Inheritance

by Gore, A. P.

  The third thought cloud belonged to a prime disciple who specialized in the branch of herb grafting. With two broken stems, that kid could do wonders. The tool spirit had watched him create miracles in the presence of his master. Even his concocting success was just shy of forty-five percent. If the young man absorbed twenty percent of his knowledge, he might become an excellent grafter.

  The middle thought cloud belonged to Xue Qi, the last prime disciple of the tool spirit’s master. She was a troublesome kid, so the master had made her focus on inscriptions and little bits of arrays that helped the alchemy process. Seeing the young man already proficient in arrays, the tool spirit didn’t think he would choose the middle thought cloud. Although Xue Qi could concoct pills efficiently, she only had a success rate of thirty percent while crafting Earth Grade pills. That wasn’t bad when compared to the common alchemist, but it wasn’t anything when compared to her senior brothers. Yet the master had loved her like a daughter, and that’s why she remained alive as a spirit.

  And Xue Qi had prohibited the young man from inheriting her knowledge.

  “You fool, stop it. Who allowed you to touch it?” The white sphere shouted and dashed forward, but the tool spirit lifted its arm and a blue energy net wrapped around the white sphere. “Xue Qi, it’s his choice. You can’t meddle in it just because you have set up that thought cloud.”

  The young man remained in position, absorbing the inheritance from the thought cloud. With his divine sense and Gold Grade Soul Root, the tool spirit was confident that he should be able to absorb at least fifteen percent of the entire inheritance. Or maybe twenty percent. However, that should be his limit. Every human had a limited power of comprehension, and this young man was so young. So, twenty percent would be his limit.

  However, the tool spirit was still excited. Meeting a genius who could reach level six meant the outside world hadn’t gone to complete trash in hundreds of years. There might be someone who could inherit his master’s mantle in the future.

  Time passed, and a white moon appeared in the sky, replacing the hot sun. The secret space mimicked the laws of the outside world to raise medicinal herbs.

  The young man opened his eyes, deep as stars.

  “Young man, how much did you absorb?” the tool spirit asked.

  The young man sighed dejectedly.

  “Twenty percent?” the tool spirit asked.

  The young man shook his head.

  “Ten percent?”

  The young man shook his head again.

  “I told you, lord tool spirit. He isn’t worthy of my inheritance. He is trash who couldn’t even absorb ten percent of my knowledge.” Xue Qi swayed like she was shaking her head in disappointment.

  “Who said I absorbed less than ten percent?” The young man glared at Xue Qi.

  “Then how much did you absorb?”

  The young man rubbed the back of his neck. “Just shy of eighty percent. If I’d had five more minutes, I would have reached eighty percent.”

  A tremor passed through the tool spirit’s body, and he could feel the same happening with Xue Qi.

  How could someone have a monstrous comprehension like this? This was impossible.

  Chapter 38

  Impending Battle

  Hazy fog surrounded him, and Li Wei found himself back in the dream space.

  No. This wasn’t the dream space. The dream space overridden his senses in the start, but here he could feel everything. The taste of blood still lingering in his mouth, fog brushing against his skin, and a silence that had a weird effect on his mind.

  There was a sword coming for him. A sword that had pierced the skies and shone with a golden light of righteousness. It was coming to rip apart his sinner’s heart. It gave off the feeling that it would judge all his sins and then execute him.

  Fear touched his mind. This was an illusion, a martial skill or formation that could obliterate his mind from his body without inflicting any injury on his body. This was the worst death for a cultivator. Without a mind, a cultivator was worse than dead.

  But that wench had chosen the wrong person to attack. This low-level illusion couldn’t even scratch a strand of his hair. “Break,” he shouted, and his divine sense exploded out of his body, breaking the illusion in an instant.

  He found himself standing at the edge of the lake, cold wind slamming against his exposed arm.

  The white sphere shone with a strange light, and it was retreating back inside itself.

  Wei frowned. “You put me in some kind of illusion. Are you trying to kill me?”

  “Xue Qi,” the tool spirit shouted. “You’ve gone against the master’s will, and you deserve a punishment. Go back to your place and I’ll decide your punishment later.” Blue energy rushed from the tool spirit’s hand and wrapped around the white sphere, and then it vanished.

  Wei watched the white sphere disappear with yells and curses directed at the tool spirit. Well, it served her right. She deserved that punishment. But as soon as she vanished, an intense headache gripped his mind. It was so painful that he wanted to tear off his head and throw it away.

  System: Storage mode activated. Storing newly downloaded information in storage mode.

  System: Error. Cannot remove the information from the soul. Storing a linked copy. Recommended to run an index and remove the copy from the host soul.

  As suddenly as the headache had come over him, it vanished.

  “Young man. You’ve received your inheritance, and your rewards are inside this ring.”

  A shiny golden ring floated toward Wei. It was a storage ring.

  Wei quickly slipped his divine sense inside the ring and a hundred cubic feet of space appeared in front of him. There were some herbs, a couple of pills, and a golden cauldron floating inside. There was a shiny golden pill, and he was well aware of what pill it was. It was a Golden Meridian Healing Pill, the one he had concocted in the dream space. Of course, it wasn’t the exact one he’d concocted. It was a real pill. That would come useful someday.

  “I’ll now send you out.”

  “Wai—” Before he could get any more out, Wei found himself in the courtyard outside the Alchemy Comprehension Tower, and there were ninety-plus people staring at him with greedy eyes. A few of them were looking at the ring in his hand, and they might have guessed what that was.

  Crap! He was in trouble.

  “Brother, what’s your name?” A youth wearing golden clothes appeared next to him. A blue sword was marked on his robe, and that meant he belonged to the Thousand Ice Palace, a super-sect belonging to a nearby kingdom.

  “Wei Lin,” Wei answered. His gaze moved in an arc, and he spotted the Sun sisters standing behind the crowd with a complicated expression on their faces.

  “It’s you.” Tiang Chi appeared next to the golden-clothed young man, and he had an unsightly expression on his face. “How can you . . .”

  “Brother Wei. It’s great to see a prodigy like you with my own eyes. I’m Ding Su from the Thousand Ice Palace. Please accept this little gift from me.” He pulled an icy fruit from his pocket and offered it to Wei. It was a Chilly Dragon Fruit, something that could help one advance one layer in the qi Refinement Realm.

  This guy was thoughtful. He had seen through Wei’s cultivation and offered a fruit that would help him right away.

  “Then I won’t be courteous.” Wei grabbed it and stored it in his pouch. He couldn’t expose his storage ring yet. This might be useful for him to break through to the peak of the qi Refinement Realm.

  “Wei Lin. If you join the Destiny Mirror Sect, I promise you will become an external disciple right away, and if you show promise, then it’s not hard to get promoted to inner disciple,” Tiang Chi said rudely.

  “Brother Wei, I promise that you will become an inner disciple in the Thousand Ice Palace or the Heavenly Phoenix Manor. Both are top-class sects, and we don’t lack resources,” Ding Su said with a smile that could charm people easily, but Wei detected a trace of arroganc
e behind it. He might be banking on the fruit Wei had taken, but when someone offered him something, why would Wei decline? Being a lazy immortal wouldn’t be an easy thing, and he should grab every opportunity presented to him.

  “Wei Lin, shouldn’t you come and join us?” Sun Hua stepped forward, her eyes glaring like two fire sources. “It was us who offered you the place to come in, and now you betray us in a broad daylight.”

  A burly youth pulled his sword out and pointed it at Sun Hua. “Sun Hua, get lost. You lost the fight, so you can’t recruit him.”

  Sun Nuan grabbed Sun Hua’s arm and pulled her back. They walked away, but she sent a hopeful glance at Wei as they went.

  “Brother Lin, what do you think of my offer?” Ding Su asked. “My Heavenly Phoenix Manor can provide you a high-tier Silver Grade cultivation technique of any attribute and help you break into the Blood Baptization Realm in six months.”

  “Wei Lin. The Destiny Mirror Sect is alchemy holy land. If you join us, reaching the Marrow Cleansing Realm won’t be an impossible task.”

  Wei raised his hands in the air. “Brothers, I thank you all for extending your invitations to me to join your sects, but I’m afraid I can’t decide without asking my master.”

  “You’re already part of a sect?” Tiang Chi’s eyes narrowed. “Show us your badge.”

  Wei shrugged. “I don’t have one, because my master is a free cultivator.”

  “Wei Lin, if you don’t join the Destiny Mirror Sect then you have to die in this place.” Tiang Chi pulled out his sword.

  Wei arched his brows. “Is that so?”

  Chapter 39

  Four against One

  Sun Nuan clenched her fist. Things were going south, and she didn’t know how to salvage this. Wei Lin was important to her. He was the kid who had saved her life in her childhood. When she’d spotted the weird cut on his right shoulder, she’d known it was him.

  And that put her in a dilemma. She no longer wished to recruit him into the royal family’s alchemy division. All she wanted for him was to survive this ordeal.

  But Tiang Chi had bared his fangs, publicly threatening Wei Lin. But why? It was as if he’d lost all reason in jealousy. But why was he jealous? Wei Lin wasn’t even close to her. They had only had a conversation among a group of four.

  “Tiang Chi, why are you threatening brother Wei?” Ding Su stepped forward and stood next to Wei Lin.

  Sun Nuan’s shoulders eased. If Ding Su helped, Wei Lin would survive. Once he got out of this place unharmed, she might be able to do something about it and save him. In here, all her hereditary powers were sealed, so she could do nothing.

  “Ding Su, don’t meddle in something you can’t handle.” Tiang Chi bit his lower lip and raised his long sword. “Don’t blame me for being ruthless if you continue to get in my way.”

  “Tiang Chi, let me wipe out your arrogance today.” Ding Su dashed forward, brandishing his sword. A thin film of ice formed around his sword, and it gave off a frightening pressure.

  Tiang Chi’s face darkened. “Ding Su. Are you determined to go against my Destiny Mirror Sect and take responsibility for this evil person?”

  Ding Su chuckled. “Ha-ha. Tiang Chi, you’re overstating your position in the Destiny Mirror Sect. You’re still a mere outer sect disciple, yet you act like you’re son of the sect leader.”

  Tiang Chi’s face flushed red. “Ding Su, this vile person has killed elder Qun’s grandson. Will your sect take responsibility for it?”

  Ding Su stopped in his tracks. “What proof do you have? Don’t slander an innocent man.”

  “Look at his right shoulder. There is a death ring attached to it. Its sole purpose is to track a killer for the Destiny Mirror Sect.”

  Everyone turned their gazes toward Wei Lin, and he indeed had a black ring coiled around his right shoulder, exposed by his tattered clothes. But that didn’t mean he’d killed elder Qun’s grandson.

  Sun Nuan’s face turned grim. Her guard had told her about elder Qun’s grandson getting killed, and this death ring belonged to the Destiny Mirror Sect. If anyone killed their disciple, the killer would carry the death ring until wiped out by someone stronger or using a special pill.

  “You guys use death rings on all your disciples. This doesn’t mean he killed elder Qun’s grandson.” Ding Su tried to refute, but his tone had lost its edge. That was a given. If Sun Nuan was in his place, she would sail with caution too. Elder Qun was a very important person in the Destiny Mirror Sect. Once he had concocted a Marrow Forming Pill that helped people break into the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and according to Tiang Chi’s boasting, he was about to grasp the formula completely. So, all the people nearing their breakthrough treated him with care. Even elders from other sects curried favor with him. Although the pill only increased the chance by fifteen percent, it was still revered in the Mortal Realm. No one wanted to miss out on the chance, so no one wanted to become enemies with great elder Qun from the Destiny Mirror Sect.

  Of course, sects could buy this pill from the super-sect branches in empire capitals, but they were rationed and there was huge competition for those pills. If a sect increased their Marrow Cleansing Realm elders, then they could be the tyrant of the area, so everyone took this matter seriously.

  “Tiang Chi. Even I don’t think he killed elder Qun’s grandson,” Sun Nuan said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Everyone knows his grandson. Why would anyone kill him when they know how troublesome it would be?”

  “Nuan’er, don’t get involved in something you can’t handle,” Tiang Chi said. “Even if he walks out of here, he will be haunted by the Destiny Mirror Sect and killed sooner or later. There are five Bone Baptization Inner Sect Disciples searching for the culprit outside. How much longer can he live?” His gaze darted toward Ding Su. “Will your sect take responsibility for his killing and shield him?” Tiang Chi said in an imposing manner. “Let me rephrase. Do you have authority to speak for your sect?”

  Ding Su looked wary for the first time, and he looked back at Wei Lin with a complicated gaze. He must be thinking how to avoid this situation, but there was no salvaging it. If Tiang Chi had proof that Wei Lin had killed elder Qun’s grandson, then there was no escaping for Wei Lin. Even her father the emperor couldn’t save Wei Lin.

  “You want to kill me?” Wei Lin asked in a plain voice. “Then come on. Stop wasting time.”

  Sun Nuan shuddered. Was he a madman? She had seen him kill a layer two qi Foundation Realm cultivator, but Tiang Chi was a layer seven qi Foundation Realm cultivator. How could he, with his layer four—

  Wait. When did he reach layer eight of the qi Refinement Realm? He’d already had Foundation Realm body cultivation. Adding that to layer eight qi Refinement? He might stand a chance.

  But how did he reach layer eight in the qi Refinement Realm in just eight days? Did he even complete the trials?

  Tiang Chi signaled his lackeys, and the burly man who had defeated her with ease dashed forward.

  “Senior Chi, let me offer his head to you. He will die in one attack.” Bragging, he raised his sword and attacked Wei Lin. “Sword Riveling Heavens.”

  Sun Nuan smirked. That guy only had layer four qi Foundation Realm cultivation. Did he think he could win with ease?

  Wei Lin didn’t even budge until the sword reached a few inches away from him, and then he struck with his palm.

  His palm moved like thunder, striking burly youth’s wrist before the sword could touch his body.

  The result surprised everyone.

  The burly youth was thrown back like a ball, his wrist mangled from the root like an elephant had stepped on it. His sword flew away and landed far away from him.

  Wei Lin was quite powerful.

  Tiang Chi’s face darkened like he was poisoned.

  “You two, slice him apart,” he ordered two of his lackeys.

  His lackeys ran forward, raising their swords and attacking with their martial skills.

  Wei Lin shifted,
avoiding the first attack and taking the second attack head on with his sword.

  Metal rang, sparks flew, and Tiang Chi’s second lackey was pushed back by a few feet, his fingers bleeding.

  There was no martial skill in Wei Lin’s attack. He was using raw physical force to fend off all incoming attacks.

  “You two! Join them.” Tiang Chi groaned and signaled two more lackeys. Except for him and the injured burly man, everyone from the Destiny Mirror Sect was now attacking Wei Lin.

  Four against One. Was there any chance for Wei Lin to survive?

  Chapter 40

  Benefiting from danger

  Li Wei’s sword slashed through the air, producing a beautiful arc of metal radiance before hacking through his opponent’s face and reaching for his skull. Blood sprayed out, painting his sword red. It was the first move of the One Sword Strike that had reached close to middle completion of level one.

  “Third one down.” Wei shot a glance at Tiang Chi, whose face had changed colors with each person Wei killed.

  Wei clenched his fingers around the hilt of his sword, letting the cold metal soothe his fiery rage. “If you keep sending these worthless fools, you won’t have any lackeys left. Come for me if you are son of one mother,” Wei shouted, scanning the people standing behind Tiang Chi. He was provoking and scaring them at the same time because he didn’t want anyone to help Tiang Chi. If he would even accept help from others. Fighting five people simultaneously was difficult, but not impossible. But if ten or twenty people attacked him simultaneously, he might fall here today.

  “You’re overestimating yourself,” Tiang Chi shouted. Another lackey dashed forward, only to die by Wei’s hand. It was as easy as chopping wood. But it was exhausting at the same time. Blood and gore, he didn’t like it. He was just doing what he had to do to survive. If that fucking bastard hadn’t attacked him for the Two-Layered Sweet Apple, Wei wouldn’t have to get in this mess. The death ring had to go, and Tiang Chi had to die. Otherwise, trouble would continue haunting him.