“Now that they are settled, it’s your turn, Shin.”

The Chief Librarian taught the twins the fundamentals of how to read the cultivation manual before turning to the black-haired youth. However, before she could begin talking, the Instructor started whispering into her ear.

“Mom, the First Elder has made the decision on Shin’s cultivation technique. Please do not interfere. As you know, his situation is kind of precarious.”

“Hmph, I know it better than you. So I advise that you keep quiet on the matter. I have my own plans.”

“What do you mean?”

“There is only one cultivation method for the boy...”

“Mom!”

Understanding her intentions, the Instructor exclaimed.

“If you let Shin cultivate that technique, the council will not be pleased.”

“Lou, The Sovereign Koi deserves that cultivation technique. Anything else is just a waste of its potential. I will personally explain my actions to everyone. Haish… It seems that there will be an emergency meeting again once Ash hears of this...”

“...”

The Instructor knew that his mom’s mind was set and decided not to challenge her. After all, Shin cultivating that technique will only serve to benefit him.

“Why do so much for Shin?”

“Let’s say I have taken a liking to that kid.”

A bitter smile appeared on the face of the old woman. Her eyes were hiding a deep pain that could not be voiced.

Meanwhile, Shin was confused at the current state of events. The Chief Librarian was about to impart a cultivation technique to him but was abruptly stopped by the Instructor. The two had begun whispering at a volume that he was unable to hear making him feel left out.

“Is something wrong senior?”

Shin was unable to tolerate the wait and asked the Chief Librarian.

“Hoho, nothing child. I was just reprimanding Lou on his short-sightedness!”

Laughing, the Chief Librarian gave Shin a succinct reply.

“...”

Only the Instructor truly understood the considerable undertaking his mother was willing to take. Her decision today is great for increasing the strength First Elder and his division, but it will further fracture the relationship between the two high elders. Mainly, the Chief Librarian has chosen her side in the internal battle that was coming.

“Shin, do you know what your Spirit is?”

“Hmmm? Isn’t it just a cerulean Koi?”

Baffled by the question, Shin answered the old lady by describing the colour of his Spirit.

“Hoho, from the looks of it, you don’t really think much of your Spirit...”

“Is it something special?”

“How could an ordinary Spirit trigger a natural phenomenon?! Your Spirit is beyond special Shin, its extraordinary!”

“Really?”

“You’re young and ignorant, so you wouldn’t know, but your Spirit is a noble one amongst water elemental Spirits.”

“What do you mean, senior?”

“Hoho, that cute little fish of yours is one of the Eight Scions of Water.”

Revealing the famous nicknames of Shin’s Spirit, the Chief Librarian started to explain in detail the origins of the boy’s Spirit.

“Over a million years ago, humans were just beginning to contract with Spirits. The first Spirit User made a pact with an earth elemental Spirit. Others started following in his footsteps and similarly contracted earth elemental Spirits. Some, on the other hand, wanted something different. Earth elements were all around them thus making contracts with those Spirits easy. However, many ventured out in search of new elemental Spirits. Some ancestors visited active volcanoes to contract fire elemental Spirits and some approached whirlwinds to contract with wind elemental Spirits, but no one had ever made a pact with water elemental Spirits.”

“Humans are not aquatic creatures. Hence, it was almost impossible for a mere mortal to contract with a water elemental Spirit. But one day, a woman attempted to overcome the odds. She stranded herself on a raft and sailed into the horizon with no goal in sight. Her only option to survive was to contract with a water elemental Spirit.”

“Though, it was easier said than done. She was drifting for thirty days with no progress. The only way she survived was through the occasional fish that swam past her raft and the salty taste of ocean water. Eventually, she started hearing voices.”

“The voices asked her: Why go so far? Don’t you regret coming out to the ocean? You could have chosen the easy way and contracted an earth Spirit.”

“Convinced that they were just hallucinations, the woman only replied with one sentence. ‘The ocean is so pretty.’ Her maniacal obsession with the oceans drove her to only contract with a water elemental Spirit. In the end, when she felt that her life was about to end, she smiled and lay motionless on the raft, delighted that even at her final moments, the woman would be surrounded by the object she held most dear to her heart.”

“But at that moment, a colossal beast rose from the oceans. Its appearance shook the heavens and caused tsunamis that could be felt miles away. The beast had an azure serpentine body and jaws that could easily crush mountains. The woman was greeted by one of the most primordial Beast that has ever existed, The Celestial Dragon.”

“Moved by her love for the oceans, The Celestial Dragon saved her last flicker of life from fading by helping her contract with the spiritual form of itself. That was how the first water elemental Spirit User came to be. When she got back to land, she became unparalleled and dominated the ancient world.”

“Unfortunately, she never did become a Spirit Immortal, but she did leave behind eight remarkable children, each awakening different water elemental Spirits.”

“Monarch of the Oceans, The Colossal Leviathan

Champion of the Swamp, The Divine King Serpent

Terror of the Seas, The Abominable Cthulhu

Majesty of the Rivers, The Seven-Headed Hydra

Beauty of the Arctic, The Enigmatic Narwhal

Devourer of Tides, The Obsidian Xuanwu

Emperor of the Lagoon, The Heavenly Sturgeon

Eminence of the Lake, The Sovereign Koi

Each Spirit was given a title. Collectively, these Spirits are called the Eight Scions of Water.”

Finally understanding how unique his Spirit really was, Shin gasped in amazement. It turns out that the inconspicuous Spirit he thought was worthless had such a backstory.

“Although the woman's children had awakened drastically different Spirits, they all cultivated the same mantra...”

At this point, the old woman who had narrated the story to Shin began to smile brightly.

“It's called the Celestial Water Mantra.”