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," he grumbled.
Sa Min's eyebrow went up at that. Wasn't she the daughter of Elderess Sa Xiu Ting? He calmly thought, then looked sidelong at the Elder's area.
The Elderess in mind was on the lower stairs of the stands; she looked pale as a bloodmen, wrinkled like a prune... barely managing to stand, leaning on a stick thicker than herself and twice taller than her arched form.
She was… half-corpse already.
The Elderess Mummy... repeated Sa Min to himself, recalling what he knew about her.
In the wake of the Li family's exile, Medicine Hall's faction had taken the opportunity to expand its influence within the Sa Clan's district, becoming the third most powerful faction within the clan.
And the mummy Sa Xiu Ting over there was the leader of the Medicine Hall's faction. She was considered the number one healing Ka Wielder within the Sa clan— if not the whole city, had saved many of the Elders's lives, for many times. So she naturally earned their gratitude, granting her a ton of influence.
But seemed like… that influence was coming to an end.
See, brothers, the lifespan of Ka Wielders' bodies stopped at a hundred years. Didn't matter what cultivation rank you had or how strong your battle strength was, your body would fall off the bridge once they hit the hundred.
And even a blind Non-Wielder with his brain in his little finger could see the Elderess Sa Xiu Ting right there... Well, she hadn't much left.
Her fingers barely clutching to the bridge.
Activating the Longevity Yantra types? Bah!… Their Kas were too damn rare. Even the Ka Immortals themselves were struggling really hard to find them. So unless she was incredibly, unbelievably fortunate, she could only dream of them.
Once she died— without any High Aptitude Ka Wielders in her family or the families aligned with her faction— the Gous and Patriarch's faction would devour her faction like a Wildbeast; they would swallow it completely.
Finding himself sinking lower in his seat, Sa Min straightened his back then turned to watch the young woman.
Visibly nervous, Sa Xiu Lan strided towards the circular spot, snatching three Force Apples from the wooden receptacle on the way before settling herself into a crossed-legs position.
She must be her last hope. Sa Min thought.
Under the curious gazes of everyone in the arena, she placed a Force Apple before her Force Gate, closing her eyes. Primal energy surged forth, flowing into her Gate, and the Force Apple began to wither and dry.
It continued like that for minutes—a way longer than what Sa Wei had taken— and before the Force Apple went completely dry, Sa Xiu Lan's eyes snapped open. Disbelief etched across her face. Her trembling mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Elder Sa Yu Guo must've sussed it out though, for he let out a disappointed sigh and swiftly wrote a note before declaring, "Sa Xiu Lan, less than a Force Apple, Ordinary Core, Very-Low aptitude."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd; disappointment was evident on their faces.
Some faces of participants' kids held a grudging pity, watching her, while others could not contain their relief… relief that the one's family held little sway over his Aptitudes.
Over in the elders' section, the Elderess Sa Xiu Lan's face grimaced, cursing Heaven—Sa Min couldn't hear her of course, but he didn't need to. She spat at the direction of the fatty Elder, Sa Gou Wen, who appeared to be enjoying himself, then limped back to her seat.
Still shocked, Sa Lan stood up and approached Elder Sa Yu Guo. "S-should I summon my Borned Ka," she said, her voice shaking.
"There's no time for that, but you will be asked to reveal it when registering for your first monthly wage," replied the Elder, gruff as he reached out for the headband from the Ka Wielder beside him.
She then took the oath and answered the questions, her voice low, and depressed, and monotonous. The Elder handed her the headband and waved her away, already calling the next name.
Sa Xiu Lan dragged herself from the stage, returning to her seat, loudly sobbing.
Without a strong Sea Core, she'd be stuck in the lowest ranks for… the small life the Rank 1 Ka Wielders had.
…
The ceremony dragged on, and Elder Sa Yu Guo kept on calling names. Four hours passed slowly—so damn slowly that Sa Min ran out of yawns.
It was…unbelievable! Sa Min hadn't eaten his breakfast, hadn't even taken his morning shit.
Anyway, it turned out that the overwhelming majority of these children only possessed Very-Low Aptitude— nothing surprising. Eight in ten Ka wielders in the world had Very-Low Aptitude.
And only about twelve of them, maybe, had Low Aptitude, and that was not impressive at all.
As for another Medium Aptitude…
Sa Min looked around the boisterous arena, a cacophony of joyous roars filling the air. The participant children around him—all wearing blue headbands, except for him and Sa Juan—couldn't hold their envy from showing as they cast longing stares at the young man on the stage.
Understandably so; he was another young man with Elite Core.
The kid—Sa Shun, with his hair braided in tight cornrows, was laughing and arrogantly extending his arms wide, as though trying to hug the whole crowd.
Sa Mind started to the side at the Elders. They were all staring at the half-standing Elderess Mummy. Some looked genuinely happy as they congratulated her. But others didn't look that happy; Sa Gou Wen was definitely one of them.
A sardonic smile curled on his lips. "Looks like this Sa Shun belongs to her faction," he thought, forcing an unexisting yawn. "Well, good for her! She's managed to find… something to keep her distracted from what awaits her…stupid mummy."
Among the Elders, Sa Huiqing's smiley eyes kept flickering over to him, as though guarding his Borned Ka.
Ignoring him, Sa Min turned his attention to the stage and watched Sa Shun as he took his oath.
As soon as Sa Shun walked off of the stage to everyone's applause, Sa Min, without waiting for his name to be called, snatched his plain black stick and lifted himself up, groaning loudly as he stretched his muscles.
Though the pain in his back had long gone, there was still this damn itching sensation, like something was stuck to his back. Sa Min brushed off the feeling as he glanced around.
The children watched him, silent, wide-eyed, shut-mouthed. Their faces were filled with reverence and admiration and a lot of envy. Except for this San Juan.
Sitting alone, isolated by the other children, covering half of her face by her slave, she just looked… miserable and afraid and angry—so much anger coming from those naive eyes.
What a pitiful slave! Sa Min walked down the stands, slowly and calmly as usual, the stick doing all the work. Living for what others say—that is one thread of slavery, for sure. But again, who could truly say he is free from all the threads of slavery?
Then that dog-faced Sa Wei came waddling up, extending his hand for a shake. "G-greetings, um, friend? My name is Sa Wei. I've heard of you; I mean, who hasn't?" He let out a nervous chuckle, scratching his sweaty, balding head. "Hope we can be friends in the schoolhouse, though I know our fathers aren't..."
Sa Min walked by him without a word, as though the fat boy were invisible, and headed towards the stage.
The sound thud, thud of his stick hitting against the ground grew louder with each step as the crowd's clamor gradually died away. People had begun to notice him.
And by the time he reached the platform, all eyes were on him; the arena went dead silent now, as though everyone had stopped breathing. Just thud, thud, and the sound of his steps could be heard.
That was normal. After all, wasn't he the miracle boy who had shown signs only Ka Wielders with Legendary Core showed before opening their Sea Core? The people who could reach Rank 5— and what do you know about Rank 5?
On the stage, the scowling Elder Sa Yu Guo rose from his wooden chair, pushing his circular glasses back before beckoning him over with his head.
Without a second of hesitation, Sa Min stepped onto the weathered platform, as calm as always, making his way to the big wooden receptacle, the aged boards beneath him groaning.
Still one complete Force Apple and half remained after Sa Shun'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, their color 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, swiftly stifled by a soft sigh. Sitting himself down, legs crossed, Sa Min placed the three Force Apple before him next to the two, and his stick in his side.
He then calmly closed his cold eyes, then held one of the Apples to his Force Gate. straightway, the Force Apple trembled in his hand, feeling the Primal Force flowing into Force Gate.
It felt like... that refreshing feeling you get when you wash your penis 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.
The Force Apples were the pure density of the Primal Force, in the form of matter. Such Apples could only be found within the White Garden.
These Force Apples were more than mere fruit, of course; 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?
It was the foundation of these three Common Clans, and it was the most guarded and valuable place in the city as it produced large amounts of Apple Force.
It was the reason the Tetra Blessing City existed.
You see, nearly 900 years ago, after the Bloodthirsty Invasion Incident had occurred in the area, the survivors clans 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 Elder Sa Yu Guo nearby, his face indifferent.
The Elder looked…more scowled than he normally was.
Sa Min couldn't help but snicker in his heart. For he knew exactly why.
As you know, 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.
This absorption speed, I can tell which Sea Core I've got. Heer, heer... It's just like my first time, no doubt about it.
Once more, Sa Min closed his eyes, his face showing no excitement or 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, though, as he steadfastly fixed his inner sight on his spherical Sea Core that had just opened. It had been quite some time since he 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 1 Ka Wielders' Sea Core walls in the Early Realm. 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 lay his unique Pure Force—normal blue in color, smooth as glass, glittering with tiny copper flicks—the Copper-blue Pure Sea, the kind of Pure Force that only Ka Wielder at his Rank possessed.
The surface of Sa Min's Copper-blue Pure Sea only made it to 80% of the size of his Sea Core. All Ka Wielders' Sea Cores this limitation, no matter their Aptitude or cultivation Rank.
Above the serene Copper-blue Pure Sea's 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 Black Rock Ka, Sa Min mused to himself. So, the Highway of this body must be—
At that moment, the Volcanic Black Rock Ka suddenly trembled.
Now, Sa Min thought swiftly, not wasting even a second, as he immediately directed his Copper-blue Pure Sea to move with his mind. Denser than water, his Pure Force flowed toward the Ka before tightly enveloping it, invading its body.
You see, 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 Wilder would die, no doubt about it.
That was why, before the battle between him and the Red-Flames Mercenary Group, he had hidden his Borned Ka somewhere safe, proving it with enough food that would suffice it for many years.
Because if they managed to seize his Borned Ka and refine or destroy it, it would kill him no matter if he succeeded using the Yellow Mind Swap Yantra or not.
Almost without resistance, Copper-blue Pure Sea swiftly swept over the Volcanic Black Rock Ka, erasing the Owner Essence
That wasn't the case, naturally. Refining Kas, whether they were the Borned Kas or the Created Kas, was a very difficult process, requiring a lot of Pure Force and patience, depending on their Ranks and the Ranks of their past owners.
But this Volcanic Black Rock Ka, had just awakened, still weak as it hadn't drunk yet. Moreover, its True Owner was just a one year old baby.
That was why Sa Min had managed to refine it in no time.
Watching the Volcanic Black Rock Ka sink down into the Copper-blue Pure Sea, Sa Min calmly opened his eyes, smiling at the scene before him, indifferent to the outcome of his awakening.
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.
"Arrogant bastard?" said Elder Sa Yu Guo, doffing his tattered straw hat, revealing the three wisps of white hair he had. "Have you opened your Sea Core?" 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 with a silent answer. Taking his time standing, his head turned this way and that, enjoying the bustling sight.
Faces contorted with rage, and disappointment, and mockery; some people were laughing like they had never laughed before, and some were already turning to leave.
"The stupid faces... never fail to entertain me," Sa Min chuckled to himself.
Before him, Elder Sa Yu Guo let out a heavy sigh. "Legendary Core… huh, what a joke," he muttered under his breath, before turning his head to look at him, staring pensively with his disappointed, beady eyes.
Only to find Sa Min's face showed no sadness, no disappointment, no anger, no emotion at all, in truth. And that only made Sa Min's disappointment turn into anger.
"What are you still arrogant about, little brat?" the Elder scolded harshly. "It's merely an Average Core. You…you need to hide your face in shame, 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 attacked him with angry eyes and angry words.
"Aren't you disappointed that Heaven has betrayed you?" Elder Sa Yu Guo continued. "Aren't you angry that people are leaving you—you see them, don't you?" He nodded towards the stands that were getting emptied. "Why are you so bland? Do you not understand the importance of Aptitudes in cultivation?"
Oh, I know, trust me, little brother, 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 Low Aptitude before and I know that is the end of it. Disappointed in Heaven? Brother, if anything, I should be grateful to her, I could have transmigrated to a Non-Wielder or failed entirely...that is if she existed 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."
"Speak up, boy, or have you lost your tongue?" Elder Sa Yu Guo angrily said, running out of patience as he waited for the boy to say something. "Or do you need me to help you with this?" And here he drew near, nodding to his big, wrinkled hand as he raised it into the air, ready to slap Sa Min's head.
"Not at all," Sa Min coolly replied, taking one step back. "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 forming. "And why would I. This is what my ancestors gave me, and I'm grateful for it, am I not? Beside…"
Sa Min nonchalantly scratched at his nose, knowing damn well that his smile was about to get even creepier. "Aren't we all important pieces of the clan?" He asked, a hint of mockery in his voice.
Elder Sa Yu Guo's beady eyes widened at that, and he slowly dropped his arm. "You…" He stared at Sa Min for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh. What could he say after words like those?
"You're right, I was a little emotional; I let my hopes run wild, and for that, I apologize." He patted Sa Min on the shoulder. "I apolo… let me see your Sea Core, boy, just to ease this old man's worries. You have no problem, do you?"
"Of course not, Elder. No problem at all," Sa Min evenly replied, the smile still on his face.
He didn't bother checking anyone's Sea Core 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 damn good reasons. Asking a Ka Wielder to let you see his Sea Core was more inappropriate than asking to let you see his butt, 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 1 Ka. It was a well-known Ka that all kinds of organizations had, be it clans, sects, mercenaries, or anything else.
Its ability was to see inside a Ka Wielder's Sea Core for one minute. But it could only work if the concerned Ka Wielder allowed it to enter.
Its ability was to see inside a Ka Wielder's Sea Core for a limited time, but it could only enter if the said 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, entering Sa Min's Force Gate. The Elder carefully watched the reflection of Sa Min's Sea Core in the mirror in his hand.
"What was I expecting, ah... the volcanic Black Rock Ka? Interesting," said the Elder under his breath, then the stick returned, shrinking down to its original form with a screech of sound.
The Bamboo Mirror Ka flew back to the Elder Sa Yu Guo's Sea Core, then he loudly announced to the remaining crowds: "Sa Min, Average Core, Low Aptitude."
Elder Sa Yu Guo then returned the Bamboo Mirror Ka to his Sea Core, before looking around and loudly announcing to the remaining crowds: "Sa Min, Average Core, Low Aptitude."
The few people who remained in the stand, the ones that had been clutching onto a thin thread of hope, now 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.
See, it was not really obligatory for the participants to stay once they awakened their own Sea Core.
But oh, who wouldn't want to witness the awakening of Legendary Sea Core? The Core that they only heard of in myth and books?
No one indeed. But after watching Sa Min's failure to completely absorb the second Force Apple, most of them swiftly departed—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 those poor females Ka Wielder. One after the other, the Elders also began to leave, casting scornful looks at Sa Huiqing, who still hid his face between his arms.
Gradually, the noise in the arena faded away.
"Which clan do you hail from, boy?" Growled Elder Sa Yu Guo in a disappointed tone, his beady eyes on the approaching headband holder
"The Sa," Sa Min indifferently replied, bending down to pick up his wand from the ground.
The Elder Sa Yu Guo grunted, taking the blue headband from the Ka Wielder's elegant hands and, without further questions, tossing it to Sa Min. "That's enough, boy. You're done here," he scornfully said, then turned his wrinkled face to the nervous Sa Juan in the stand. "You, girl! Get down here."
Caught unprepared, Sa Juan nearly fell off her seat in shock. "Y-yes Elder!" she stammered, scrambling clumsily down the steps.
Wasting no more time, Sa Min immediately walked off the stage, his mind racing: I need to check my back; if it's what I think it is, I may need to change my plans, he thought with a smile.
***
"Brother…" Sa Juan's mouth hung open as Sa Min passed by without so much as a glance. "That's…"
His smiling face was…as always, calm and indifferent, seeming to not give a shit about anything.
His red eyes were…cold and empty.
His walk...was slow and measured, his stick lightly tipping against the ground.
How can he be this calm? Isn't it merely an Average Sea Core? Isn't he afraid of what our father's reaction would be?
Countless questions spun through her mind as she watched her brother's retreating back.
Isn't all his coldness coming from the idea that he has the Legendary Sea Core? That 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 lived with him all these years, she knew very well how genius that piece of shit was— only had Average Sea Core, what Sea Core would she have, and she was just…normal?
Her heart started pounding.
Sa Juan took a deep breath to calm herself, then stepped onto the stage. She glanced towards Elder Sa Yu Guo, but he was paying her no mind, sitting in his chair with his head down in his book.
She nodded to him anyway before carefully taking two Force Apples from the receptacle and proceeding 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, please, please, please, I beg you, I'll do anything, I'll do..."
The first Force Apple had been absorbed completely, safely escaping the Ordinary Sea Core.
She grabbed a second Force Apple, and…lucky for her, she had managed to entirely absorb it as well.
A wave of overwhelming happiness washed over her heart. "Thank you, thank you Heaven, Average Core like that evil shit…" 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 vow, please…"
And the third Force Apple, had been completely absorbed.
'Haha, Elite Seo Core, I had Elite, thank you, thank you, I'll never forget this, I'll become an elder, haha' Sa Juan thought, a feeling of joy that never experienced before coursing through her body.
She yearned to open her eyes and just let out a loud cry. And why not? Only two kids possessed Elite Sea Core this year. And now she was the third—that was unique. She was unique! Oh, how much She wanted to scream that.
Yet she held herself back, and grabbed the fourth Force Apple instead, and 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 shock people, right?
Besides, the Grand Sea Core was something rare and unique; only the special few had it. Hadn't it been six years since the last time someone in the clan had it—the Patriarch's son, Sa Qiao?
But then…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… She couldn't dare to believe it. The High Aptitude? This couldn't be the case, right? Disbelief enveloped her thoughts. But all her doubts were washed away as she gazed on her Sea Core with her inner sight.
This, this…
This time, the joy was too much for her to stay still. "This is the Grand Sea Core! I have High Aptitude, I…" She opened her eyes, screaming as loudly as she could.
"Look at me!" She hysterically stood up, looking around the stands like crazy. "I have the High 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— no Sa Min, no father, no one of the asshols who had mocked her face.
There was only silence. And the Elder Sa Yu Guo, who stood clutching his glasses, his face was in complete shock.
The smile on Sa Juan's face slowly faded away.
After some time, inside his room, Sa Min gazed at the reflection of his back in the long mirror.
It was filled with strange black symbols.
But Sa Min knew that they were no ordinary symbols. They were words. Words in the ancient language.
And words from future.
A smile spread across Sa Min's face.
The time-back tattoo Ka…
Edit in Chapter 3: Sa Qiao, the son of the patriarch, has the Grand Sea Core, not the Legenery one. And he managed to reach Rank 3 in six years, not three.
