Qing Lian," Qing Xieren finally looked at his son, then stood up. "Weak people are good for not attracting attention. Or maybe... the other group Sa Min is working for is actually his family."

Qin Yun squinted his eyes. "The Sa Clan?"

"The Liu family," Qing Xieren corrected. "I'm not certain yet, but there is something in that family's past that... do you know what happened to Sa Liu Long 60 years ago?"

Qin Yun's eyes widened in shock.

Qin Lian frowned, wondering: Liuo family, isn't that Sa Min's family?