Chapter Three: Failed Coercion

The Clan Hall

Meanwhile…

The Elders Hall was filled completely to the brim. Every single elder of the Jing Clan that could make it within half a day was here, all of them discussing their opinions and knowledge about the reason for the meeting, Jing Guanyu. The 4 grand elders were also in discussion. All these high-level cultivators, waiting for one man, the patriarch of the Jing Clan. The 4 grand elders all had varying opinions on what they think they should do about this matter. One of them wanted to just outright kill Jing Guanyu, having never liked the cripple and also to use it as a message to his parents regarding the withholding of a certain alchemy technique. Two of them were of the opinion that they should force Jing Guanyu to obey their wishes, cultivating in what they want him to, for their own purposes. The last grand elder, Jing Guanyu’s grandfather, wished to simply leave Jing Guanyu as he is now. His reasoning is that even if they put in resources to help Guanyu cultivate, he will likely be crippled in the soul due to the other young cultivators of the Jing clan anyway.

“Pfft, so what if he has a spirit contract which is apparently at the peak of the Dao Origin-Realm, that place is simply a myth, even for the True Heaven Realm, let alone our High Heaven Realm. His spirit is probably just a Realm above ours, from the True Heaven Realm and deciding to simply mention a myth to intimidate our less experienced elders’ spirits into thinking it was from the Dao Origin Realm. I say we should just kill him, he is likely going to be killed anyway and this will send a message to his parents. The damn traitorous couple, not giving such a good gift to the clan. I wonder why they got given that damn gift anyway, it even has special soul guards preventing people who haven’t got the true permission of the holder to read it.”

“To be honest, we all know about that boy’s origin right?” a grand elder said, various grunts of affirmation being voiced in reply. “Then why isn’t it possible? Why are we actually surprised? Considering his parents got such a gift because of the favor they are doing, as well as the deal we made with those two, then why are we surprised about the fact the spirit he contracted is apparently from the mythical Dao Origin-Realm?” At the Elder’s words, grunts of agreement with the comment were voiced by the other 3 grand elders. As another one opened their mouth to state their opinion, they suddenly detected the presence of the patriarch about to enter. Shutting his mouth, the grand elder, like everyone else in the room, respectfully bowed as the patriarch walked in. The patriarch was a tall person, standing at just under 2 meters tall, he was a large and well-built man. Layers upon layers of hard muscle covered his body, giving him a barbaric look. This man was the strongest of the Jing Clan and was ranked 7th among the experts of the High Heaven Realm.

The patriarch had an aura that commanded respect. His aura was so strong that as he flew to his throne, everyone, even the grand elders had bowed deeply in respect involuntarily. When he sat down, everyone in the room slowly straightened their backs, waiting for him to allow them to sit. The patriarch, seeing everyone waiting respectfully for him, gave an arrogant and domineering smile as he waved his arm while saying “You may all sit.” The elders in the room sat down after he gave his permission for them to sit. The smile on his face disappearing, the patriarch sat for a moment, before asking.

“So, what has happened that requires the convening of every available elder.” One of the elders, upon hearing the patriarch’s words, stood up and bowed as he spoke. “Great Patriarch, the young clan member known as Jing Guanyu has successfully made his first spirit contract.” Seeing the patriarch frown in annoyance, the elder continued flusteredly. “The spirit he contracted claims to be from the Dao Origin Realm. The spirits of the elders there at the time confirm this, saying that the technique used to create a spirit body from the Dao Origin Realm gives off a particular spiritual emission. This emission being detected clearly by all of them upon emerging from their contract’s bodies.” The patriarch, when he hears that the spirits of the various elders had confirmed the claim, raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise. With the tone of slight surprise in his voice, the patriarch asks the opinion of the grand elders.

“Grand elders, what is your opinion on this matter?” The first of the 4 grand elders, stands up as he says “Patriarch, I believe that this boy will only be trouble. His talent will certainly gain the attention of the Sect we are subordinated to. They will likely do anything to get this boy to become their disciple. Since we will almost certainly resist because he will bolster our clan’s strength in the future; then we are likely to suffer heavy losses at best, while still losing the boy eventually. Such a risk is not worth it; therefore, my opinion is the extermination of the potential threat known as Jing Guanyu. This will also have the added effect of sending a clear warning and statement to his parents that we will not take any more defiance on their part when it comes to the alchemy technique.”

The patriarch nods slightly, before indicating the next grand elder to stand up and state his opinion. The next grand elder stands up, bows and then speaks. “I believe that we should leave the boy to his own devices. If the Sect wants him, then they can have him. If he stays here, even if we give him resources, he is crippled in the body and has the complete inability to cultivate the path of Energy Cultivation. This makes him a Dual Divine-Essence Cultivator. They are the weakest of the dual cultivators and thus, even with his obvious future spirit contract potential, at most, he will be able to match a True Cultivator such as yourself. Besides, even if we let him live, the other clan members of the younger generation will likely kill him. You know as well as we all do that the younger generation hates the cripple known as Jing Guanyu and will hate even more since we might be putting in an effort to grow him. Therefore, we should just leave him to his own devices.”

As soon as the grand elder finishes his speech, the last two of the grand elders stand up. Both bowing, the more senior of the two starts to state his opinion and reasoning behind it. “We both believe that we should grow this genius. However, we should make him cultivate only what we want him to cultivate. I believe that it is worth the effort to grow him and considering his origin…” At this point, the grand elder looked pointedly at the grand elder that wanted to kill Jing Guanyu. “… then killing him would only earn their ire. That is something that we cannot afford.” Having said their part, the last two grand elders bow again before sitting down. The patriarch is silent while seemingly lost in thought. With a sudden twitch of his body, the patriarch stands up and announces his decision.

“I believe that the option of killing him is unwise. Even though we are uncertain of if those two would make good on their promise, it is better to be cautious for the safety of our clan than risk inviting annihilation. The option of letting him be is also a bad choice. What if he is taken in by the Sect and they restore his physical body. We all know that despite being crippled, the boy has an extraordinary talent for any form of cultivation just by looking at the fact that he got such a powerful spirit. The spirits tend to get picked based on the talent of the person if they are at their best. If the Sect sees that talent and even decides to take a gamble and restore his body, meridians, and dantian, something that is possible I might add; then we could all possibly be annihilated in the future, or at least be in the dislike list of a true powerhouse that would likely become the strongest in the Realm. Therefore, the only option left is the last one. To grow the boy, but force him to be completely subservient. Due to the agreement with those two, however, we can’t force the boy, or the protection they gave him will activate and kill whoever attempts to force him. So, we must coerce him into it, giving him a cultivation technique that is outstanding, but able to cause him to have no option except to obey us. You are all also forgetting the most important fact, if the boy did make a contract with a so-called Dao-spawn, then wouldn’t that be the only chaos attribute spirit he contracts? Remember that the way spirit contracts will work, spirits that cultivators contract will never be weaker than a previous one if they are of the same attribute. Doesn’t this mean that since his first spirit is one of the strongest spirits in the Dao Origin Realm for the attribute of chaos; which I am inclined to believe given his origin, then wouldn’t the boy at most only contract another chaos attribute spirit if we are incredibly lucky?”

At the patriarch’s calm reasoning and knowledge, all the elders start whispering among themselves. The patriarch raises his hand, causing the elders to all stop speaking. “I have made my decision. The boy shall be grown by us. We shall make him cultivate the “Chaotic Contract Scripture”, forcing him to only to be able to contract with spirits related to the Dao of Chaos. Due to this cultivation technique that originated from the Dao Origin Realm itself, then it surely will be able to defy the spirit contract system which they created. This is my decision. Grand Elder 3, you are the grandfather of the boy, go make him cultivate this manual” The patriarch announces. After he hands over the “Chaotic Contract Scripture” to the 3rd grand elder from his interspatial ring, he dismisses everyone while leaving the hall.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jing Guanyu

“There you go. Good job kid. That is enough meditation for today. Get some rest now.” Yai Zia said as I slowly opened my eyes. It has been almost a week since I had been imprisoned by the Jing Clan. Since then, I had discovered their “kind intentions” of helping me grow.

"Hey Yai Zia, wher are my parents? They were apparently only 30 minutes away when I first met the elders. What happened?" Yai Zia, looks suprised for a breath of time before answering.

"The clan gave them an apparently urgent mission the minute my origins were revealed. They will be back, it was just to buy time for them to force you to their will. You were meant to be already tied to the clan, but you showed a far stronger willpower and guts than they expected."

"Oh ok." I thought about it a bit. It made sense, removing the biggest weakness in their plan was essential for them to suceed. Those two would probably just take me and leave. My parents were on the stronger side of the elders, in fact they were both part of the disciplinary wing of the Clan. This meant they had to be stronger than most on their level. Since they are very well respected in the Disciplinary wing of the clan, the people sent to hunt us down if we leave would try catch us, but they would not use everything at their disposal. Thus the plan was divide and conquer. Since it was failing, the clan was getting desparate.

The clan had already attempted to use subtler methods of forcing me to be tied to the clan. The day after I was imprisoned, my grandfather, the 3rd grand elder came over with a cultivation manual called “Chaotic Contract Scripture” which was an apparently heaven-defying manual. After leaving it for me and saying that if I reach the peak of the first stage, then they will fix my crippled body; my grandfather walks out of the room, closing the door behind himself. Taking a look at the manual, I consult Yai Zia for advice, who actually was just about to warn me about the manual’s dangers himself. The conversation we had then was interesting, it had finally allowed me to know what was going on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Kid, do not cultivate this manual no matter what you do.”

“Why shouldn’t I Yai Zia. It actually seems very powerful.”

“Well, it is a truly heaven-defying scripture, but in a bad way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, yes that scripture is excessively powerful I will admit. However, it will force you to only be able to make spirit contracts with spirits related to the Dao of Chaos.”

“Ohh. But is that really such a bad idea considering how strong it is?”

“OF COURSE IT IS! Although that Scripture may give you absolute supremacy against those of the same Dao as you, if you meet someone that counters you, you are pretty much useless. Besides, considering the nature of the Dao of Chaos as the perfect all-rounder, then as long as someone cultivates another Scripture of the same kind, then you can’t do anything. If they cultivate an offensive one, at worst they will force you to retreat, at best they will kill you instantly if they cultivate the ‘Destructive Contract Scripture’ which focuses on the extreme offense of the Dao of Destruction. If they cultivate the ‘Creative Contract Scripture’ then no matter what you do, their defense shall be invincible compared to you, even if they are 2 stages below you!”

“Ohh ok. Cultivating this would have that effect on my power… Then no way will I even look at it from now on.”

“And besides, the other 6 spirits you will contract are all of different Dao if I remember correctly. All of which are on the same level as me when it comes to their Dao.”

“REALLY!!! If you said that in the first place, then why would I have even thought about cultivating this?!”

“I didn’t mention it straight up because I wanted you to make the decision without knowing who your other 6 spirit contracts are going to be. I told you, I shall not tell you what to do, I will only give you the options.”

“Thank you, Yai Zia,” I say, gratitude flooding my voice. The spirit body of Yai Zia floating around smiles warmly as he replies.

“No problem kid. Just remember, although the options are up to you; I will, like the other 6 will, use all my knowledge to give you all the information you need to decide your own choice on your path of cultivation.”

“Thank you.”

“Again as I said, it is no problem. I quite like your personality and besides, which master wouldn’t be almost crying with joy every morning if they had someone with the same potential you do.” Again, Yai Zia mentions my potential. With a slightly confused look, I ask Yai Zia what he means.

“Yai Zia, what do you mean ‘someone with the same potential I do’? I am crippled in the body and have a physique with no energy system.”

“Hahahahaha…. Kid, you will have an energy system when you are healed. You simply don't know because of the nature of your bloodline and physique. You are not crippled, in fact, the only reason your body is weak is due to the nature of your special physique. The Primordial Rebirth Pill is used for 2 reasons. The first is because it is the only pill that is condensed with chaos attributed essence of a certain type and the second is because it contains an extremely large amount of energy within it which you will need in the future. Besides, being unable to cultivate anything but the Divine path before you turn 18 has its own benefits. It has also helped you improve your sensitivity to the Dao to a ridiculous degree. There are a lot more benefits than just that, however I won’t speak of them until we can talk without being watched by an expert in the Dao of the Soul.”

“Ok, I trust you wholeheartedly Yai Zia,” I replied, seriously meaning it. In this week of imprisonment, Yai Zia has been the one keeping me from falling into the mental trap of isolation. My food even gets delivered via spatial formation. The Jing Clan are truly trying to isolate me from anyone else. They really are determined to force me to cultivate the Chaotic Contract Scripture. Although the Scripture is apparently of the highest rank, the “True Scripture” rank and a “Complete” Scripture; meaning it will cover all 3 paths of cultivation, this Scripture will completely restrict my future development to just the Dao of Chaos. From what Yai Zia has seen, this scripture is treated as the holy cultivation scripture for our entire clan, even though the Dao Origin-Realm has one for all seven Primordial Dao and the nine Elemental Dao.

The clan is really trying to put the pressure on me, constantly insisting for me to cultivate the Scripture whenever I have the chance. Luckily, my parents are due to return at any minute and the clan has at least promised me to allow them to see me before I have to make my decision. They haven’t told me the punishment, though Yai Zia assures me they won’t kill me no matter what. Despite his consolation, I am still very nervous, stressed and almost a breaking point mentally. It is extremely hard to endure such complete solitude for a week. Apart from Yai Zia, not even a single peep comes out of surroundings. I think they have used arrays to completely soundproof this room. Since I was imprisoned here, I have been eating, sleeping and meditating on the Dao of Chaos. I am following a strict schedule that has been created by Yai Zia in order to maximize my comprehension of the Dao of Chaos without over-meditating, something which reduces the effect of meditation due to adapting to the more intense sensory sensitivity that is common when meditating. Although Yai Zia gave me this schedule, he said it was up to me if I choose to follow it or follow my own.

I am beginning to see what Yai Zia meant when he said he shall do everything in his power to help me, but it is up to me as to how and if I use that help. Finishing some light stretches to prevent muscle deterioration, I lie down on the hard bed and fall to sleep. The next morning, I wake up to the noise of the door opening. Looking up blearily, I see my parents standing in the doorway, tears in their eyes upon seeing me. I stand up, tears forming in my eyes as I rush into their arms. Since even before that day I had told them the reason I cultivated, the day I had made my vow, my parents had wholeheartedly done everything they could and more to help me achieve my goals. I had a debt to them so deep that even a lifetime of love and the gifting of a whole realm to them wouldn’t make me feel like I had repaid this debt. I repaid it in the only way I could, by working hard and never giving up.

With a gentle smile on their faces, my parents hug me back. After a few minutes, we release each other, before sitting down on the bed and talking about what has happened while they were gone. After hearing about the spirit I had contracted as well as what Yai Zia had said about my potential, my parents exchanged a weird glance and smiled knowingly. Inwardly curious, I withheld myself from asking and continued to explain that I was practically imprisoned until after I met with them. Then, after our meeting was done, I would have to make my choice. Cultivate the Clan’s Chaotic Contract Scripture, or face the punishment of defying the patriarch’s orders. My parents, hearing this ultimatum, frowned and my mother spoke.

“Yu’er, this is a very heavy ultimatum to lay upon considering how young you are. Although we will not make this decision for you, we will support whatever decision you make regardless of whether we approve of it or not.” Hearing my mother’s words, tears start to flow again as we once again all hug, the warmth of my parents seeming to heal the mental and emotional wounds from the week of complete isolation. After all, I was only a 13-year-old boy. Even if I had experienced years of bitter emotions I still had human interaction in my life. Even if it was negative most of the time, human interaction was still what it was. I am not like those 100,000-year-old monstrous cultivators who could spend a 1000 years in solitary cultivation just to gain the smallest insight. With a determined glint in my eye, much like that fateful day 5 years ago, I look proudly at my parents and say.

“I shall accept their punishment. For otherwise, I would be forced by the Clan. I have already been forced by the heavens to not cultivate Essence or Energy so I shall not lose my ability to cultivate the Divine how I wish to. If I have to be imprisoned for a millennium, then so be it. I shall.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“You are defying my command?” The large, imposing man that is the patriarch of our clan is looking at me quite calmly. However, I can sense the rage buried underneath that calm exterior. The man who looks like a barbarian berserker has the emotional control of royalty it seems. With a sigh of resignation, the patriarch passes his judgment.

“Very well, since you wish to defy me, then you shall forever be halted on your path to cultivation. You shall be completely isolated. You shall be forever young until you submit to my will.” After saying so, the patriarch began to approach me menacingly. A pressure enveloped my body. Not just my body, but the bodies of everyone in the room. I was completely frozen, the only things allowed freedom was the circulation of my blood and my thoughts. As I watched the patriarch’s hand slowly descend upon my chest, I give him a defiant gaze filled with so much determination, that even the patriarch halts his hand for but a Nano-second. Although he immediately continues, I notice it. With a determined frown on my face, my eyes send a fiery message fuelled by my desire and determination to fulfill what I vowed to do. “No matter what you do to bar my path, I shall pass it. No matter how thick the wall in front of me, I shall pierce it. No matter how you seal me, I shall break it. Even if the very heavens themselves cripple me to the point I can do nothing but become a retard, I! SHALL! ACHIEVE! MY! VOW!”