Remove ads

Be The Icy Beauty! A Xianxia/Cultivation Tale

Reader mode
Remove ads
Chapter 58: The Demon-Beast System
  • Threadmarks
    • Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?

    Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?

    Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 58: The Demon-Beast System

    ---

    The BMFS faction marched from the Mission Hall to their faction base. Arriving in the field outside the building, they looked at it curiously. Li Ji frowned. He could sense the Qi of someone unfamiliar stalking about.

    "Did someone really try and occupy our faction hall while we were away?" Jing Hu growled. "It really is the case that when the tiger leaves the mountain, the chicken comes to roost."

    "Pipe down, fools," Bing Meilu shook her head. "Are you going to come and greet me?"

    The Front door of the building opened, and a young girl pushed her way out of it. She was wearing the lieutenant robes of the Armada, emblazoned with silver birds and clouds. Her long ebony hair, and fair, rosy skin became visible as she pulled down her hood.

    An aura leaked from the girl gently, the sign of one who had not learned to control their Qi. It seemed utterly drenched in blood, and yet, still somehow elegant and pure at the same time. It was like a pure lotus growing in a field of corpses.

    "Mistress is that you?!" Xia Xuefeng asked, eyes wide.

    "Indeed," Bing Meilu nodded, looking at Xia Xuefeng appreciatively. "I see you've broken into the Second Realm. Not bad."

    "You did as well," Xuefeng noticed.

    "How did you get out of the Shadow Pit?"

    "During the disciple entrance exam, they took me out as an obstacle. I managed to show off Karmic Merit and prove my innocence," the blood cultivator sighed wearily.

    "Hmm. How lucky. I had actually been planning on using the loyalty of my faction as a bargaining chip to get you out, it seems I won't have to do so now," Bing Meilu nodded. "I'll introduce you to some sisters later, for now, come meet your mistress's slaves."

    Unlike Xia Xuefeng, who had voluntarily sworn herself to Bing Meilu, or her junior disciple sisters from the Moon Crying Swan Palace, the former Crimson Dragon Faction were a bunch of common extortionists and bandits she had essentially enslaved by force. Even now, with Core Formation members, they had still not shed the title and had an awkward expressions on their faces at the introduction.

    They were already a power that could stand on their own in Port Snake, did they really still have to be slaves?

    However, as far as Bing Meilu was concerned, they were lucky. When she was a Celestial who had birthed her own Heaven and Earth and who ruled a top power of the Deathless Domain, there were entire chiliocosm's worth of people who would kill their own mothers just for a chance for the honour to be sacrificed as a cultivation resource, let alone the lofty position of a slave.

    The young girl spun around, addressing her faction.

    "Listen up you lot. This girl here is Xia Xuefeng, my highest-ranking subordinate in this continent. According to seniority, you must all treat her like your own grandmother's grandmother at the least. I'm especially looking at you, Xi Fu. If you do anything untoward I will be displeased."

    The Spear Cultivator nodded, looking aggrieved. He wasn't so in need of a woman he would try and seduce a girl barely out of childhood! Xi Fu, it had to be known, had standards...Assuming, he wasn't drunk of course.

    Bing Meilu made her way into the faction room, leading Xia Xuefeng and the four Swan Palace disciples into a meeting room.

    "Sisters, this is Xia Xuefeng, a subordinate who I picked up. She has a strong affinity for blood cultivation. Xia Xuefeng, these are some surviving members of my old sect, the Moon Crying Swan Palace. While out on my training trip, I found and saved them from a criminal who had abducted them. This is Tang Wuhan, that's Chang Xili, that's Sima Yazhu and that is Shen Xinyu."

    Xia Xuefeng nodded, greeting each of the girls.

    "My name is Xia Xuefeng, I was a member of a small trading company until Mistress picked me up. It's nice to meet all of you."

    Of the four, only Shen Xinyue was fully her disciple. Sima Yazhu was essentially just staying with Bing Meilu because she didn't know what to do with her life for now. Tang Wuhan had decided to stay with Yazhu until she gave birth, before heading to visit her mortal sister. Chang Xili would live out her life in luxury somewhere in the mortal world but had yet to decide where, so she would also stay in the meantime.

    Of course, if their Dao-hearts were revitalized at some point before they left, that was also good, but Bing Meilu wouldn't be too torn up about them leaving. There was no point coercing someone to cultivate, if they truly had no desire, it was best to leave them alone.

    "Shen Xinyue also became my direct subordinate. Now having two members, I decided to make it official. Our lineage is called the Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace. Shen Xinyue is the second disciple, and you are the first."

    A wave of invisible karma latched onto Xia Xuefeng at the proclamation. The girl nodded.

    "What are you, mistress?"

    "Naturally I'm the Ancient Supreme Founding Ancestor of the first generation," Bing Meilu explained in all seriousness.

    Xuefeng giggled slightly. What young girl gave herself such an old man-sounding title? What did it mean to be the 'first-generation ancestor' when the sect only had one generation and was founded five minutes ago?

    "Shen Xinyue greets senior disciple apprentice sister!" the yin cultivator bowed her head in Xia Xuefeng's direction.

    By now, Xinyue's cultivation had been firmly converted from the Snowblossom Falling Dance to the Crystal Providence Heavenly Tome. As opposed to Bing Meilu's cultivation of the Crystal Providence Absolute Tome, the derived method formed thirty-six yin Foundations in the central Dantian, an array that could unleash incredible power.

    Converting her cultivation method had knocked Shen Xinyue down to the first stage of foundation establishment, but it was well worth it to cultivate methods from the higher realms. Her power and potential were now several times higher than before.

    Xia Xuefeng blinked in surprise, before smiling. It was always a nice feeling to be above someone in status.

    "Nice to meet you junior sister Xinyue, this senior sister will make sure you guide you well," Xia Xuefeng nodded seriously, patting her chest.

    Bing Meilu shook her head at the sight. Shen Xinyue was probably several times Xuefeng's age and had far more experience as a cultivator.

    "You girls can chat and get to know each other, I have some business to take care of," Bing Meilu stood, making her way into her throne room.

    Still where she had left him months ago, was the frozen, ice-covered snake.

    ---

    Silent. It was all silence. He didn't know how long it had been. Weeks. Months. Years. A single fly buzzed in the corner. Aiwa's eyes locked onto it. Each buzz bubbled through the air, wading over his dreary mind like sticky sap boiling over the edge of a pot.

    Drip
    Drip
    Dripping to the ground.

    He saw sounds and heard colour, head buzzing emptily.

    All he had to sustain him was the empty calories of barren air, the buzzing and buzzing and buzzing of flies...

    "Good morning, Aiwa. Are you ready to serve me?"

    He didn't respond at first, didn't even really notice the sound, spilling and twirling and twisting into a cacophony that engulfed him. It was all empty noise, just empty and empty and em-

    "Did you hear me?"

    His eyes refocused. There was someone before him- A girl. The girl. Bing Meilu.

    A weak fire lit in him, before snuffing itself out- He was too weary to even remember why he hated her.

    "If you agree to serve me, I can release you,"

    Release
    Release
    Release

    The word seemed to stick out to him but he honestly couldn't tell why-

    "Stop being so dramatic Aiwa- It's only been a few months," Bing Meilu ordered. "To cultivators like us, centuries can pass in a single sleep."

    "Aiwa..." he tasted the word on his lips.

    Yes, that was his name once. Would be Aiwa again? For so long he was but the receiver of the silence...

    "I'll serve you- Please just get me out of here," he began to sob.

    Bing Meilu smiled.

    "Your conditions are acceptable."

    With a wave of Qi, he felt the ice around him melt. His heart began to beat, his blood began to pump. The Qi inside him was once more beating.

    He had almost forgotten how to be alive, how to cultivate. A breath, and qi gently churned through his injured body.

    Aiwa had been a half step into Nascent Soul before being injured by the human rats from the trading company he'd devoured. He was then further damaged by Bing Meilu. At this point, it would take months of recovery before his combat power even reached that of a first-stage Core Formation. Of course, it would go much faster if he fed on some humans in the meantime.

    "From now on I will not tolerate any disobedience or disrespect. If you wish to be free, you'll treat serving me as a goal with the same importance as eating or breathing. Any hint of insubordination will result in you being locked up again. In fact, I'll make that an order. Aiwa, you will never purposely do something, either by action or inaction you know or suspect I would disapprove of. Should you find any loophole to do so, you'll lock yourself back up and Immediately inform me."

    Using his own cognition in the order would make it much tighter as if he thought she would disapprove of something, he would be restricted. There were likely still loopholes, but Bing Meilu was not bothered with that now. Perhaps she'd have Li Ji come up with some airtight set of orders later.

    "On that note, give me a full report on your status in the Demon-Beast System, including all abilities, perks, races, classes and the like. "

    Basic Info

    Name: Aiwa Satsushi
    Age: Four Years(Current Body) 27 Years (Mental Age)
    Cultivation Level: 3.10.10 (Equivalent to human Half-Step Nascent Soul) (Crippled)
    Equipped Class: Tamed Beast
    Equipped Race: White Sword-Scale Python
    Demon-Points: 135

    'Click to Open Shop'

    Unlocked Perks:

    Swordbreaker Scales
    --Deal huge damage to any weapon used on your scales

    Eyes of the Hunter
    --See prey from a great distance, through basic obstacles, illusions and concealments

    Wuji Stomach
    --No longer have a limit on the amount of stored food, does not affect digestion speed

    Bravely Ran Away
    --Speed and stealth double when fleeing from a predator or other lethal threat

    Natural Poison Immunity
    --Acids and poisons of the Mortal Realm do not affect you

    Shadow-Kin
    --When in the dark or shadows, your aura and scent become imperceptible

    Size Control
    --You can compress your body anywhere from your full size to the size of a normal snake, no matter how large you would otherwise be. You can dispel the compression at any time. A sufficiently strong attack can dispel the compression

    Digestive Efficiency 2
    --No longer takes time to digest humans, digesting demons is much quicker

    Lethal Venom 3
    --Your venom is even more dangerous

    Class Master 1
    --Slightly enhance equipped Class

    Expand...

    Activatable Skills:

    Rupturing Roar
    --Release a roar that stuns enemies and damages their senses

    Devouring vortex
    --Create a vortex that sucks prey into your stomach to be digested. More effective on human prey. Size of vortex scales with body size

    Venom Lance
    --Fire venom from your fangs at an enemy, deals extra damage to optical organs

    Reinforced Inject Venom
    --Inject a huge amount of venom when biting

    Coiling Prison
    --Wrap around prey and choke them out with Qi-enforced bindings

    Expand...

    Unlocked Classes:
    Prey
    Harder to be exposed when hiding
    Prey + 1
    Even Harder to be exposed when hiding
    Poisoneer
    +5% Damage to venom and poisons
    Nightstalker
    +5% Damage when ambushing
    Nightstalker + 1
    +10% Damage when ambushing
    Harder to be exposed when hiding
    Nightstalker + 2
    +30% Damage when ambushing
    Much harder to be exposed when hiding
    Nightstalker + 3
    Double Damage when ambushing
    Significantly harder to be exposed when hiding
    Enhanced Vision in the dark
    Tamed Beast
    + 5% bonus damage when attacking under the Owners order
    1: Tamed Beast may never disobey the Owner
    2: Tamed Beast can never attack the Owner
    3: Tamed Beast and Owner form a spiritual link

    Unlocked Races:

    Garden Snake 'Extremely Weak (1)'
    --Venomous Snake 'Extremely Weak (1)'
    ---Large Venomous Snake 'Extremely Weak (1)'
    ----Qi-Venom Demon Serpent 'Extremely Weak (1)'

    Fire Fang Blood Serpent 'Extremely Weak (1)'
    --Slithering Lava Python 'Extremely Weak (1)'
    ---- Boiling Rock Lava Drake 'Extremely Weak(1)'

    Deep Earth Hiding Bird-Python 'Extremely Weak (1)'

    White Swordscale Python 'Extremely Weak (1)'

    Black Acid Flood Dragon 'Very Weak (2)'

    Active Quests:

    Story : H̸̒͜e̵̺̚a̵̧̓v̴͙́ẻ̴͔n̴͕͝'̶͙̓s̸̭̍ ̶͕͗R̶̫͆ḙ̸͊t̵̺͑r̶͇̃ȉ̵̼b̷͈́ṵ̸͝ť̷̞i̴͉̔o̶̜̚n̵̦̉
    Task: Slay and devour 'Bing Meilu'
    Progress: 0/1
    Reward: Unlock Bloodline 'Crystal Heaven Dragon(Extremely Strong (10))'

    Triggered: Island Chaser 1
    Task: Devour six Islandback Tortoise Eggs
    Progress: 1/6
    Reward: Oceancrosser 1 Perk: Faster movement in the water

    Triggered: The Human Dao 1
    Task: Consume 100 humans a day, every day for a week
    Progress: 0/7
    Reward: Increase in comprehension

    Default: Bloodline Hunter 2
    Task: Gain 5 distinct Demon Racial bloodlines(Does not count the bloodlines used to acquire Bloodline Hunter 1)
    Progress: 1/5
    Reward: Bloodline Upgrade Crystal

    Default: Class Master 2
    Task: Level a Class to Rank 5
    Progress: 3/5
    Reward: Upgrade the effectiveness of equipped classes

    ---

    "Hmm, so you're basically designed to be an ambush hunter, I suppose that makes sense for a Snake..."

    To be honest, Bing Meilu could only really think about one thing right now.

    'If I can die and then come back, can I turn my tamed beast into a Crystal Heaven Dragon?'

    Crystal Heaven Dragons could grow naturally to the Celestial Realm, and that was without any purposeful cultivation. Having one would be an immense weapon. However, it would probably not be possible to 'trick' a system created by a Devil from the Pit.

    "Oh well, maybe I'll figure something out eventually," Bing Meilu shrugged.

    She had Aiwa enlarge himself slightly and hide inside her robes, wrapped around her neck. Should she order, he could immensely shoot out from her robes to attack an enemy. A useful secret weapon.

    She return to the room where Xia Xuefeng was chatting with Shen Xinyue, telling her about how she had met Bing Meilu. Sima Yazhu and Tang Wuhan were listening silently, while Chang Xili sat, reading a book.

    Bing Meilu returned to her throne room and took a seat, closing her eyes in meditation.

    ---

    Later that day, at night time, Xia Xuefeng stepped into the throne room. Bing Mielu opened her eyes.

    "Yes?"

    "Ah, hey Mistress. I had some things I wanted to ask you about..."

    "You may ask."

    "Well, first of all, ever since we met up, my Karmic Merit has been feeling really strange... I can't quite describe it, but it seems to shudder and wobble whenever I look at you,"

    'Well, I've become an enemy of the Heavens of the Jade Sparrow World, so your Karmic Merit is afraid of me. At the same time, due to the rules of Heaven, it isn't allowed to directly inform all Karmic Merit wielders I am an enemy, so it can only react strangely.' Bing Meilu thought.

    It's not like she could actually say that. Even if Xia Xuefeng was loyal, she could always be soul searched.

    "Let's just say I've had a very interesting training trip." Bing Meilu said aloud.

    "Uh-huh... And there's one more thing..."

    Xia Xuefeng pulled something from her spatial ring. It was a black key. The handle was a black skull with ruby-red gems inlaid into its empty eye sockets. The key itself was a simple cylinder, inscribed with ancient symbols. Furthermore, there were ancient characters inscribed upon it.

    "Mistress, I found something that seems related to my cultivation method-"

    The moment it entered the air, Bing Meilu felt her entire cultivation system jolt, her seventy-two moons, twisting and pulsing as if they had some strange resonance. To actually make the Crystal Providence Absolute Tome respond...

    Bing Meilu looked at the characters inscribed on the key.

    'Let ye be warned, for below lies the prison of Grand Emperor Blacksky...'

    Bing Meilu exploded forward, seeming to almost teleport. She ripped the key from Xia Xuefeng's hands forcefully, eyes narrowed. A river of Qi poured into her arms, and with all her might, she launched the object away.

    It sailed through the air with an ominous silence, pushing through a window like a hot knife through butter and disappearing into the sky.

    A moment later, the key was back in Xia Xuefeng's grasp as if it had never left.

    "It's too late. You're already infected by its Karma."
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • I think Xia found a solution to her cursed mark, you can't possess her if twenty other super gods are trying to possess her too.
     
    mmmh, earlier on the Dragon bloodline in question just said "celestial realm". Going all the way to Paragon is quite an upgrade.
    It also solidified her worry. The 'Crystal Heaven Dragon' bloodline mentioned by the System was a rare and powerful draconic bloodline whose natural life cycle extended to the Celestial Realm. To be able to easily hand out such a bloodline through a mere Sealing Mark. That implied... that whoever had created this system was at the very least of the Paragon Realm. That was perhaps the most deeply worrying revelation since she had returned to the Bird Talong Continent.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
     
    Celestial also makes more sense, as already being absurdly powerful bloodline, it would be weird if the system could give him what Bing had been looking for for eons with zero work on his part just like that, it feels like it would have kind of diminished her struggles and accomplishments.
     
    She needs at least one more, but preferably more. With only two, they just need to overcome each other. A third means they need to overcome one of their opponents and still have the strength to beat the one that remains.
     
    Have we considered that the reason the sealing mark reacted is because the Blood Moon Spectral God just wants a roomie? Horrible abominations from beyond space and time need enrichment too!
     
    Zhang Yi Interlude 7
  • Threadmarks

    • Zhang Yi Interlude 7


    ---

    The Copper Egg Sect in Azurebreath City had an office in the wealthiest part of the city. It was surrounded by wide gardens with lots of green space. Not the packed and overcrowded slums that made up most of the city, but a pleasant-smelling district with houses so far from each other that the whole group from Jiang City didn't even take up the width of the road if they stood side to side. There was more greenery than actual building.

    Similar to what the scammer Immortal had said, anyone under the age of fifteen could be tested, assuming they could afford the ticket price. With the wealth looted from the Immortal, everyone had more than enough. Zhang Yi would just use some of the coins in the pouch He Zhao had given him.

    All of them arrived outside the office. Rather than hold tests every certain time period, they would do it on a come-and-go basis. There were only three natives from the city taking the test today, all of whom were surprised to see the huge group of townsfolk from Jiang City.

    At noon, the doors of the office opened, and an Immortal stepped out. He wore the same copper-coloured robes as the slaving Immortal, only his had a golden trim that made it clear he was of much higher status. In his hand, he held a large glass orb filled with smoke. He looked at the large group of arrivals with a raised eyebrow.

    "Why are there so many this time?" he asked.

    "We're all from Jiang City, sir Immortal," said Old Man Ying Shanxi, one of the adults who had come for safety. "We'd like to have all of these kids tested. We should have enough to pay for it."

    "Hppm, very well. It's five silver for each tested child twelve or younger, and ten for each under fifteen."

    Ying Shanxi gathered money from all the kids and handed it to the Immortal. The three city members also handed over pouches of silver. The Immortal nodded, before floating into the air, to gaze imperiously down at the assembled crowd.

    "Mortals, I am a tester of the Copper Egg sect here to check to see if anyone has a talent for cultivation! Those under the age of fifteen should gather in the center square. Any adults, step away."

    The parents of the three city prospects and the Jiang City children moved back, leaving only those to be tested in the square. After quickly counting his money, the Immortal nodded. There was enough.

    The test to enter the Copper Egg Sect was pretty simple. The children would press their hands upon the glass orb, which would then force Qi through their inactive meridian channels, to the Dantian, which was the center of cultivation.

    Most Dantians were shattered and full of holes. They would leak out Qi faster than one could gather it. Without exorbitant resource consumption, any cultivation was impossible. Even if one did achieve a low level, the Qi inside them would still continue to dissipate. Unless they were constantly absorbing Qi to offset the loss, they would become mortal again.

    The Orb would measure the Qi leaking from the Dantian and assign the prospective to one of four grades.

    If the amount leaked was too high, the clouds would stay gray to indicate 'Insufficient', one who was not worthy to cultivate. In which case the prospective was left to their fate as a mortal.

    If the amount leaking was moderate, the clouds would turn blue to indicate 'Sufficient'. In which case one joined the outer sect. They had the ability to become a cultivator, but would likely never reach a high level.

    If the amount leaking was tiny, the clouds would turn gold to indicate 'Quality', in which case one would directly become an Inner Disciple. These were the future pillars of the Copper Egg sect, those expected to become useful.

    There was also the final grade of 'Perfect', in which no Qi leaked at all. This was almost never seen randomly in the mortal world. Usually, only cultivator bloodlines produced perfect Dantians. Those who had one could directly join the Core Sect and were considered natural-born geniuses.

    Of course, the Dantian grade was not very important to one's cultivation talent. After all, in the higher-level sects, effectively everyone had a perfect Dantian, and there was no higher grade than zero Qi leakage.
    In those sects, unique physiques, bloodlines and statuses, alongside special inheritances or incredible martial skill or comprehension were the mark of geniuses.

    With only exceptions for those with special talents, no member of the Sky Swallowing Gulper Armada had anything below a perfect Dantian. In those Qi-rich southern lands near the tip of the Talon, even those with sufficient Dantians would be able to easily absorb Qi faster than it leaked.

    It was only in the Qi-desolate wasteland of the absolute north of the Bird Talon Continent, Copper Egg Prefecture, that such a thing was of utmost concern.

    "You first!" the Immortal pointed at Jiang Fang, the City Lord's son.

    The young noble slid forward, pressing his hands onto the orb. It shuddered, the fog within condensing into a Red cloud.

    "...A perfect Dantian?! Incredible!" the Immortal praised, seeming shocked. "I wasn't expecting to find something like that in a mortal city... You can directly join the Core Sect!"

    In all his time testing, he had never seen a single perfect Dantian. This was a completely shocking occurrence. Most of the people from Jiang City cheered joyfully, happy to see one of their own get such high praise from an Immortal, though they did not quite understand exactly why it was so important.

    "Troublesome," Jiang Fang sighed. "I don't suppose I could bribe you to pretend it was a lower grade?"

    "...What?" the Immortal blinked in complete confusion. "Why would you want that?"

    "I prefer to stay low-key and take things easy," Jiang Fang explained. "How about a gold coin?"

    "Hmph. The reward I'll get from the sect for discovering a Perfect Dantian prospect will be far more than any mortal could possibly afford."

    Of course, the Immortal got a commission for each new prospect he brought in, with more for more talented grades. Otherwise, would any cultivator of his stature waste their time in a mortal city when they could be cultivating in the Sect? At the very least a Sect like the Copper Egg Sect could not build such devotion from its members, it had to pay them.

    The young nobleman shrugged, accepting his fate. He walked over to the immortal's side, leaning against a wall with his eyes closed.

    Next was He Zhao. The clouds swirled, turning blue. The Immortal raised an eyebrow in surprise.

    "An acceptable grade. You can join the Outer Sect," he said.

    'Even finding one prospect in a week is good! Two in a row? It seems that Heaven itself is trying to provide me with a bonus to my pay! Perhaps I'll be able to reach the sixth or even seventh stage of Foundation Establishment' the Second Realm cultivator smiled, stroking his goatee happily.

    The next to go was one of the three from the city. She received an insufficient.

    After her was Wan Zue, a boy from Jiang City, who was 'Insufficient'. He dejectedly walked over to where the adults stood.

    Cao Ya's older brother Cao Xinyi too received an insufficient, alongside Dong Huo and Yang Mu.

    Li Renlong, Zhang Yi's bully, walked over, placing his hands on the orb and receiving an acceptable grade. He went over to stand with Jiang Fang and He Zhao. He gave Zhang Yi a smirk of disdain.

    The orphan boy, bit his lip, feeling his stomach roll over. Would he take the test and get an 'Insufficient', learning all his days of cultivation had been a complete waste? Seeing Li Renlong had accomplished it only made him more anxious. It could be anyone else, but if the bastard who had tormented him his whole life became an Immortal, and Zhang Yi didn't... He wasn't sure how he could continue living.

    Cao Ya took the test and received a Sufficient. Next was Li Meimei, Renlong's sister and Zhang Yi's old fiancee. She placed her hands on the orb, receiving a gold-cloud 'Quality', that caused many villagers to cheer for her.

    By this point, the Immortal's expression had become one of utter shock and disbelief. He had never seen such a high proportion of high-quality prospects in his entire life testing mortals in the Prefecture. That was already five prospects, and he wasn't even halfway through! Not to mention, all were from some tiny city out in the boons he hadn't even heard of.

    "This isn't normal..." The Immortal muttered, eyes wide.

    It was inconceivable for so many potential cultivators to be born in a bumfuck nowhere mortal village.

    'Did some talented rogue cultivator come by and cuck all the mortal men in that village? How can there be so many prospects?'

    Subconsciously, the wizened old face of his master appeared in his mind, repeating the saying he would give whenever something mysterious happened.

    'In the end, it's all up to Karma. Leave it be!'

    But whose' Karma?

    The Immortal's eyes turned greedy as he stared at the rest of Jiang Cities children. He no longer saw mortals, but walking money bags!

    'I'll have to make sure to drop by Jiang City when the next crop of children are born,' he swore. 'And I won't tell anyone they're all from there. No one gets to eat rice from my bowl!'

    Ling Shuren was next. Insufficient. Several girls went. All Insufficient.

    The next to pass was actually Hua Zi's sister, Hua Ming. She seemed completely terrified after passing, looking at her father for assurance. he smiled some, and she walked over to stand with those who passed.

    Zhang Yi stood at the back of the crowd, watching the others. He felt a strong sense of anxiety. If he took the test and received an 'Insufficient', his heart and hopes would crumble. He would be doomed to die, like Hua Zi, and even worse, Li Renlong wouldn't be coming with him.

    "Are there any in the under-fifteen age bracket left?" the Immortal asked.

    "Zhang Yi hasn't gone," Li Renlong pointed at him, a mocking smirk on his face.

    The children parted as the orphan trod up, scowling. At least he would get it over with. The black-haired youth placed his hand upon the orb as the Immortal watched.

    He felt a tingling run through his body, just like when he followed the breathing pattern. This could only be Qi pouring into his Meridian System. Below his shirt, the copper coin began to glow with a blue aura, unseen by any. The tingling grew stronger, as if the orb was pouring more and more Qi into Zhang Yi.

    The Clouds within the orb formed a vortex, swirling and condensing as if some hungry ghoul was sucking them up. They shrank rapidly, faster than the eye could see. Zhang Yi barely thought he saw a hint of red.

    Crack!

    The glass orb directly shattered, smoke spewing out in every direction. Under his shirt, a subtle green patina had grown over the surface of the copper coin.

    "W-what the hell was that? What did you do?" The Immortal walked forward, picking Zhang Yi up by the collar of his robe, a glare in his eyes.

    "I-I didn't do anything!" the boy defended, worried.

    "Are you saying my Four Winds Orb broke itself?"

    "How am I supposed to know? I'm the mortal. It's your orb! You tell me!"

    "I've tested thousands of mortals and never had anything go wrong. You must have done something!" the Immortal shouted, voice raising.

    "I swear, I-I didn't do anything!"

    The cultivator tossed Zhang Yi back to the ground, gritting his teeth.

    "Maybe he's just so untalented even the orb couldn't stand seeing it," Li Renlong joked, causing several boys to laugh.

    "Shut the hell up! You're in a joking mood when my Orb broke, huh?" the Immortal reeled on the 'jokester', eyes red with fury. "Are you mocking me?"

    Li Renloing gulped, holding up his hands in apology.

    The Copper Egg member scowled. A testing item like that would be very expensive to replace, and he only had the one. He would have to go back to the Sect for a second one, meaning his current testing session was over unless he borrowed one from a colleague. There were three cities nearby with testing offices, and he was friendly with one of them. He could go over and give them a bribe to let him borrow their orb to finish his day's test, so long as they didn't ask too many questions.

    He didn't want anyone to find out about Jiang City, and its bizarre amount of cultivators.

    Furthermore, there was the matter of the boy who had broken it. He certainly wouldn't let him use the second orb for testing, in case he broke that one. However, if he couldn't be tested, had he passed? Should the Immortal bring him back to the Copper Egg sect or just leave him here?

    'To break a Four Winds Orb must count as an interesting result, I'll just bring him back to the sect and leave the rest to the Disciple Hall!'
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • I'm sure that breaking the testing sphere is a good result, but I have no clue how it could have happened. If all the sphere does is insert Qi and then measure how much of it leaks back out, I don't know how a result could possibly break it.

    I mean, the perfect rank is literally having no Qi leakage, so how could someone be better than that? Maybe being a Qi vacuum, not just retaining Qi but drawing in so much more than the sphere's supposed to be able to pump into a test taker?
     
    He seems to have a bottomless Qi pit, yeah.

    I am gonna take a guess than the northern region is Qi depleted because the copper coin ancestor ate all of it.
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top