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B2 - Chapter 55

"You made a friend," Wang Xiaoling commented as he entered the dwelling.

"I wouldn't say that. A neighbor I'll wave at from a distance is a better description." He closed the door before taking the seat across Wang Xiaoling, still holding the egg close to him. "But that's not what you want to talk about."

She pressed her lips together before sighing. "So, now you—"

"Before that, Elder Yu likely arranged for me to stay here. It should be safe, but there's no reason to say that out loud. In fact, it should never be mentioned. Anywhere."

"I wasn't going to, but I'm happy to know you're taking it this seriously," Wang Xiaoling said grimly.

"I wouldn't do anything less," William paused. "Did you know about this before? How did you avoid… them for so long?"

"Is this what your precious elder asked you to find out?" She laughed harshly. "She really wanted you to take control, didn't she? Let me guess, she also gave you more concealment tokens to do exactly that."

Wang Xiaoling was right about the control and the tokens. He withdrew the two concealment tokens Elder Yu had given him from his ring and tossed them to her.

"That's all Elder Yu gave me," William said after Wang Xiaoling caught them. "Each will last a hundred days, so you have nearly a year's supply in your hands. I have no control over Elder Yu's intentions, but they are not the same as mine."

She stared at the tokens momentarily before sliding them up her sleeve. He tilted his head before pulling out the token Rong Jun had given her to get in contact with her.

"You can have this back, too," William said as he tossed it to her. "I assume you have a hidden storage pouch there"

"Storage pouch?" Wang Xiaoling scoffed. "You think I would risk the concealment tokens in something so unstable?"

"That answers my question," William commented with narrowed eyes. It also confirmed that she knew far more than was reasonable, even for the most experienced mortal who always dealt with cultivators. A silly thought entered his mind, one that didn't leave. "… Is it a spatial stone?"

"Hm," she nodded, leaning back in the plush seat. "Got it recently for a good price. It was tricky to have to hide that I was a mortal when I was making the offer. Still, cultivators are usually smug shits that refused to believe a mortal would try to fool them."

He ignored that she had likely insulted him in that sentence by indirectly calling him a smug shit. There was something far more confusing he was focused on.

"How can you even use a spatial stone? You need control over Qi, and you shouldn't have spiritual pathways at the moment, let alone Qi."

"I think that's enough of trying to find out more of my secrets, don't you think?" Wang Xiaoling said dryly.

"Alright, that's fair," William agreed. "… It leaves us with the same problem. You don't trust me, and I can do little to change that."

"I wouldn't say I don't trust you. It's more like I can't trust you," she stressed before pausing. "Unless you happen to give me something equally as significant to hold over your head. That would be fair, right?"

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William shifted uneasily as he thought over that option. Revealing the existence of the system was out of the question. Nobody would know about it while he drew breath.

There was another option.

He stared at the chest he was holding and thought about it. Was it worth the risk of letting her know?

"I guess you don't have anything close," Wang Xiaoling said after his silence. "That's what I assumed, brat. Look, I don't think you're planning anything bad against me, but this isn't something a simple talk can fix. I'll need time to see your actions instead of mere words."

That had to be the most sensible thing William had heard her say.

"So, in the meantime, my life is in your hands," she ended with a strained smile, likely wanting to pass that off as a joke but failing miserably.

He made a snap decision, but he was not entirely sure whether it was a wise choice. He doubted Wang Xiaoling would ever use it against him, but nothing would ever be a sure thing. Still, he felt that she was owed this.

"If I do that, will you answer some of my questions?" At her raised brow, William expanded. "Elder Yu won't hear anything about it. It'll stay with me, I promise."

"And whatever you're going to tell me is worth that?" Wang Xiaoling asked with doubt. After he nodded, she shrugged. "I'll be the judge of that."

William sighed in acceptance. He would have gone through with it no matter what her answer was. If this was the best he would get, then so be it. "How much do you know about spatial stones?"

"Likely more than you," Wang Xiaoling replied with a smirk.

He nodded, not doubting her for a second. He pulled on the chain the upgraded spatial stone was attached to, bringing it out from under his shirt. "Then you should know about this."

William stored the chest in the stone under the wide eyes of Wang Xiaoling. She jumped off the chair in shock and looked like she was about to berate him for his stupidity before he brought it back out.

He opened the chest and showed her the egg.

"What the—How?" Wang Xiaoling gaped at the unharmed egg. "That's only possible if—"

"Yes," William cut her off. "So you know what it is. It's nearly as bad as yours if it becomes known."

She collapsed back on the chair and stared at him with intense eyes. "You're an idiot for showing me this."

"I know," William accepted.

"… You've also proven me wrong. You earned my trust back without time being necessary."

"I know," he repeated with a smile. "And now I have questions."

Wang Xiaoling nodded after a moment. "I'll give you two. Ask."

William shut his mouth before he wasted it. There were plenty of things he wanted to know about her.

Where did she come from? How could she build Rising Merchant House to such heights in only a few short months? Who and what was Fatty Xu? Why was she insane enough to wander into a sect full of cultivators that would want to kill her if discovered?

If only two would be answered, those would have to stay unknown.

"How are you stronger than me?" William asked eagerly. "Whenever I thought it would be the end, I found that you could still throw me around like a child."

"Well, you are a child," Wang Xiaoling teased before placating him when she received a glare. "Just because I'm not a traditional cultivator doesn't mean I'm helpless. My parents gave me my way of gaining strength before I was exiled from my clan. You should give up hope of overpowering me any time soon."

… That just created more questions, but it was technically an answer, so he accepted it. This could also be how she was able to use Qi without being a cultivator.

"You survived until now," William stated. When she grimaced but stayed silent, he added, "How?"

"The answer isn't pleasant," Wang Xiaoling frowned. "By making sure anything within several hundred square miles of my birth no longer lived. Then some timely used formations to keep me undetected."

"… What?" William blinked as he shook his head, unsure if he heard that right.

"You have your answer," she shrugged before getting up. "Now, I'm going to do mortal things. Like sleep. It's sorely needed after today."

He stared after her in shock, wondering what her background was. It was likely either her parents or her clan had committed a massacre of disgusting proportions. An area the size of a city in his old world had been reaped of life to preserve hers.

… Then she was exiled.

William wasn't sure how that made any sense. Nor could he figure out which clan could do something like that without harsh repercussions… unless it was the imperial clan itself. However, that didn't seem likely since Rong Jun didn't recognize her.

It could also be possible Wang Xiaoling came from outside the Tianxia Empire.

He frowned before reluctantly setting the matter aside, even though it was hard to do so. He wouldn't know more without her telling him the details.

B2 - Chapter 56

There was still nearly an hour till Lan Yang was set to return, and there wasn't much to do here.

Without Wang Xiaoling drawing all his attention, William finally bothered to take in the details of the dwelling. Lan Yang was right when he said there wasn't much to see.

The living room had upgraded seating compared to the dwelling in the Outer Court, with some empty shelves for storage. There were two doors leading to other rooms. One was to the bedroom that Wang Xiaoling decided to use, and the other he assumed was the Qi refining room.

Lan Yang did say that it was slightly better than the one in the Outer Court's dwelling, but with Elder Yu likely having a hand in assigning the dwelling to him, he still had hope for more.

William stood from his seat to see if a surprise was in store, still holding onto the chest tightly. The signs weren't good when he peered inside.

Cultivating wasn't something he was too concerned about unless it was at the level of the Qi refining room at the auction house. And looking at the interior, it likely wasn't.

Still, he walked in to make sure. He closed the door behind him and sighed in disappointment when a voice didn't speak to ask which mode he preferred. That pretty much ruled out the martial arts training option.

He looked at the chest and wondered if it could cause an issue. The egg was strange, so it wouldn't surprise him if it did. Besides, there was no reason to still hold onto it. He should have stored it away after showing Wang Xiaoling the upgraded stone.

William shook his head and sent it into the spatial stone. Unfortunately, nothing changed.

"Well, I tried," he said out loud. It was a reach anyway to expect something like that just given to him, and it wasn't a big issue.

He was relatively rich after gaining the Spirit Stones from Xu Feng, compared to the new disciples of the Inner Court. Since there were upgrades to be had, and he had the money to spend, he might as well spend the hour browsing the catalog while waiting for Lan Yang.

William returned to the living room and threw himself onto one of the plush armchairs before reaching into the spatial stone with his Qi to withdraw the catalog. It was a miracle he still possessed it after everything he had gone through since the last time he bothered to open it.

He flinched when his connection to the spatial stone snapped. It had become almost instinctual to store and remove whatever he wanted from his spatial stone and spatial ring. Having it fail was a shock.

He frowned before sending a far larger amount of Qi at the spatial stone than would be usually necessary. This wasn't to withdraw the catalog. It was to use that Qi to sense what was happening inside the stone.

William closed his eyes to make blocking out the external world easier as all his attention was shifted to what he could sense with his Qi.

… Chaotic. That was the inside of the spatial stone. What could only be described as a dust storm had somehow erupted, and he could barely sense anything with the space not that large. No wonder the initial connection had been broken.

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He immediately suspected the egg had something to do with it. That was the only thing added to the spatial stone in weeks.

William tried to remove the egg to stop whatever was happening, but that was a complete failure. A strong pulse rippled through the space. It nearly shattered his Qi and took it out of his control.

With a severe frown, he asserted his will by pouring more Qi into the stone. There was no time for finesse. He had to power through until he regained control.

The storm weakened significantly as it fought against the rising pressure and resistance of his Qi. It didn't stop, but he could finally see the egg through whatever these particles were.

The chest the egg was inside was nowhere to be seen. If William had to guess, it had been disintegrated by that storm. The bigger issue was the egg itself. It seemed to be… breathing.

It was hard to sense, but he could tell that the shell expanded and contracted ever so slightly. He was so focused on the egg that he didn't notice what it was doing to his loot from the Shard until it absorbed something under his watch.

William's heart skipped a beat as he shifted his attention to the three treasures he gained from helping Princess Jin get the golden heart. To his relief, they looked untouched. It meant the beast corpses were the egg's target.

The corpse of the Pyralisk had almost been consumed, only the head remaining. Even that didn't last long as it disintegrated rapidly into fine particles. The origin of the dust storm had been found.

The other beast corpse he had, the Jingmu Shadow, was in far better shape, though that wasn't saying much. When alive, the beast had been disgusting to look at, resembling a brownish sludge that rolled in filth. Now, it looked just as repulsive, but it almost had missing bits of body littered on the entire corpse.

It was as if the egg tried to force itself to nibble on the Jingmu Shadow before it gave up. The Pyralisk was a write-off, but there was still a chance to save the other beast's corpse.

William's Qi pierced through the weakening dust storm and enveloped the egg, intending to yank it out of the spatial stone if necessary. Not only did he wish to save the Jingmu Shadow's corpse, but he didn't want to leave the chance for the egg to get some bright ideas and make an attempt on the three spirit-severing treasures.

He pulled harshly, wanting to immediately get the egg out of the stone. It didn't work. The egg actually fought back and succeeded.

William could, and would, eventually use his previous force skill but with multiple times the power, but he noticed something strange. The egg's 'breathing' almost disappeared.

It grew his curiosity.

As loathe as he was to admit it, there was no use in going to the Jade Cauldron Peak any longer. The beast corpses had to be written off, especially the Pyralisk. Since that was the case, and the egg had already started to feast on it, what would happen if he let it finish?

William was gifted this egg, and he had to try and get it hatched eventually. So it made more and more sense to let it do whatever it wanted, and hopefully, it would hatch something useful.

He didn't need to wait long. The head of the Pyralisk disintegrated seconds later, joining the dust cloud that filled the space. Not much longer after, the dust started to disappear foo, and a small swirl of air funneled everything right at the egg.

William looked around at the empty space as the 'breathing' of the egg became more noticeable. He relied on himself to act if it hinted at a desire for the three spirit-severing treasures.

Thankful, it knew its place and proceeded to reluctantly consume the Jingmu Shadow's corpse.

A few minutes later, the corpse was gone, and a harsh frown was on his face as he closely watched the rapid 'breathing' of the egg. There was no doubt it had increased in rate, but nothing else—

William's eyes widened when the basic status of the egg changed. The number representing the level ticked up rapidly, flickering for a few seconds before it finally settled on what seemed to be the final number.

[Species: ? | Level: 38]

He now possessed an egg with a level equivalent to the third stage of Qi Gathering. That was ridiculous.

B2 - Chapter 57

William stared at the egg to see if it would do anything else. It didn't.

He carefully wrapped his Qi around the egg and tried to remove it from the spatial stone again. This time, there was no resistance. He placed it on the small table at the center of the room before staring at it.

William could see a slight change in the tint of the egg's shell. The faintest blue that he doubted a mortal would ever be able to discover with their eyesight. It was also a little bigger. Not much, maybe a few centimeters, but still, it was bigger.

And all the egg needed for these truly massive changes was a tiny increase of thirty-seven levels. Fantastic.

He needed to find out what would hatch out of this thing, and why it consumed beast corpses. Perhaps even more important than that, how many more corpses would it need.

It had to be noted that the Pyralisk and Jingmu Shadow were not run-of-the-mill spirit beasts. They originated from the Shard, so they were expected to have unique qualities, though what, he had no clue. The chance of preservation after he killed them had been too low for it not to.

William's eyes flickered to the closed bedroom door. With Wang Xiaoling knowing far too much about things she had no business knowing, the option of asking her about the egg wasn't as dumb as it seemed.

Of course, Lan Yang was another, but it was either her or Elder Yu he felt comfortable asking. He didn't trust anyone else, especially if this egg turned out to be something special… which he assumed was from what just happened.

"Sister Xiaoling," William called loudly. "I need your help."

He could hear frustrated grumbling combined with the rustling of sheets before the door opened, revealing Wang Xiaoling glaring at him furiously.

"I've been trying to sleep for the past hour, and just when I was about to, you called me," her glare somehow grew stronger. "This better be worth it, brat."

"It's been an hour?" William frowned, ignoring her complaints. It felt like it had been a few minutes at maximum.

Wang Xiaoling narrowed her eyes. "What did you need help with?"

"That," he pointed at the egg. "It ate some of the spirit beast corpses I had in my spatial stone."

"It what?!" Wang Xiaoling's eyes widened as she took a step closer. "What do you mean by ate? How were the corpses consumed?"

"Er, I assume they were absorbed," William said unsurely. "They turned into dust before it disappeared into the egg."

"… Amazing," she shook her head. "Most beast eggs are hatched by feeding them Qi. Very few require anything else. This is the first time I've heard of one needing anything like spirit beast corpses."

"Oh," William was disappointed. "So, you don't know what kind of egg this is?"

"This sect isn't filled with idiots," Wang Xiaoling said begrudgingly. "If the auction inspectors couldn't figure out what this egg is, how would I know?"

"Oh," William repeated.

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"If it makes you feel any better, the chance of it being a high-tier spirit beast should be decent," she placated. "Even if it ends up being a mid-tier spirit beast, it will likely have an ability that would make it worthwhile to raise."

That part of owning an egg had somehow passed his mind. He would have to raise a baby spirit beast when it hatches. To say he wasn't looking forward to that was an understatement.

William had owned a pet before on Earth. A dog. A small, yappy, annoying dog.

The memories were admittedly vague since it had been in his childhood, but the one clear thing was that he loved that dog. Enough where he promised himself when he was a teen to never to have a pet again due to the depression he felt when it passed away.

That feeling came back with a vengeance.

"What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing," William shook his head, unsure why he had been affected so strongly.

Yes, he dreaded getting attached to a pet due to its short life, but a dog was not comparable to a spirit beast. Not even close. The latter could live as long as he would if its cultivation was high enough. Perhaps the responsibility that would be thrust on him troubled him.

He imagined having to care for what was essentially a baby for months was what worried him… or was that an accurate comparison? Now that he thought of it, he didn't know how long spirit beasts were as helpless as babies, if they were at all.

"Sister Xiaoling, do newly hatched spirit beasts just, uh, know how to take care of itself?"

"Some don't," Wang Xiaoling smirked, knowing what he was worried about. "But you don't have to worry about that. Mid-tier and high-tier beasts have ancestral knowledge from birth. The stronger they grow, the more knowledge they have access to. All you have to do is feed it whatever it needs to do that."

"Oh," William let out a relieved smile. She was much more open about how much she knew about the cultivation world. "That's great!"

"Yes, I assumed it would be," Wang Xiaoling shook her head. "Have you tried to feed Qi to the egg?"

"Ah, no, I didn't," William thought about how his Qi had been attracted to the egg inside the spatial stone. "Let me give it a try."

He placed a hand on the egg before directing his Qi toward it.

[-200 Spiritual Energy]

William's eyes widened in shock at the powerful draw on his Qi. He didn't waste time in pulling away. Still, it wasn't fast enough.

[-200 Spiritual Energy]

"It nearly took away half of my reserves," he announced warily. "And in less than a second."

"Did it?" Wang Xiaoling questioned curiously. "That could be good news for you. I don't see any physical change, which some mid-tier beast eggs show for a few seconds after absorbing Qi."

"I'm guessing that's why it sold for such a high price."

"You're greatly underestimating the lengths cultivators go to acquire high-tier beasts," she said dryly. "They're impossible to have as pets if you don't personally hatch them."

"… One day, you'll tell me how you know all this, Sister Xiaoling."

"Maybe," Wang Xiaoling shrugged. "But that day won't be today or any day soon."

"Lan Yang is waiting outside."

They flinched at the unexpected voice, turning in unison to stare at the door.

"Fancy," Wang Xiaoling commented. "Looks like the sect treats their disciples well if this dwelling is the worst they have to offer."

William shrugged, idly wondering about daily life for disciples of lesser sects. He was becoming far too used to the wealth of the Jade Healing Sect.

"Well, that's the sign for me to head back to sleep. I have no desire to see Yang," Wang Xiaoling made her way back to the bedroom before pausing. "And this should be obvious, but you know to keep whatever we discuss between us, right?"

"Obviously," William nodded. "Still, like I said, Elder Yu probably had a hand in giving me this dwelling. You should assume she already knows everything we spoke of."

"I hope she does." The bedroom door closed behind her.

He scratched his chin in confusion, going back to their conversation to see if there was anything that Wang Xiaoling would have wanted Elder Yu to know.

Nothing stood out besides the vague allusions to her ruthless parents and powerful clan. Perhaps that was it, though he couldn't see the point of having a powerful cultivator know their clan had exiled them, no matter how powerful it could be.

"Lan Yang is waiting outside."

William shook his head and pulled the spirit beast egg into his spatial stone, observing it to ensure it didn't try anything stupid with his Spirit Severing level treasures.

It didn't.

He opened the door to see Lan Yang waiting with a pleased expression. Looked like the man was successful in whatever he set out to do.

"Junior Wei," Lan Yang greeted with a smile. "Ready to go to the Jade Cauldron Peak?"

B2 - Chapter 58

After the egg had used William's spirit beast corpses as a snack, he didn't see much point in going to the peak. Yes, it would be nice to find an alchemist who could have rendered the corpses into something useful, but there was nothing to render now.

He didn't even consider Ren Bo's request. The quest related to that had a negligible penalty in his view.

[Penalty: Decreased reputation with Ren Bo]

It wasn't like William wanted to have Ren Bo dislike him. He simply didn't bring himself to care. He would accept that penalty if there was something else that he felt was a priority. Besides, it wasn't like he couldn't go to the Jade Cauldron Peak afterward.

"I changed my mind, Senior Yang. I'd rather go to the library first."

Lan Yang tilted his head slightly before shrugging. "I'm guessing you want to find out more about that egg of yours?"

"That's part of it," William nodded.

"Hm," Lan Yang looked past him into the apartment. "Your… friend not going to join us?"

"She headed to sleep after her tiring day. It's just us."

"Mortals," Lan Yang rolled his eyes as if sleeping was unimaginable. "Anyway, that's for the better. She would just slow us down."

William did an eye roll of his own and followed him out, shutting the door behind him. "By the way, a voice announced that you were waiting outside. How did it know you were there for me?"

"That," Lan Yang pointed to the blank slate next to the door, "It's not just for entry. Visitors can hold their pass to it and say the resident's name to be announced."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing these are formations again?"

"Correct."

Wang Xiaoling was right. This was fancy. A little too fancy. He was looking forward to visiting Xu Feng at his sect to see what a normal sect is like.

***

William felt a sense of excitement at seeing the library looming over him. He was well aware of his hypocrisy by having that feeling.

He had rejected the idea of being an alchemist because he didn't want to study, something he had never been a fan of… ever. Now, he intends to do that exact thing.

Yes, William was going to gather all the information he could about spirit eggs, but along with that, he was going to finally make a proper attempt to learn formations. Unlike alchemy, which he admittedly didn't give much of a chance other than the few times he browsed through books with Li Xinyue, the field of formations and arrays had some strange attraction over him.

… Or not so strange. The teleportation formations around the Empire, the illusion array that trapped him in the Shard, the multitude of variations he had seen formations being used for inside the sect. All of that was almost assured to draw his interest.

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"Brother Yang!" A disciple broke off from a group near the entrance. "You're back!"

William decided to try to avoid using the system to get the disciple's name. She seemed far more normal than Kae, so carrying a conversation shouldn't be torturous.

"Su Rou?" Lan Yang greeted with surprise. "What are you doing here? You were to be stationed in Dazhou Kingdom for ten years."

"It was way too boring," Su Rou scrunched her nose. "They kept telling me to make pills for them."

"Su Rou…" Lan Yang pinched the bridge of his nose. "That was why you were sent there. It was meant to be your last test before entering the Golden Pill Peak."

"Well, Peak Master Li will have to find some other thing for me to do," Su Rou pouted. "She knows I don't like boring things."

William reevaluated Su Rou. This had to be the brattiest cultivator he had seen so far, including Princess Jin. Given how things usually are, he leaned toward Su Rou coming from some powerful clan that catered to her every need… or the Jade Healing Sect doing so due to talent.

After all, they were doing so for him.

"This is the fourth time you've done—" Lan Yang cut himself off. "You know what, I'll speak with you later. I have to show my junior around the sect, and I've already delayed enough."

"So that's who this is," Su Rou finally looked at William. "I didn't mean to ignore you. I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"It's fine, Senior," he mentally questioned how that made any sense. "I don't mind waiting until you're done with—Actually, I could explore the library on my own if that's better?"

That was directed at Lan Yang, and it was immediately denied. "I don't think so. Su Rou, I'll meet you here when Junior Wei is comfortable with the library's layout."

Su Rou pouted in dissatisfaction but stepped back, apparently agreeing with Lan Yang. William smiled at her politely as they passed, but that was a mistake.

"Oh, Brother Yang, how about I help?" Su Rou was suddenly far closer than before, crowding William in the middle.

"With what? Alchemy? Junior Wei doesn't specialize in that," Lan Yang waved his hand at William's bare sleeve, the red star missing.

"I'm sure I could convince him otherwise, but even if not, you know I'm nearly as skilled in the healing arts!"

He had noticed Su Rou's sleeve had four red stars and three gold stars, the former representing alchemy and the latter healing. It was the reason he assumed the sect could be the one pampering her.

It couldn't be forgotten that Ren Bo was seen as a prodigy, and he was basically out of control before he had achievements.

Still, William couldn't deny his interest in the healing arts. Not that he wanted to specialize in it, but more for saving his own skin. Whatever the system did to his body, it had made him incapable of healing naturally. He refused to be reduced to the point of having to gorge down Vitality Restoration Pills to survive like he had in the Shard.

"Junior Wei doesn't specialize in that either," Lan Yang said dryly. "Anything else?"

"Er, actually, Senior Yang," William spoke up, "I don't think—"

He shut himself up when he recognized the warning in Lan Yang's eyes. Alright then, he wasn't supposed to engage with Su Rou. Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Great!" Su Rou announced, moving even closer. Enough for William to get out of the way and stand on the other side of Lan Yang. It seemed that was her goal all along. "I can't wait to catch up, Brother Yang!"

"… Fine," Lan Yang sighed.

A lightbulb flickered on weakly in William's mind. She was romantically interested in Lan Yang. Her insistence suddenly made sense… and also became highly annoying in his eyes.

Not for how frustrated Su Rou seemed to make Lan Yang, though that was also a thing. More importantly, she was coming between Lan Yang and whoever was the intended recipient of the bracelets the man spent a fortune on.

William was personally invested in seeing that succeed. In a way, he had provided the Spirit Stones to buy it. Ignoring that it wouldn't have been necessary if he hadn't stolen it in the first place. Mere technicalities.

He forcefully inserted himself between them and smiled brightly. "This is great! I'll have two of my seniors showing me around! Senior Su, I would actually be interested in learning the basics of the healing arts. It might save my life."

"Hm, looks like I was wrong about Junior Wei's interest," Lan Yang commented, smiling. "Su Rou, it seems like I should thank you for your help."

B2 - Chapter 59

"I'm happy to contribute, Brother Yang!"

In Su Rou's defense, she didn't seem annoyed by actually having to help William.

"Excuse me for a moment, Brother Yang, Junior Wei," Su Rou said before returning to her group to say some quick farewells.

"Senior Su is talented in multiple things," William commented, mindful that she could hear everything.

"She is," Lan Yang agreed. "Be sure to use the chance well. She will undoubtedly rise high once she is admitted into the Golden Pill Peak."

He took that as code to keep her occupied so she couldn't bother him. That was very doable. It seemed like the trip to the library would be fruitful before he had even entered the building.

"Let's go!" Su Rou cheered as she walked back to them. "Junior Wei, feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I will do my best to help if it's in my capabilities!"

"I think that's my job, Su Rou," Lan Yang commented as he led them inside.

"So? Brother Yang, you never wanted to be a mentor before. It's not fair you were picked when I applied so many times."

"I think part of that has to do with you stationed in Dazhou Kingdom," Lan Yang said with a pointed look. "It didn't escape anyone why you were so eager to be a mentor… not that it stopped you from leaving your post."

"Eh," Su Rou shrugged shamelessly. "If the sect won't let me use an official excuse, I'll do it anyway. What can they do? Punish me?"

William saw Lan Yang roll his eyes when Su Rou snorted in laughter at the thought of being punished.

"Ah, Junior Wei, that doesn't mean I just wanted to be a mentor to free myself from Dazhou Kingdom. It was a happy side effect," Su Rou defended when she realized he could have taken it the wrong way. "You won't believe how backwards that place is. It's as if they purposely avoid making their lives easier. No wonder they are so weak. The cultivators there spend far too much time on useless—"

"That's enough, Su Rou," Lan Yang interrupted her rant. "Don't spread slander of an allied kingdom."

William wanted to ask where this kingdom was, but with the sudden silence and Su Rou's awkward expression, he figured it might be better to look at a map and find the answer himself.

Lan Yang stopped them at the edge, where the entrance hallway opened into the massive first floor.

"Silence is encouraged past this area, and if the overseers feel you are too disruptive, they can, and will, eject you from the library. If need be, they will ban you from further visits until the Punishment Hall is satisfied that you are apologetic enough. When we speak, keep it to a whisper. The formations will be able to isolate the sound. Understood?"

"Uh, yes," William nodded, wondering why there would be a system in place that was so easy to abuse by these overseers. The answer was simple. This was a cultivation world where strength was everything, no matter how pretty the paint was on top.

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And it wasn't lost to him that, yet again, formations were used.

"Good, follow me."

Su Rou smiled at William and motioned with her head to go first. He stepped into the library and immediately heard unnatural silence. Yes, he could hear it.

As he looked around, he noticed a disciple reading a manual. The pages didn't make any noise as he turned them. A girl wearing shoes with heels passed them, but her footsteps were muted on the tiles.

These were all things that William could quickly get accustomed to. His uneasiness mainly came from the loss of a sound that he had unknowingly filtered out of his daily life, though it had always been in the background.

His beating heart.

He pressed his hand to the center of his chest, frown decreasing slightly when he felt the steady beating under his palm.

"I had the same expression, Junior Wei," Su Rou whispered next to him. "You'll appreciate the total silence soon."

William was skeptical. "It was necessary to silence the heart, too?"

"It drove some disciples mad in the early days," she shrugged as they followed Lan Yang to something that looked like an information desk. "It might have been some issue with the formations back then, but nobody cares enough to change what works well."

William tilted his head in thought, isolating the constant beat of his heart and imagining that being the only thing he could hear.

… It wouldn't be pleasant, but just like outside the library, he was sure it would eventually be easy to tune it out as white noise. He supposed it was a hypothetical situation.

"There are multiple stations like this scattered on every floor," Lan Yang said quietly when they reached the circular station. It looked like a high-standing desk with four manuals spread apart evenly. "The books act as catalogs of everything viewable for you, and I'm sure you know how they are activated."

"The Inner Court pass," William replied. Without it, most of the sect would be inaccessible to him, and it made sense that it also applied here.

"Correct," Lan Yang backed away slightly. "Why don't you try it?"

"Er, sure," he pulled out his pass and laid it down on the blank state next to a book. He was getting used to seeing them everywhere. The blank slate started glowing a dull white.

William flipped the book open to see a list. It was like a phonebook. He wasn't sure. Those were basically nonexistent on Earth, but he had heard about them, which seemed similar.

At least the list was alphabetical, so it was fairly easy for him to flip to 'egg.' He wasn't ready for the pages and pages of lists that were apparently books about eggs. One even seemed to be something about cooking them.

Thankfully, William soon found what he was looking for. The problem now was that there was nothing else on the page.

"Tap what you want to find with your finger," Lan Yang gave him the next step.

He did so, and the table's surface immediately darkened to reveal a floorplan. A red dashed line appeared next.

This was basically an interactive map for the library. Wang Xiaoling was proved right again by calling the sect 'fancy.'

"J-7," William said out loud, reading the destination label on the map. It was a section of the library.

"That's to the end over there," Su Rou commented, pointing behind him. "Before you rush off, Junior Wei, would you like some beginner lessons in healing? It's unlikely you will be able to understand it, but as you said, it might be a matter of life and death."

His eyes widened briefly before nodding quickly, not wanting the offer to go away.

"Great!" Su Rao cheered in a hissed whisper. "Brother Yang, let's rent a room and prepare him."

"Sounds good to me," Lan Yang agreed readily before addressing William. "Anything else you want to know?

He had plenty of questions, but those could wait until after. "No, I'm fine."

"Then we'll take our leave. Try to stay around J-7. I'll get you in an hour or so after setup is complete," Lan Yan smiled.

"Sounds perfect, Senior Yang," William smiled. It grew wider into a grin as he glanced at the dashed line again—time to learn more about the egg that eats corpses.

B2 - Chapter 60

He had greatly underestimated the distance between the information station and section J-7. It was the map's fault, really. It made the floor layout seem relatively small, but the actual size was mind-boggling.

Most things in the cultivation world were, but this was different.

William hadn't circled the library's exterior to get an exact measurement of how large the building was, but the view he had gotten was enough to get a vague idea of the size.

The interior beat even his largest estimate. It was literally impossible for it to be so large.

His destination was Section J-7. The sections were designated by letters, and each letter was followed by a number from zero to nine. That meant there were two hundred and sixty sections in the library.

That by itself wasn't shocking. However, it was hard to fathom when factoring in the size of each section.

William nodded at a disciple passing him, a rare occurrence, as he finally passed Section I-9. It was the size of a small city block, and there were two hundred and sixty of them. So yes, something was done to the interior of the building to fit all of this in here. Without that being the case, the library would likely occupy most of the common grounds.

He thought the library in the Outer Court was enormous. It was nothing compared to this monstrosity.

William passed by Section J-6, where he surprisingly saw another disciple. With how massive the library was, some sections were more popular than others, and those were where disciples usually congregated. He expected to be alone with all of Section J entirely focused on eggs. That was obviously proven wrong by the girl browsing through the section catalog.

She must have seen him in the corner of her eye since she lifted her head to glance at him before returning to her browsing. She was clearly not interested in interacting. That was fine with him.

William stepped into Section J-7. Well, the first row of books in the section. Fifty rows later, he reached the center, where the catalog was placed on a podium.

As was typical, a blank slate was beside the empty-paged catalog. He placed his pass on the slate, causing it to glow a dull white.

Text appeared on the previously empty page. He scanned it and flipped to the next page, seeing more of the same. An endless list of titles in a seemingly random order. Finding anything he needed in the chaos would take far too long to be reasonable.

William glanced to his left, wondering if he should ask the girl. She had just walked out of one of the rows with a thick book in her hands.

He decided to take that course of action after trying something. The Qi refining room in the auction house reacted to voice commands. The same could be true here.

"Show me five books that tell me how to care for a mid-tier or high-tier spirit beast egg," William said quietly.

His excitement rose when the mass of text disappeared, leaving only five lines on the page he was looking at.

How to Hatch a Mid-Tier Spirit Beast Egg in 10 Easy Steps

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Mid-Tier Spirit Beast from Egg to Adult

Secrets of the High-Tier Spirit Beast Eggs

How I Accidentally Hatched a High-Tier Spirit Beast Egg and Became the Strongest Cultivator

The Art of Cooking Spirit Beast Eggs: A Delicious and Nutritious Way to Boost Your Cultivation

William blinked, making sure that he was reading it right.

He was.

It suddenly made sense why this library was so massive. Of how there could be rows and rows of books just on the topic of eggs. There was some actual nonsense held by the library.

'How to Hatch a Mid-Tier Spirit Beast Egg in 10 Easy Steps' sounded like a scam to him. The following two titles held some potential, and the last two had to be jokes.

'How I Accidentally Hatched a High-Tier Spirit Beast Egg and Became the Strongest Cultivator' had to be a fictional book. Accidentally hatching a spirit beast egg wasn't out of the realm, but calling oneself the 'strongest cultivator' had to be some sort of taboo.

The last title wasn't worth looking at… or maybe it was. William had no intention of making an omelet from his precious egg, but there was nothing to say there wouldn't be an opportunity to do so in the future.

Before William decided about the books he wanted, he narrowed the search to hopefully give him better options.

"Show me only informational or instructional books. Remove all fiction and biographies."

That command was a little redundant but better to be thorough.

Secrets of the High-Tier Spirit Beast Eggs

The Art of Cooking Spirit Beast Eggs: A Delicious and Nutritious Way to Boost Your Cultivation

How I Accidentally Hatched a High-Tier Spirit Beast Egg and Became the Strongest Cultivator

The Comprehensive Handbook of Spirit Beast Egg Hatching: Everything You Need to Know from Selection to Incubation

Spirit Beast Egg Hatching Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Approach with Illustrations and Examples

Only two of those were new results. Of the older ones, only 'Secrets of the High-Tier Spirit Beast Eggs' wasn't a shock when it reappeared.He supposed that cooking spirit beast eggs might be a valid option. More surprisingly, 'How I Accidentally Hatched a High-Spirit Beast Egg and Became the Strongest Cultivator' was still an option the catalog showed him.

He only asked to remove biographies since he didn't want someone else's bias in his reading. This was probably considered an autobiography. Still, he was shocked it wasn't fiction.

William didn't take long to decide which books he wanted to take from the shelves.

"Where are these books located?"

Two numbers separated by a dash appeared next to each title. The number on the left was far smaller than the one on the right.

He memorized them and glanced at the row closest to him, seeing a number at the top. A look at the books on the row's shelves revealed that each book had a corresponding number labeled below on the shelf.

… William was not a fan of studying back on Earth, which meant minimal time spent in any library. Still, he had to admit he was impressed. This level of organization for this city-sized library was amazing.

He noticed the girl in the other section wander back into the rows, likely to get another book. Very studious.

William decided to follow her example. There was time to marvel at how the library functioned later. He only had around an hour until Lan Yang and Su Rou would return.

He walked into the first of the rows with one of the books he wanted, or rather, he tried to. He froze in fear when a heavy pressure fell on him. It warned him that moving closer was a terrible idea, and it was proven when the pressure fell off when he stepped back.

William saw movement in the corner of his eye. He turned to see the girl smirking at him from her seat. When she saw him looking, she held up her pass and shook it.

Of course. He smiled at her sheepishly before picking up his pass from the podium. There were no issues entering the section after that.

This should be something Lan Yang should have known to tell him. Then again, it was more than obvious now that he was expected to figure out most things on his own. Either that or Lan Yang was just a terrible mentor.

Even if that was true, William excused it. The man was the reason he owned the [Heavenly Thunder Scripture]. Lan Yang could be the most uninterested mentor, and he would be okay with it.

His eyes lit up when he located the first book. Four more to go.

B2 - Interlude: Princess Jin III

Princess Jin knew she was going to die. Her body couldn't hold on any longer, not with the endless torture she had to endure.

There had been far too many times when she was close to breaking, revealing the exact details of what happened in the Shard. Anything to have a reprieve from the endless pain, even if it was only temporary. It was only the memory of Empress Sophia that stopped her.

A flash of lightning blinded the land, leaving the afterimage of an icy blue bolt connecting the dark, stormy sky to Princess Jin's mangled body.

She clenched her jaw tightly to avoid screaming. Her vocal cords were already shredded, and there was no need to make it worse.

"Jin'er, your brother has returned," a voice boomed from afar.

Princess Jin whimpered in fear when the sky thundered as if warning against anyone interfering. There had been a few times in the past month when help was essential. Without it, her body would have failed, and the heavenly punishment would have succeeded in destroying her soul.

The anger the heavens showed after a helping hand was devastating. The bolts that ripped through her body eroded her will to endure, her sanity slipping with every punishing strike until it took her to the very edge before pulling back.

It was as if the heavens were sadistic, doing just enough to torture her while also making sure she wasn't completely broken.

Princess Jin regretted ever having the opportunity to take the Golden Heart. She hated Wei Liang for letting her have it instead of being selfish and taking it for himself. She despised her grandfather for telling her to go with them, causing her to get dragged into the Shard. She loathed the heavens for what she had been through over the past month.

The sky rumbled menacingly as if it knew what she was thinking. Princess Jin shivered and crushed all of her thoughts before emptying her mind. She knew that she was incapable of thinking about anything but hate at the moment.

"Jin'er!"

Princess Jin glared at the old man in the distance, preferring him to shut his mouth before the heavens gave her a harsher punishment.

She didn't know where she was taken to go through this heavenly punishment, but there was nothing but flat plains as far as the eye could see. Of course, this was without considering the scorched, gouged, and hellish ground that surrounded her.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Over ten miles on all sides of pure destruction, with her as the lonely figure in the center.

"Your brother has returned! He has news from the Jade Healing Sect!"

Princess Jin let out a choked gasp when the air stilled, the pressure rising to a level that felt like it would crush her bones into dust. She ignored her grandfather and looked up, trembling at the coiling yellow lightning traveling through the clouds, converging to a single spot.

Right above her.

This was the end. In multiple ways. She had gone through the nine waves of heavenly punishment, the most powerful a cultivator could experience. It terrified her when the waves never seemed to stop, but she could hear the onlookers chattering excitedly in the distance.

It would be a boon to the imperial family if they gained a cultivator that survived nine waves of heavenly tribulation, let alone nine waves of heavenly punishment.

In a tribulation, the heavens gave the cultivator a chance to survive while also purifying the body, readying it for possible ascension in the future.

That was not so in a heavenly punishment. While all the benefits still applied, the heavens only had one goal by the end. Erase all traces of the cultivator's existence for offending it so.

Bloody tears dripped down Princess Jin's face as she stared at her end. She instinctively knew there was no chance for her to survive this.

The only reason she had lasted so far was the help of the Jade Healing Sect's Grand Elder. He had disappeared after the eighth wave, too injured to be of any more help.

"Sister Jin! I have a gift for you!"

Princess Jin looked away from the increasingly vicious lightning coils to see an unfamiliar man standing beside her grandfather. She had one brother, and that was the wastrel Prince Yuan.

This man was not him.

"Catch!"

She eyed the small box thrown toward her, extremely aware that the flashes of light above her increased in intensity by a magnitude. This must be the last help she would get before the world above collapsed on her.

"Take the pill, Sister Jin!"

Princess Jin knew she had no time to question anything. Even if this pill was useless or harmful, it would make no difference in the end result.

She reached a shaking hand out, unfazed at her blood-soaked arm, and picked the box off the ground. She opened it and barely saw the pill before swallowing it and looking up, expecting the worst.

Some yellow coils of lightning were on the edges of the dark sky, still making their way to the center. She hoped that meant she had a few seconds to process the pill she had taken.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Taking the pill triggered the anger of the heavens.

The flash of lightning blinded Princess Jin, immediately followed by a level of pain she never knew existed.

She could feel the immeasurable anger the heavens had toward her. To challenge its authority, to dare to use something originating from one that had already defied its will, to seek a way out of the rules it set on the world.

Princess Jin opened her mouth in a silent scream as the heavenly lightning burned her flesh and pulverized her bones. It tried to erase her soul, but something protected it. Weak, but just enough to stop it from succeeding.

She writhed in pain when the lightning redirected all of its focus on her mind. If it couldn't destroy her soul, it decided that tearing apart her mind would be a close substitute.

Princess Jin tried to keep ahold of her identity, her memories. She didn't know if she was successful since her body finally shut down.

She welcomed the comfortable dark.

B2 - Chapter 61

This had mostly been a disappointment.

Not the library itself, William was sure that was still amazing as long as he gave it more time. However, the picks the section catalog provided were utter trash.

No, that wasn't fair. A couple of the books weren't completely useless, but they didn't fit his current wants.

The introduction of 'The Comprehensive Handbook of Spirit Beast Egg Hatching' should have clued him into what he could expect.

Picking the right spirit beast egg for your cultivation level is crucial. Avoid eggs that are too high or too low in tier. They may harm or hinder your progress. You should also consider the compatibility of the spirit beast's element and temperament with your own. An excellent way to test this is to hold the egg and feel its aura in your hand. If you sense warmth, harmony, and attraction, it means the egg is suitable for you. If you sense coldness, discord, or repulsion, the egg is incompatible with you.

That was all well and good, but William didn't have an option to pick and choose the best spirit egg. Nor could he say that he felt much of anything when he held the egg. None of that warmth, harmony, or coldness.

The rest of the book was much of the same, speaking more about the ideal temperatures of egg hatching and environment control than anything that applied to him.

While the book never mentioned it, he suspected it was for more low-tier eggs than anything else. Unfortunately, 'Spirit Beast Egg Hatching Made Simple' had the same issue.

'Secrets of the High-Tier Spirit Beast Eggs' was even worse. The other two books still had helpful information he could file away for use sometime in the future. However, the book that specifically mentioned high-tier eggs was entirely useless.

It was 'informational' only in the technical sense. Every so-called fact in that book was preceded by the word 'rumored,' or 'supposedly,' and the most annoying one, 'suspected.'

What was he supposed to do with an entire book of guesswork?

William shook his head in frustration and closed the book. It wasn't the end of the world, but more of an annoyance. He wasted half an hour skimming through the massive books due to the comprehension gained from being a cultivator. It left him with less time until Lan Yang said he would arrive.

He wanted to search for more books through the section catalog, but with the first recommendations it had shown being busts so far, he imagined that might take more than the time he had left.

At the very least, he could come back here whenever he wished.

William sighed and picked up the autobiography. He didn't have much hope for it, but it would be better than reading about the best ways to cook spirit beast eggs.

Turns out 'How I Accidentally Hatched a High-Tier Spirit Beast Egg and Became the Strongest Cultivator' was fascinating.

He was taken back to the time he gobbled up cultivation novels, except this time, it was a true, first-hand account of a ridiculously powerful cultivator. Lin Lin, the founder of the Sunrise Kingdom.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The book read more like a comedy rather than a story of a serious cultivator who fought against the heavens to become a king. The number of lucky chances Lin Lin stumbled into was stupidly large.

The man found his spirit beast egg as a child by it literally dropping from the sky and onto his head. He discovered the only way to hatch it when he tripped into a lightning pool, only living due to his egg devouring the lightning Qi. Even the way he became a king seemed farfetched.

Lin Lin had accidentally touched the bare skin of the previous dynasty's only princess, which somehow meant they must marry to protect her virtue. Lin Lin was king after a few wars that wiped out all the eligible heirs.

If this tale was accurate, which William suspected it was, Lin Lin had the luck of a main character. Everything went his way, and this book detailed his every experience.

Nothing that could ever be replicated, but the information Lin Lin had learned from it could still be used to great effect. The man was a fantastic journaler, and all that was needed now was to confirm it wasn't all a bunch of bullshit.

"You found a good one, I assume?"

William's attention was ripped away from the book, looking up to see Lan Yang staring at him with interest.

"It's interesting."

Lan Yang looked at the books he had set aside before checking the one he was reading. "I don't think I've seen any of these before."

"Most are for low-tier spirit beast eggs," William admitted before pointing at the book opened in front of him. "This is more of a story, but it had some really useful things you can learn. I do question if it's accurate, though."

"A story?" Lan Yang frowned before reaching for the book. "Let me have a look."

He flipped through the first half for a minute, eyebrows raising with every second that passed.

"Is there a problem?" William asked unsurely.

"I didn't know the library had something like this," Lan Yang smirked. "The Venerable Lin and the symbol of the Sunrise Kingdom having a background such as this is unexpected."

"… So it's real?"

"There have been rumors that this was the case, but it's not something for people like us to know," Lan Yang shrugged, losing interest in the book and placing it back down. "Take what you read in books from the general sections with a little doubt. The only ones you can fully trust are librarian-approved reference books."

William stared at him blankly. That would have been nice to know before he was left to explore on his own. Still, he remembered what Su Rou mentioned.

Lan Yang never wanted to be a mentor, so warning him likely never came up as a thought in the man's mind. That was fine. From now on, William had to be direct with his questions and try to think of the possible issues that might pop up before he did anything.

Easier said than done.

"Could I ask a librarian if they could confirm this journal is factual?" William asked.

"No," Lan Yang replied bluntly. "They only care for the library. Think of them as Elders, just with a different title. You cannot simply speak to one casually."

He nodded thoughtfully. It would be necessary to try and speak to Elder Yu before she left the sect. If that wasn't possible, he would have to painstakingly confirm everything the journal provided by looking through the reference books.

"Is there a separate section for these reference books?"

Lan Yang shook his head. "You have to specify that's what you want to the section catalog. They are rarely used by disciples. Reference books are great, but they are slow to be revised with more up-to-date information by the librarians."

"I see," William nodded slowly.

"Well, let's go. Su Rou is waiting for us. And after that, I want to get started on the basics of the Heavenly Thunder Scripture."

His eyes lit up as he rushed to stand. "Can I take books with me?"

"For a week," Lan Yang replied. "You will be charged for the cost of the book if it's late, so be sure to return it in time. Anything you don't want, leave on the table. The librarian assistants will take care of it."

William happily stored the journal and glorified cookbook in his ring before following Lan Yang out of Section J.

His eyes instinctively sought out the girl who accompanied him in this deserted part of the library, and he was disappointed to see that she was gone. He frowned slightly before looking away from her spot.

B2 - Chapter 62

The training room Lan Yang had led him to was large, though far more basic than what the auction house had to offer. It looked more fit for group training rather than solo sessions.

William had his eyes closed, concentrating as Su Rou guided his Qi through his body. It was something he was familiar with.

[Force Multiplier] did much of the same but with an opposing objective. The goal for the martial skill was to spread the Qi throughout his body as evenly as possible to help withstand the strain it would come under when the skill was activated.

Su Rou was helping to guide his Qi to concentrate on as small of an area as possible.

He frowned when she stopped.

"Prepare yourself," she warned.

He opened his eyes, tensing when he felt the sharp snap of the bone in his forearm. She had broken it effortlessly.

[-100 HP]

"Now repeat what I showed you, but gather it at the break."

William did as she asked. It was a simple thing for him to direct his Qi at this point, but concentrating it in a tiny area was a little more complicated. Still, nothing impossible.

The Qi shined brightly at the break, giving off that ethereal look he was familiar with, but this time in a spot no bigger than an inch. The wisps of Qi rising from his skin seemed thicker than usual due to the concentrated state.

"Well done!" Su Rou smiled. "I'm impressed. This is usually the hardest part for most. Now, close your eyes again. You will need to feel the change in your Qi."

William nodded as he closed his eyes. It may seem impressive to her, but he had been doing a variation of this since he became a cultivator.

The basic martial skills, simple palm thrusts, kicks, and stomps, had similar Qi movement, though far more forgiving, hence the weaker effect. [Force Multiplier] was the same, but the requirements for activation needed a near-perfect spread of Qi; thus, the effect was ridiculously powerful.

It made learning what Su Rou demonstrated far more straightforward than it should have been.

"Concentrate," Su Rou ordered before she pushed her Qi forward.

William frowned. The Elders Chen had done something similar during his checkup after returning from the Shard. While that felt uncomfortable, it was nothing like this.

The feeling of Su Rou's Qi was alien. Usually, Qi felt like it lightened him, a cool balm deep inside his body that made him feel powerful.

This was almost the opposite. It was alien. As if sharp blades were in his spiritual pathways, radiating danger while not actually causing any harm.

"Keep focusing," Su Rou's voice seemed far away. "Memorize what your Qi does."

William clenched his teeth, wanting to pull away when he felt the invading Qi change from feeling like simple blades to lethally sharp swords. He had a suspicion that it could cause severe damage to his body if Su Rou wished to do so.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry any longer. Her Qi merged with his. It should have been overcome, but it… infected his Qi.

He hissed loudly, barely holding back the scream that formed in his throat.

"Focus!" Su Rou commanded. "The pain means it's working!"

That was easy to say. William had his body battered, been near death multiple times, and his legs quite literally ripped off. But this was somehow the worst pain he had felt.

He wasn't sure if his pain tolerance had reduced drastically with the period of peace he was experiencing, but it was bad.

William mustered any dregs of will in existence before forcing his mind to ignore the pain and focus on his slowly infected Qi. It started gradually gaining the sharp properties that Su Rou's Qi possessed.

However, unlike hers, he could understand his own. The methodical infection slowly revealed the microscopic changes needed to make his Qi have odd blade-like properties.

"Ah!"

He flinched in surprise when the infection spread in less than a blink of his eyes. The broken forearm snapped back in place just as quickly as when it broke, leaving no traces of it ever being harmed.

William opened his eyes in confusion.

[+100 HP]

[-200 Spiritual Energy]

He recognized the apparent ratio it had taken to heal his injury. Two-to-one, which, if it was fact, meant the maximum he could heal was five hundred and forty HP if his Spiritual Energy was full. But he was getting ahead of himself. He would need to try this multiple times before confirming that the two-to-one ratio was true.

There was something that deserved his attention more at the moment. Su Rao.

"Senior Su? Are you alright?"

She was sweating heavily, unbroken lines dripping down her face, hair matted to her skin, and chest heaving as she sucked in air.

"I-I'm fine," Su Rao waved him off weakly. "The process is hard on a cultivator at my level. I'm afraid I won't be able to be of more help for a while."

William bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior Su. You've done more than enough. I need to replicate the process myself, right?"

"Yes," Su Rao nodded, taking a breath before saying, "Start small. A scratch or something minor before moving up to more difficult injuries like broken bones."

[Side Quest: Learn the basics of self-healing]

[Information: Su Rao has shown you how to convert your Qi into Healing Qi. Become accomplished enough to heal a broken bone on your own.]

[Reward: 10000 XP]

[Penalty: Decreased reputation with Su Rao]

[Accept: Y/N]

This was a no-doubter. He quickly accepted.

[Side Quest Accepted | Learn the basics of self-healing]

"I'm guessing you need rest?" Lan Yang spoke from the edge of the room where he had been observing.

"Unfortunately, Brother Yang," Su Rou frowned. "Junior Wei's Qi capacity is surprisingly large for his cultivation."

"Hm, indeed he does," Lan Yang agreed, though William had no idea how he knew. "Take care. I'll visit you after, Su Rao."

She gave them a tired smile before murmuring a farewell and exiting the room.

The moment the door shut behind her, William spoke. "You know, I thought you hinted that she was bad somehow. Senior Su is actually quite kind."

"You think so?" Lan Yang walked toward him. "I supposed she's good with juniors like you. A bit too needy, in my opinion. There's a reason I let her teach you first."

William frowned heavily. "You knew she would get that tired?"

"Obviously," Lan Yang shrugged his outer robes off. "You learn something useful, I get to put less effort into teaching you since Su Rao took care of it, and she gets to rest. We all win."

He had thought this before, but it was never as evident. Lan Yang was a bit of an asshole.

Thoughts of Lan Yang's dickishness disappeared when the training room was filled with the sound of power.

William stared at the man with wide eyes. Blue lightning crackled and hissed around his body like a storm, his typically dark eyes glowing a bright blue as he stared at him was a cocky smirk.

"I might not know the first thing about Thunder Qi, but I have to say that I'm quite proficient in Lightning Qi," Lan Yang clenched his hand, a surge of lightning concentrating into a compressed ball above his fist. "Let's take what Su Rou showed you and use it to teach you something far more useful."

B2 - Chapter 63

William stepped back when Lan Yang moved closer, not wanting to be near that ball of lightning now floating a foot in front of the older cultivator.

"So, Junior Wei," Lan Yang spoke loudly to be clear over the crackle of the lightning. "You have a few options here."

He took another small step back, his wariness increasing drastically. He hadn't forgotten that Lan Yang promised to inflict great harm on him just a short time ago.

"There are a few ways of learning how to access Lightning Qi," Lan Yang bounced the floating lightning ball… somehow. "One is to use this ball like this. Meditate on it for a few months, and you can probably get it."

That sounded good to William. He had plenty of time to spend.

"Another is this," the lightning ball disappeared, but his body lit up. Fibers of small electric currents started glowing through his skin. "The natural electricity that is contained in our bodies. This is the slowest and easiest method to access Lightning Qi. I'd say it will take one to two years."

"Oh," William thought it was a miracle he wasn't gaping in shock at the display Lan Yang was putting on. "This might be a little too long, Senior Yang."

"Hm," Lan Yang nodded, the glowing fibers disappearing. "There is another, far quicker option, with the same benefits as studying the natural electricity in your body."

"… Is there?" He asked suspiciously.

"There is."

William's eyes widened when the lightning buzzing around Lan Yang's body grew more violent, frequently sparking nearly a foot away from his body.

"The last, best, and quickest option is direct, repeated contact," Lan Yang smiled wickedly. "So, which do you prefer?"

His instinct was to pick 'direct contact,' but it was easy to guess the negative for this method. Plus, did he really want to put himself under the mercy of a probably still quietly furious Lan Yang?

No, he did not.

"That ball of lightning looked good, Senior Yang," William said earnestly. "I think it would do me good to take some time to learn this."

"I see," Lan Yang tilted his head for a moment. "That's a shame. I think otherwise."

"What?"

"Well, as your concerned mentor, I am forced to override your decision," Lan Yang walked closer. "I don't feel that the ball is for you. It's best to be the best, don't you agree?"

[Side Quest: Access Lightning Qi]

[Information: Lan Yang has chosen the way you will learn how to access Lightning Qi. Be able to convert 1% of your Qi into Lightning Qi.]

[Reward: 10000 XP]

[Penalty: Decreased reputation with Lan Yang]

[Accept: Y/N]

He quickly accepted. There was a far more pressing issue to think of.

[Side Quest Accepted |Access Lightning Qi]

William was getting some major murder vibes at the moment. He didn't like it.

"And, Junior Wei?" He stopped several feet away. "This is better for you, but I will not lie and say I won't enjoy it. Think of this as deserved retribution for spending my Spirit Stones without permission."

[-200 Spiritual Energy]

He didn't mean to activate [Force Multiplier]. Not that he was complaining. He spread the Qi evenly inside his body in preparation when Lan Yang started to speak suspiciously.

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If William was going to take punishment, it wouldn't be without a fight. It also helped that a large part of him wanted to find out how well he would match up against a peak foundation establishment realm cultivator.

The Seedling, the monster he fought in the Shard, was in the foundation establishment realm, but it certainly wasn't at the peak. He would finally get to test the limits of his power with [Force Multiplier] activated. Even if it wasn't planned.

"Oh? What's this?" Lan Yang's voice was distorted, the lightning crackling around his body likely being the cause. "You want to spar? Even better."

"It won't be as easy as you think, Senior Yang," William retorted. He missed this. The peace and quiet was nice. Fighting against someone who clearly overmatched him was better.

The Shard really ruined his mentality. He shuddered at the thought of wanting to be fighting for his life instead of worrying about making a merchant house successful.

"So you say," Lan Yang's smile grew sharp. "Prepare yourself."

William heard the sonic boom just as Lan Yang occupied his entire field of view. Far too close. His martial arts training clicked into place.

He recognized that Lan Yang was fast even with [Force Multiplier] activated. Enough to the point where he had barely been able to keep track of the man. He could do very few things against someone this much faster, but there were still some options.

The best hope was that Lan Yang was worse than a novice in martial arts. It would leave William with some ability to predict his moves.

Right fist.

He grunted in pain as he blocked it with his palm, a deafening sound exploding at the point of contact.

[-10 HP]

The Lightning Qi devoured his Qi, easily overpowering it until William attempted a counter. A jab at Lan Yang's face.

He didn't connect. It was never meant to. Still, the goal was accomplished. His palm was no longer in contact with Lan Yang's fist.

"Well, that's embarrassing," Lan Yang stared at William, who was shaking his hand to get some feeling back. "I didn't expect you to actually be able to block that."

He narrowed his eyes. "Does that mean you wanted to knock me out? You would have hit my head."

"Don't be stupid, Junior Wei," Lan Yang chuckled. "What's the point of having you unconscious? You must be awake to observe how my Qi interacts with yours."

"… How considerate," William narrowed his eyes even further. He was hyperaware of any movement from Lan Yang. "Let's continue."

Weight shifted to the back leg. Body leaning forward minutely. Fingers staring to curl into a fist.

William registered all he could before Lan Yang's body blurred at his sheer speed. He had already vacated his spot to avoid an instant defeat.

Lan Yang made it sound like he had plenty more to give, and standing still would be the easiest way to be punished heavily.

His eyes widened, arm quickly rising up to shield the right side of his face.

"Impressive!" Lan Yang laughed as his fist smashed into Willam's forearm, leaving a deep imprint on the skin. "Looks like I should move faster!"

He grunted when he couldn't block the next strike, a knee cracking his ribs with ease.

[-100 HP]

William jumped back, trying to put as much space as possible between him and Lan Yang. The man sure liked to use close combat for someone who sneered at martial arts.

It was like his thoughts were heard.

"Apologies, Junior Wei," Lan Yang said unconvincingly. "I forgot to use Lightning Qi with that one. It's not usual for me to fight like a mortal. Shame that it's necessary to teach you."

"Again," William winced, finding that speaking was a chore, "you are very considerate, Senior Yang."

"Hm, indeed," Lan Yang smiled gently. "Well, enough playing around."

He gasped in a combination of pain and shock when Lan Yang was suddenly before him, fist buried in his stomach and Lightning Qi torturously invading his body.

[-200 HP]

There was no warning or signs that William could have gathered. It seemed that Lan Yang truly was limiting himself.

"There we are," Lan Yang nodded, the lightning crackling around his body slowly disappearing. "As Su Rou said, focus on your Qi. Throw it against the Lightning Qi I injected and observe."

William was on his knees, fighting the urge to retaliate. But he knew all that would do is necessitate a repeat of the beatdown. Not that he could put up any sort of fight at the moment. He could barely move with the Lightning Qi rampaging through his body.

"Not that I mind, but the longer you wait, the longer you feel this pain. Smother the Lightning Qi, Junior Wei."

He finally sat crosslegged with a struggle and did as Lan Yang suggested.

"As a bonus, I also left you with the perfect variation of injuries," Lan Yang continued with amusement. "Just as Su Rou suggested. Perfect for you to practice with the Healing Qi afterward."

"I understand," William opened his eyes, his voice filled with tension. "Thank you. I would appreciate it if you could leave me to it."

"Of course, of course," Lan Yang smiled and made to leave. "Ah, right. We've been talking a bit too long. The Lightning Qi might not be enough."

[-50 HP]

William doubled over in pain when a bolt left Lan Yang's finger and sank into his body.

"Oh," Lan Yang said in fake surprise. "Seems like it wasn't necessary to fight like a mortal."

He was too busy trying to crush the rampaging Qi inside his body to bother with his 'mentor.' Still, he could faintly hear his final words.

"By giving back the Spirit Stones, you redeemed yourself, Junior Wei. You narrowly escaped a grave punishment. But this settles our score."

B2 - Chapter 64

William was tempted to open his eyes to keep track of the man who still held a grudge against him. Or did, until now.

It was beyond petty of Lan Yang, in William's opinion, at least at first thought. A bit of introspection made him realize that, no, it really wasn't.

What he had done to Lan Yang was the equivalent of taking the largest loan someone had got in their life, like a mortgage on Earth, and you decided to bring it to the casino and plop it on a single spin of roulette.

Just because there was no harm in the end didn't mean they still wouldn't be furious beyond belief.

Yes, after that sort of perspective, William considered the pain he had gotten as punishment a slap on the wrist. Especially since all of this would still help him understand how to access Lightning Qi.

He just hoped that Lan Yang meant it when he said the score was settled. Only time would tell.

William forced himself to put that aside. He had already wasted a few seconds fretting about Lan Yang's mood. Thankfully, the Lightning Qi wasn't as quick to deteriorate as the Healing Qi, so no harm was done… yet.

He did as Lan Yang suggested and tried to smother the Lightning Qi. That meant he tried to surround the rampaging foreign Qi with his own, like putting out a fire with a blanket.

Unlike the Healing Qi, he couldn't understand what the Lightning Qi felt like. It was too energetic, too blinding to his senses to hope to figure out anything about it.

That immediately changed the moment his Qi came into contact. The usual ethereal Qi mutated briefly into a liquid-like matter filled with electricity before it was snuffed out due to the overwhelming mass of Qi he possessed compared to Lan Yang's Lightning Qi.

That was good for his overall health to erase the rampaging Qi's presence easily, but it made it difficult to get a good idea when the reaction was over so quickly.

Fortunately, this happened only at the point of contact. There was plenty more Lightning Qi he still had to snuff out.

William spent the next few hours doing two things. He ensured that his Qi didn't overwhelm the Lightning Qi too quickly while also trying to keep it from rampaging around his spiritual pathways. It was a balancing act that greatly helped with his control over Qi.

An unintended benefit he would gladly accept.

He observed the last bit of Lightning Qi get smothered, finally leaving his spiritual pathway free of any foreign Qi.

The closest thing he could compare what he had seen was to plasma. The thing that lightning is made of. Yes, William knew that plasma was gas, but Lightning Qi seemed like an ultra-compressed, liquid-like form of it with an immense amount of electrical energy contained within.

Whatever it was, he felt like he understood the changes needed to his Qi.

William quickly realized it wasn't as simple as he assumed. He was able to get the state of his Qi compressed enough that he could mimic the liquid-like form, but nothing worked when he tried to infuse it with electrical energy.

He even tried to form them at the same time after many, many failures to do them separately. That failed even more. He couldn't mimic the liquid-like state in addition to being unable to infuse the electrical energy.

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William opened his eyes with a frown. Trying the same thing over and over without any progress was going to drive him insane. It was best to ask Lan Yang what he was missing.

He felt that he was right at the edge of success but also infinitely far away at the same time.

"Senior Yang—" William cut himself off when he looked around. He was the only one in the training room.

In addition to asking for advice, he wanted another dose of Lightning Qi to see if he missed something. He recognized that it would mean willingly taking more 'punishment.' He didn't care. He was too invested.

William made to push himself off the floor. That was a mistake.

It instantly made him aware of his body. All the bruises and broken ribs Lan Yang had gifted him. It wasn't that bad, all things considered, especially since he had much worse, but concentrating all of his attention within himself had made him forget that he was injured at all.

He reversed course and sat back down. Lightning Qi wasn't the only thing he needed to learn. Healing Qi was an option, too.

William followed Su Rou's suggestion and tried it with the most minor of injuries. A bruise on his palm from blocking Lan Yang's fist. It wasn't even a cut, so it should be simple to heal.

He was sorely mistaken. Like some sort of bad joke, he was successful with the first step but failed repeatedly at the second.

Concentrating his Qi into his palm was as easy as breathing. Converting his Qi seemed near impossible… again.

Unlike with Lighting Qi, even hours of repeated failure wasn't enough for William to think about giving up. In his mind, getting access to Healing Qi was far more critical when compared to Lightning Qi.

This would be the key to unlocking self-healing without relying on external things like pills or salves. If he was proficient enough, there would never need to worry about accumulating impurity like he did in the Shard.

Of course, this assumed that he had Spiritual Energy to spare to use Healing Qi on his injuries.

William didn't know how much time had passed without any hint of success, but he would be surprised if he had somehow spent over a day just sitting in the same spot, failing repeatedly. It was already a miracle for him to keep this up without giving up in rage, and it boiled over after the umpteenth time of his Qi being utterly inert.

When dealing with Qi, he had the habit of stamping out his emotions. For good reason. It was much harder to control when he felt anything significant, whether it be rage, happiness, or anything else intense.

It had become such a habit that it never crossed his mind to do it any other way, even with all the failures.

With rage fueling William's actions and him doing nothing to stamp it down, he went through the motions again.

Concentrating his Qi into his palm. Attempting the conversion into Healing Qi. Then, the obvious failure would occur.

Except the last part didn't happen. It was small. Tiny. Barely noticeable, even for William, but a minuscule amount of Qi, barely above one percent of the total, gained the blade-like properties he was working so hard to get.

The bruise on his palm instantly disappeared. William lost the range he was feeling at the surprise.

He opened his eyes in shock and studied his palm to confirm it really was a success. It was.

[+10 HP]

[-20 Spiritual Energy]

William noted the ratio again. He would still need a few more instances of it happening before he took it as fact, but it was certainly trending in that direction.

He lightly touched his stomach, feeling the burn spread across his skin where Lan Yang shot him with a small lightning bolt. He closed his eyes and directed his Qi there. It would be the next healing target.

This time, it didn't take nearly as long. Willam knew he couldn't have done it sooner, but he tried to see if using any emotion other than rage would have worked. It didn't.

Ironically, the most benevolent Qi required the complete opposite to access. Not only that but the larger the injury, the more rage he had to feel.

He was barely able to get to the level needed. It was only when he remembered what he felt when he thought Elder Yu was going to kill Wang Xiaoling did he succeed.

Around ten percent of his Qi was converted into Healing Qi. William opened his eyes with a smile.

[+50 HP]

[-100 Spiritual Energy]

That ratio showed up again. He had two more injuries. A cracked rib and internal damage in the stomach area. If that ratio stayed true when those healed, it would be safe to consider it a fact.

Plus, healing a broken bone would also get him a completed quest. William closed his eyes again, this time focusing on his broken rib.

Hours passed without any success. No matter what memory he brought to the forefront of his mind or even when he fabricated situations, it wasn't enough to convert enough of his Qi to heal the broken rib.

William frowned when a thought came up in his mind. How did Su Rou deal with this?