Chapter 8 Affinities and Spiritual Roots

The morning dew glistened under the rising sun, overlooking the Moonlit City. The water shimmered with an unearthly glow, causing the neighboring sea to become an ocean of shining sapphires.

"Place one hand on the orb and wait for any changes to happen".

Two silhouettes stood on a rocky cliff side and occasionally felt the spray of waves brush against their faces. The faint sounds of bells ringing and voices clamoring from the docks nearby were carried on the light wind.

"A change in color will indicate an affinity. The intensity of the light emitted will determine how strong the affinity is".

The loud cawing of seagulls and other coastal birds that flew over head were ignored by the pair, whose only focus was on the crystal clear ball in front of them.

Shen Tian took a deep breath.

He goes nothing, he thought.

The young raven-haired boy narrowed his brows has he placed his right hand on the orb.

Immediately, a divine dual colored light exploded from the crystal ball, illuminating the entire cliff in a symphony of green and silver before the tiny crystal ball shattered and turned to dust.

Many fisherman caught sight of the green and silver light but when they noticed a bald old man floating just above the cliff, the instantly turned their gazes away.

They were mortals!

He was a cultivator!

How could sticks and stones compare to the might of someone who can destroy mountains and separate the seas!

It wouldn't be a fight.

It would be a slaughter!

".... It seems like your affinities are too strong for this Revealing Crystal to take", Huang Di rubbed his chin thoughtfully, trying to cover the smile plastered on his face.

This kid doesn't just have one affinity that exceeds the Divine-Grade! He has two!

The moment Shen Tian touched the Revealing Crystal, a flurry of Wood Qi escaped and was sent flying out into the ocean. However another type of Qi shot out towards Huang Di, with a sharp and piercing intent hidden behind it.

Sword Qi!

How could he, someone who is famed across the main continents not be aware of what Sword Qi is!

He used it himself after all!

He clenched the hand he blocked the shining beam with and looked at Shen Tian.

"You possess two affinities. The Wood affinity that I'm sure your already aware of, and a Sword affinity as well.... are you sure you won't tell me the name of your Lineage? I will respect your wishes, but you have no idea how to cultivate it properly. It might be detrimental to your future", the bald old man's word sounded reasonable to Shen Tian, however he promised himself he would never reveal the name of his Lineage to anybody.

Even if he revealed his Wood and Sword affinities, he could pass them off for a unique bloodline, to which Huang Di could back up his words.

While the pair of affinities was extremely rare together, there were a number of factors that could attribute to this.

Shen Tian didn't need any liabilities when it comes to other people knowing his powers.

If the Assimilating Flower Immortal Sword Lineage was brought to light and somebody knew the powers he possessed they could potentially come up with a way to attack his weaknesses.

Weaknesses even he didn't know yet. He still had yet to find the limits for his Lineage.

"Speaking of limits, didn't you say you memorized Xue Lingyan's Infinite Blade Release? That's a King-Grade Sword Technique. Are you sure you remember it in it's entirety?", Huang Di's expression was confused to say the least.

I thought with the intensity of his Wood affinity I saw yesterday the primary aspect of his Lineage would be centered around Wood based techniques. But if he really did remember seeing Xue Lingyan's technique, and instantly remembering its contents then....

The Yellow Emperor thought hard.

He tried to remember reading about any Lineage with such a powerful external Wood affinity as well as an equally powerful Sword affinity.

The old man pondered for a moment before shaking his head in disappointment.

"We found out your affinities today, so this will give you an idea towards what direction you'll take your cultivation. I'll examine your Spiritual Root next". Huang Di gestured for Shen Tian to turn around and the old man placed a hand on his back.

A prickling sensation entered Shen Tian's body and a pool of warmth emanated from Huang Di's hand and slowly radiated towards his lower abdomen.

He felt like every nook and cranny of his being was being inspected by the old man.

It was weird sensation but necessary in order to start his path of cultivation.

"Hmm? What's this? A sword-shaped Spiritual Root? How peculiar.... and....", the Yellow Emperor's words caused Shen Tian to stiffen and he moved back, trying to create a distance between him and Huang Di.

Shit! Did he see the sword seed! Shen Tian cursed inwardly.

He wanted to keep the existence of the sword seed secret at least for now. The seed itself was the Assimilating Flower Immortal Sword Lineage and any display of its true form might give clues on the true name of his Lineage.

Huang Di furrowed his brows but stopped as he rubbed his chin.

"I think I've found the cause for your strong Sword Qi. Your Spiritual Root is very strange. It's small, but that doesn't really matter in the scheme of things, but....". The old man trailed off.

"But what master? Is there something wrong with my Spiritual Root?", asked Shen Tian.

He was a little bit worried at this point.

One part worried about the name of his Lineage being revealed and the other about his Spiritual Root.

If there was something wrong with it, he wouldn't be able to cultivate! Even with the Assimilating Flower Immortal Sword Lineage he would have to either repair his damages Spiritual Root or cultivate something else!

And even with the resources of the Nirvana Auction House, they wouldn't be willing to give it to him if he didn't have an excellent reason for it.

Which would involve revealing his Lineage as well as its contents!

Shen Tian was sweating bullets at this stage.

"Well Shen Tian, it seems your talent even surprises me! In addition to possessing a Lineage, you also have a Dual Spiritual Root!", the old man bellowed in happiness which left Shen Tian stunned.

".... what?". He said blandly.

Huang Di beamed at his disciples lack of knowledge.

It seemed that despite him not liking to explain things more than once, he really liked showing off his knowledge.

"People a normally born with a single Spiritual Root. Those with Mortal-Grade Spiritual Roots have no hope of ever becoming a cultivator unless they have some sort of fortuitous encounter. Men and women with Elementary-Grade Spiritual Roots are able to become cultivators with the lowest of talents. Are you with me so far?", Shen Tian nodded in response.

The old man responded with one of his own.

"Good. There are many Grades of Spiritual Roots, however in rare instances, there are those born with a Dual Spiritual Root. Two Spiritual Roots that have entwined together allowing the cultivator to cultivate faster, and with greater efficiency than other cultivators of the same age or rank.

It's like comparing a one horse carriage to a two horse carriage. The latter is faster and can handle much more stress than the former, allowing for more versatility and variability. Do you understand?".

The raven haired green eyed young boy in front of him nodded before Shen Tian placed a hand on his stomach.

Perhaps one of the Spiritual Roots is actually the Assimilating Flower Immortal Sword Lineage, he thought.

The thought did cross his mind but he threw it to the back of his mind.

Even if a Lineage did embed itself within his other Spiritual Root, it would only help him hide his secret a level further.

"A Lineage with Wood and Sword affinity that exceeds the Divine-Grade as well as Dual Spiritual Root. If you don't reach a cultivation stage higher than me, I'll kill you alright kid?", Huang Di gazed with envious eyes.

Even in the major continents, Shen Tian would be considered a genius.

Without the Lineage, even his Dual Spiritual Root would make him a core disciple in any faction, but including his Lineage with its dual affinities, he would be priceless.

"Elder Xue is going to be absolutely livid the next time I see her, let alone Elder Chu, Elder Feng and Elder Long. Losing a talent such as you, I sigh at their misfortune....", despite Huang Di's apologetic tone, his snobbish and arrogant smile curbed the sad mood completely.

Shen Tian rolled his eyes in amusement.

Despite my master's reputation he is nothing more than greedy old man at heart. It seems like my future will be filled with hardships because of it....

The 13 year old boy gazed out over the ocean, the water resembling the clear blue sky overhead, the sun's light reflecting off the world's surface.

His mind was drawn to the events leading up to were he was now, and Shen Tian closed his eyes and went over the events that happened yesterday and the day before.

His eventful time at the Floating Bridge Sect as well as meeting Elder Chu and the others.

Being completely surrounded by Lone Shadow Wolves and being on the brink of death before receiving the Assimilating Flower Immortal Sword Lineage.

Training with Shen Xian in hopes of becoming a member of the Thousand Sword Sect and pursing a path of immortality.

A small smile was brought to his face.

Even before that, he remembered teaching his little brother the sword technique he scraped together by copying the City Lord's guards.

He remembered running back to their home in Green River City in the middle of the rain, trying to get back the medicine he bought to make Shen Xian better after he got sick.

He remembered running away from the orphanage at age ten along with Shen Xian and hunting small animals in the forest just to stay alive.

Shen Tian could remember everything that happened to him in life.

Every detail. Every moment. Every minute of everyday.

It was enlightening.... as well as frightening.

He remembered things he hated.

He remembered the time he got beat by a bunch of drunks a few weeks after leaving the orphanage.

He remembered the first time he encountered a Spirit Beast and how intense his heart was beating.

He remembered.... the face of the woman who left him at the orphanage.

A heaven-defying beauty by all accounts. Hair darkest than the blackest of nights and golden eyes more beautiful than gold or any precious gemstone.

Yet her face... was full of hatred and rage. It was contorted into the worst form imaginable.

He remembered crying that day.

He could recall reaching out for his mother's figure as he floated back up into the night sky.

Another wave of pain came flooding into Shen Tian's chest.

"Damn.... this Lineage's power.... making me remember things I'd rather forget....", Shen Tian's skin paled slightly as he suppressed the memory of him being abandoned that day and he steadied his breathing.

It seems like copying is not the only power the Assimilating Flower Immortal Sword Lineage grants me. I didn't have perfect recall before either. He thought.

Shen Tian took a deep breath and sat cross legged on the edge of the cliff side. The drop was more than enough to kill him but he just sat calmly and listened to the waves below, completely forgetting the world around him.

Huang Di watched his only disciple with his eyes calm and his expression unperturbed.

"Good.... just let everything be washed away by the sound of crashing waves. The power of family is a double-edged sword. One-side allows you to grow stronger while guarding your family from the forefront, spending time with them while also attracting danger to them. The other is to protect them from a distance. By only catching glimpses of those you love you learn to love them more and treasure them intensely".

The Yellow Emperor, the manager of the entire Azure East Branch of the Nirvana Auction House stood silently behind Shen Tian today, reminiscing about his own past and his family.

A sad smile betrayed his lips.

"If only I learned sooner....".