Chapter 5: Unusual Discoveries

Within the small house on that isolated hilltop, a young lady in white robe lied on a mattress.

Writhing in pain, she was breathing heavy, sweaty all over. Her eyes weak, she felt excruciating pain in her lower abdomen. She kept turning around left and right, gritting her teeth, enduring her pain. To her side, a lady in purple robe sat still. Look of concern was in her eyes, she wished nothing more than to help her, yet she was powerless. She held her shoulder and arm.

The lady was her Master, Su Min.

“Shu-er, you must stay strong,”

She felt hypocritical. What stay strong?

There was no hope, none. She had exhausted everything to cure her, even the Patriarch and other Grand Elders already seemed to give up. The Sub-Stars in her dantian had been crushed violently, leading the whole system to instability. It was truly a vicious attack… And that was three days ago. Two of her three Sub-Stars had dimmed. It was a matter of time before another one lost its light. When that happened, she truly had to kiss her goodbye. The Heavenly System within her would lose its stability entirely. The girl would explode with an explosion enough to destroy the surroundings, of almost one kilometre radius!

As her Master, she refused to accept this!

In desperation, she pleaded the others to let her ask the Ancestors for help. This matter concerned the life of a core disciple of the sect, surely the Ancestors would not object? Nevertheless, the Patriarch and the more senior Grand Elders had reservations.

They knew, even if they awakened Ancestor Aomi, the leader of their current ancestors, it still would not guarantee success. More importantly, they were hesitant to disturb the ancestors, as the eight of them instructed them never to bother them unless it was absolutely necessary. The effect from the war fifty years ago forced their ancestors to sever their soul, seeking full recovery. The attack from their opponents left their soul terribly injured.

A soul injury was not so simple.

Different from physical injury, it took longer time to recover. Thus they gave the Patriarch and Grand Elders such a strict command. Only when they reached full recovery, would they wake up on their own. The estimated time for that, should still be five or so years away.

For the Grand Elders, they were in a dilemma.

They knew it was necessary, but absolutely necessary? They could not make up their mind. While the girl was an important core disciple, one with huge potential, she was still one person. Disturbing the ancestors’ rest, it could become a setback for their recovery, for many years in fact.

The treaty which protected them so far after the war was going to end soon. What if the enemy made their move then? Who could protect the sect against a Soul-Titan, aside from their ancestors? Could they bear having their ancestors fought off the enemy while being injured?

Weighing the issue, the question eluded them still.

Should we wake the ancestors up, or at least one of them?

That was left for debate, something Su Min knew they did not have time for. Specifically, it was something her disciple did not have. At the time, she felt like shouting to the heaven for this injustice. This girl, Ling Shuren, was her pride and joy. It was barely ten years since she took her in. However, she could proudly say this girl was her most devoted disciple, ever. With excellent talent and great effort, plus a personality any teacher would kill for, she was the jewel of her heart.

Ling Shuren was sixteen, yet she already formed her third Sub-stars. Her achievement shocked many, even the other senior Grand Elders could not help but be envious. Such achievement even rivaled the rising stars of the Imperial Clans! Seeing her, they reminiscent the time of their glorious founding ancestor, when even the Imperial Clan could barely contend with the young generations of his time. Being able to reach such height at so young an age, she had the potential of reaching Titan-Star later in life, no doubt.

Su Min was proud of her, barely able to contain her patience, to show her off to the ancestors on each passing day… She was thrilled.

Yet something like this had to happen.

“Shu-er, your master was incompetent, you deserve better,”

She knew it. No, specifically, she had the bad omen.

She criticized herself, for her to let this precious disciple of her into that stupid inter-sect tournament? Was she blinded by praises? She reckoned it was her most idiotic decision, ever. While she was proud of her, she herself knew how cruel and vile disciples from large sects and Imperial Clans could be. Her disciple was still too far from ready to deal with their scheme, she was too honest and naïve. Knowing so, why did she allow her to participate? She should just deny her request that time!

She berated herself, her teeth bit her lower lip so deep, blood flowed down her chin.

The reason of ‘letting her have real-world experience’ was her downfall. This world was cruel, even geniuses come and go, devoured by the countless tricks and scheming of others. These people with no clear moral boundary were indeed dangerous.

For her lack of tact, she could only blame herself.

“Uhh,”

As she continued to blame herself, her disciple’s voice reached her.

Her condition was clearly worse than in earlier days. Today, she had the feeling she would not last a day longer. With the Grand Elders still hesitant to wake the ancestors up for help, there was no hope left for her.

No, not quite.

“…Shu-er, forgive your Master,”

Saying so, she lifted her hand. Her Qi filled her hand, tears filled her eyes.

It was her last, desperate measure. It was the only hope she had to save the life of her dear disciple. The chance of her surviving was quite high, she was sure the chance was 80%, at least. One might ask, with such a high chance, why did she not use it even earlier? Why the hesitation?

That was because this move would take her lower dantian, her Heavenly System out of her.

“This is the only way, Shu-er, I… It’s my fault, so hate this foolish master all you want,”

She sniffed, eyes red.

She truly loved this child, not just because of her cultivation. For the first time in her life, she wondered if this was what they called motherly love. She was not sure, but she knew, the child had given her life a purpose. A deeper purpose than any she had before. The joy she experienced in these 10 years, was more than the 100 years she had before.

“Shu-er, this will sting a little… Bear it for awhile, o-okay?”

She placed her hand on the girl’s belly, still hesitating.

As her Master, she had the right to do this. With this, this disciple of her would lose all her cultivation. In addition, she would never be able to cultivate anymore. But at the very least, she would live. Her energy and lifespan would be that of non-practitioner. If she was lucky, she could live her life until the old age of a hundred. If she was luckier, she could even find a fine husband, and lived to their old days happily together…

“Master…”

Yet the girl, as if sensing her Master’s dilemma, held her hands. Her weak eyes, half unconscious, still stared deep into her. Her body shivered, Su Min could no longer hold her tears.

…

As she cried in silence, a voice came from behind;

“Rest, I’ll take care of the rest,”

Shock gripped her, she turned to her back. Yet before she could even see anyone, a light tap hit her neck. She trembled, feeling as if something penetrated deep into her. Her eyes rolled, losing consciousness. She was about to fall, yet a hand seized her shoulder and back, gently placing her down. As her tears still flowing, a thumb swiped the tears, placing the fluid onto his own cheeks.

With black, assassin-like robe on, it was An Shan.

Beside him was the little girl, Xiao Mei. The little twerp had the same black robe on. She opened her face cover, tilting her head. When she saw what An Shan did with the tears, she felt it was way too weird! She wanted to shout so, yet she shut her lips tight. She had promised not speak a word while inside, else the ancestor would kick her out.

“Mei-er…”

A weak voice grabbed Xiao Mei’s attention.

Seeing her friend in pain, the weird scene no longer bothered her. While Ling Shuren was barely conscious, she still recognized this little friend of hers. She wondered if it was a dream, as the pain kept clouding her judgement. Xiao Mei grabbed her hands, face as if assuring her. She turned to the ancestor, face expectant.

An Shan placed his hand on her lower belly, pressing in.

He did a full-scope Soul Search. It was necessary for him to understand fully the condition of the patient before proceeding with the treatment. His soul’s presence moved inside her, taking in every detail possible. After a moment, he frowned.

‘This technique… White Tiger Crushing Star, was it? But why,’

He recognized it. The attack which rendered her like this, was one of the lesser technique of the White Tiger Imperial Clan. For this, he was puzzled.

Why would the younger generation of the clan be so vicious, attacking a fellow allied sect disciple like this? If it was other large sects which only allied with Absolute Aegis Sect during tough times, he could understand. But White Tiger Imperial Clan?

What of that clan?

That clan, was his sworn brothers’ clan! The twin brothers were the strongest leaders of the clan back then. When he first met them, they were indeed vicious and imposing, like that of White Tigers. His first time battling them, was something he could never forget. It was dangerous, it was thrilling!

Yet after knowing them for some time, he knew the twins were the most loyal and devoted comrades he could ever find.

Both of them lost their lives in the war. The elder brother in the first wave, while the younger brother in the second wave. With the clan losing two of its powerful Soul-Titans in the war, he expected some dissatisfaction, even slander. For this, he recalled reminding his four surviving siblings to take care of them.

Yet he did not expect this.

Even with two of their glorious Soul-Titans fell in the war, he expected the clan to follow their directives and will. They ought to continue amiable relationship with Absolute Aegis Sect. But in the end, he still had no clue how long it had been. Hearing the date from Xiao Mei sure did not help. Could it be that it was long enough, for this to happen? For the White Tiger Imperial Clan to even disregard their precious ancestors’ will?

He snapped out of it.

There would be time and place for everything. Right now, he wanted to focus on this girl in front of him. Examining Ling Shuren’s cultivation, he sensed three Sub-stars and nine Protostars. Two of the three had lost its light. They did not generate energy anymore, and in fact, they were barely contained by the system’s gravity link, preventing them from exploding. The remaining Sub-star seemed weak, while the nine Protostars clearly had their core turning unstable.

It was a clear indication, she would soon explode. While the explosion could not match a Main-star’s Nova explosion, she would no doubt lose her life. Yet while examining her, An Shan noticed something peculiar, something enough for him to frown.

‘Her cultivation…’

Her cultivation was unusual.

It was indeed the cultivation technique he left, yet he refused to recognize it. That was because it was lower than standard. No, it could not even be said to belong to the same quality group! The quality was laughable! Why and how, he had no idea. For now, his soul tightened her Heavenly System, reducing her pain. In response, her breathing slowed down, relieved of the burden.

He turned to her Master, Su Min.

“Excuse me,”

Seeing her disheveled hair covering her face, he tidied it to the sides, revealing a tender face. Cheeks red, wet from crying, she was now in peaceful slumber. He could hear her, her deep breathing was like to that of a baby’s.

Calm, flowing.

He raised his eyebrow, smiling from pleasant wonder. Hm, somehow, her sleeping face seemed familiar. He placed his hand on her belly, his soul penetrated deep into her. The first thing he noticed, was a familiar vibration coming from her soul. It was a pleasant feeling, as if meeting your longtime friend.

And her soul, still fresh and innocent.

‘…Freaking kidding me, still a maiden? Ah, so you’re of the Su bloodline. Good girl, inherited your ancestor’s loyalty I see. Ai, your cultivation too, a pity!’

Checking her cultivation thoroughly, he noticed the same pattern. Thus, he confirmed even she did not know of this grievous mistake, and it did not originate from her. With her being able to reach the rank of a Grand Elder, he knew the problem was not isolated with just these two.

Quite possibly, it was widespread.

‘…Is this the reason for the Grand Elders, to be stuck in Heavenly-Star stage?’

He thought of the possibility. For now, what he could deduce was that something tainted their cultivation. It could be poison or external factor, yes. But most likely, the problem had integrated into the cultivation technique itself.

Much like fresh drinking water, to be tainted by feces for quite some time!

For this, he trembled. For one his age, he had some patience. Yet how could he not be angry? Imagine you made your family a deep, decent well for them to use, especially so for drinking purpose. Then the next time you returned from a long trip, you noticed the well you so painstakingly made, to last for eternity, to be tainted to this extend!

Cool, refreshing water turned into water filled with feces?

‘You’re freaking kidding me! If I get my hands on those stupid, treacherous idiots who did this, I’ll barbeque them alive!’

There would be many effects of having a tainted cultivation.

Of them was the difficulty of focusing their energy and attention. Thus, executing complicated skills and formation were clearly harder. And while this was just his theory, but he was confident it might even affect their emotion! At higher stage, breaking through the bottleneck would become evidently difficult, close to impossible.

“…Hmph,”

An Shan contained his anger, yet within him, he was cursing. How could he be content, knowing someone feed shit water to his own sect members, one close enough he could even called family? Further examining Su Min, the idiom ‘Paper Tiger’ flashed through his mind. Having Peak Heavenly-Star cultivation, yet had he picked any random Early Heavenly-Star elder from his time to pit against her, he was ready to bet the winner would be the elder instead.

But whether it would be a close or easy win, he was not sure.

‘…I need to get into this. Hm?’

As he was about to wrap things up, he noticed a blood mark on her lower abdomen. Covered by her robe, but his soul sensed it.

It was engraved deep into her flesh, like a tattoo. He missed it before, since it was not his focus. Anything physical like this, he did not even want to care. Even if she had a dragon tattoo fully etched on her back, so what? He personally would not like it, but that would be her personal choice. It was her body, he would refrain from commenting. However, the characters of the blood mark totally took him by surprise.

‘Supreme Ancestor’s…?’

The blood mark clearly engraved so. For this, he was puzzled.

He had seen many before. It was clearly a blood mark of ancient culture, with the mark clearly stating who she belonged to. But why would a maiden be engraved by such a bloody mark like this, in this location? Wouldn’t this make her future husband dissatisfied? Further observing the mark, it was clear the process of engraving was painful, and the blood mark would be near impossible to disappear, unless one took out the flesh.

Seeing the characters again, he frowned. Supreme Ancestor’s, so she professed or admitted belonging to Supreme Ancestor? But if it was supreme ancestor of Absolute Aegis, then it could only be one, him! People used to call him that, as much as he detested it.

Him, Absolute Aegis’ Founder, the Supreme Ancestor… An Shan!

‘The hell… What’s happening here?’

He however, never consent such a practice, absolutely not. In fact, he abhorred such a barbaric practice. It was nothing more than a cultist practice of idolizing a persona. It was wrong in many ways!

“…Damn, if such practice entered the sect, uh,”

As he continued to use his Soul Search, he felt sleepy.

As he thought, he had yet recovered. The damage from that Asura Formation Strike, powered by four Soul-Titans, was ridiculous. No wonder his four opponents could not believe him surviving. Back then he barely survived by burning his soul. It was his last measure.

As a Soul-Titan, he had the privilege to use Soul Techniques, enabling him to use special abilities such as Soul Search. It was superior in a lot of ways compared to the common Spirit Search. However, with his current condition, using it too much would have a lasting effect.

‘I need to cut my usage, somehow… I’ve become dependent on it,’

Having too much of good things had its own disadvantages. He had grown too comfortable using Soul Techniques, making him ignore other alternatives.

He put it aside for now.

He still needed to use his Soul Technique to deal with Ling Shuren’s injury. It would be tough, but he had to do it. The responsibility of being her sect’s ancestor weighed on him, he could not be selfish. He again turned to her, while Xiao Mei made way for him. Concern in her eyes, she wanted to urge him to hurry up. Yet she did not do so, already decided to trust her ancestor instead.

In a way, this little girl had grown considerably in this short time.

Pulling up his sleeves, An Shan was ready.

Girl, let’s have a one-on-one talk, shall we?

Chapter 5 ‘Unusual Discoveries’ End