Rant?

-In the Miracle Bath-

The time was nearing the 2-hour mark and all five of them were still submerged in the pool, showing no signs of wanting to jump out.

Inner Elder Maxim expected the trio to last for this long but was surprised at the sibling's tenacious determination.

Soon enough, 2 complete hours have passed and a change occurred in the pool. Five small whirlpools appeared around each one of them in the pool. The whirlpools completely encased their bodies.

'Let's see how long they can last for…' Inner Elder Maxim paid complete attention to their bodies. Any sign of struggle and he would immediately yank one of them out of the pool.

After about a minute, signs of pain appeared on the siblings. Their faces were scrunched up and their bodies started to vibrate intensely.

Mason suddenly heeled his back in pain and this was more than enough for Inner Elder Maxim to pull him out of the pool.

With a gentle pull of his hand, Mason unhurriedly floated out of the pool and gently landed on the ground next to Inner Elder Maxim.

Mason opened his eyes with a slight daze and confusedly asked the Inner Elder, "What happened, Elder Maxim?"

"It's been 2 hours."

"Oh…" Mason nodded but then noticed the whirlpools and asked the Inner Elder, "What are the whirlpools doing?"

Inner Elder Maxim patiently explained, "They're here to temper your body."

'…and something else!'

Next, it was Alice's turn to be pulled out. Inner Elder Maxim did the needful and now, only the trio remained in the pool with no signs of discomfort whatsoever.

"As expected of them…" Inner Elder Maxim muttered in confidence.

Meanwhile, the siblings were cross-legged and immersed in their body changes.

In the pool, Ash slowly felt his body toughening up but along with that came intense and bone-wrecking pain. But that was nothing compared to what they had experienced back in the forest when they first had arrived in this world.

'I feel…'

'…like my body…'

'…isn't the only thing that's getting strengthened!'

He could feel it within the depths of his mind. He had an inkling it was related to that weird-ass silhouette floating about in his mind. He wanted to go in the dark space but was afraid that he would be repelled once again and decided against it.

This was a qualitative transformation of the three as a whole. They would soon recognize the benefits when they wake up.

Ten more minutes had passed by and the three were still in the pool.

The Stone siblings were up and awake. Alice had informed the elder that she wasn't lucky and couldn't unlock her 17th Apex Point. But that didn't matter much, because her strength had improved massively and she had gained insights for the next cultivation realm.

"Don't worry, Alice. I'm right here with you." Mason smiled with his hand over her shoulder.

Alice looked at Mason's smile and it affected her. She smiled too and said, "You're right. I'm happy that I have you as my brother."

She ruffled her brother's head with a laugh.

Inner Elder Maxim smiled at the scene and said to the siblings, "Commendable! I look forward to the Requiem Clan's future with the two of you at its helm."

Alice and Mason both smiled at each other at the Inner Elder's compliment and thanked him for everything.

They eventually turned their attention towards the trio in the pool.

"How tough is their pain tolerance?" Mason rhetorically asked after not seeing a single sign of pain on their faces.

"Elder Maxim, did anyone else stay in the pool longer than them?" Alice asked.

Inner Elder Maxim nodded and replied, "There have been a few but the most noticeable one would be the 1st ranked and Leader of the Prime Disciples. He has stayed in the pool for exactly 20 minutes."

"20 minutes?!" Alice questioned herself before she trembled slightly from the pain she had experienced from the whirlpool.

"We couldn't even last more than a minute but I'm not going to compare myself to those monsters!" Mason shrugged.

Time quickly flew by and the 20-minute mark has been reached.

Despite that, the three still didn't show any signs of discomfort. Inner Elder Maxim and the siblings were surprised and watched on.

'FUCK!'

'FUCK!'

'FUCK!'

Bryan was feeling the most soul-piercing pain in his body. It was increasing in intensity and bubbling with tension. He could barely withstand the pain his body was feeling but coupled with the agonizing pain he was feeling in his mind, he could barely hold on.

As such, their very first signs of discomfort appeared on their faces. But it was not a gradual one but instantly intensified to a terrifying level. Their faces were flushed in crimson and a single trail of blood marred their lips.

Inner Elder Maxim knew that was all they could handle and immediately yanked them from the pool, lest they suffer any life-threatening damage.

The three sat cross-legged beside the pool. Inner Elder Maxim let their bodies adapt to the changes but he and the siblings didn't have to wait for too long.

Ray was the first one to open his eyes, followed by Bryan and then finally Ash. They slowly stood up and the siblings felt an ancient-like aura emitting from them.

Even the Inner Elder was slightly surprised by their aura and came to the conclusion that their body had something special.

"Thank you for pulling us out, Elder Maxim!" Ray and the other two thanked him.

"It's only my duty." Inner Elder Maxim smiled and continued, "Before we leave, did you five realize what the 'something else' was apart from your body?"

Alice's eyes shone with brilliance before she quickly responded, "It's the soul, or to be more accurate, the pool helped strengthen our body and our soul."

Mason was confused but now he understood, "So, the silhouette of an infant that I saw is my soul?"

Inner Elder Maxim praised Alice and explained, "Yes, that is indeed the manifestation of your soul but right now, you could say it's currently in a dormant stage. Only when you have reached a higher cultivation realm can you awaken the infant soul in your mind."

"I see…" Mason uttered.

Meanwhile, the trio looked at each other in confusion because what they had seen was not an infant but the silhouette of a fully grown man.

Their confusion lasted for a moment before they regained their composure, not wanting to arouse any suspicious behaviour.

They tacitly agreed to not bring it up because even the Inner Elder explained that it should have been the silhouette of an infant.

Ash spoke up to avoid suspicion, "That was very painful though…"

"I can imagine." Mason said.

"You three did something that no one was or had ever expected. Congratulations on beating the previous record of staying in the pool." Inner Elder Maxim congratulated them.

"Whose record did we beat, Elder Maxim?" Ray asked.

Inner Elder Maxim chuckled and answered, "Haha! You three beat the record of your senior, the Leader of the Prime Disciples and the No. 1 ranked Prime Disciple."

Being a Prime Disciple will automatically make you a senior in the eyes of the Inner Disciples and Outer Disciples. So, Alice and Mason didn't think much into Inner Elder Maxim's statement.

"Woah…" Ash exclaimed.

"The No. 1 Prime Disciple…" Ray muttered.

"I'd like to meet him one day!" Bryan said with a burning gaze.

*Clap*

Inner Elder Maxim clapped once and said, "Alright, it is time for you five to return to your residence. Cultivate well and bring glory to the sect."

The five thanked the Inner Elder and not before long, they parted their ways.

While they were in the Miracle Bath, news of the Natal Realm competition spread across the whole of the sect, reaching the ears of every single disciple.

Gossip amongst the disciples and even the elders were at an all-time high. It couldn't be helped when they hear the fact that three unknown disciples have unlocked 17+ Apex Points with the potential of unlocking even more.

Words and silly conversations circulated between the disciples that eventually led one thing to another before one statement became the talk of the sect.

'The Second Coming of the Ancient Elder!'

Back to the trio, they were resting in the Zero Mansion, utterly confused with their discovery.

"Maan, I don't even know what the fuck is going on…" Ash slid down on the couch in frustration.

"Why is our soul manifestation so different…?" Bryan was too confused.

"Fuck that, I wasn't even expecting to see our soul in the first place!"

"Seeing that shit in the dark ass space gave me a shock and what's more it was in my mind."

"Like literally, I could roam around in my mind!"

"And let's not talk about the debilitating and agonizing pain we suffered from that god forsaken pool."

"Is this what 'good fortune' is supposed to be for us? Suffer massive pain in order to gain something?!"

"UGH! Why can't it just be a simple and a relaxing event?" Ash continued with his rambling.

Bryan and Ray were used to his ranting session and let him cook for a while.

"Let me ask the system what's the deal with our soul." Ray said and asked the system.

[The system is unable to give an answer to your question.]

They were stunned and didn't expect for even the system to not know why their souls were like that.

"System, is it common for cultivators to have their soul manifestation start as an infant?" Bryan pondered for a bit and asked.

[Yes, every cultivator begins their soul manifestation as an infant. It is impossible and unheard of cultivators being in a similar situation to that of yours. That is why the system is unable to give you an answer.]

"I see." Bryan nodded.

"I guess we gotta investigate and deal with it ourselves." Ray shrugged.

Ash suddenly spoke up, "I hope we're not possessed or something…"

"Stop talking nonsense." Bryan denied his claim.

[Possession of other cultivators is possible in this world but fret not, the system will amply warn you if a situation like that occurs.]

"Fuck me!" Ash hanged his head from the edge of the couch.

"Thank you, system." Bryan thanked the system as a form of courtesy.

"We can think about the soul situation later. Why don't we open the Lucky Bags we received from the sub-quest?" Ray suggested.

"Yeah, we should do that." Bryan and Ash both nodded.

"Let me open first." Ray said and requested the system, "System, open the Lucky Bag."

[Request Received]

[Opening Lucky Bag…]

[Obsidian Teleportation Amulet x1]

[Obsidian Teleportation Amulet: An amulet lost in the sands of time. The amulet will let the user teleport anywhere within the range of 10,000 miles. To use it, simply inject your natural energy into the amulet.

Charges: 5]

The amulet was circular in shape and obsidian in colour. There were four arrows pointing north, east, west and south engraved on the amulet. Apart from that, it looked pretty normal for an amulet.

"Alright, that's actually not bad." Ash spoke first.

The perks of having a shared system. The user can share what they had received to the other users.

"That's a life-saving treasure and I'm pretty sure it will come in handy in the future." Bryan said.

"Hmm, system, can I use the amulet to teleport with others?" Ray inquired the system.

[Yes, it is possible as long as the host of the amulet is in physical contact with the other person.]

"Nice!" Ray smiled in affirmation.

"I'm gonna go ahead with mine." Bryan said and requested the system to open his Lucky Bag.

[Request Received]

[Opening Lucky Bag…]

[Sunrise Bracelet x1]

[Sunrise Bracelet: It is said upon the seventh sunrise, an unknown bracelet came into existence. The bracelet can help the user defend from a single attack from an Illumination Realm cultivator or lower.

Charges: 3]