《Douluo Dalu Within A Martial World》 Chapter -1 - Cultivation Equivalence This is a cultivation equivalence table from the cultivation in Douluo Dalu to the cultivation in Martial World. PLEASE BE AWARE THIS IS FOR NORMAL CULTIVATORS! Not for characters that can defeat those with a cultivation higher than their own. Body Transformation = Level 10-19 Spirit Master Pulse Condensation = Level 20-29 Spirit Grandmaster Tempering Marrow = Level 30-39 Spirit Elder Houtian = Level 40-49 Spirit Ancestor Xiantian = Level 50-59 Spirit King Revolving Core = Level 60-69 Spirit Emperor Life Destruction 1-3 = Level 70-79 Spirit Saint (Combat Spirit Bone Plating True Body) Life Destruction 4-6 = Level 70-79 Spirit Saint (Second Awakening. Not limited to Body Spirits) Life Destruction 7-9 = Level 70-79 Spirit Saint (Spirit that has undergone a Law Baptism) Divine Sea = Level 80-89 Spirit Douluo Divine Transformation = Level 90-98 Super Titled Douluo Divine Lord = Level 99 Extreme Douluo Holy Lord = Level 100 God World King = God Officer (1 Divine Ring) Great World King = 3rd Class God (3 Divine Rings) Half-Step Empyrean = 2nd Class God (5 Divine Rings) True Divinity = God King (9 Divine Rings) Beyond True Divinity = Highest God King Gate of Healing = Level 40-49 Spirit Ancestor Gate of Limit = Level 50-59 Spirit King Gate of Wonder = Level 60-69 Spirit Emperor Gate of Pain = Level 70-79 Spirit Saint (Combat Spirit Bone Plating True Body) Gate of Opening = Level 70-79 Spirit Saint (Second Awakening. Not limited to Body Spirits) Gate of View = Level 70-79 Spirit Saint (Spirit that has undergone a Law Baptism) Gate of Life = Level 80-89 Spirit Douluo Purple Mansion Dao Palace = 99 Extreme Douluo (With God Inheritance Ritual) Heavenly Retribution Dao Palace = Level 100 God Extreme Polar Dao Palace = God Officer (1 Divine Ring) Heavens Eye Dao Palace = 3rd Class God (3 Divine Rings) Life Embryo Dao Palace = 2nd Class God (5 Divine Rings) Martial Sovereign Dao Palace = 1st Class God (7 Divine Rings) Twofold Dao Palace = God King (9 Divine Rings) Two Dark Great Dao Palaces = Highest God King Remember! This is for average cultivators only! Characters with the a higher combat ability that allow them to jump cultivations and defeat cultivators higher than this are to be treated differently! Chapter 1 - 1 I want to be a God! In a small run down house on the outskirts of Green Mulberry City, a young child could be seen running around frantically. An excited expression was set on his innocent face. "Today''s the day!". The young boy was probably only 5-6 years old and had messy, dark blue, shoulder length hair tied up into a ponytail. His deep dark blue eyes radiated a profoundness not normally found within small children, but wizened old men who had experienced the vicissitudes of live. Unknown to others, this small child lived a life unlike any other. Or rather, had lived like any other. This wasn''t the small boy''s first life. In fact it was his third. In his first life, he lived as a completely ordinary high school student. His family consisted of him, his mother, his father and his younger sister. Everything was completely normal. Completely mundane. Completely boring. Everybody had a Spirit. Some people had trash spirits and others couldn''t cultivate their spirits. He was the latter. After dying and being reborn into a world were the strong made the rules and the weak were forced to obey them, despite being born with 2 Spirits, the normal high school student didn''t possess innate spiritual power which allowed him to walk the path to becoming a God. He hated living in such a world. After receiving the chance of a lifetime, he was screwed over once more and was forced to live another mundane existence. "But not this time! Third times the charm! This time, I will awaken my Spirit! I will possess Spiritual Power!". A burning expression was evident in the young boy''s eyes and he clenched his fist tightly, as if strengthening his resolve. This world was very similar to his previous world, yet there was one major difference.... cultivators didn''t possess Spirits! They had their own form of cultivation! By gathering Spiritual Essence from the Heavens and Earth, a cultivator could absorb gathered essence and integrate it into themselves. The first few layers of cultivation consisted of body refining, however after reaching Houtian and Xiantian, a cultivator could be considered an undefeatable existence within the Sky Fortune Kingdom! They could fly without the ?ssistance of Spirits and could perform a variety of different techniques, not limited to their Spirits attribute! "I''ll have to be wary of these cultivators then.... I can''t trust everything I''ve heard about them, but they are dangerous nonetheless". The young boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully before sitting down on his dirty floor, cross-legged and hands brought together in his ??p. He did not have the luxury of having his Spirit Awakening Ceremony and was forced to awaken his Spirit the hard way. Through awakening his Spiritual Power first and using that to awaken his own Spirit. He realized if he didn''t possess any Spiritual Power, just like he did in his second life, the young boy would remain a mundane existence, unable to break through the shackles of his own mortality. But he didn''t believe it. He would never believe it. Being reborn, not once, but twice, was a gift that only he had been given. After dying the first time, he was sure that his second life would be his last, and as a result, tried to life the most fulfilling life imaginable. Travelling the world, meeting new people, watching Spirit Masters fight each other in the Spirit Colosseum, hearing about new Sects rising and old Kingdoms falling. He lived to a ripe old age of 101 in his second live. A feat that was remarkable and well above the average for mortals without Spiritual Power. ''Forget about that stuff for now! Focus on awakening your Spiritual Power!'', he threw his thoughts to the back of his mind. The young boy straightened his back and cleared his mind and focused on his breathing. To any other mortal watching the young boy''s breathing technique, they would show looks of pity and believe the child had an innate disease which affected his lungs or heart. To a cultivator however, they might raise an eyebrow at such a small child practicing such a obscure breathing method. It was well known that all martial arts and battle techniques had two components to them. First the actions the cultivator must practice in order to make the body stronger more used for the second part. The second component was the breathing. Breathing techniques helped cultivators control the flow of Qi within their bodies as well as organize the Spiritual Essence they absorb. Matching the wrong actions to the wrong breathing techniques could prove deadly in most cases. Inhale through the mouth and hold for thirty seconds. Feel the flow of Spiritual Essence throughout the body and gather it in the center of one''s being.... Exhale through the nose and hold the breath for eighteen seconds. Let the inner spiritual power stabilize for three seconds. Inhale through mouth again and hold for seven seconds. Let the spiritual power gather in the body like damn gathering water.... A tiny bead of sweat gathering on the young boy''s brow and he clenched his teeth hard as the raw Spiritual Essence gathered in his tiny 6 year old body. Normally gathering this much Spiritual Essence would be for those cultivators who had broken through to the Xiantian Realm. Those who had broken free from their Houtian breath and started to communicate with the heaven and earth. ''I need to find it. I need to find my Spiritual Power! I want to become a Spirit Master! I don''t want to live a life of mediocrity! I don''t want to live a mundane existence! I don''t want to be just another mortal watching helplessly as cultivators dictate my life! I want to be someone! I want to be a God!'' *Crack*. With those final thoughts, a wave of spiritual power coursed out of the young boy''s body, sending him flying backwards and causing him to hit his head and fall unconscious as a result. His innocent looking face was unbelievably pale, yet his skin was as clear and pure as snow. Even his hair turned white after this gust of spiritual power exited his body. And if anyone saw him right now.... they would see three small circular symbols rotating on the palm of his hand. Anyone from his second life would know what these circular symbols mean.... Spirits! Chapter 2 - 2 Not One Spirit.... But Three!? "Ugh.... it feels as though I''ve gone ten rounds with a Titled Douluo....". The sun had long set over Green Mulberry City and the small house which contained the small boy had gone completely dark. Only the small light created from the circular symbols around his hand granted any sought of sight in the darkness. The young boy clutched the back of his head painfully before rubbing his eyes. "It seems I passed out after accumulating too much Spiritual Essence within my body. There doesn''t seem to be any side-!". The young boy''s words were cut short and his eyes widened at the three translucent circular symbols rotating around the palm of his hand. Spirit Marks! And three of them at that! The young man''s eyes nearly popped out of his head before his hands started shaking uncontrollably. He clenched his hands hard. Harder than he had ever clenched them before. "HAHAHAHA! I, Bing Xian, your daddy- no, your grandfather has become a Spirit Master! Before you know it, the entirety of Green Mulberry City will bow before-". "Kid shut up!". His words were interrupted by a banging coming from the wall below him. Bing Xian scrunched up his face for a moment before sighing. "Thankfully the landlord interrupted me.... any more and I would''ve contracted eight-grader syndrome....". The young boy took at deep breath to steady himself before looking down at his hand in awe. The explosion of spiritual power coming out of his body earlier could have only happened if his body possessed innate spiritual power. If he didn''t possess innate spiritual power, his body would''ve most likely exploded as it couldn''t contain the raw unfiltered spiritual essence without having its own spiritual power to dilute it. The spiritual power leaking out of his body must''ve been enough to awaken his Spirits, all of which had peculiar designs as Spirit Marks. None of which Bing Xian had ever seen before. The first one was a green Spirit Mark. It was shaped into the silhouette of a tree. It emanated a warm and nurturing aura which was mostly expected of Tree-type Spirits. Unlike most plant-type Spirits which possessed mostly poison-based abilities, Tree-type Spirits possessed almost unrivaled support type functions. Only the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could beat Tree-type Spirits in the wide range of support uses they possess. Fortunately in this world, there was no such thing as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. The second Spirit Mark was completely purple in color. It took the form of an eight eyed mask, and possessed an uncanny resemblance to the Ghost Douluo. The aura it exuded was cold and dark and in the dark silence of Bing Xian''s home, a faint eerie whisper could be heard coming from the Spirit Mark. To Bing Xian however, the eight eyed mask neither scared nor frightened him but caused him to go ecstatic! "The resemblance to the Ghost Douluo''s [Ghost Demon] Spirit is remarkable! Despite being a member of the Spirit Hall, his power was unmistakable! Being able to become intangible and summon ghosts and demons made him feared throughout the Douluo Continent!". The small boy smiled and images of him running around the Sky Spill Continent dressed as the Ghost Douluo ran through his mind. But his gaze was drawn to the final Spirit Mark on his hand. It possessed a certain type of attraction to Bing Xian, and was completely immune to the bone-freezing aura it was leaking out. The third Spirit Mark was pure white. As clear and as unblemished as the driven snow. In fact, the shape of the Spirit Mark itself took the form of a single snowflake. And despite it only being activated as a Spirit Mark, tiny white snowflakes feel out of the Mark, causing Bing Xian to raise an eyebrow. "I''ve never seen this type of Spirit before.... I wonder what it is....", he muttered. It was obvious a Spirit with a Ice Attribute. But Ice Attributed Spirits were rare, even when compared to Tree-type Plant Spirits. They didn''t allow the control of water, nor the control of vapor and gas. It was the solid form of water. The most deadly or most useless if one doesn''t cultivate it right. Bing Xian nodded his head thoroughly before deciding to raise this particular Spirit Essence last. He already knew what types of paths to take for the other two Spirit Essences. The only thing he needed now was a Spirit Ring to raise his cultivation! "Assuming that my Spirit Essence level is already 10, then my first job should be to get a Spirit Ring for one of my Spirits! If I focus on cultivating one Spirit Essence at a time, then perhaps my second and third Spirit Essences will have nothing but 100,000 Year Spirit Rings!". Bing Xian pictured him flying through the air with over 27 Spirit Rings, 18 of which were as red as blood! The image caused the six year old boy to drool slightly before he shook his head in discouragement. "I shouldn''t try to walk my path in a single step. Reaching Titled Douluo should be my for now! After reaching that stage, I would be undefeatable in the entire Martial World!". The young boy sat up and started his obscure breathing technique once more. The flow of Spiritual Essence from the heaven and earth entered his body and he subconsciously activated his third spirit essence once more, causing his dark blue features to the pure white as a result. ''Hmm. The flow of Spiritual Essence is much faster and consumes less mental energy.... it must be because I awakened my Spiritual Power....'', he reasoned. The Green and Purple Spirit Essence Mark faded and only the white remained. The White Spirit Essence Mark was rotating rapidly, and the flow of Spiritual Essence entering and exiting his body increased. The tendrils of spiritual power flowed through Bing Xian''s meridians, clearing blockages and purifying his body of impurities. "Phew.... it seems my ?ssumption about my Innate Spirit Power being 10 was correct. Just 6 hours and I''ve consolidated my foundation as a Spirit Master". The young boy stood up and took a deep breath before gagging on a horrid smell emanating from his body. "Hmm? What''s this black stuff on me? When did this get here? I don''t remember this happening to any Spirit Masters?". Bing Xian stripped down and went to the corner of the room and sat in a giant wine vat filled with water. This water was supposed to be his drinking and cleaning water, but the smell was so bad he couldn''t stand not getting rid of it as soon as possible. ''I wonder what that black stuff was.... it smelt horrible, yet my body feels so good afterwards....''. To Bing Xian, who wasn''t familiar with the cultivation techniques of this world, he didn''t realize he had started two paths today. The path of the Spirit Master. And the path of the Martial Artist. Chapter 3 - 3 Mutated Beast Spirit: Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon! The sun had just risen over Green Mulberry City and the sound of people chattering and carts rolling echoed throughout the City streets. The long shadows of mountains and hills and valleys stretched out, causing images of rising dragons and hidden tigers to be seen from the walls of the city. On one of of these mountains, many beasts carcasses could be seen lying around. On top of them, a strange white and yellow ring hovered above these dead beast bodies, as if tiny halos trying to reach the heavens. The sight was a strange mixture of bloody beasts bodies scattered everywhere and beautiful Spirit Rings, contrasting the gory sight. Their limbs torn in strange ways and their innards pulled out and yet a lone figure stood in the center of this hellish field. His body was shrouded in a purplish black mist which caused the surrounding flora to wilt slightly, as if the mist took away all the light in the world. The figure also had a strange white and purple mask on as well. It had a purple, crescent shaped smile, and eight purple "lines" starting at the side of the mask and finishing near the center. It was ghoulish, deadly, fear-inducing and-. "So fu?k?n? cool!", the small figure jumped up in the air and shouted as loud as he possibly could. The mask and mist dissipated and a small boy with dark blue hair and dark blue eyes stood tall as he gazed over the numerous Spirit Rings in front of him. His mouth subconsciously smiled at the plethora of Spirit Rings he could integrate with his spirits, but head shook slightly and he turned around and completely ignored all the Spirit Rings he could''ve integrated with. Giving a Cat-type Spirit a Spirit Ring from a Cat-type Spirit Beast would give a greater advantage and compatibility than giving a Cat-type Spirit a Spirit Ring from a Plant-type Spirit Beast. For any of this three Spirit Essences, these low level Boar-type Spirit Beasts and Wolf-type Spirit Beasts were not suitable for being any of his Spirit Rings. "My Purple Spirit Mark is a mutated version of Ghost Douluo [Ghost Demon] Spirit Essence.... I have a greater boost in physical abilities as well as this strange purple-black mist that surrounds me....". Bing Xian sat on a rock that was unaffected by the blood and gore and he rested his chin on his hand and looked down at the single Purple Spirit Essence Mark with a bemused expression. ''.... Mutated [Ghost Demon].... Aha! I''ll call my Spirit Essence the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon]! I want to become a God, so becoming an undying existence first would be essential!''. Bing Xian nodded and walked deeper into the mountains surrounding Green Mulberry City. The lush forests and thick canopy covered the sky above the Bing Xian, as he traveled further and further away from the light of the city. He kept his [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] Spirit activated most of the time, but stopped every 30 mins as the drain on his Spiritual Power grew more and more demanding. The [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] Spirit, was a Beast Spirit which provided both active and passive boosts to Bing Xian''s constitution. Passively, his perception and awareness were boosted from the spiritual nature of the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon], while actively, all his physical abilities were enhanced, speed being the greatest. In addition, the purple-black mist was also an active ability, and could be controlled and directed within ten meters of Bing Xian. The mist had a debilitating affect, and caused illusions and nightmares to plague the target, often leaving them open for a fatal blow. Being able to control the flow of battle with his purple-black mist and travel through the battlefield at lightning speed, Bing Xian could imagine himself destroying Sects and toppling Kingdoms with it. *Crunch*. "Hmm? What''s this?". The six year olds thoughts were cut short as he gazed down at the dirty ivory bone beneath him. He blinked several times, before raising his head and looking in front of him. The Rank 10 Spirit Master unconsciously took a step back as the pressure from the sight in front of him forced him to retreat. ''What the hell! Why is there a literal sea of bones here! Such a thing couldn''t escape the Pulse Condensation cultivators in Green Mulberry City! Even the-!''. His thoughts were cut short as a massive shadow flew over him and landed in the skeleton sea in front of him. All three of his Spirits activated at once, his hair and irises turned white and a large tree the size of a house appeared behind him. "Human! What are you doing in my abode! Answer me!". It''s massive spear shaped beak opened and out came a booming voice whose gender couldn''t be discerned. Bing Xian blinked before taking a deep breath and looking at a spot just below the massive birds eyes. "S-senior Crane, I was wondering these mountains in source of food and drink. I meant no disrespect-". "Do you take me for a fool mortal! I saw you kill those low level mortal beasts and I saw those Rings come out of their bodies! Tell me, what were they!". Bing Xian gulped once more. ''What the fu?k! What are the fu?k?n? chances that this Crane was watching me as I was trying to find my Spirit Ring! Shit!''. A formless pressure slowly built up on Bing Xian''s body which forced him to bow his head and made him unable to meet the giant Cranes eyes. "S-senior Crane, I was practicing my cultivation technique. Those Rings you saw are created when I defeat a Spirit Beast with a low intelligence". The pressure slowly dissipated and Bing Xian took a large gulp of air before looking at the Crane''s puzzled expression. "I am not familiar with such a technique. If Beasts with a low intelligence create those White and Yellow Rings", it paused before continuing, "What about Beasts with a high level intelligence?". The tone of the giant black crane turned more interested than offended. It seemed the personality of this Spirit Beast wasn''t an aggressive one, thought Bing Xian. ''Maybe I can work with this...'', he thought. The Crane obviously wasn''t like most Spirit Beasts and didn''t try and devour humans at the first chance. If he could somehow persuade this giant black Crane to the advantages of being a conscious Spirit Ring then.... The six year old cleared his throat and his eyes began to water. "Senior Crane! The reason why I am out here by myself, a mortal of only six years is precisely because of my cultivation technique. If I tell you it''s contents, then you''ll be in danger!". His immature voice cracked several times, and his eyes began to drop water uncontrollably. The giant black Crane was befuddled by the sudden changes to the human child''s demeanour. "Tell me child. If your technique is that powerful that even other Life Destruction cultivators have come after you, then your secret will be safe with me". The giant black Crane sneered inwardly at the thought of obtaining a cultivation technique that powerful. Maybe it could help him reach his 4th Life Destruction! "Senior Crane, if you want my families secret cultivation method then you have to enter my Spirit Sea and retrieve it! My father told me once I reach Xiantian I could start cultivating it. For someone with your power you should be able to practice it easily!". Bing Xian''s childish smile raised some flags in the giant black cranes mind but the massive Spirit Beast shook his head and threw those thoughts to the back of him mind. ''Its a mortal child and a human nonetheless! Even if he''s lying my Spirit is much stronger than his. I''ll destroy his soul and and throw it back into the Samsara!''. The giant black Crane nodded before lowering it''s beak to touch Bing Xian''s forehead. The latter was showing an innocent childlike expression while grinning like a madman on the inside. ''Hehehe.... checkmate''. Chapter 4 - 4 Sea of Consciousness ''Hehehe.... checkmate''. The moment the giant black cranes beak touched Bing Xian''s forehead, his world expanded endlessly and the two were transported to his Spirit Sea. "So this is a human''s Sea of Consciousness. I can''t say I''ve ever experienced something like this...". Bing Xian turned his head slightly and saw that the once massive majestic Crane that was taller than a mountain.... "... Hey why are you looking at me like that? Wait? Why am I looking up at you!". The once massive majestic Crane that was taller than a mountain.... was now a tiny bird roughly only 2 feet tall! A vein buldged on the Crane''s tiny head. "Its you fault that my majestic self is in such a form! If it wasn''t for you I wouldn''t look like this!". The tiny bird flew and landed on Bing Xian''s shoulder and pecked the six year old several times before Bing Xian smacked the bird away. "You dare oppose me child! I am a Life Destruction-". "Senior Crane, don''t you want the cultivation technique? It''s just over there". The formerly giant black Crane was about to attack the mortal human child for interrupting it, but it''s gaze was turned to the three floating images before it. "This is....". The Crane could feel the aura from the three images were definitely something it had never felt before. The Green image radiated warm and nurturing properties. The Purple image exuded a dark and ghoulish aura. And the White image leaked out an overabundance of ice and snow energy. ''It seems the kid wasn''t lying. These images must contain some sort of profound concept or Law''. It glanced at the kid whose shoulder he was sitting on and a sense of conflict went through its body. ''Should I kill the kid afterwards? I mean after I take these from him he won''t be able to defend himself and might die if I leave him in this mountain range''. The Crane sighed internally before jumping onto Bing Xian''s head and pointing to the Purple Mark with its wing. "How do I obtain the technique? Do I need to absorb it or will it come to me?". Bing Xian peered upwards and gave a disarming smile. "No! My father told me that you have the let the symbol envelop you. Once that happens the Inheritance will be activated the baptism will begin!". Bing Xian words were like thunder to the giant black crane. Baptism! A Baptism ritual almost always involved the appearance of Laws and Concepts. If his particular Inheritance ritual helps boost his own understanding and comprehensions on his own Wind and Darkness Laws, he might be able to clear several Life Destruction stages within a few years! Any worry about traps or fakes were dispersed and only a greed and d?s?r? for the Inheritance in front if him overtook the crane. "Just remember to let the image envelop you! Offer no resistances! If you do then it''ll take it as you resisting the Baptism!". The Crane rolled it''s eyes at the human child but nodded nonetheless. It decided on leaving the human alive after taking his Inheritances and abandoning him in the wilderness somewhere. He may have no problem with stealing from this child now but killing him after gifting him such a huge prize left a bad taste in the Crane''s mouth. If he wasn''t careful, this small internal conflict might become a heart demon for him on one of the later stages of Life Destruction. He couldn''t make full use of this gift if he was consumed by a heart demon from the person who gave it to him. The massive eight eyes purple mask was reflected in the Crane''s light blue eyes. His beak grinning, or at least something close to it. "With this I will reach the pinnacle of this world!". The Life Destruction Spirit Beast entered the symbol and felt it''s body been overwhelmed by Bing Xian''s Spiritual Essence. It offered no resistance and opened his Sea of Consciousness to the foreign spiritual power, waiting closely for the oncoming baptism to occur. So it waited... And waited... And waited... And waited before-. "What! What''s happening to me!". The formerly innocent doe eyes and childlike smile had disappeared completely from Bing Xian''s face, and only a expressionless face had remained. "Child! What''s going on! Why is my Spirit being integrated with this object! Answer me!". The roar from the crane shook had enough power behind it to shake Bing Xian''s Sea of Consciousness. Yet the six year old showed no signs of pain nor remorse. His faced unmoved by the screams and shouts of the giant black crane. This only served to anger the crane even further, but every time it tried to resist its Spirit being integrated with the Purple Spirit Essence Mark, the connection between it and its true body faded, and it was even closer to being completely destroyed. "Your not going to die. You may not have a body anymore, but you will continue to live within me, as an extension of my Spirit Ring". The crane''s expression brightened slightly when it heard that it could continue to live, but an angry, yet puzzled expression rose on its face, as more than 90% of its Spirit had been integrated with the Purple Spirit Essence Mark. "What do you mean by Spirit Ring!? And what are you talking about not possessing a body anymore!? Answer me!". Bing Xian merely sat down within his Sea of Consciousness and peered over at the crane with tranquil eyes. The unperturbed expression and calm and collected persona unnerved the crane, as it had never seen a human with such trait. Bing Xian smiled slightly if only for a moment. "A Spirit Ring is the soul of a Spirit Beast that has being released from its physical body. Once you leave your physical body, you will become my Spirit Ring. A fully conscious Spirit Ring and will continue to live within my body". His words didn''t seem to calm the crane down. "And you think I''ll just let you! I''ll be fully conscious after becoming your Spirit Ring right!? I''ll just destroy your soul and take over your body! Then these strange Inheritances will be mine!". The crane glared at the six year old child in front of him before the latter smiled and chuckled under his breath. "What''s so funny!?". Bing Xian just smiled again and replied, "Well after you become my Spirit Ring, our souls become linked. If I die, then you die. If you die, then I die. Killing me won''t allow you to take over my body and live as a human.... you''ll just enter Samsara along with me instead". Chapter 5 - 5 Dreams "Killing me won''t allow you to take over my body and live as a human.... you''ll just enter Samsara along with me instead". The words just broke all hopes the crane had of leaving Bing Xian''s Sea of Consciousness in one piece. It''s hopes shattered, and it fell to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. Small tears started to form in the corner of the crane''s eyes and soon it began drip uncontrollably. Bing Xian didn''t know whether to roll his eyes at the crane or feel sorry for it. The crane obviously wanted to rob him of his fake Inheritance, yet when the situation got reversed back onto it, it broke down quicker drunk sixteen year old. "*Sniff*.... I guess I do deserve it.... I haven''t lived a very good life. *Sniff*. And I did think about robbing you of your Inheritances.... *Sniff*....". The small bird wiped its eyes with its nose and looked up at Bing Xian. Pale blue eyes met dark blue ones and the two stared at each other for a very long time. Long enough for Bing Xian to completely integrate the formerly giant black crane into his very first Spirit Ring! A giant red Spirit Ring expanded outwards from the crane''s small body and floated behind Bing Xian. If one looked closely, seven small golden markings could be seen decorating the Spirit Ring, each of which caused Bing Xian''s small smile to grow even bigger. This Spirit Beast was over 700,000 years old! It was a Beast that could take the form of a human! It could level cities and topple countries! And it was his First Spirit Ring! "Yes! Senior Crane you won''t regret becoming my Spirit Ring! In fact, one of the people who created this form of cultivation also possessed several conscious Spirit Rings. And he eventually rose up to become the God of Emotions!". "Yeah.... okay....". Bing Xian rolled his eyes at the crane and pulled it closer towards him, placing it in his ??p. "Hey! I maybe in distress but that doesn''t mean you can manhandle me like.... that....". The Sea of Consciousness suddenly shifted and the image of a dark haired young man with several red Spirit Rings and a couple gold Spirit Rings floating in the air. The focus of the crane changed along with the scenery and it watched the young looking man intently, as a myriad of colors leaked out of his body, filling the world with an infinite number of feelings. Anger. Sadness. Rage. Dread. Despair. "Don''t avert your eyes. The God of Emotions didn''t just affect negative ones.... look....". The small crane peered out from a gap in between its wings and another set of emotions filled its tiny body. These ones far greater in number and intent than the previous ones. Gratitude. Serenity. Altruism. Happiness. Joy. Love. A myriad of emotions coursed through the small crane as it watched intently the memory of Bing Xian looking at the legendary Huo Yuhao, the Founder of the Spirit Pagoda and God of Emotions, ascending to Godhood. "Is this.... a God?". "Yes". Bing Xian''s answer reverberated throughout the small cranes soul, and a spark was lit within. "I see. So this is what you want to become. It is a very lofty-". Bing Xian interrupted the small crane. "It is what I will become. You see Senior Crane, I''ve always dreamed of becoming someone who can rival a man who had a 1,000,000 year Spirit Beast for his first Spirit Ring. A man who had three Spirit Essences just like me, and rose to become a God! I dreamed of rising to the top! I dreamed of becoming a King!". The expression on Bing Xian''s face turned fanatic, and his clear rosy cheeks changed to a deep red as he realized that he had nearly caught eighth-grader syndrome again. "Senior Crane! When you thought I had some sort of Inheritance which would boost your cultivation beyond Life Destruction, did you not dream of becoming an overlord of this world!? Did you not dream of ascending to a higher world, to chase treasures and follow your destiny!?". The tiny spark within the small crane exploded, and a raging fire was burning inside of it. "After seeing this! After seeing what a Spirit Master and Spirit Beast accomplished together, do you not dream of ascending to the top of this world! Do you not dream of becoming a God!?". The universe was reflected in this six year olds eyes, thought the crane. That raging fire had burnt through all his defenses and a uncontrollably inferno was coming forth! "Of course I dreamed of that!". The small crane leaped out of Bing Xian''s ??p and flew up, hovering just above the latter''s head, staring down at the small boy instead of staring up. "I dreamed of becoming a King long before your ancestors were even born! I lived a thousand of your lifetimes and have seen more of the world than your tiny little head could even imagine!". The crane gradually stopped beating its wings and sat down on top of Bing Xian''s head, poking the six year old once hardly smack dab in the middle of the forehead. Bing Xian rubbed his forehead in pain before looking back up at the small bird. "I might''ve continued living for another couple hundred thousand years thanks to my constitution and bloodline, but I might''ve never reached the Divine Sea Realm, or even the Divine Transformation Realm after that.... but seeing that.... seeing a man ascend to Godhood through this "Spirit Ring Cultivation".... I can''t help but feel my blood boil!". The small crane smiled, or gave Bing Xian what looked like a smile, and the latter gave one back. "Don''t worry Senior Crane! With my Spirit Ring Cultivation, I will make even God Realm Beasts my Spirit Ring! And by then, I will rise to the 33 Heavens.... with 27 Conscious Spirit Rings! Chapter 6 - 6 Spirit Ring Abilities! The six year old Rank 11 Spirit Master and his conscious Spirit Ring, returned to Green Mulberry City after completely stabilizing is ascension from being a Rank 10 Spirit Trainee, and the formerly giant black crane raised an eyebrow at Bing Xian''s cultivation technique. "So basically, when you cultivate your Spirit Essence, every 10 levels you need to integrate a new Spirit Ring to ascend to the next stage of cultivation? And by reaching level 100 and becoming you become a God? Isn''t that a little too easy?". Bing Xian shook his head in denial. "From what I''ve seen, a level 99 Extreme Douluo is roughly equivalent to a Life Destruction Martial Artist. I''ve never seen a martial artist at the Divine Sea Realm, nor have I ever seen someone who has ascended to Godhood fight. I don''t even know how many levels there are after Godhood, and I don''t know how many realms there are after Divine Transformation....". Bing Xian bit his lip and gazed at the Red Spirit Ring beside him. He wondered why this massive bird possessed such a huge age, while its spiritual power was so low. He thought that after absorbing his first Spirit Ring, his cultivation would jump to level 12 Spirit Master, or even level 13! But it didn''t, because the massive cranes power lied primarily in its physical body, not its spiritual essence. "Life Destruction Beasts have ten times the lifespan of human Life Destruction martial artists. And because of one of my fortuitous encounters, I extended my lifespan several hundred times over! It''s what helped me reach Life Destruction. When I was born, I was just a normal black crane.... but after 700,000 years, I became the [Immortal Midnight Crane]!". Bing Xian rolled his eyes at the over exaggeration of the black crane. He supposed it was alright if his morale was kept up. It wouldn''t do any harm, if the voices in his head were kept happy rather than wrathful. The rank 11 Spirit Master smiled, but his eyes were drawn to the blood red Spirit Ring will seven golden wing like markings inlaid on the Ring. His haul from this little adventure was much more than he originally bargained for! This 700,000 year old Spirit Ring actually granted him 3 Spirit Abilities! 3! The first benefits Bing Xian noticed from integrating with Senior Crane''s Spirit Ring was the humongous boost in speed! Bing Xian managed to travel roughly 20 meters in the time it took to take a breath! This boost wasn''t a Spirit Ability. It was the [Immortal Midnight Crane''s] Wind and Darkness affinity which boosted his speed so much! "Of course! If it''s one thing I''m proud of it''s my speed! I could outrun most Life Destruction martial artists and even other Life Destruction Beasts had to exert quite a bit of effort to catch me!". The small crane pointed its beak to the sky, and stated arrogantly. The small smirk on its face caused Bing Xian to roll his eyes once more at the silly bird''s antics. His Spirit Rings first ability was called [Twilight Slash]. It gathered Spiritual Power in Bing Xian''s arm and with a slashing movement, a pitch black wave of Spiritual Power was sent flying at the enemy. The size of the wave could be adjusted by the amount of Spiritual Power Bing Xian put into the ability. The weakest could only cut a blade of grass, while the strongest could cut a tree with the thickness of a man''s th??h clean in half! If exposed to a human body, it could cut limbs off with relative ease, or even do major damage to the internal organs! Unfortunately, using a maximum level [Twilight Slash] would take half of Bing Xian''s Spiritual Power! Half! ''I''ll have to raise my cultivation some more in order to use the skill freely, and to its greatest effect...'', he thought. The second ability was called [Tendrils]. It was limited in its range, but within 1 meter of Bing Xian''s body, he could shoot tendrils of shadows out of his own shadow that could pierce through his enemies! It was a good close quarters skill, that he could use if the enemies got too close to him. His speed, while definitely his strong point, could be countered if he met an enemy with a high enough cultivation. Having this skill hidden in reserve would be a reassuring thought in Bing Xian''s mind. Finally, his third and final spirit ability was called [Shadow Wind Strike]. Another offensive spirit ability, allowed Bing Xian to shape his hand as if he was going to pierce through them with his fingers. Doing so would create a black wind around his arm and strike the enemy head on! It was reminiscent of the way the [Immortal Midnight Crane], dived beak first in order to strike cleanly through his enemies. It was his greatest skill and possessed the the most efficient use of Spiritual Power out of his three skills. "See! Aren''t I amazing! I give 3 Spirit Abilities instead of one! I''m the strongest Crane in the skies! Hahaha!". Bing Xian chuckled at the crane''s words but didn''t roll his eyes. After the [Immortal Midnight Crane] became his first Spirit Ring, its massive body was just left in the mountains near Green Mulberry City. Every time Bing Xian spoke of trying to harvest it for its meat and blood, the Crane would rampage inside his Sea of Consciousness. It was like trying to calm down an angered chicken rather than a majestic crane! "I''ll allow you to harvest my blood, but you must promise to burn my body! I don''t won''t any dirty low level beasts feasting on my flesh and bones. And since I don''t have any Spirit Bones, you may not take my skeleton!". It seemed rather fair to Bing Xian. The Crane had agreed to become his Spirit Ring and his body was just left lying on a mountainside, ready for the picking. "Good... this should be far enough". The spiritual body of the [Immortal Midnight Crane] flew upwards before landing on Bing Xian''s shoulder. The two stood tall on a cliff side overlooking the setting sun. The pair stared off into the sunset, and behind Bing Xian were several dozen large vats of blood, covered in an outrageous amount of shrubbery to hide them, and dozens of herbs to hide the scent. "Where are you going to go from here? The Sky Spill Continent is far and wide, and even I haven''t seen the entire extent of it..... If you need to find another Spirit Ring, I know where we might find a few....". The six year old child whose head the crane was sitting on nodded slightly as he looked out over the endless mountains and valleys. ''In this new world, the quality of cultivation is much higher than my previous ones.... but!''. He turned around aggressively and the sun cast a long shadow of the six year old child, one that resembled a ?du?ts! His facial expression resolute and his will stronger than forged steel! ''In this world.... I shall be King!'' Chapter 7 - 7 Planning and Journey It had been ten days since Bing Xian had integrated his first Spirit Ring and become a proper Spirit Master. During this time he had sneaked out of his small one room house at night and cultivated in a pot of boiling beast blood. The the benefits of this were unimaginable to the average martial artist. Being able to soak ones body in a vat of boiling beast blood above Houtian stage allowed martial artists to refine their bodies and increase their bodily strength! In addition, because of the quality of the beast blood, it could increase one''s innate Martial Talent by one full realm! Even if it was only one full realm, it still was extremely important to any martial artist hoping to become an overlord of their territory! With this, Bing Xian''s strength had reached over 1500 jins! As someone who hadn''t even entered the First Stage of Body Transformation, his bodily strength was incredible! Now, with a Rank 7 Martial Talent, Bing Xian was confident of securing his importance in the Sky Fortune Kingdom. He could finally find an umbrella to to hide under until his strength reached a point where he could defend himself. "You said that when you arrived in this Kingdom, there was a few Xiantian level Martial Artists? Where was that?". The black crane rubbed its beak with its chin for a moment before pointing in an easterly direction. "That way. If I recall, a small city is in that direction. If I was to compare it to Green Mulberry City, it would be comparing me to a common crane". The silly crane didn''t even think twice before boasting its own strength. It was quite funny to look at, thought Bing Xian. A tiny crane, not even taller than a six year old, thinking it was stronger than even an First Stage of Body Transformation. Bing Xian nodded at Senior Crane''s words. "You must be referring to the capital of Sky Fortune Kingdom, Sky Fortune City. If I recall, a Seven Profound Martial House is in the capital. Shall we go?". The black crane nodded in response. It would be at least a few days before Bing Xian would leave Green Mulberry City and head to Sky Fortune City. Things like food and clean water may not be a problem for someone with Bing Xian''s level of strength, but purchasing things like tents and bags to store supplies in would be a necessity. Bing Xian had long used these shops to buy and sell either low level beast meat or some herbs useful for cultivation and had roughly 10 gold coins saved up. He purchased a tent and a single bag to store food and water, as well as a map of Sky Fortune Kingdom to help guide him to Sky Fortune City. "You''re leaving little Xian?". The old man in front of Bing Xian was one of the few people in this new world that Bing Xian considered family. He was a member of the Lin Family Branch and never married in his lifetime. He lived selling equipment for mortals who were passing through Green Mulberry City. He was also the one who gave Bing Xian his house, or at least that one room apartment. "En! I plan on travelling to Sky Fortune City with a caravan that leaves in a few days. Uncle Lin, when I return I promise I''ll pay back what you''ve given me ten times over!". The old man smiled at Bing Xian''s resolute expression and patted him on the head gently. "Just remember to never offend someone you shouldn''t little Xian. I would hate it if some arrogant young master were to hurt you. Alright?". The six year old nodded and put everything he had just bought from the old man in his bag and ran back to his small house. The smile on the old man''s face never faltered, even when Bing Xian''s tiny figure left his line of sight. ''The new generation surpasses the old....''. Bing Xian had lied to the old man about leaving with the caravan. The old man would forbid Bing Xian from leaving if he knew that he was going alone. ''Just yesterday I became a level 12 Spirit Master. With my current speed, I should arrive become a level 20 Spirit Master before I reach Sky Fortune City....''. Bing Xian sat down in his empty room, with a massive bag on his back. The bag itself must''ve weighed close to 100 jins, but the weight was nothing to someone like Bing Xian. "Senior Crane, are their any other places nearby nearby that have a Spirit Beast roughly with the same strength as yours?". Asked Bing Xian. "There are several beasts within 100,000 kilometers that have a Life Destruction cultivation", said the black crane, materializing from within Bing Xian''s Sea of Consciousness. The black bird pointed at the large map of the Sky Fortune Kingdom, which included several dozen other countries on its surface as well. "Approximately, 55,000 kilometers away, there is a [Diamond-Scaled Pagolin] hiding under a mountain range. He''s around the 2nd Level of Life Destruction, but only possesses an age of 80,000 years". "Next". "In this forest lies a [Bone Devouring Boa] with an age of 200,000 thousand years. He''s also at the 2nd Level of Life Destruction, but I hear he possesses a tree which extends ones life by 10,000 years". "Interesting.... but next". The wing moved to a giant mountain range with the word danger written around it. "This is actually an active volcano. Within the volcano is a [Yang Flame Monkey]. He''s at the 4th Level of Life Destruction, and has an age of roughly 120,000 years". "Fire-attributed Spirit Beast... next!". The wing moved from one end of the map all the way to the other until it stopped in a place between Green Mulberry City and Sky Fortune Kingdom. "This is the Demon Grotto. Although I''ve never been, the [Bone Devouring Boa] once told me that a demon lives there. The demon was only at the 1st Stage of Life Destruction but still managed to scare the 2nd Stage Life Destruction [Bone Devouring Boa].... and that was about 50,000 years ago....". Bing Xian nodded understandingly. ''The only one that fits is the ''demon'' in the Demon Grotto. None of the other Spirit Beasts have possess a similar attribute to my own Spirit Essences''. "Are we making any stops before we go to the Sky Fortune Kingdom?", asked the crane as it perched on Bing Xian''s shoulder. All he got was a nod as a response. "It''ll take around about 90 days to reach the Demon Grotto on foot. Maybe 70 if I use my [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] Spirit Essence to travel. In that time I want to reach become a level 20 Spirit Master!". Bing Xian walked through the streets of Green Mulberry City and left through the main gate. He looked back once at the small city he once called home before walking on the path that lead to the Sky Fortune Kingdom''s capital... Sky Fortune City! Chapter 8 - 8 Green Valley Town 2 months later.... Green Valley Town.... A small mountain village roughly 3,500 kilometers from Green Mulberry City. It mainly relied on hunting and gathering to make ends meet, and much of what is caught ends up as dinner later that night. It possessed a population of roughly 1,500 people. There was quite an abundance of fertile soil, but the constant raids by Spirit Beasts made it difficult to keep it all for the village. Many bronze colored, muscly young men walked around the 10 feet high wall the villagers had set up, and the large, but unimpressive gate they created was almost always open during the day. "Stop! Who goes there!". One of the muscly men on the village walls knocked an arrow in his bow before pulling back on the string far enough to make the bow bend like a crescent moon. Around about 50 meters in front of him, on the yellow dirt road leading into the village, a loan figure, just under four feet tall, walked slowly towards the wooden gate. His cloak, a warm looking beast fur cloak fell down to the figures knees. His shins and feet revealed and unprotected by the fur cloak. "I''m warning you! Take off your coat or I will fire!". The young muscly man narrowed his eyes as the figure disobeyed his command. Although he knew his talent paled in comparison to other cultivators, his peak 2nd Ranked Martial Talent made him feel like a big fish in a small pond. All the other young men in his village were either 1st Rank or unsuited to practicing martial arts. This factor created a small seed of arrogance in his heart and being ignored like this made him angry and agitated. "If you take one more step I will fire!". The muscly man''s brows furrowed as his commands were once again disobeyed. Looking at the short figure he took a deep breath before exhaling and releasing his fingers on the string. Although he heard a shout from behind him and his face outwardly revealed an expression of regret, the muscly man inwardly smirked and the seed inside him slowly bloomed. ''That''ll teach you to ignore me you-''. *Swish*. From the cloak, a petite, jade like arm appeared and caught the arrow between his index and middle finger. The muscly man''s eyes widened and his how easily his arrow was caught. He felt a shadow tower over him and a hand slapping the back of his head, before paling at the sight of the giant of a man in front of him! "Senior! My son didn''t mean to shoot an arrow at your esteemed self. He only had the protection of our village in mind! I am willing to accept any punishment you may give-". "No punishment necessary. However if this happens again-". The short figures words were cut short as it raised an arm above its head and swung it down with the force of a diving crane! A black wind gathered around the arm of the figure and shot out, sending a crescent moon wave of spiritual essence flying past the group of muscly men. Their eyes widened at the power this shirt figure showed, but their hearts almost gave out when they saw the black wave cut cleanly through their village wall! ''Holy shit!'', they all thought! "Your excellency, during your time at Green Valley Town, our greatest hospitality will be given to you. Anything you need you just ask". The small figure nodded and walked with the group into Green Valley Town''s walls, every time they passed by a group of people, the were forced to quickly kneel down before the small cloaked figure. "Your excellency, Green Valley Town is just an isolated village, far away from Sky Fortune Kingdoms capital, Sky Fortune City. Has your excellency been to the capital before?". The cloaked figure shook its head and followed the giant man into a large abode in the center of the town. The instant he entered, 3 above average looking girls came to the giant man''s side and bowed. "Village Chief! Welcome back". The giant man, now known to the people of Green Valley Town as its Village Chief, ordered the girls to prepare dinner and the finest guest room in their house. He ushered for the cloaked figure to follow him into the dining room for a meal, to which the figure simply nodded. "Your excellency, would you please allow me to take your cloak? I promise that Lan''er will take good care off it". "Sure". With a single motion, the thick fur cloak fell off the short figures shoulders and a cute six year old face was revealed. "Ah? Your excellency is just a child?". The maid that was handed the cloak accidentally spoke, before going red in the face and bowing and apologizing profusely for her disrespect. But a wave of the child''s arm silenced her voice, and he only gave her a polite nod. "It''s fine. My age is not a reflection of my strength". Everyone in the room took not of the words of this child. By this point, most of the village had known who cut down a section of the wall, and most knew that this child, despite his age being low, possessed an unfathomable strength! "Your excellency, may I know your name? It would be improper to address my guest without knowing who they are". The young child nodded. "My name is Bing Xian. Bing as in Ice, Xian as in Immortal". Chapter 9 - 9 This World Is Mine! "Bing as in Ice, Xian as in Immortal". The formless pressure his words generated caused a cold sweat to break out in every person in the room. Even the giant 2.5 meter tall Village Chief was no exception! "Your excellency what a good name! It suits someone as strong as yourself!". The obvious flattery caused Bing Xian to inwardly roll his eyes but nodded anyway at the Village Chief''s words. "Your Green Valley Town is quite welcoming. My impressions of the people here are improving by the minute", said Bing Xian, his facial expressions neither humble nor arrogant. This had been his name in all three of Bing Xian''s lifetimes. In his first life he was Bing Xian the ordinary high school student. In his second life he was Bing Xian, the traveler without Innate Spirit Power. In this life he was Bing Xian! Cultivator and Spirit Master! Those titles still boiled his blood and he unconsciously smiled at the thought of them, a smile whose intent was misinterpreted by the Village Chief. The Village Chief let out a hardly laugh, "Hahaha! Your praise it too much your excellency! Someone of your cultivation must''ve seen many cities far greater than this one! Hahaha!". Bing Xian sat down at the table and had many different conversations instigated by the Village Chief, but none were too invasive. ''I think I like this guy Bing Xian! He''s complimenting us a lot!'', whispered the [Immortal Midnight Crane]. ''En. He''s really good at small talk, I wonder if-.....''. The small black crane waited for Bing Xian''s response but titled it''s head in confusion at his lack of response. ''What are you looking at? Did you see something good or something?'', the black crane and Bing Xian communicated through their shared Sea of Consciousness. When he saw that Bing Xian hadn''t responded through their connection, it exited his consciousness and rested on Bing Xian''s head with its formless, invisible body. The black crane noticed the boy''s gaze was drawn to the newcomer to the room before rolling its eyes and re-entering Bing Xian''s Sea of Consciousness. ''Humans, what a predictable species....''. Bing Xian''s eyes were drawn to the young girl that had just entered the room. The Village Chief''s eyes lit up when he saw her and ran over to her side and patted her on the head paternally. "Your excellency! This is my only daughter, Wang Xue. Wang Xue, this is young man is Bing Xian, he''s a cultivator of the....". The subtle probe was less than obvious but Bing Xian complied anyway. He wasn''t thinking with his head right now. "Pulse Condensation Realm". Both their eyes went wide, and they both took more than a few seconds to fully comprehend what they had just heard. Pulse Condensation Realm! What did this mean?! To cultivators still in the Body Transformation Stage, it meant everything! This meant that one had successfully linked their meridians up with their Dantian and allowed the flow of their true essence to flow throughout their body! Instead of congregating in a martial artist bones, and muscles, it flowed cleanly through the body! It represented an increase in lifespan! It represented status! It represented nobility! Within the Sky Fortune Kingdom, those who had attained Pulse Condensation were awarded with a noble title from the King. That meant this small child in front of them, was equivalent to one of their nations top echelons.... and he was only six years old! "Your excellency, the distance between my daughter and you may be a few years, but she is already at the peak of the 1st Stage of Body Transformation. And she is only 15 years old". Bing Xian nodded and gave the girl in front of him a quick glance. She was undoubtedly beautiful. She skin was as clear as jade and as tender and milky as as the moon in the sky. Her long raven black hair fell down her back like a liquid waterfall and reached down to her round perky behind. The size of which was only emphasized by slim waist of buxom ?h?st, another ?sset which shouldn''t belong to a 15 year old. She stepped forward and smiled at Bing Xian. Her clear beautiful black eyes contrasted his deep starry blue ones and her red, cherry lips curved gracefully as she spoke. "Xue''er greets his excellency Bing Xian". In his second lifetime, women were attracted to strong men with high cultivations. Being a mortal an unable to cultivate due to his lack of innate spirit power, made him an unattractive partner in the eyes of many. That isn''t to say that he hasn''t had a relationship before. It''s just never been with such a- "-beautiful girl before....", he muttered in a voice just loud enough for her to hear. Wang Xue cheeks changed to a pale pink and her smile widened just a little bit more. Making her appear much more charming. "Xue''er, why don''t you and his excellency take a walk. Show him around Green Valley Town. Take as long as you need". The Village Chief gave a gentle push to his daughter and the six year old Pulse Condensation martial artist, the meaning of which wasn''t lost on either of them. She nodded, albeit a bit apprehensively and gestured for Bing Xian to follow her. The two left the Village Chief''s house and many of the villagers watched enviously at the small dark blue haired boy be escorted around the Village with the girl of their dreams. ''So this is what being the center of attention looks like.... I could get used to this!''. He inwardly grinned at being accompanied by the beautiful Wang Xue but kept a straight face while talking with her as the pair walked about the village. "If I may ask, where do you come from sir Bing? The world must be a very big place if a six year old Pulse Condensation Realm martial artist could be cultivated". Bing Xian nodded in response. "Yes, the world is unimaginably huge. Just the distance from Green Mulberry City to the capital of Sky Fortune Kingdom is roughly 10,000 kilometers. And the distance from here to my origins.... can be measured by mere words....". Bing Xian contemplated his previous lives. He was unsure about where his family was in his first life, and neither had children nor relatives in his second. In this life, he remembers faintly someone telling him about the death of his mother and father and remembers the grave he made for them just outside Green Mulberry City. "In this world of cultivation, there are many wonders and mysteries left to us ancients sects and forgotten kingdoms.... they have become the foundation upon which we stand and will continue to grow as time flows and we become ancient and forgotten....". Bing Xian''s words did contain any profound intents or hidden laws in between his meanings, but it possessed a certain type of attraction to Wang Xue. A girl who had never gone more than a few kilometers outside of Green Valley Town. "Many men rise and an even greater number fall. Myriad treasures and endless riches await in the world.... did you know that the majority of the world is covered in water, Wang Xue?". The girl shook her head and listened closely to Bing Xian''s words. He was caught in his web of stories and couldn''t get out without a fight. ....too bad she wasn''t fighting. "The ocean covers most of the world and many Spirit Beasts with cultivations you couldn''t even begin to imagine exist.... the land has already been explored by mankind and numerous Sects and Holy Lands cover it, from East to the West, yet the sea remains untouched.... do you know why this is.... Wang Xue?". She shook her head subconsciously and muttered, "No". Her enraptured voice would''ve sent shivers down any other man''s spine, and the healthy flush on her cheeks would ensnared all who look at her. Bing Xian smiled and a white light illuminated this part of the forest and a wave of cool air forced Wang Xue to cover her eyes for a moment. "Sir Bing?! What just happened? Are we under.... attack....". Her words trailed off at the end. In front of this 15 year old girl who had never seen the wonders of the world before, had this small green and brown forest opening transformed right in front of her! "Snow! Sir Bing it''s snowing-!". Her focus shifted from the falling snow to the figure standing in the center of it all. White hair more pure and sacred than any she had seen before. White eyes more powerful and otherworldly than even a Divine Beast. The young boy she was supposed to escort around the village suddenly transformed, and a heavenly snow angel took his place! A long stream of cool white air was released from his body. "Do you know why the sea remains untouched, Wang Xue?". She shook her head in response. And then, a single sentence she would remember until the end of her days struck with a force more power than a bolt of lightning. "Because this world is mine!". Chapter 10 - 10 Uninvited Trouble The two returned after some time wondering the outskirts of Green Valley Town. However when they returned, all the villagers of Green Valley Town stood on the sides of the dirt road, discussing loudly with each other, and with great excitement. "Is it true? The Zhu Clan is coming to Green Valley Town?". "Yeah! It is! I heard that the young master is a Rank 4 Martial Talent!". "Rank 4!? Are you joking?! Even Wang Ting only has a peak Rank 2 Martial Talent! How domineering!". Through the villagers chatter, both Wang Xue and Bing Xian managed to pick what on what was happening in the Green Village Town. The Zhu Clan! ''If I recall, the Zhu Clan was a family settled in Green Mulberry City.... what are they doing here I wonder....?'', Bing Xian glanced sideways at Wang Xue, who had a pale countenance on her face. ''It seems she already knows him'', he noted. Wang Xue bowed deeply in front of Bing Xian. She bangs hid her eyes, but her faked demeanor was betrayed by her slightly off voice. "I think I will return to the main house now Sir Bing. I pray that your martial path never falters in the face of adversity". She faked a smile and walked calmly towards the Village Chief''s house, never once turning back to see whether Bing Xian was still staring at her. He wasn''t. His gaze did linger on Wang Xue''s figure, but turned back to the main gate when he noticed the caravan entering. There was a squad of 10 men, all of whom were at the 3rd Stage of Body Transformation. In addition, 2 men at the 4th level of Body Transformation and 1 at the 5th Level of Body Transformation. And in the center was a cute boy roughly 11-12 years of age. His face had an arrogant smile plastered on it and his eyes flashed with disdain as he gazed at the dirty villagers welcoming him to Green Valley Town. ''How disgusting'', thought Zhu Yan. His eyes were drawn to the large house in the center of the Village, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of the girl standing next to the Village Chief, before quickly disappearing into a veil of arrogance. The Village Chief whose name was Wang Lei bowed slightly before staring at Zhu Yan whose was looking down on him from his horse. "Young master Zhu. To what to I owe the p???sur? of your visit?". The tone of Wang Lei was humble and had no trace of arrogance, but it had a sharp aggressiveness when he saw Zhu Yan''s eyes constantly dart over to Wang Xue. Zhu Yan smiled, but didn''t get down from his horse. "Wang Lei, I came here to propose a trade agreement with the people of Green Valley Town. The Zhu Clan shall have primary trade rights with the people with Green Valley Town and the people of Green Valley Town shall be able to do business within Green Mulberry City completely unhindered. There is however, one condition I have before we agree to this". Wang Lei face distorted as he saw Zhu Yan''s eyes roam up and down Wang Xue''s body and before he could take one step forward, one of the 4th Stage Body Transformation Martial Artists, stepped forward. Completely unleashing his cultivation base. "Heavens! A 4th Stage Body Transformation Martial Artist!". "The Zhu Clan can even employ them in their army! How ferocious!". The villagers of Green Valley Town''s chatters brought smiles to the Zhu Clan soldiers faces. It wasn''t out of pride, but out of disdain that these villagers thought just a Body Transformation Martial Artist could cover the skies and hide the sun and moon. Wang Lei''s face grew more strained. "And what might Young Master Zhu''s condition be? Please be aware that my daughter, Wang Xue, is already promised to another. If it''s anything else, I''m sure that this Wang can surely accomplish it". With just these words, Zhu Yan''s face scrunched up and his eyes darted towards Wang Xue, whose eyes were drawn to somewhere in the crowd. The corners of his mouth rose slightly and a sneer was fixed on his handsome looking face. "Oh? Wang Xue already has a fianc¨¦? Which great and noble warrior would be worthy of such a beauty? Surely such a man would be possess strength far greater than my own? A man not fearing death and would possess enough courage to fill the heavens and the earth!". He turned his horse to face the villagers of Green Valley Town, all of whom were bickering and whispering amongst themselves. "Wang Xue already has a fianc¨¦?". "I didn''t know anything about that". "Well who is it?". "I wish it was but it''s not me!". Watching the villagers bicker and deny being Wang Xue''s fianc¨¦ brought tears to Wang Lei''s eyes and an unrestrained d?s?r? in Zhu Yan''s. "The so-called fianc¨¦ of Green Valley Town''s most beautiful girl! A girl whose beauty could start wars and conflicts.... surely the man of such a beautiful girl would be courageous! He would be fearless! He would be a man amongst men!". The young boy''s smile turned sinister as his gaze turned to Wang Lei''s. "If a man deserves such a beauty than he surely must be capable of at least protecting her.... right Wang Lei?". The Village Chief could no longer control himself and run up to Zhu Yan, his arm raised an ready to kill the little brat in front of him! *Boom*! But before Wang Lei could even get close to Young Master Zhu, one of the 3rd Stage Body Transformation soldiers threw a his own punch, striking Wang Lei right in the ?h?st! His body was sent flying backwards and the moment he hit the ground he coughed violently and threw up blood all over the ground. "Father!". Two voices rang out and ran over to help the injured Village Chief. One was the muscly archer that tried to shoot Bing Xian when he first arrived and the other was Wang Xue. Many of the villagers cried out and some even wanted to go and ?ssist their Village Chief, but they were all suppressed by the 10 3rd Stage Body Transformation Martial Artists. "You dare try and attack Young Master Zhu! Your lives are nothing when compared to his own!". "Hahahaha! Wang Lei! I''ve decided to change our agreement! Since Green Valley Town has no interest in trading with the Zhu Clan, I''ve decided to destroy this entire village! However.... on the condition that Wang Xue comes with me, I''ll spare your village and everyone in it!". His voice was heard by every villager gathered in the center of Green Valley Town. There were dozens of men and women injured from the Body Transformation Martial Artists attacks, yet all eyes were turned towards Wang Xue. If we give her up, everything will go back to normal! Many men, both young and old wanted to resist giving Wang Xue away to this scoundrel. They wanted him to leave and never come back! But they didn''t want to even think about what Wang Xue would have to go through if she left with Zhu Yan! They were all m?tur? and had plenty of common sense! She would be subjected to a life of horror and things many never even wanted to imagine! "If I go with you.... you''ll leave Green Valley Town?". A single charming voice echoed throughout the village center. Zhu Yan inwardly smirked and turned around with a charming and suave smile on his face. "Lady Xue, I would never think about breaking a promise with such a beautiful flower. If you come with me to Green Mulberry City, I''ll leave Green Valley Town and no harm will come to the villagers. I give you my word". Wang Xue''s face turned pale as her gaze turned to her father and brother. The former was shaking his head frantically while constantly coughing up blood while the latter neither shook his head in agreement or disagreement while just mouthing the word "no". Her gaze turned to the villagers of Green Valley Town. All of her friends, the young men who constantly tried to impress her, the older men that tried to flirt with her, the elderly that smiled whenever she would visit them. All of them looked at her with pitiful gazes. Yet none of them tried to stop her. "I... I''ll go with-". Her words were cut short. "Don''t even think about touching this King''s people!". A lone figure stood tall on the roof of the Village Chiefs house. The voice was obviously childlike and immature, yet possessed a strange bone-shivering feeling to it. A purple mask with a sinister crescent smile and eight purple eye slits looked down on them like a hungry ghost that overlooked a batch of fresh souls. A faint purple-black mist enveloped the figure and a cold, dark aura sent shivers down their spines. The tone of the voice behind the mask, was neither angry nor humble, yet the Zhu Clan Martial Artist knew better. That bone-shivering feeling.... it was Killing Intent! Chapter 11 - 11 Resolve! Bing Xian looked on the the 11-12 year old young boy and rolled his eyes. ''If you want something and have the strength to take it, just do it! Subterfuge and schemes are nothing in the face of true power!''. The small six year old child went unnoticed on the roof of the Village Chief''s house and watched down at the spectacle beneath him unfold. Watching Zhu Yan''s men beat up the mortal villagers tugged at his heartstrings, but he suppressed that feeling and watched on objectively. If Wang Xue left with Zhu Yan, even a small child in this world would know what malicious and horrible acts she''ll undergo. And for someone who was currently living his third lifetime, Bing Xian already knew all too well what would happen to her. "Are you going to save her then? Or are you just going to let her be?". The [Immortal Midnight Crane] materialized on Bing Xian''s shoulder and looked down at the villagers below. It was a sight he had seen many times before. The strong taking advantage of the weak, and the weak are crushed beneath the strong. As a beast who had lived for over 700,000 years, Senior Crane had seen more than his fair share of war and conflict. With some of the actions that he''d seen humans take, he wondered if humans were more bestial than the beasts they claim are beneath them.... "It''s your decision, Bing Xian. If you chose to let her be, than leave Green Valley Town tonight and head to the Demon Grotto. Your a level 19 Spirit Master and will reach level 20 in a few days..... however, if you chose to save her, you have to be aware of the consequences". Bing Xian didn''t respond. In his previous life on the Douluo Continent, he had been in this situation before. Forced to abandon others in order to save himself. It was a cowardly act, but his own survival was put before others. He reasoned that it was because he was weak and didn''t possess any innate spiritual power. But this was different! He had the power! He could defeat them! He could save them! ''But should I?'', he thought. If he saved this village, undoubtedly he would be praised and honored by the villagers for saving them from the Zhu Clan. But in return he would be hated and a mortal enemy of the Zhu Clan. If all life was equal, than even a scoundrel like Zhu Yan would have worth. Even the lowest of criminals while may not possessing the same karma as a good and honorable man, deserved to live just as any other. "If that''s the case then why not just kill them all? To someone like you it should be easy to wipe out such low class martial artists". Said Senior Crane. Bing Xian shook his head and stood up. His shoulder length dark blue hair waving in the night sky. "In my previous life I wondered the world in search of a way to activate innate spiritual power. I was a mortal and I was allowed to travel anyway I pleased and no-one cared. I lived alone and I died alone....". "Bing Xian....". The crane looked at the small boy it was perched on with a solemn gaze. Bing Xian didn''t hide anything from Senior Crane. He wouldn''t hide anything from any of his Spirit Rings, so the Crane already heard about his previous lives. "But in this world I possessed full innate spirit power and three Spirit Essences! In my previous world I would''ve been a demon amongst geniuses! A real man amongst men! A King! Perhaps even a God!". The purple eight eyed mask appeared on Bing Xian''s face and a purplish black mist enveloped his body. His voice was warped slightly and a cold aura leaked out of his body. "In this world I have every chance, everything thing I ever wanted, every opportunity to become a King.... but what is a King without his subjects?". The Crane raised its eyebrow in confusion at Bing Xian''s words. It sounded like he wanted to become a King but he wasn''t that much of a chunni was he? ''He wouldn''t try and create something like tha Tang Sect.... would-'', the cranes thoughts were interrupted by a loud childish voice. "Don''t even think about touching this King''s people!". The Killing Intent leaking out of Bing Xian''s body surprised everyone! Even Bing Xian and Senior Crane! A formless pressure was exerted on everybody in the village square below and many of the weak willed villagers passed out from his bone-shivering heaviness! Zhu Yan, despite being a scoundrel was the first to recover thanks to his Rank 4 Martial Talent. His will was stronger than the average martial artist and he was already a Early Stage 2 Body Transformation Martial Artist. "Who are you!? This is official Zhu Clan business! I would appreciate it if you didn''t interfere. If you do-". "Did I say you could speak brat?". Bing Xian''s voice was cold and unfazed by Zhu Yan''s threat. His immature and unstable Killing Intent wasn''t enough to paralyze the Zhu Clan with fear like the original [Ghost Douluo], but it did overwhelm them for a few seconds. The expression on Zhu Yan''s face turned hateful and he pointed at Bing Xian''s figure and shouted, "Kill him! Cut of his head! I want him dead!". The group of 3rd Stage Body Transformation Martial Artists nodded at each other and they all ran towards the Village Chief''s house, their swords drawn and their techniques at the ready. To someone like him, whose power is equivalent to an Early Pulse Condensation Martial Artists he could wipe out even a group of fifty 3rd Stage Body Transformation Martial Artists. The moment the group of 3rd Stage Body came within 20 meters of Bing Xian his body flashed and he appeared in the center of the group. "He vanished!". "He''s one your left!". "Get him! Get him- argh!". Several tendrils of shadows shot of Bing Xian''s shadow and pierced through several members of the group, instantly killing 2 of them and injuring another 4. The perpetual smile on the mask of the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] sent shivers down both the villagers and the Zhu Clan cultivators and the eight purple slit eyes locked onto the Zhu Clan people made them feel as though a hungry ghost was about to claim their souls! Bing Xian spun around and focused on the closest Zhu Clan cultivator and a black wind started to spin rapidly around his arm. [Twilight Slash]! A wave of black spiritual power shot out of Bing Xian''s arm and cut through the group of 3rd Stage Body Transformation Martial Artists. The faces of the villagers and remaining Zhu Clan people went white at the sight of the dismembered bodies. Bing Xian slowly stood up and another torrent of spiritual power gathered around his arm, spinning rapidly like an unseen tornado in the cover of darkness. Chapter 12 - 12 Four Months! "Senior! My Young Master meant no disrespect! We''ll take our leave now and the Zhu Clan will forget about this little debacle! I swear it!". Before Bing Xian shot out another [Twilight Slash], the 5th Stage Body Transformation Martial Artist stood in front of Zhu Yan protectively with his sword sheathed and hands raised. Bing Xian raised an eyebrow. Although the man''s actions were disarming and passive, his words were laced with undertones and hidden subtext. Being from Green Mulberry City, Bing Xian obviously knew that the Zhu Clan possessed its own Pulse Condensation Martial Artists, some with power rivaling his own! "And how would the Zhu Clan even remember this debacle if there is no-one left to tell them about it?". With another flourish of his arm, Bing Xian unleashed his 700,000 year Spirit Rings First Ability once more, killing the 2 Stage 4 Body Transformation Martial Artists instantly. They tried to block the wave of spiritual power with their own swords, but the wave of black energy cut through their steel swords like a knife through hot bu??er, and ended their lives. This both frightened and angered Zhu Yan and the only other remaining Zhu Clan guard. "My family knows that I''ve come here! If I don''t come back in 2 months they''ll send someone to come find me!". The six year old smiled. "So I''ve got around 4 months before any other Zhu Clan members show up.... right?". The 5th Stage Body Transformation guard swore inwardly at his young masters stupidity and raised his sword, ready for battle. His eyes never left Bing Xian''s masked face but widened slightly when his image vanished and felt a cold breeze blow over him causing him to turn around and-. "Ahhhh!". Zhu Yan screamed as Bing Xian''s small figure instantly disappeared and reappeared directly in front of him. The mask combined with his cold aura and Killing Intent made him look more like a vengeful ghost than a human being. The 5th Stage Body Transformation dropped to the ground as a massive hole where his heart was supposed to be was now see through. Held within Bing Xian''s bloodied hand, and small beating object, dripping with a crimson liquid. It was his heart. A warm liquid leaking out of Zhu Yan''s pants making Bing Xian roll his eyes. ''Maybe I did go a little over the top. Now that he peed himself I just feel like a bully....''. "I-I-I p-promise I''ll leave! I-I''ll never come back to Green Valley Town! I''ll apologize to Wang Xue! I''ll do anything just please let me go!". Zhu Yan got on his knees and started prostrating in front of Bing Xian, who simply nodded and let a gap appear in the barrier of mist. Zhu Yan looked up at Bing Xian and took a single glance at the road leading out of the village and instantly started running! With his 2nd Stage Body Transformation, his speed far exceeded any of the villagers who wished to beat him up an he ran towards his horse and quickly left the village. A majority of the villagers left the villager center and chased Zhu Yan, but quite a few remained in the village square, staring with fear and awe of this masked figures power. "Masked Senior! Thank you for saving my daughter! If she left with Zhu Yan.... I don''t know what I would do!". Wang Lei also knelt down and prostrated before Bing Xian, and was quickly helped to his feet by Wang Xue and her older brother. "Thank you Sir Bing for saving Xue''er! I''ll forever be in your debt!". Wang Xue also bowed in front of Bing Xian, although the latter just waved her off. His Spirit Essence faded from his face and his starry dark blue eyes stared into her own. "It was nothing Little Snow. I was only looking to temper myself in battle, but the whetstone broke before I could finish....". His words were ambiguous, but the Village Chief and Wang Xue got the message. They were too weak! It was evident from his battle with those Body Transformation Martial Artists that the power of a Pulse Condensation equivalent Spirit Master was overwhelming compared to them. By releasing Zhu Yan back to the Zhu Clan, he would inform them that someone with the power exceeding Body Transformation was here, and would send a few Pulse Condensation cultivators to deal with the problem. But as Bing Xian said before.... that would be at least 4 months from now! Considering the 1 month trip it''ll take to get to the Demon Grotto, Bing Xian calculated he had at least of spare time before anybody from the Zhu Clan would arrive at Green Valley Town. That meant he had 2 months to get another Spirit Ring! "Village Chief, I thank you for the hospitality you''ve shown me, but I have business in the Demon Grotto. I should be back in roughly 3 months.... hopefully by then a new whetstone would''ve found its way here....". Wang Lei nodded and took a sideways glance at Wang Xue. "I''ll leave it to you your excellency. Xue''er, I''ll see you inside". Wang Lei gestured for some of the villagers to ?ssist him back inside, and only Bing Xian and Wang Xue were left in the village center. Many wanted to stay and watch, but stayed their hand in fear of angering Bing Xian and becoming like those dismembered bodies from earlier. "Thank you Sir Bing. If there is anything this Xue can help you with, I promise I''ll do my best to ?ssist you....". To Wang Xue, it felt weird saying such suggestive words to a six year old, but after what she was shown earlier, she didn''t feel shame it saying it. Bing Xian shook his head in response. "Don''t worry about it. The Zhu Clan is nothing more than a fly in my eyes....". A silence filled the air. The atmosphere between them was awkward, but Wang Xue mustered up the courage and spoke up. "Sir Bing.... I was wondering if you would let Xue follow you on your journey!". Her words surprised Bing Xian, but she continued on anyway. "After what you said earlier about the world and how vast it is.... I was wondering if you''d take me with you after you leave Green Valley Town! Being able to see cities as large as mountains, towers that reach the sky, oceans that span as far as the eye can see.... I want to see the world! I don''t want to be cooped up in this small town for the rest of my life!". For a spilt second, Bing Xian thought he saw a reflection of himself in Wang Xue. "I.... I want to become somebody!". Chapter 13 - 13 Spy? Emissary? "I''m sorry Little Snow.... but you can''t come with me". The metaphysical glass window that was Wang Xue''s hopes and dreams shattered by Bing Xian''s words. Her face paled and her earnest complexion broke. Her eyes drooping down, avoiding any contact with all any part of Bing Xian''s body. "I-I''m sorry! I-I didn''t mean to be so-". Her remorseful expression was quickly noticed by Bing Xian and he corrected his words. "You can''t come with me right now. But if you want I can bring you to Sky Fortune City after I return from the Demon Grotto. Unless you have the ability to resist the pressure from a 100,000 year old Spirit Beast I can''t bring you to the Demon Grotto". Bing Xian quickly responded. Misunderstandings in one''s meanings were very common in all three of his lifetimes. And especially in his first life, characters from his favorite shows always misinterpreted each others words. Obviously it was for comical intent, but the chaos generated from it was completely real. Seeing Wang Xue''s calm and collected countenance return to her, Bing Xian exhaled silently and stared up at her. "If you can get permission from your father, I can agree to take you with me during my travels.... and here. While I''m gone, drink this once a day and try and practice some martial arts while I''m gone". Bing Xian passed a small 1 liter bag and ordered Wang Xue to not tell anyone the contents of the bag. The bag obviously contained some of the [Immortal Midnight Crane] blood that Bing Xian took from Senior Crane''s body. He found that the blood, other than increasing Martial Talent and purifying the body of its impurities, the blood from the [Immortal Midnight Crane] can better one''s constitution and make the body lighter and more agile. For a mortal with a Rank 1 Martial Talent like Wang Xue, drinking this blood would most like increase her Martial Talent to Rank 2, and increase her bodily strength to 500 jins. In addition her speed would be increased to somewhere more than the average mortal, but not as high as a 1st Stage Body Transformation cultivator. He instructed many of the villagers to practice their martial arts despite not possessing even a Rank 1 Martial Talent. He didn''t teach him any because he didn''t know any, but did show them some muscle stimulation exercises which promote strength and stamina from the Douluo Continent. Bing Xian spent one night in Green Valley Town before leaving the next morning. He wouldn''t of left right after killing those Zhu Clan guards. He hadn''t slept in a proper bed for over a 2 months! He washed himself in any big enough stream he could find, but sleeping in a comfy bed, bet sleeping on the ground any day of the week! He visited Wang Xue before leaving and reminded her to only take one small sip a day. She already took some last night and woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, but her body was covered in a black sludge. "Don''t worry. That''s just the blood expelling some of your bodies impurities. That blood came from a beast with a cultivation higher than Xiantian. It''s blood is connected to the heavens and earth. If your lucky, it will improve your Martial Talent". Just those words caused Wang Xue to look at the bag of [Immortal Midnight Crane] blood as if it were a divine treasure! It however, only solidified her belief in Bing Xian''s strength even further! "En! I won''t let you down Master!". The word "master" sent shivers down Bing Xian''s spine. It made him feel more like a creep and less like a teacher. "Don''t call me master! I''m your King! You will refer to me as such!". The six year old arrogantly raised his chin and grinned as he felt the suns rays on his face, the morning sun just creeping over the mountain top. Bing Xian left the village with Wang Xue, Wang Lei and most of the village behind his back. All of them feeling a great admiration for the young child. Of course, there was still a lingering fear from yesterdays battle, and the memory of an eight eyed smiling mask were still present in many of the villagers minds. "Why didn''t you just leave them be? I don''t believe you saw value in that young girl, little Xian. If you wanted someone with talent, you should''ve gone to elsewhere.... are you perhaps... in love with-". "Of course not idiot!". Once they were several kilometers away from the village, Senior Crane exited Bing Xian''s Sea of Consciousness and perched its invisible body on the six year olds shoulder. Its expression was confused, and it rubbed its beak with its wing, as if trying to imitate a wizened old man. "That whetstone crap may have fooled those mortals, but I''ve seen your memories little Xian and I know that is completely bullshit....". He often caught it looking at his memories of his past life. Mainly watching anime and TV through from his first life through his eyes. "I did mean that stuff about tempering myself through battle, don''t misunderstand that. But the main reason I gave Wang Xue your blood is because she has no relation to any major power in this world. She has neither the talent, nor the aptitude for martial arts. Increasing her innate Martial Talent like this, combined with her beauty will make it easier to create allies in the future....". Senior Crane nodded at Bing Xian''s words. "In this poor Kingdom, people with a 2nd and 3rd Rank Martial Talent have immense value put on them. Wang Xue, being both a beautiful young girl, with a good temperament will allow us to make good connections". "You mean like through marriage?", asked the Crane. Bing Xian shook his head furiously. "I''m not the type of person to force one to marry another. If Wang Xue can forget her little affection for me and find a nice guy with a good background, I''m sure he''ll make her more happy than I ever could.... and if she fed me information about the state of the Kingdom I guess that''ll be a bonus....". Bing Xian whistled innocently as Senior Crane looked at the six year old with wide eyes. "You''d use Life Destruction Beast blood to create a spy?". "The word spy is a little too formal.... I prefer the word emissary. She can be the link between my future Kingdom and the Sky Fortune Kingdom". The innocent and childlike face would''ve made any ?du?t smile in return appeared to Senior Crane as a devilish smile only a demon would love. ''Remind me to never get on this kids bad side'', he thought to himself. Chapter 14 - 14 Complications In The Demon Grotto During the month it took Bing Xian to travel to the Demon Grotto, he traveled roughly 1,000 kilometers and over several mountains to arrive at the blackened ravine. The reason why it was called the Demon Grotto, was because several thousand years ago, a demonic Sect by the name of the [Myriad Blackening Sect], established itself on the modern day Demon Grotto, and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of Yin and Darkness attributed Spirit Beasts transforming the ground beneath their feet into a demonic cultivator heaven. Their signature technique, [Divine Blackening Art], was feared by all righteous martial art Sects, within 100,000 kilometers! It allowed them to temporarily increase their cultivation and battle prowess with no side effects! The incredible amount of Yin and Darkness energy made it easier for those who cultivate demonic cultivation techniques to increase their already accelerated cultivation rate even further. Although the [Myriad Blackening Sect] was exterminated by a far away Sect in a sea of purifying flames, their legacy lived on in the form of the Demon Grotto. Many cultivators over the years had tried to find the [Divine Blackening Art] but so far none were successful. Some people considered the fact that after the destruction of the [Myriad Blackening Sect], the technique was lost, and discouraged many from ever setting foot in the Demon Grotto again. A place were ghouls and ghosts roamed the earth, and even Xiantian level Martial Artists were afraid of dying without a marked grave if they stepped foot in this place. "We''re here.....". Bing Xian looked over the winding ravine with narrowed eyes. In this one month period his cultivation had improved from a level 19 Spirit Master to a level 20 Spirit Master! He arrived at the Demon Grotto 5 days after he had reached the peak of Spirit Master, and was excited to try and find his next Spirit Ring! "Just remember little Xian, there is a Beast here with a Life Destruction equivalent power. It may attack you immediately and not listen to reason. And even if you can deceive it, it may not go the same way as last time....". Being able to trick the [Immortal Midnight Crane] was mainly due to its greed as well as its immature personality. If he met a Spirit Beast with a personality that was aggressive to humans, he may have just been a small snack that day instead.... Bing Xian activated his [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] Spirit and a thick purplish black mist enveloped his body. The mist possessed a Darkness attribute. In this land of ghouls and ghosts, covering his human scent with a Darkness attribute was essential if he wanted to survive. Walking through the Demon Grotto, Bing Xian and Senior Crane passed many Spirit Beasts with thousand year cultivations. In fact, the lowest they had seen was a 800 year old Blood Mist Tree! It was a tree that fed on the blood of living creatures and created a sweet smelling fruit to lure its victims in and suck on their blood with its fang like roots. 1,200 year old Cyclops Zombie..... 2,900 year old Bone-horned Scorpion.... 5,500 year old Kingfisher Reaper... 8,800 year old Undying Ghost Bear.... This was like a Holy Land of Yin and Darkness attributed Spirit Beasts! There was dozens of different Spirit Beast species and even some Spirit Beasts with a cultivation greater than 50,000 years! ''How did this happen?''. thought Bing Xian. The [Myriad Blackening Sect] was destroyed only a few thousand years ago! So how did Spirit Beasts with an age of over 10,000 exist here! It did not make any sense! "Little Xian, you should hurry to the center! That''s were the greatest concentration of Yin and Darkness Laws are! It''s the most likely place for your Spirit Beast to be!". Bing Xian turned his head to the broken 9 story pagoda in the center of the Demon Grotto. The sounds of vengeful ghosts and hungry demons echoed throughout the ravine, and not a single Spirit Beast dared to take a single step within 100 meters of it. He gulped. ''There are beasts with a cultivation of Xiantian and Revolving Core! If I wasn''t a level 20 Spirit Master, I might''ve run out of Spirit Power by now....''. Some beasts took notice of Bing Xian''s mist enveloped figure walking towards the broken 9 story pagoda and let out a laughing roar. ''What are they saying?.... Senior Crane?'' The connection between Bing Xian and the [Immortal Midnight Crane] was still active, yet he received no response from the silly crane. The closer Bing Xian got to the broken pagoda, a formless pressure was exerted on Bing Xian''s body, that grew stronger and stronger as he walked closer and closer towards the broken entrance. Outside of 50 meters it was a slow walk.... Outside of 40 meters it was a painful walk... Outside of 30 meters it hurt Bing Xian just to stand... ''Fuck!''. He gritted his teeth and swore inwardly. Every time he even raised his leg it felt as though a thousand swords were cutting through his flesh and tearing at his bones. His blood boiled with anger and his eyes stared at the darkness behind the door unblinking. One meter.... Four meters.... Eight meters.... 12 meters..... *Bang*! Eventually his body couldn''t handle the pressure and he fell to his knees, the thick stone pavement beneath him crushed under both his body weight and the formless pressure exerted on him. But he didn''t stop. Even under the crushing pressure, exerted on his small six year old body, Bing Xian clawed his way up to the pagoda entrance. His knees cut and dripping blood from scrapping his way to the entrance. His fingers bleeding heavily from clawing his way up. His body completely covered in dust and dirt, ruining his untouchable persona completely. He was 10 meters away from the entrance but.... "Blagh". His [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] Spirit Essence faded, and his immature body was exposed to the full intensity of the increased gravity. A cut appeared over his left eye and his vision turned slightly red. He was only 5 meters away from the pagoda entrance when his vision started to turn black. ''No... I... am... almost...''. His beautiful blue hair was covered his dirt and blood while his starry blue eyes had turned weak and and red. ''....no... I don''t want to fail..... I don''t want to-''. ''So don''t!''. A warm wave of spiritual power leaked of Bing Xian''s Dantian. It wasn''t a power that Bing Xian was familiar with, but rotated the new spiritual power throughout his body. His wounds rapidly healed and his strength returned with a force ten times greater than that of a level 20 Spirit Master! He bit his tongue so hard he tasted blood and stood up, even with the formless pressure bearing down on him. He stared into the darkness and a lone figure, still partly obscured became visible in his eyes. ''His eyes! They were blue earlier.... so why are they golden!''. If Bing Xian saw himself right now, he would see that his eyes had gone through a humongous change! Golden eyes, more dazzling than a thousand suns. Slit pupils locking onto the figure pierced through the Darkness Laws in front of him like an Roc staring down at a pit of dragons! A giant golden Spirit Essence Mark was created behind Bing Xian. It''s size was even greater than the nine story pagoda! The power Bing Xian''s body exuded shocked this mysterious figure and he looked at the small black bird beside him and nodded. ''This kid.... might be the one!''. Chapter 15 - 15 Three Books! "Bing Xian!". The voice of the [Immortal Midnight Crane] entered Bing Xian''s ears, and the almost limitless power generated from Bing Xian''s body completely disappeared. He fell to his knees immediately. Without the support of the golden power generating from his Dantian, Bing Xian''s body collapsed under its own weight. His Spiritual Power was almost completely exhausted and his body felt tired and itchy. "Senior Crane?". "Yes?", the silly bird responded. "Wha.... what just happened?", he asked, still trying to collect his breath. "I''ll explain that". The shadowed figure that Bing Xian saw earlier came out of the corner of the room. It wasn''t a human shaped figure, was Bing Xian''s first initial thought. Tall, taller than any normal human should be. A formless body, completely crafted out of shadows with cuneiform lettering covering its torso. It possessed no legs, but just a swirling pool of shadows that kept its body levitating mid air. It had a pair of completely white eyes and no mouth or nose or any other facial feature for that matter. It''s arms were huge, and were the defining feature of its huge 10 meter tall body. "Hello. My name is Xiao An. I must say, I did not believe that a child, a human child at that matter would ever pass my test.... but it seems there are many changes in the world since my sentence began....". The silly crane flew over to Bing Xian and sat comfortably on his head. It''s intangible body unaffected by the grime beneath him. Bing Xian raised an eyebrow and shot the bird a glance. "Test? I apologize for not understanding....". The silly bird whistled and looked the other way. "Well you see-". Xiao An stepped or levitated forward and cut in. "It was my test. You are the first human to come here in several hundred years. My inheritance must be passed on and my days are numbered....". The giant shadow Spirit Beast sighed remorsefully and looked at Bing Xian. "I''m over 900,000 thousand years old. I retained an injury after going through my 6th Life Destruction and came to this planet to recuperate. After few millennia ago I was found by a group of human martial artists and they imprisoned me here in my weakened state. They tried to extort me for my techniques, and they eventually formed the [Myriad Blackening Sect] using an incomplete cultivation technique I gave them....". Bing Xian and the silly crane listened intently to Xiao An''s story. "I told them that by staining the earth with Yin and Darkness attributed beast blood their cultivation rate would increase dramatically as well as increase their Law comprehension.... but it was only to attract the attention of other [Holy Shadow] Beasts so they could find me and rescue me....". "....", Bing Xian and the silly crane were silent. It was obvious that the [Holy Shadow] beast was either forgotten or abandoned by its Clan, and was forced to spent the remainder of its life imprisoned in this nine story pagoda. The huge shadow beast in front of them sighed once again. "There were a few humans that tried to rescue me over the years, but were killed by those who chained me here.... child, you coming here today was destiny and the Crane has already explained your situation to me.... you d?s?r? to become a God? Is that correct?". Bing Xian didn''t think for even a second before nodding. "I will become a God! That is not my goal... but my future!". The aura that Bing Xian exuded earlier was still present in Xiao An and the silly crane''s mind. It was an ancient and powerful aura that countered a 6th Stage Life Destruction''s! "I see.... and I also understand that you d?s?r? me to become your Second Spirit Ring? Is that also correct?". Bing Xian nodded once more. Xiao An sat in silence, contemplating for a moment before reaching into his body and taking out three books. "My race is blessed with a huge lifespan, far greater than humans or ordinary Spirit Beasts, but we all die the day we turn 9,999,999 as all nines must return to One. I have less than a hundred thousand years of live left and I do not d?s?r? living in this broken pagoda for the remainder of it....". Bing Xian''s heart skipped a beat. "So if you will have me.... I''ll become your conscious Spirit Ring". "Fuck yes!". The six year leaped up, despite his aching body and shouted out to the world. He was about to break into song and dance before Xiao An placed those three books on the broken table in front of him. "On the condition that you become my disciple!". Xiao An stared down at Bing Xian with a serious look on his face. "I will only agree to become your Spirit Ring if you become my disciple and cultivate using my techniques! You need not worry about the quality as I promise that no disciple of mine will never be without money!". The [Holy Shadow] Beast looked down at Bing Xian, a kingly aura was generated from the massive 10 meter tall shadow. Bing Xian narrowed his brows for a moment before kneeling and performing three kowtows in rapid succession. "Student Bing Xian greets Teacher!". The image of a young child with dual spirit essences bowing before a middle aged man with white hair flashed through Bing Xian''s mind. ''I guess it''s a little different to that....'', he thought inwardly. Xiao An nodded and passed the three books over towards his disciple. "These three books are my only treasures left in the world! One is a cultivation technique! One is a Martial Movement Technique! One is a Encyclopedia! These are my gifts to my student". ''What domineering names!''. Cultivation Technique: [Holy Shadow Blackening Art]! Martial Movement Technique: [Thirteen Shadow Transformations]! Inscription Encyclopedia: [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle]! Chapter 16 - 16 Second Spirit Ring! Cultivation Technique: [Holy Shadow Blackening Art]! Martial Movement Technique: [Thirteen Shadow Transformations]! Inscription Encyclopedia: [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle]! "These three manuals are my only remaining treasures in the world. Their grade far exceeds any technique or manual you''ll find in this world. They are the main reason I thought my Clan would come and look for me....". Xiao An''s brow furrowed but he shook his head and continued. "The [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] is a cultivation technique with 11 stages. At the 11th stage one would be able to reach the Divine Lord Realm. It is a Darkness attributed technique. In addition, it allows a cultivator create a [True Shadow Seed] in their body and undergo [Blackening] to taint their true essence with Darkness Laws. It can boost a cultivators battle prowess and allow them to fight with martial artists of a higher cultivation!". Both Bing Xian and the silly crane''s mouths dropped when they heard Xiao An''s words. Divine Lord Realm? True Shadow Seed? Blackening? These words puzzled Bing Xian, but his teachers final words were the ones that he truly understood! Beating a martial artist with a higher cultivation!? That is heaven-defying! "I only practiced the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] to the Grand Completion of the 9th Stage. If I practiced it to the 10th or even 11th Stage I definitely would not be stuck in this place". Xiao An said confidently. The six year old disciple nodded. If someone like Xiao An, whose Clan created the technique, only reached the 9th Stage, it would definitely be harder for Bing Xian, who was a human. But never underestimate humanities potential for growth! It wasn''t the myriad beast race that ruled the majority of the 33 Heavens.... it was the human race! They may not have the greatest population, nor the greatest affinities towards the Dao and cultivation.... but it was their ability to grow and adapt that was frightening! They could ascertain Laws from the Dao and create techniques by observing the heavens and the earth. It would be no exaggeration to say that the majority of battle techniques and cultivation techniques were created by the human race. The quality may be different to the [Holy Shadow] Beasts for instance, but the sheer amount would dwarf most other civilizations. "You shall start cultivating this as soon as possible! It''ll be easier to cultivate the second manual after reaching Houtian". Xiao An gestured to the second book on the table. "The [Thirteen Shadow Transformations] is a martial movement technique, focused on silence and agility. It compliments the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art], and has 13 transformations. They are, "lightness", "darkness", "silence", "invisibility", "shifting", "transforming", "absence", "formless", "presence", "swiftness", "smoke", "shadows" and "death". Each of these is core concept which come together to form the entire [Third Shadow Transformations]. At its peak, I saw another [Holy Shadow] beast of the Divine Sea Realm outrun another of the Divine Transformation Realm". ''A Divine Transformation beast couldn''t catch a Divine Sea Realm one!? That''s ridiculous!''. The silly crane was aware that after Life Destruction was the Divine Sea Realm. To reach the Divine Sea Realm one must destroy their Dantian and form the basis for an inner world, using the Laws the cultivator has comprehended. Their bodies were filled with True Essence, like water in the sea, and they finally reached the starting point for cultivating in the Divine Realm. To the silly bird who''s power was primarily its speed, it couldn''t imagine outrunning another with a higher cultivation than it. "The first two are my treasures but would only be able to create a small Sect in the Divine Realm.... the third however, would be a treasure even for an a Holy Land level Sect like the Ancient Dragon Clan!". Bing Xian''s gaze was turned to the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] on the table. Despite all three of the books being incredibly old, this one looked primordial. It was thicker and larger than the other two combined, but the cover was a thick looking beast hide and the paper was tougher than sand paper. The writing inside was almost illegible, but just looking at the cuneiform lettering and ancient runes dotting every page made Bing Xian feel as though his head was going to explode. "This [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] is something I got out of exploring the ruins of an ancient Sect. They were well known for their attainments in the Law of Inscriptions and even had a World King as its Sect Head. For unknown reasons the Sect was destroyed and any memory of it erased from the world". Xiao An opened the book to a specific page and showed it the Bing Xian. "This book has over a million different inscriptions within it. This one for example can be applied to a weapon and increases the cutting power by 70% and piercing power by 50%. In addition it has two inscription skills which can multiply attack power by 150%!". Bing Xian''s eyes widened and his haze turned downward towards the inscription manual. ''Inscriptions on the Douluo Continent could create Spirit Weapons and Mecha! I don''t know how to create them but maybe with these I can at least try to learn how.....''. Xiao An saw how enraptured Bing Xian was with the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] and inwardly nodded. Even if Bing Xian was untalented in the Dao of Inscriptions, with just the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] he would stand a head above the rest of the so-called Inscription Masters of the world. Even in the Divine Realm he may make a name for himself. "Anyway, you must take care of these manuals. I can provide ?ssistance with any of them, but do not ask me for any of my personal insights. You should not rely on others, but on your own strength". The six year old nodded resolutely. "I think it''s time for us to leave now....", the [Holy Shadow] beast took a deep breath before looking at Bing Xian, "I think I''m ready to become your Spirit Ring". From the outside of nine story pagoda, a huge number of Spirit Beasts with cultivations exceed ten thousand years appeared. Houtian Beasts. Xiantian Beasts. Revolving Core Beasts.... "Ahahaha! I''m finally free!". With a massive explosion of cold black murky energy, the entirety of the Demon Grotto exploded and massive true essence stones filled with Dark attributed true essence were sent flying out. All of the beasts originally surrounding the broken pagoda looked at these true essence stones and immediately went running after them. For them, beasts with low intelligence that only cared about its own cultivation, were instantly overcome with greed at the sight of the true essence stones, not caring to focus on the small human boy running away, a large shiny claw bone in his arms. Chapter 17 - 17 Dual Spirit and Essence Cultivation! When Xiao An fully integrated with Bing Xian''s Spirit Essence, his body was left behind without a soul to inhabit it. "Just take as much as you can carry. A [Holy Shadow] beast is literally a being made of shadows. When we die, our bodies crystallize and explode into thousands of pieces of true essence stones. They do possess a dark attributed true essence so normal cultivators can utilize them". Bing Xian took managed to get over 50 liters of Xiao An''s blood and 10 kilograms of true essence stone before it exploded. In addition, Xiao An''s body really did contain a Spirit Bone! The left arm bone was taller than Bing Xian''s body, so carrying it with the 60 kilos of Spirit Beast parts was a little bit of a hassle. But thanks to the true essence stones flying everywhere, no Spirit Beast even bothered looking at Bing Xian without his [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] Spirit Essence activated. He truly did earn big today. "Teacher... how does it feel to finally leave the Demon Grotto?". Once they all left the ravine that was known by many as the Demon Grotto, Bing Xian and his Conscious Spirit Rings entered his Sea of Consciousness, at which the the tiny figure of the silly bird was playing with an equally tiny figure of a [Holy Shadow] Beast. "You didn''t tell me about this! Why is my body so small! What happened?". Xiao An cried out while the Senior Crane just looked on apathetically. ''You''re talking! My body was as tall as a mountain! Shrinking down to a two foot tall crane is just humiliating....''. Bing Xian just looked at his Spirit Rings having more things in common and stopped listening to their complaining. "I''m going to go and absorb the Spirit Bone. Don''t interrupt me until I''m finished". Said Bing Xian. He exited his Sea of Consciousness and looked down at the left arm bone that Xiao An left behind. He was currently situated in a large hollowed out tree roughly 50 kilometers away from the Demon Grotto. It was far enough that Spirit Beasts from the Demon Grotto wouldn''t come and chase him, and other Spirit Beasts would be deterred by the dark aura of the ravine and wouldn''t try their luck and venture in. "Teacher said that the bone contains some of his insights into the Laws of Darkness and Wind. That if integrating the bone is like he thinks it is, I''ll obtain his affinities to those particular Laws". Xiao An had told him that God Tier beasts like True Phoenixes and True Dragons have Laws engraved into their bones at birth! It''s what allowed them to possess such tyrannical physiques and divine talents that increase their cultivation speed like crazy! ''If I can integrate a God Tier beast Spirit Bone into my own body.... doesn''t that mean I''ll have the same level strength and talent as them?!''. Bing Xian drooled at the thought. Although body cultivation wasn''t as popular as essence cultivation, the fact of the matter is the two compliment each other. Xiao An likened to to true essence being the water and the body being the bucket. The greater the cultivation of the body, the bigger the bucket! If he managed to have the same level of physique as a God Tier Spirit Beast, he might possess the same level of strength as a God, despite not being one! He drooled some more, before slumping his shoulders in grief. ''If only it were that easy to convince a God Tier Beast to become my Spirit Ring.....''. The six year old sighed and looked down at the Black Spirit Bone instead. Picking up the large Spirit Bone and placing it in his ??p, Bing Xian placed his left arm on the bone and extended his Spirit Essence towards it. Normally, his spirit essence would be rejected by the bone as it carried the lingering resentments from when the Spirit Beast was still alive, but this Spirit Bone carried no such thing. As Xiao An willingly gave up his Spirit Ring to Bing Xian, the body naturally didn''t carry any feelings of resentments and willingly integrated with Bing Xian''s left arm. It took 8 hours to complete the whole process. Bing Xian''s body was covered in a sinister black and green aura and his brows furrowed every once in a while before smoothing out, a small understanding look on his face. It wasn''t like other Spirit Bones. The Spirit Bones on the Douluo Continent didn''t possess any innate Law affinities like the ones on the Sky Spill Continent. It didn''t just take a strong will and an abundant amount of spirit essence to absorb. It took comprehension. It took understanding. It took wisdom. The Concepts of Darkness and Wind, slowly revealed themselves to Bing Xian and after the 8 hours were completely finished.... *Bang*! The tree that Bing Xian was cultivating in had completely shattered and a small figure with with a torrent of gushing shadowy wind around its left arm had emerged and stood tall under the setting sun. The evening breeze started to set in and a cold chill filled the air. Yet Bing Xian continued to stand and let the wind blow over his body. "I can''t believe I used to look at the Wind this way. I was totally wrong! The wind isn''t something that can be controlled! It has a life of its own! It''s formless and free. Unfettered by mortal coils. It''s constantly shifting and rotating and flipping and spinning and....". He spent the entire night that way and never felt tired or fatigued from standing all night. The next morning as soon as the sun rose over the horizon, a small young boy could be seen. His body constantly spun and flipped and rotated and occasionally flickered and reappeared a few meters away. He let out a deep breath and a long stream of Qi was expelled from body. "It seems that I''ve almost reached the 1st Stage of Body Transformation. My attainments in the Concept of Wind has increased as well....". Bing Xian peered at the rising sun. Its streams of warm rays filling his body and killing the cold feeling that congregated in his body overnight. ''I''ve got just under two months of cultivating time before I have to head back to Green Valley Town. I''ve got a new Spirit Ring to cultivate to level 30 and abilities to practice and refine. My three manuals from Teacher need to be practiced as well". He grinned inwardly. ''I can almost taste it....'' Chapter 18 - 18 Two Months of Training.... Over the next two months divided up his time into cultivating the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] 50% of the time, while cultivating his Spirit Essence 25% of the time and spent the remaining 25% of his time researching the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle]. Xiao An suggested that Bing Xian should start practicing the [Thirteen Shadow Transformations] when he reached the Houtian Stage in order to see a greater yield in results. He considered trying to practice it with his level 21 Spirit Grandmaster cultivation, but ignored the thought completely after hearing Xiao An''s reasoning. "Little Xian, your Spirit Essence Cultivation is slightly different to True Essence cultivation. Even if you rotated your Spirit Essence exactly like True Essence, it would not prove to the same effect. It would be like trying to power a engine with the wrong type of fuel.... do you understand me?". He nodded resolutely. The 1st Stage of the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] was comprised of 7 sub stages. Each sub stage consisted of a specific stage in the Body Transformation Realm. It refined the body, not just with pure true essence, but relied on an innate affinity to darkness laws, in order to purify the body to a higher degree. Luckily, with both the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] as well as his new left arm Spirit Bone, the two together made up for more than enough affinity towards the darkness attribute. "Teacher.... is the [True Shadow Seed] within the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] supposed to act as another Revolving Core? It does absorb True Essence and stores it like a Dan, yet it has other abilities. Why is this?". Xiao An and the silly crane raised an eyebrow when Bing Xian came into his Sea of Consciousness so abruptly. Normally the six year old would only call out to them through their connection with his Spirit Rings, but this time he came in personally. "They may have the same form, little Xian, but they are completely different in nature. The Revolving Core Realm creates a Core within the body which stores True Essence and allows cultivators to quickly recover their power by absorbing the spiritual essence from the heavens and earth. The [True Shadow Seed] on the other hand is reliant on only dark attributed true essence. During [Blackening], the [True Shadow Seed] opens its unique true essence and it flows through the meridians and throughout the body. In doing so, the rest of the true essence in the body is diluted by this higher quality true essence and grants a boost in power". Bing Xian brows furrowed and he asked another question. "But wouldn''t the [True Shadow Seed] only have a great effect in the Realms below Life Destruction? I can understand that the quality of the [True Shadow Seed] will increase as well, but I don''t understand how it will be effective at a cultivation higher than the Divine Sea Realm". Xiao An''s brows raised slightly and he sent the silly crane a look before turning back and looking up at his student. "At a higher stage, the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] has other features than just the [True Shadow Seed] and [Blackening]. In fact, at higher stages it is possible to create an Avatar of a [Divine Shadow] Beast. A Beast that created the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] in addition to being the creator of the Holy Shadow Clan.... not to mention that at the 11th Stage, there is an ability called [Incarnation]. Something that even I don''t fully understand....". "Don''t worry about not reaching that stage. Being able to ask questions about advanced concepts, while not possessing the adequate cultivation to practice them is a sign of high talent and comprehension.... don''t be afraid to ask questions". As it turns out, Xiao An''s personality was more soft-hearted than the silly bird. Many years in isolation, didn''t make the [Holy Shadow] Beast lash out at humanity for locking it up. But rather, he became patient and steadfast. His will tempered in his imprisonment, and now an overflowing amount of gratitude to the person who freed him was now being shown. Bing Xian''s schedule was the same for weeks. Wake up and make breakfast. Cultivate the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] until lunch and catch fish and low level wild beasts for lunch. Until noon, cultivate Spirit Essence and then make dinner. After dinner and until he fell asleep he researched Inscriptions from the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] and pondered about them while asking Xiao An about any of his incorrect ?ssumptions. ''The [Archaic Mountain Inscription] is composed of 360 intersecting lines composed of magic runes, cuneiform lettering and ancient writing. It''s purpose is to be applied on armor, particularly around the feet. It connects the cultivator to the earth and allows them to power to strengthen their attacks and defenses. It has two active skills called [Mountain Slayer] and [Mountain Driver]. The former is an offensive skill while the latter is....''. Bing Xian loved researching Inscriptions in the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle]. There were dozens of Inscriptions on each page, and many had similar effects but every one had their own pros and cons. There were even arrays shown within the book which comprised of hundreds if not thousands of minor arrays. They could focus all the elemental true essence within several kilometers into a small room or even offensive arrays possessed power that rivaled Life Destruction Martial Artists! Just by reading and practicing drawing the inscriptions, had the field already fully engrossed Bing Xian. Although he wanted to take some time out of cultivating his Spirit Essence to keep researching, he didn''t want to mess up his schedule and reluctantly put away the book after he finished his lunch. Eventually, the full two months had passed and a small child could be seen running through the forest. His figure flashing before reappearing over dozens of meters away. He had no mask on and only wore a battered shirt and shorts, and a pair of beast hide boots, glowing slightly pale green. "It works! The [Unfettered Wind Inscription] works! With these, I can run as fast as an Late Stage Pulse Condensation Martial Artist.... and that''s without my Spirit Essence!". He looked out over the horizon in the direction of Green Valley Town and smiled. ''Zhu Clan.... here I come!''. Chapter 19 - 19 A Girls Thoughts Life in Green Valley Town changed after Bing Xian left. After killing those Body Transformation Martial Artists, many of the villagers saw how much a difference in strength cultivation could make and urged their young ones to start practicing martial arts in order to lay a proper foundation for their growth. Especially after seeing Bing Xian, a six year old, kill over a dozen fully grown armored men, they realized how much power practicing the martial path would give. This meant extra to Wang Xue, who had decided to follow Bing Xian, and had received the [Immortal Midnight Crane] blood to help increase her talent and constitution. Every single day, at the break of dawn, she drank a single sip of the silly crane''s blood, and practiced a rudimentary level martial art, trying to use the energy in the beast blood to stimulate her physique. "Phew.... Father said my Martial Talent had reached Rank 2 earlier. This blood Sir Bing gave me must be a divine treasure if it can increase ones innate martial talent". Bing Xian was thankful that the silly crane didn''t hear that or he''d never hear the end of it. Other than increasing her Martial Talent to Rank 2, Wang Xue also managed to reach the 1st Stage of Body Transformation! Even without a cultivation technique, all that Life Destruction Level beast blood laid a sturdy enough foundation for her to reach the 1st Stage of Body Transformation; the Strength Training Stage! This stage consolidates a person''s strength, allowing them to use their bodies locked potential and unleash a strength that could kill a mortal in one hit! Wang Xue let out another deep breath and stretched her back gracefully, her buxom figure emphasized in the morning dew, and her pale unblemished skin shone radiantly under the rising sun. She had grown even more beautiful after taking the beast blood! It was only natural. The beast blood would''ve expelled any impurities hidden on both the outside and inside the body. Any small scars or tiny freckles would''ve been expunged, leaving behind an even more gorgeous Wang Xue. "We''ve got to be ready for when Sir Bing returns. It''s already been close to four months and the Zhu Clan could come at any time. If they arrive and Sir Bing isn''t here then....". A cold expression marked Wang Xue''s beautiful features. She knew what would happen to a girl if they were captured by the enemy. More so if they were a women with superior refinement, beauty or background. Her beautiful black eyes shone with a hateful light as she walked back to the village center. Her swan like grace and crane like elegance were becoming more and more apparent as the days went by, and many of the village boys, and even some ?du?t men, approached her father and asked for her hand in marriage. She all gave them the same response. "I will be leaving the village with Sir Bing. If you have the power to defeat him, then I will follow you". Wang Xue didn''t actually mention the word ''marriage'' but everyone interpreted it that way. ''Oh well, it''s not like they can beat a Pulse Condensation Martial Artist. Even if that martial artist is six years old''. A tranquil smile set itself on her lips. Those cherry colored lips that made every boy in puberty hunch over slightly in embarrassment. ''Ugh, how disgusting. Sir Bing wouldn''t be like that. Sir Bing is cool and distant. He''s refined, he''s smart, he''s....''. A sudden feeling of disgust came over her. ''He''s six. I can''t believe I almost thought of "that". That''s..... cradle robbing! It''s disgusting!''. Wang Xue only had a feeling of admiration and devotion to Bing Xian. She was grateful to him for saving her from Zhu Yan, but nothing that would be described as love or yearning for him. ''That would be weird'', thought Wang Xue. A loud shout interrupted her inner thoughts. "Hey! Look! It''s him! He''s back!". "Whose back? Your grandmother?!" "Haha, very funny, but no, it''s not my grandmother, it''s Sir Bing! He''s back!". Wang Xue ceased everything she was thinking and turned to the main gate. It was bigger, stronger and thicker after Bing Xian cut part of it in half with a single wave of his hand. Many of the villagers lined up on the villages main road and stared at the massive beast that was been road into the village. "That''s a [Tempest Mastodon]! A Beast in the Pulse Condensation Realm!". "It''s hide is so thick that not even a bolt from a crossbow can pierce it!". "It''s also got amazing stamina! It may not be able to run as fast as a [Windrider Stallion], but it can travel for three days and three nights without getting tired!". This massive mastodon lumbered through the village gates. It''s 7 meter tall body almost didn''t fit in through the wooden gate, and the small figure laying on top, chewing on a long blade of grass, didn''t seem to bothered by it. Bing Xian sensed a familiar presence staring at him and he stood up on the [Tempest Mastodon]''s back and looked over at the beautiful looking girl. Her eyes full of awe and excitement at his arrival. He gave her a small nod and patted the mastodon''s back twice to stop, bringing the large beast to a full standstill. "Sir Bing! I''m so glad your back! I''m already a-". "You''ve already reached the 1st Stage of Body Transformation. Good. I don''t want my companions to be too weak.... here catch". Bing Xian threw a small beast hide bag over to Wang Xue and gestured for her to take out the items inside. Another one liter bottle of black blood. A cultivation technique. And a kilo of [Holy Shadow] Beast flesh. "These are your resources. Do not drink the black blood or eat that Spirit Beast flesh without my presence. If you prepare it wrong, than you will die from the amount of true essence those items contain". Wang Xue nodded fervently. "That book is your cultivation technique. It is called the [Divine Blackening Art]. Do not tell anyone that I have given this to you. If you tell anyone, I will not do a thing. Primarily because those you tell would''ve already killed you and taken the technique.... do you understand?". Stars started to appear in Wang Xue''s eyes as she nodded even more. ''Maybe I was wrong'', she thought to herself, ''He may be cold and distant, but his actions say otherwise.... maybe he''s one of those tsundere''s that those housewives keep talking about!''. Chapter 20 - Second and Third Spirit Essence The next day Bing Xian took Wang Xue to a clearing on the outskirts of Green Valley Town. It was isolated enough so that no-one would find them, but close enough so that one could still see the village. "Sir Bing, I was cultivating the [Divine Blackening Art] last night and found that my strength had increased by a great deal! Roughly 100 jins!". With a physical body strength of roughly 1000 jins, increasing her power by 1/10th overnight would be a great deal to most cultivators. Wang Xue finally thought she had arrived at the starting line. The starting line in the race to the pinnacle of cultivation! To Bing Xian on the other hand.... "Okay. Continue practicing until you reach the Pulse Condensation Stage. The Body Transformation Stage is relatively straightforward and focuses on refining the body, making it a suitable vessel for true essence. Don''t rush it. If you do, it could be the meaning between Houtian and Xiantian....". Despite his words having a jarring and slightly demeaning intent, Wang Xue''s eyes glistened as she listened to his words. ''I could become a Xiantian Martial Artist!''. To any cultivator in the Sky Fortune Kingdom, Xiantian was the pinnacle of cultivation! It symbolized nobility and respect. The strength of 10,000 men and the ability to fly through the sky! For someone who just used to be a mortal a couple months ago, Wang Xue thought this to be incredible! Bing Xian left the fifteen year old to her own devices after that. He could see that her d?s?r? to pursue the martial path was growing minute by minute, and every time Bing Xian enlightened her on something, that path would become just a little bit more clearer. "I suppose I should continue cultivating as well....", he muttered to himself. The six year old boy stood tall and proud on a flattened mountaintop, overlooking the tiny Green Valley Town several kilometers away. He cleared this space before he arrived on the [Tempest Mastodon] and slept here for a night, while continuing to practice his new Spirit Ring abilities as well as his new Spirit Bone abilities. His second red Spirit Ring granted him another 3 abilities. His second Spirit Ring''s first ability was called [Shadow Layer]. Simply put it coated Bing Xian''s body in a thick durable shadow which increased his defense dramatically. The layer of shadows could be stacked, which increased the defensive power of this ability, at the cost of a huge amount of Spirit Power. And despite how strong the ability would be at higher levels once Bing Xian''s spiritual power increased in both quality and quantity, every hit he blocked with the [Shadow Layer] drained his spirit power even quicker, making the ability a double-edged sword. ''I can only use this ability to defend against fatal attacks. I can''t use this freely yet.....'', he rubbed his chin and thought about his other new abilities. The second ability of his second Spirit Ring was called [Penumbra Dream]. It was an odd ability, something which even Xiao An said was complicated as he almost never used it, but combined with Bing Xian''s [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon], complimented it quite well. It added another affect to the purplish black mist that came with the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon], and instead of plaguing the target with random illusions that sprung from the cultivators own nightmares, it simply put the enemy to sleep. Bing Xian''s ability to control the purplish-black mist increased dramatically, being able to shape it into a plethora of different forms rather than just a dome than circled around Bing Xian''s body. And instead of being limited to a ten meter radius around him, Bing Xian could now extend the purplish-black mist over 30 meters! With this he could simply hide in an area and let his second Spirit Rings second ability take out all the enemies that even dare to try and catch him! ''It has a lesser effect on those with a cultivation higher than me though.... but I''m a Spirit Grandmaster now! Just one more Spirit Ring and I will have climbed higher than many Spirit Masters have reached in their entire lives!''. On the Douluo Continent, it was common knowledge than not all Spirit Masters could cultivate above level 30. Many had been stuck at that boundary, and some had their dreams shattered as a result. ''I won''t back down! I will become a God! A small boundary will not hinder me! I swear it!''. This darkness did more than just take away one''s sight however. In addition, one other random sense would be cut off, besides sight. Smell. Touch. Hearing. Taste..... If one had both their sight and hearing disabled.... how would they even notice Bing Xian coming? Unfortunately the ability didn''t stack like his [Shadow Layer], otherwise Bing Xian wouldn''t of stopped grinning all the way back to Green Valley Town. A small smile marked his features as he looked down at the vast world below. He enjoyed being in such higher places. It wasn''t the sense of superiority he got from looking down at the world, but rather a sense of wonder from just how enormous the Martial World truly was. His two crimson tinged Spirit Rings appeared right in front of him, as well as the three Spirit Essence Marks on the palm of his hand. The Spirit Rings each had a minor adjustment to them, symbolic to the Spirit Beast that it came from. The silly crane had his seven golden wings, each representing 100,000 years of cultivation, while also having a large pair of wings sprouting out at the top, like a crane ascending the 33 Heavens. Xiao An''s was a little bit low-key compared to the silly crane''s wings. ''It seems my inscriptions still need a little work'', he chuckled. Bing Xian''s gaze moved from the Spirit Rings to the palm of his hand where the three Spirit Essence Marks had stopped rotating and were completely visible to everyone. Purple in the shape of a Eight-Eyed Mask Green in the shape of a Holy Tree. White in the shape of a Snowflake. He had named the Eight-Eyed Mask the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] as it was a mutated version of the Ghost Douluo [Ghost Demon] Spirit Essence. It took the shape of a 10 meter tall tree with a single thick rope wrapped around it. He had called the Holy Tree the [Immortal Fusang Tree] as it was primarily a support Spirit Essence that had nine little golden buds that reminded Bing Xian of nine tiny little Three-Legged Golden Crows. It''s innate ability was to speed up all healing within a 100 meter radius by 100%. This meant that a injury that should normally take 10 days to heal would need only 5 days. It shortened the recovery period by half! It was a great boon to have, especially after fighting Spirit Beasts for training. He only had to wait half the time to fully recover which allowed Bing Xian to fight longer, and harder. Bing Xian was quite surprised to find out that his third Spirit Essence was a Body Spirit. The [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] was a Beast Spirit Essence and the [Immortal Fusang Tree] was a Tool Spirit Essence, so he should''ve suspected his third may have been a Body Spirit. He called it the [Nine Incessant Winter Body] Spirit Essence. Upon activation, his hair and eyes would turn white and a pure white glow would envelop the surrounding area. It would transform everything within ten meters into ice and cause a change in the weather, not matter where he would be. The [Nine Incessant Winter Body] literally turned his body into ice. His skin, his muscles, his blood, his organs, his bones, his marrow.... all of it would be turned into an equally tough ice. He could create a limitless amount of ice and shape it into any different number of forms he wanted. But it affected his personality as a result. After activating the [Nine Incessant Winter Body] he would freeze all his emotions as well. Bing Xian couldn''t feel anger or sadness, happiness and joy, even regret and despair. He embodied ice and became it as a result. It made him feel more like a robot than an ice man.... A cold shiver ran up Bing Xian''s spine. ''I admit that I have gotten used to the lack of emotions. It made me fight better and win better as well but....''. When he used the [Nine Incessant Winter Body] his d?s?r?s froze as well. Not his earthly d?s?r?s, but his d?s?r? to become a King and a God! It made him feel empty inside. He dispersed his Spirit Rings an Spirit Essence Marks and stared out at the humongous valley in front of him, his eyes focused and unblinking on the scenery around him. Bing Xian smiled a little before a puzzled expression came onto his face. ''Didn''t the silly crane say I had a fourth Spirit Essence Mark?''. Chapter 21 - Silent Massacre Bing Xian primarily contemplated his unknown fourth Spirit Essence during his stay at Green Valley Town. The mountaintop on which he built a small hut for cultivating was a perfect vantage point to observe the village, while also being able to see the main road leading up to the Zhu Clan''s target. He watched and killed roughly half a dozen Zhu Clan Body Transformation cultivators all of which said the same thing as they died. "We would''ve gotten away with this too. If it wasn''t for you meddling brat!". It seemed strangely familiar to Bing Xian, yet his mind was focused on the radiant gold Spirit Essence Mark that both Xiao An and the silly crane were talking about. "It was a giant golden Spirit Essence Mark in the shape of a giant bird taking flight. The power it exuded was beyond Life Destruction....". Said Xiao An. "Yeah! I felt suppressed just by its presence! I don''t think Xiao An felt anything, but this new Spirit Essence of yours must be related to birds somehow!". Said the silly crane. Their words didn''t answer any of the questions Bing Xian had about this strange Spiritual Essence, but no matter what he did, he couldn''t call out even a single sliver of that golden power that generated from his Dantian. Bing Xian sat on the roof of his small hut with a musing look on his face. ''A Golden Spirit Essence.... A giant bird.... bloodline suppression....''. Even with two lifetimes worth of experiences, Bing Xian couldn''t even begin to imagine what type of Spirit Essence this was. He had never heard of a Spirit Essence that takes the form of a giant bird, that could suppress bloodlines. Eventually, his ears perked up and he sat straight up and peered at the lightless forest below. One couldn''t see it, but a cultivator could definitely sense over a hundred human lifeforms hiding in the woods outside Green Valley Town, all of them travelling in formation. A cold smile crept onto Bing Xian''s face. ''It seems like the fishes have finally took the bait''. He presumed that since they hadn''t heard from any of the scouts they sent out that sending a bigger force would allow them to overpower the enemy. The six year old smirked slightly as his small masked figure crept into the darkness. Under his orders, fires were constantly kept going through the night on the walls of Green Valley Town, which cast long shadows into the nearby forest, allowing for Bing Xian to travel more freely in the darkness. The enemy seemed to have been taking advantage of the fact as well using good hiding places to serve through the darkness, unseen by the patrolling villages. Its a shame that Bing Xian already memorized the layout of the surrounding forests. And without fresh intelligence from their scouts, the Zhu Clan soldiers were going in blind. "Ahhhhh!". A lone screamed echoed throughout the forest, sending shivers up the back of the Zhu Clan soldiers. It came from behind them, so it was obvious that it was one of theirs. The soft rustling of grass as the wind traveled through the air carried the faint scent of iron through the woods. Blood, thought the Zhu Clan soldiers. It wasn''t an unfamiliar smell and was very distinct. Another sound of flesh being pierced was reverberated throughout the forest. Their was no following scream or shout for help, so it was clear that it ended with a single strike. It was deathly silent. None of the Zhu Clan soldiers made a peep as they tried to group up in circles to block any incoming attacks. They waited.... And waited.... And waited.... A thick layer of sweat built up on one of the soldiers brow. It started dripping down onto his eyes but he resisted the temptation of wiping it away. They waited some more.... Eventually the temptation grew too much for the Zhu Clan soldier, so he raised his head upwards trying to adjust his helmet so it''s inner padding would wipe it away... "Shush. Don''t tell the others". The random soldiers gaze never once blinking as he watched a small smiling figure cut through his fellow soldiers like a wolf in a pig pen. It''s purple smile never faltering as his eyes grew heavier and heavier before everything slowly turned dim and his breath never again.... Bing Xian almost felt bad for that soldier that looked up at him. He was planning on only letting that first guy scream as he died, which acted as a type of psychological warfare against these Zhu Clan soldiers. It would make them feel pressured being hunted by this unseen force in the moonless night and cause them to feel an uncontrollable fear within their hearts. ''That guy that looked up at him probably nearly pissed himself'', thought Bing Xian as his third [Twilight Slash] for the night cut the heads off seven 4th Stage Body Transformation cultivators. The scent of blood had grown incredibly thick as more and more bodies hit the ground, never to wake up again. Bing Xian had killed people in his second lifetime, so it didn''t feel strange to take another man''s life, but to do so in such a quick and effective manner made him really think about the structure of power in this world. ''In my first life, power was decided by those with money. People with money could do anything. They could go anywhere, buy anything, do whatever they wanted but in this world.... Cultivation is power. The higher your cultivation and attainments in martial arts, the more you could do. With a high enough cultivation you could go anywhere, buy anything, do whatever you want in this world....''. Climb the highest mountains or descend to the deepest depths of the ocean.... Destroy or create a Kingdom.... Have a harem of beauties following your every command.... Cultivation was synonymous with Power. Of course power came in many forms. Knowledge, influence, money, numbers, ability.... Bing Xian heard the sound of a bone cracking and let go of the Zhu Clan soldiers neck. The [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] hiding his unfazed expression as he looked down at the broken body of the young teen in front of him. ''I guess.... I''ll just have to take it all for myself then''. And he walked back into the darkness. The sound of hungry ghosts and murderous demons echoed in the night. Chapter 22 - Insta Killing A Early Pulse Condensation Martial Artists Bing Xian crept through the night with the presence of a bloodthirsty demon and the with the swiftness of a heavenly crane. He was using all his Spirit Abilities in order to kill the Zhu Clan members with the greatest stealth, so that none of them would be able to fight back. Even he would struggle fighting over a hundred men all at once. He may have the advantage in killing power through his spiritual essence, but even that would run dry eventually. Although he had started cultivating the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art], he hadn''t condensed a [True Shadow Seed] and thus hadn''t even reached the 1st Stage of Body Transformation. Bing Xian considered seeking Xiao An''s teachings but shook his head in disagreement. ''I''ve nearly condensed a [True Shadow Seed]. With the help of the [Holy Shadow] Beast blood and dark attributed true essence stones, I could probably reach the 1st Stage of Body Transformation by the end of the week''. If anyone heard his words they probably wouldn''t refute him. Bing Xian did possess a Rank 7 Martial Talent! A Peak Rank 7 Martial Talent! A Martial Talent that exceed Saint Level but almost reached Low Emperor Level. Throughout the entire Sky Fortune Kingdom, Bing Xian may be the only possessor of a Rank 7 Grade Martial Talent. Throughout the entire South Horizon Region, the amount of cultivators with a Rank 7 Martial Talent could be counted on ones fingers! If anyone found someone with Bing Xian''s talent and possessed no level of cultivation whatsoever, they would snatch them up and bring them back to their Sect immediately! "A demon! A demon!". Bing Xian''s ears perked up as a man who was clutching his throat, stood up and ran away. Blood was leaking heavily from his neck wound, which wasn''t deep enough by the looks of it. ''Oh? I missed his carotid?''. The six year old blinked twice before activating his Spirit Rings second ability. [Penumbra Dream]. The thick purplish-black mist that originally surrounded Bing Xian, shot forward like a spear and wrapped itself around the man''s body. Within ten seconds he had hit the ground hard, and Bing Xian cut of his head fully in order to be completely sure about his death. "It seems my cover was blown. It looks like I don''t have to be careful anymore". He ran over 90 meters, to the limit of what his spiritual sense could detect and saw 12 men huddled together getting dangerously close to the Green Valley Town wall. "L-look! The demon!". One of the men pointed their swords at Bing Xian and they instantly got into an offensive formation. Their eyes gleaming with hatred and bloodlust, but the scent of fear couldn''t be hidden from Bing Xian. He smirked, and focused his spiritual power into the palm of his hand, creating a large black ball crafted completely out of shadows. Just as Bing Xian got within ten meters of the 12 men, he threw the ball out and instantly the men were engulfed in a world of shadows. "Ahh!". "Who was that! What did I just touch!". "Huh? Did you say something? I can''t hear you!". Bing Xian was immune to the effects of his own [Senseless Night] and killed those 12 Zhu Clan soldiers within 10 seconds. The time limit of his [Senseless Night]. This large shadow claw was his Spirit Bones ability. Although there was only one, it was more useful than most of Bing Xian''s other combat abilities. Simply put, it created a [Holy Shadow] Beast claw over his arm, which possessed five razor sharp claws and one jagged bone spike on the back of his elbow. It was a deadly weapon and was stronger than all the weapons the Zhu Clan used by a long shot. "I think that might be all of them. Although I was wondering about the-". Bing Xian''s face behind the mask suddenly shifted, and he leaped back as a thin blade cut the space where he once stood. "Oh? You could sense me? How peculiar". A tall thin man stood with his back completely straight as he looked down at Bing Xian. An hidden look of jealously flashed through his eyes before he raised his sword once more. "I don''t know what factions genius you are, but since you are alone I am not afraid of the consequences!". The tall thin man unleashed his cultivation and a strong and powerful aura swept through the surrounding forest. A Pulse Condensation cultivator! The Pulse Condensation cultivator rushed towards Bing Xian, his sword tip directed straight as his heart! The wind around him screamed and the sword vibrated with malicious intent! His entire aura would''ve caused a lesser man to pass out. Bing Xian took note of the man''s speed and smirked once more. ''If this is all you''ve got...''. Bing Xian''s body flickered before vanishing from the thin man''s sight. His sword pierced through the tree behind him destroying it instantly. His eyebrows raised and his mouth widened. The thin man tried to turn around but a crescent smile was all his got before-. *Splat*! Five claws completely crafted out of shadows and exuding a cold aura pierced through his ?h?st grabbing his heart and crushing it all in one motion. A small trail of blood leaked out from the man''s mouth before he was dropped to the floor. His body uncaringly discarded on the forest floor, his vision getting dimmer and dimmer... "Y-y-you.... m-monster....". "If this is all you''ve got...", he spoke. He turned around and started walking away, the sound of the man''s last breath entered his ears and became nothing more than another forgotten face in Bing Xian''s mind. His demeanor became distant and unfettered. Unaffected by mortal troubles. Unconnected to mundane existences. His path was clear and his voice was calm. "Than I''m sorely disappointed". Chapter 23 - Destroying a Plant With Fire The sun rose over the horizon and shone brightly over the Zhu Clan camp. The sounds of birds chirping and flowers blooming made for a beautiful sight in this isolated village, making those guards smile slightly despite being awake nearly all night. "Those guys from the advance team must be having their fill in Green Valley Town. I''m so jealous!". "You''re right! If we got to go first, then maybe we could''ve enjoyed ourselves". A group of Zhu Clan guards walked around the perimeter of their camp before finding a large patch of blood. There was neither a carcass nor a corpse, so they concluded that a random beast must''ve fed here sometime ago. *Drip*. *Drip*. One of the guards felt a small droplet of red liquid fall from the trees and into the puddle of blood in front of them. ''Hmm?'' What''s this?''. That Zhu Clan guard titled his head slightly before his body started shaking and his mouth trembled violently. The clattering of armor was especially loud in the quite forest morning, and the rest of the group looked at their fellow soldier and frowned. "Hey! Little fish! Come back! What are you even looking-". *Drip*. The rest of the group froze in terror as they peered up at what was causing the dripping red liquid. Heads. Arms. Legs. Torsos. Bones. Blood. An uncountable number of broken corpses and dismembered limbs, bathed in blood and were held up by numerous bones as if it were some sort of sick joke filled the trees above them. Faces that died with their eyes open. Faces that died from their eyes being pierced. Faces that died in agony. Pain. "L-l-look! I-it''s brother Yu!". They pointed to the thin body in the center of all that blood and gore. He was the only one that had a complete corpse. Almost complete that is, with the except of a gaping hole were his heart was supposed to be. One of the soldiers that possessed a weaker will threw up at the sight of the twisted bodies and torn appendages. Another immediately left to go the Clan Head''s tent in order to inform him of the situation. Not noticing a eight purple slits watching them, a purple crescent smile seemingly growing bigger by the second. ''Swim into my net little fishes....''. And his figure vanished with the sound of leaves rustling. "What do you mean they''re all dead!". With a loud explosion, a relatively good-looking middle aged man slammed his arm down onto the wood table in front of him, instantly smashing the table and causing it to explode into countless tiny wood fragments. The solider that left the group earlier went straight to the Zhu Clan Heads tent, and immediately entered without permission. He was nearly slapped to death by the Clan Head, who was playing with one of his favorite concubines, but when he informed the Head of what had happened, he ordered everyone above Pulse Condensation to come to his tent and ?ssess the situation. "Clan Head, I recommend we should pull back now. This battle has already cost us numerous Body Stage Martial Artists and even a Pulse Condensation Realm cultivator. Even if the Young Masters honor has been tainted, it''s better than him being dead!". One of the Zhu Clan Elders tried to reason with the Zhu Clan Head, but Zhu Yan who was also present shouted out. "Father! By attacking me they made an enemy of the Zhu Clan! You''re the Clan Head and I will be the Clan Head after you. By tarnishing my reputation they have tarnished the reputation of the Zhu Clan! Everyone will think we''re laughing stocks!". If some random Pulse Condensation Martial Artist could threaten their Young Master and kill over a hundred of their men... weren''t they just inviting trouble over? This Clan Head obviously took into account his sons'' words and gave Zhu Yan a gentle smile. "Don''t worry Yan''er. We''ll head over to Green Valley Town right now and demand compensation. I don''t believe this strange short cultivator can take on 6 martial artists of the Pulse Condensation Realm!". In the room right now, their was 3 Early Pulse Condensation Realm cultivators. 2 Mid Stage. And 1 Late Stage. There were still over 200 men remaining in the camp and over half of them were over the 3rd Stage of Body Transformation! "Gather up the men! We leave for green Valley Town right-". *BOOM*! Before the Zhu Clan Head could finish talking, a massive explosion rung throughout the entire camp, shaking the ground they were standing on. Those in the main tent were unharmed and experienced only some dizziness, but the sounds coming from outside the tent were anything but unharmed. "I''m on fire! I''m on fire!". "Water! Where''s the water!". They exited the tent and saw that in an easterly direction a large tent that once stood had become nothing more than a giant ball of flames that occasionally shot out a smaller ball of fire. If almost any other tent caught fire the Zhu Clan would be able to deal with the damages to the rest of the camp, but this tent contained their food and water supplies! If they couldn''t feed their army, how could they except them to follow them!? "Quickly! Get the injured away from the fire and ?ssist with their injuries. You get some water from the river nearby! Hurry!". The Clan Head was not a useless Head. He quickly issued out orders to nearby guards who immediately nodded and started helping those that were injured by the explosion. "2nd Elder, 4th Elder. Come with me. The one that has caused this can''t be far behind. We must-". *BOOM*! More screams and shouts rang out. And the Clan Head quickly ran over to the other side of their camp. Their faces strained and hateful. "Fuck! That was the supply tent! All our spare equipment is now gone!". The Zhu Clan Head roared in anger and punched a large tree, causing it to explode into countless wood shards. He turned around and faced the Zhu Clan Elders he brought with him. He brought all except one. It wasn''t everyday they got to attack a village, and he was sure his brothers would love to take a couple new concubines from the survivors. He even heard that a beauty rivaling the Lan Clan daughter was among them! His son wanted to take the beauty for himself, but the Zhu Clan Head wasn''t going to let his son take her away that easily. "Quick! We should attack Green Valley Town while they''re attacking out own camp. We can ravage any women we get our hands on and kill all the men in the village!". His brothers eyes gleamed with d?s?r? and ?ust. And the minute they turned around, a round black ball dropped from the forest canopy above directly into the center of their group. "Huh? What''s this-". "2nd Brother! 5th Brother!". The eyes of the remaining Zhu Clan Elders and Clan Head widened and a image of hatred flashed through their eyes. They all raised their swords and nearly choked on their own spit as a small child, arms dipped in blood came out of the shadowed area. "Don''t worry about Zhu Yan or the rest of the Zhu Clan". A thick layer of shadows wrapped around the child''s body, and long sharp claws grew on his left hand. Their sharpness were intensified under the morning sun. A purplish-black mist floated around his body and a eight-eyed mask with a purple crescent smile created a small seed of fear in their hearts. "Because I promise you. I''ll kill everyone whose surname is Zhu". Chapter 24 - Fall Of The Zhu Clan The scent of blood filled the air. The faint screams from the burning Zhu camp hid the sound of iron clashing with shadows, and the Pulse Condensation Martial Artists cursed their Young Master for the situation they were currently caught in. ''Fuck! If I ever get my hands on Zhu Yan, I''ll fu?k?n? kill him!''. The 3rd Elder cursed inwardly as he evaded another strike from the small child''s giant black arm. It''s massively sharp claws already killed two of his fellow Elders, and cut off the 4th Elders arm! Bing Xian enclosed the area with his purplish-black mist, sending images of vivid demons and bloodthirsty ghosts into the minds of any of the Elders who dared try and run away, or any unlucky Zhu Clan soldier that accidentally wandered too close. He spun to his left, narrowly dodging a blow from the Zhu Clan head, and parried an attack of the one armed Elder who he had just dismembered. His eyes were calm, and his breathing steady as he practiced the "shifting" aspect of the [Thirteen Shadow Transformations]. It allowed his body to shift directions constantly, never once moving the same direction once in a row, never showing a visible pattern in his movements. He eventually closed his eyes and extended his spiritual sense out into the world around him. His mind allowing the images of the world around him to form a picture of his attackers. Jump up and swing your arm around in a full 360 degrees. The one of the left has his footwork disrupted, swipe his feet and block and overhead slash. *Clang*! The other two have attacked you simultaneously in order to provide support for their off guard comrade, retreat back three paces and through out a [Twilight Slash] at their legs. *Swish*! "Ahhh! My leg! My fu?k?n? leg!". Bing Xian smirked behind the mask. ''Like puppets on strings''. He muttered inwardly. He stood tall. As tall as his six year old body would allow and gazed domineeringly at the group of men, his head raised as if looking down on them. "I told you. I will kill everyone whose surname is Zhu. And once your gone, the foundations the Zhu Clan would''ve created in Green Mulberry City would be destroyed". The small child''s words were like daggers to their hearts, and his talent was like a hundred tonne brick on their psyche. How could such a young child possess a cultivation that exceeded Pulse Condensation! They were all grown men in their forties and fifties! How could a young brat who hadn''t even grown any hair down there get the better of them!? Was he a monster!? A demon from one of the Holy Lands?! Thoughts ran through their minds at over a million miles per hour which distracted them enough to notice that Bing Xian''s figure had vanished, and a cool breeze came over their body. ''Fuck!''. The 1st Elder of the Zhu Clan, felt a coldness envelop his body, before covering his neck in pain as massive amounts of blood gushed out from a tiny nick, obviously from the small figure behind them. "Why you little! I''ll fu?k?n? kill you!". The 4th Elder cursed loudly at Bing Xian, and rushed towards him. His eyes full of crazy maliciousness, and a complete disregard for his other two brothers voices behind him. Bing Xian had just used another transformations of the [Thirteen Shadow Transformations]; the aspect of "invisibility". It was one of the hardest transformations to attain, and even Bing Xian hadn''t even reached the small success stage of the transformation! He raised his massive [Holy Shadow] Beast arm and grabbed the sword the 4th Zhu Clan Elder swung at him, causing the 4th Elder to raise his eyebrows and leap back. But would Bing Xian let him have the chance? A large tendril, completely fashioned out of Bing Xian''s shadows, came shooting out of the darkness beneath the six year old, and pierce straight through the 4th Elders head! The tip was sharp and it entered through the eye. The Zhu Clan Head and the 3rd Elder couldn''t b?r? to look at their fellow Zhu Clan member be killed in such a manner, and averted their eyes as Bing Xian threw his corpse off to the side. "And then there were two....". Said Bing Xian in a bored manner. He tilted his head slightly and gazed at the two Zhu Clan members, and pointed his giant [Holy Beast] arm at the 3rd Elder. "You only have one leg. How do you expect to get out of this alive?". The 3rd Elder stood in front of the Zhu Clan Head, and pushed him back, closer to the purplish-black mist and further away from Bing Xian. "Go! Zhu Yang! Go now and leave! Get your stupid son and return to Green Mulberry City!". "No! Even if I leave here today, this monster will keep going after us. 6th Brother is still in Green Mulberry City. Even if he possesses the lowest cultivation out of all seven of us, he is still a Pulse Condensation Realm Martial Artist! He can keep the Zhu Clan stable until the next generation m?tur?s!". Zhu Yang''s gaze turned to the four bodies on the ground. Constantly leaking out blood with eyes wide open, a look of shook evident on their cold dead faces. He exhaled heavily and gazed at Bing Xian. A cold fury burning his eyes. "I realize this may be my son''s fault for trying to force that Wang Family girl to become his concubine.... but why did you have to do this! There''s no way someone of your stature and status could possibly have anything to do with such a small and isolated village! Why! Why did you attack us! If you wanted, I could gift you a a thousand girl''s whose beauty equals or exceeds that girls! Are you really doing this for one petty reason!?". Zhu Yang''s voice broke several times, as the thick scent of blood entered his nose. His eyes locked onto Bing Xian''s figure as his mask vanished and his starry blue eyes looked into his own. An even greater expression of rage marked the small child''s face. "Why?", he responded. Bing Xian''s tone expressed one of disgust and revulsion! It sounded so harsh that even Xiao An and the silly crane were put off by his tone. He raised his fist arrogantly at Zhu Yang and the 3rd Elder, who warily gazed the small child in front of them. "The strong devour the weak! And the weak obey the strong! Zhu Yan tried to exercise this right over me and he payed the consequences... in full!". Another painful scream echoed out in the distance, and a loud beast cry rung out in the camp center. "It''s a [Tempest Mastodon]! A Pulse Condensation Beast!". "Quick! Someone get the Clan Head!". "What do you mean you don''t know where he is! Go fu?k?n? get him!". "Father! Father where are you! Father we''ve got to... ahhh!". Zhu Yang''s heart started to bleed, and his eyes started to go watery. He knew whose voice that was in the background.... and he couldn''t save him! Bing Xian continued. A warm, domineering power started to flow into his body, and his iris turned golden and his pupils changed into slits! The image of a enormous divine bird whose wingspan stretched entire galaxies and who claws could tear through space and time, hung behind Bing Xian. Zhu Yang and the 3rd Elder were speechless. ".... But.... I was given a chance", Bing Xian''s voice turned mellow, yet his overpowering aura still froze Zhu Yang and the 3rd Elder where they stood. "I was given a chance to life as one of the strong. I was given a chance to become one of the strong. I was given a chance to live a life I always dreamed of....". His gaze rose upwards, as if looking at something. "And I promised myself.... that if anyone ever tried to make me feel weak again...". The formless image of the enormous divine bird raised its claws up and swung down with a force that could''ve cut space and time. Bing Xian stared at the bodies and the warm spiritual power that came from his Dantian faded. His face serene and his starry eyes tranquil, despite the scent of iron and ash coming from all around him. "I would show them what "true" strength really was". Chapter 25 - Good Day Bing Xian spent the rest of the afternoon killing any stragglers that tried to escape from the Zhu Clan encampment around Green Valley Town, and did so leisurely from the back of the [Tempest Mastodon]. He found this massive, seven meter tall and ten meter long mammoth of a creature a few days after he left the Demon Grotto and started journeying back towards Green Valley Town. It was surrounded by a pack of wolves that was possessed a strength equal to a Pulse Condensation cultivator, and he saved the beast with the intent of using it as a mount. After saving the [Tempest Mastodon], although the beast was wary of Bing Xian initially, after coaxing it with a small shard of dark attributed essence stone, it quickly grew close to Bing Xian, and he finally obtained a Pulse Condensation mount. "I think I''ll name you, little Xiang". The massive [Tempest Mastodon] roared happily, as it grabbed Bing Xian by the waist with its trunk, and placed the six year old on its back, walking back to Green Valley Town. Bing Xian sent a glance back to the blackened earth littered with burnt tents and bloodied corpses and turned his gaze back towards the village. ''Green Valley Town will be fine without my protection from now on. News of this will eventually reach Green Mulberry City and the Zhu Clan''s power will waver as a result. If anybody tries to bother the villagers, they''ll think twice after what happened here today....''. In the coming days, Bing Xian would leave Green Valley Town and continue his journey towards Sky Fortune City! He would bring Wang Xue along with him and help her develop her cultivation so she would be useful to him in the future. ''I''ve already got a plan in mind. Wang Xue will have to change her image a little bit and I''ll have to get the villagers to help build a carriage but....''. "I wonder what this country''s capital is like... I wonder if I''ll find anything good there!". He imagined attending auctions and ambushing those who bought rare and powerful medicines and artifacts. Enrolling into a Sect and becoming the top student there after beating up all the arrogant young masters who depended on their family background. Courting young ladies from noble families and winning their hearts in tournaments and competitions. Being sent on missions and getting sidetracked and finding rare and powerful treasures which would help him defeat cultivators with a cultivation higher than his own! Bing Xian smiled. The [Tempest Mastodon] stopped its advances, and the sounds of loud cheering voices echoed throughout the area. "Lord Bing defeated all the Zhu Clan martial artists!". "Wasn''t there over a dozen Pulse Condensation cultivators!?". "Yeah! I heard from my sister-in-law who heard it from her niece who heard it from her cousin that Lord Bing personally killed the Zhu Clan Head!". "Wow really!". While it was true that he killed Zhu Yang, the current head of the Zhu Clan, there was only around half a dozen Pulse Condensation Martial Artists. Where someone had gotten over a dozen, he had no way of knowing. "Sir Bing!". A beautiful young girl came running over to the [Tempest Mastodon]. Her expression was one of reverence and esteem. "Little Snow", said Bing Xian, "The Zhu Clan has been dealt with and Zhu Yan is dead. Green Valley Town will no longer have to fear the-.... you reached the Flesh Training Stage of the Body Transformation Realm?". Their was a small shift in the way she carried herself in Bing Xian''s eyes. Her arms looked much leaner and her supple teenage body appeared more confident, and her eyes gleamed with a self confidence that wasn''t their a few days ago. She smiled and nodded. "This Xue had just broken through yesterday. I spent last night consolidating my cultivation and I reached the 2nd Stage of Body Transformation. Although this pales into comparison with your own strength, Wang Xue is finally ready to help Sir Bing in anything he needs!". Bing Xian looked down at the beautiful fifteen year old girl and smirked inwardly. ''Using the [Divine Blackening Art], Wang Xue could reach the 3rd or even 4th Stage of Body Transformation in the next few months. By then my plan would work even better.....''. Bing Xian whispered into her ear. "We will be leaving Green Valley Town in a ten days. Start packing your things and saying goodbye. We leave for Sky Fortune City after that". Wang Xue''s eyes widened after hearing Bing Xian''s words, and she nodded and returned to the Village Chief''s house. If she turned back to look at Bing Xian, she would notice that his gaze was firmly planted on the mountaintop on which he built his small cabin. Jumping on the back of the [Tempest Mastodon] he left he village and returned to the flattened mountaintop, the massive elephant like beast, running around in the forest below. ''I need to cultivate too. I need to condense a [True Shadow Seed] and then start my Strength Training Stage of the Body Transformation Realm''. He sat down in his small log wood cabin, cross legged with a massive shard of dark attributed essence stone in front of him. Bing Xian started practicing the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] and his breathing rate rapidly changed every few moments. His consciousness fully focused on cultivating. Bing Xian gave Wang Xue ten days for several reasons. The main reason was to give him time to condense a [True Shadow Seed] and reach the 1st Stage of Body Transformation, so he could enter a Sect in Sky Fortune City, with the identity of a top tier genius. He couldn''t rely on information on several thousand years ago from Xiao An, and the silly crane was too self-absorbed to think about the world around him. So Bing Xian needed to find a place where he could cultivate in peace, while gaining information about the world. Secondly, was to let Wang Xue sever some of her mortal connections, so that she could fully embrace the way of martial arts. With her current talent, she could be considered someone with value in the Sky Fortune Kingdom, and Bing Xian needed her to make full use of it. It wouldn''t help him if she was constantly worried about her father and brother that it distracted herself from cultivating. Thirdly, to see if any hidden Pulse Condensation Martial Artist somehow evaded his notice, and wanted to attack Green Valley Town after he had left. On the mountaintop, he was hidden, but had a good vantage point to spy from and could see any incoming figures and deal with them as he saw fit. And lastly, was just a matter of inconvenience. He needed the villagers to make him a carriage and give him enough supplies to last ten months of travelling. The distance from Green Mulberry City to Sky Fortune Kingdom was 10,000 kilometers. It took Bing Xian two months of walking, even with his enhanced speed to travel 3,500 kilometers to reach Green Valley Town. With the [Tempest Mastodon] he could probably reach Sky Fortune Kingdom within six months, even if they took their time. ''I''ll have plenty of time to cultivate in the coming months. Wang Xue will also be able to temper herself in the wilderness.... and then my plan with be able to b?r? fruit....''. Today was a good day. Chapter 26 - Condensing a True Shadow Seed! Bing Xian sat in complete silence within his small mountaintop cabin, the soft drum of a beating heart could be heard within. His breathing obscure and esoteric, and the sensation of a cold, isolation crept through the air. He had been sitting here nonstop for the past 3 days trying to condense a [True Shadow Seed] within his Dantian. A small bead of sweat gathered on his brow. ''.... almost there....''. The aura outside the cabin was tainted and dim. The profound concepts of darkness were being congealed by Bing Xian, and a small seed of darkness, the same size as a fingernail, was gathering within his body. The [True Shadow Seed] allowed Bing Xian to undergo [Blackening]. A process which flooded the body with a higher tier of true essence, dark attributed true essence. Once it entered the body, it would dilute the rest of the true essence, and raise its quality, allowing for a cultivator to fight another with a cultivation exceeding their own! This process had never been practiced by a human before. Despite not being a transcendent divine might, the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] was a cultivation technique that would make a plethora of Holy Lands and Ancient Sects within the Divine Realm go green with greed. In fact there was a reference to an actual Transcendent Divine Might within the pages of the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art], but the true name of the technique was never revealed. It did however say that this particular Transcendent Divine Might was capable of condensing a myriad of elements within the body, not just limited to one, like the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art]. ''It also said it was easier to condense as well....''. A crooked smile appeared on Bing Xian''s face, before a wave of dark attributed true essence exploded out of his body, destroying the wood cabin he was cultivating in, and sending a visible burst of true essence off the top of the mountain. "Since its Lord Bing we have nothing to worry about!". They all went back to their daily lives, all of them quickly forgetting the event ever happened. Wang Xue on the other hand, decided to trek up Bing Xian''s mountain, slightly worried for her teachers safety. The fifteen year old girl had become almost completely dependent on Bing Xian, in her heart, and her mind. Ever since that small child came to Green Valley Town, she had her whole world turned upside down, and her fate had been reversed. ''If Sir Bing hadn''t been their that day, I would''ve been just another one of Zhu Yan''s playthings....''. Her already refined resolved strengthened every time Bing Xian went to instruct her on the [Divine Blackening Art], and she was close to condensing her own [False Shadow Seed], an added effect of cultivating the [Divine Blackening Art]. It worked in the same way that the [True Shadow Seed] did, however on a much lesser scale. It boosted the cultivators offensive power by a fair amount, and did allow for a [Blackening] to occur, but not to the same effect as Bing Xian''s. It would like be comparing a random beast with divine blood to one without. At the same level, the beast with the trace of divine blood would be far superior in strength, speed, stamina, agility and endurance than the one without. The divine blood in this metaphor being the purity of true essence. Of course Wang Xue didn''t know that the two were practicing two different cultivation techniques, and wouldn''t notice the difference thanks to one being just a mere imitation of the other. "Sir Bing!... Sir Bing where are you!?". The fifteen year old girl shouted to the black mist covered mountaintop, feeling that her cultivation slightly increased, just by breathing in the dark attributed true essence in the atmosphere. ''That''s strange. I''ve been up this mountain before and never noticed a change in true essence in the air.... it must be Sir Bing''s doing!''. She nodded and smiled inwardly at the deduction, and waited a few minutes as the black mist was slowly being drawn into a center point. It was a slow process to begin with, but after a few minutes, tendrils of dark attributed true essence condensed and shot themselves towards Bing Xian''s body, covering his body more and more by the second with layers and layers of darkness. Wang Xue couldn''t see his face and watched on with awe as Bing Xian condensed his [True Shadow Seed]. A small drip of blood leaked out of Bing Xian''s nose. ''..... fu?k this fu?k?n? hurts!....''. Xiao An was communicating with Bing Xian through their connection as his Second Spirit Ring, the former trying to show Bing Xian how to defuse and condense the true essence. Bing Xian nodded as he grit his teeth and kept circulating the dark attributed true essence, just like the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] told him to do. Time passed and slowly the sun began to set and the moon rose up to chase after it. Bing Xian circulated the true essence hundreds, if not thousands of times by now. After the one hundred times, some of the dark attributed true essence leaked out and seeped into his skin. After two hundred times it was absorbed flesh. Five hundred times his organs. A thousand times his muscles. Two thousand times his bones. And after ten thousand times his marrow. When a human was born they are all born with an innate affinity to certain Laws and Concepts. That affinity may be almost non-existent or as strong as a God level Beast, but they do possess an innate affinity. There are processes which can change or give a cultivator another affinity, usually through imbuing Laws and Profound Concepts into their own bones, making that comprehension and understanding fixed and permanent. The other way was through a Baptism. Similar to engraving Laws and Concepts into the bones, true essence seeps into the body and isn''t refined to further one''s cultivation, but instead alters the body so that the true essence can flow through the body, like water down a stream. The body is changed then the attributed true essence flows through it, initially blocked and f?r??b?? pushing through the channels and meridians within the body, before the body adapts and changes to suit this new flow of power. For Bing Xian, who didn''t possess an affinity to darkness concepts and laws, this Baptism was a godsend. He smirked through the pain. ''At least I know why this is a top tier cultivation method!''. The feeling of having his internal passages cleared and free for dark attributed true essence was a painful and disgusting feeling, but after it was done, he didn''t feel cold or afraid of the darkness anymore. He felt at home. Being cradled in the darkness while continuing to circulate the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] was like being pulled into his mothers embrace. And the shadows slowly gathered within Bing Xian''s Dantian, a small fingernail sized black crystal. It slowly rotated with his Dantian, and the faint image of a humongous Holy Shadow Beast could be seen within the [True Shadow Seed], it''s massive body larger than even the [Immortal Midnight Crane]''s! All of the black mist faded, and only Wang Xue''s amazed eyes could be seen as she gazed down at the figure at the center of it all, her inspired face slowly turning into one of confusion as she looked at the shirtless boy in front of her. Said boy turned to look at her and said, Chapter 27 - [White Shadow Core]? "What are you looking at?". To Wang Xue, a young fifteen year old girl who had no idea how truly high the sky was, and never understood the concept of a mountain behind a mountain and a man behind a man, she looked at this strange child and raised an eyebrow curiously. "This is my teachers mountaintop. I don''t know what your doing here little boy, but I would be grateful if you would leave". Her words were slightly arrogant, and she looked down at the small child with a raised head. Bing Xian was confused. ''What?''. Wang Xue would''ve already memorized Bing Xian''s physique and facial features from the first moment they met. His six year old body was hard to notice but definitely not forgettable. Even with the faint dark attributed true essence clouding the mountaintop, she should know who he was. "My teacher, Sir Bing, has claimed this mountaintop as his own. I don''t know who you think you are, but I cannot permit you to-". "What are you talking about little snow? I am Bing Xian!". Bing Xian took a step forward towards Wang Xue, and the latter merely narrowed her eyes at the small child, before widening and bowing profusely. Her tone was the complete opposite from what it was earlier. "I''m terribly sorry Sir Bing! Xue didn''t recognize you with your body''s changes!.... Have you condensed a [False Shadow Seed] by any chance?". Bing Xian had had skimmed over the [Divine Blackening Art] and it did say that there would be physical changes once a [False Shadow Seed] had been condensed, and reasoned that it must be the same with the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art] and its [True Shadow Seed]. ''That''s correct little Xian'', Xiao An''s voice echoed throughout Bing Xian''s Sea of Consciousness, ''Once you open the [True Shadow Seed], dark attributed true essence will flow into the body and cause minor external changes. Hair color, eye color, pressure exhibited.... but those are of secondary importance, what matters is the quality of you [True Shadow Seed]!''. The six year old nodded at his masters words. It would make sense if Bing Xian''s dark blue hair and starry blue eyes changed and become a different color. He saw his hands and noticed that his skin color had changed, if not becoming a shade lighter than before. ''I guess [Blackening] might be useful for disguises after all....''. His shoulder length dark blue hair and navy blue eyes were quite noticeable when compared to everyone else in Green Valley Town. Even in Green Mulberry City, he had never sen anyone else with such a hair color. Bing Xian shrugged his shoulders and looked at Wang Xue, who was still bowing and apologizing for her misdeeds. He waved her off. "It''s fine little snow. I forgot about the changes after condensing a [False Shadow Seed], so don''t worry about it.... however, in the future, don''t be so arrogant in front of people whose capabilities you don''t fully know. If you do, it may prove fatal and you should know what will happen to you after that... don''t you?". Bing Xian sighed before noticing his small log wood cabin had exploded from the amount of dark attributed true essence their was in the air, and became nothing but pieces of wood scattered on a mountaintop. He looked towards the setting sun in the distance before gesturing for Wang Xue to follow him back to Green Valley Town. It seems he would have to find refuge in the village tonight. Bing Xian spent the rest of the week consolidating his [True Shadow Seed] and cultivating in order to reach the 1st Stage of Body Transformation. Although he had stabilized his [True Shadow Seed] which prevented it from dispersing, he unfortunately had yet to reach the Strength Training Stage of the Body Transformation Realm. He didn''t forget to practice the [Thirteen Shadow Transformations], and nor did he neglect his studies on inscriptions and arrays within the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] and Bing Xian found himself fully entranced with everything his master had gifted him. In this past seven days, Wang Xue had taught the villagers some low level martial arts Bing Xian had gifted her from his second life, and readily practiced those martial arts, her Rank 2 Martial Talent, while not nearly as powerful as Bing Xian''s Rank 7, still exceeded those Rank 1 and Rank 0 villagers who struggled to adapt their bodies to the forms. Little Snow also ate and drunk some [Holy Shadow] Beast blood and flesh, which had the effect of purifying her internal viscera, allowing her to reach the peak of the 2nd Stage of Body Transformation, just one more step and she would''ve reached the 3rd Stage! "Wang Xue, your body currently has an abundance of true essence from that beast blood and flesh. Before you reach the 3rd Stage of Body Transformation, you will condense a [False Shadow Seed] within your Dantian. Don''t worry about how long it will take, we''ll leave a couple days later if you need". Wang Xue took a total of fifteen days to properly condense a [False Shadow Seed], twelve more days than what Bing Xian needed to condense his. When Wang Xue had condensed her [False Shadow Seed] her looks changed dramatically. However, Wang Xue had a complete different [Blackening] to Bing Xian''s and what was stated within the [Divine Shadow Art]! Her smooth silky straight black hair that dripped down like a black waterfall, had turned as white as snow, giving her the image of a heavenly snow woman. Her skin had become as radiant as "mutton-fat" nephrite. Her iris turned completely white, however the faint black line between her iris and sclera still remained. Bing Xian, Xiao An and the silly crane were all dumbfounded by the change! ''I''ve seen this before! This is a result of all the dark-attributed beast flesh and blood she has consumed! Her [False Shadow Seed] had congregated a huge concentration of dark attributed true essence and her body''s innate attributes matched that of the [Divine Shadow Art]!''. Bing Xian looked at the small [Holy Shadow] beast exit his Sea of Consciousness and look down at the cultivating Wang Xue. ''Unlike your body, which gained the dark affinity through a baptism, her body already possessed a dark attribute, which allowed her to create a [White Shadow Seed]!''. The six year old didn''t fully understand so gestured for Xiao An to continue. ''The most common affinities of the human race are Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Higher tier affinities like Lightning and Darkness aren''t rare but are definitely uncommon..... and it seems your little apprentice has this uncommon affinity''. Bing Xian started to understand. This meant that her talent for practicing dark-attributed cultivation techniques and battle skills were increased. ''Master, what did you mean by a [White Shadow Seed]? Is it unique to those who have a dark attribute?''. Xiao An nodded. ''It is. I have seen over a hundred humans in my lifetime who possess a dark attribute, and all who cultivated the [Divine Blackening Art] have condensed a [White Shadow Seed]. If darkness is the absence of light, and the absence of light is the absence of color, all that remains is just a blank canvas. Whether that canvas be black or white, depends on the cultivator''. Bing Xian stood still for a moment, comprehending Xiao An''s words, and smiled slowly and looked down at the two foot tall [Holy Shadow] Beast. "Do you want me to teach her the [Thirteen Shadow Transformations]?". While Xiao An couldn''t stop him if Bing Xian wanted to teach Wang Xue, it was still polite to ask his master if he could teach his techniques to other people. Luckily, the [Holy Shadow] Beast nodded. ''It would be such a waste for her not to practice it. For someone who has an innate darkness affinity, her speed in cultivation would be quicker than those of an even higher Martial Talent''. ''It seems like even fate wants me to succeed''. His eyes trailed over Wang Xue''s immaculate figure as he sat down in the corner of the room. ''Your importance has increased little snow, it seems like a pawn has suddenly become a Knight''. Chapter 28 - Leaving Green Valley Town A few more days had passed since Wang Xue condensed her [White Shadow Seed] and a large group of villagers gathered around a massive beast near Green Valley Town''s main gate, placing a large carriage on top of the massive beasts back. The beast was over seven meters tall and close to twenty meters long. It must''ve weighed close to 40,000 jin, and was covered in a thick fur and even tougher hide. This was obviously Bing Xian''s [Tempest Mastodon]. It had grown content being able to freely walk around Green Valley Town, and was by far the strongest beast in the area. And under Bing Xian''s care, it got to eat small amounts of Life Destruction Beast flesh, something that it had never even dreamed of eating before. "Wang Xue is leaving today isn''t she?". "Yeah, Lord Bing is taking her to Sky Fortune City to enter a Sect!". "The Seven Profound Martial House, or the Sky Fortune Martial House?". "It must be the Seven Profound Martial House! Lord Bing can kill a Pulse Condensation Martial Artist.... and he isn''t even ten!". They all sighed enviously as the image of Bing Xian killing that group of Body Transformation cultivators that came with Zhu Yan. It was frightening, but a real eye opener to the mortal villagers. The power of Martial Arts, was a power that ruled the world! In the past few days, Bing Xian had asked the Village Chief to make a carriage to be placed on the [Tempest Mastodon''s] back, so that he would be able to stay out of the sun and rain when he travels. He would be accompanied by Wang Xue, so of course the Village Chief accepted. It had been close to a month since he destroyed the Zhu Clan camp, and killed their Pulse Condensation Martial Artists. He noticed that his normal body strength, which was still increased by his Level 23 Spirit Grandmaster cultivation, had reached a whooping 10,000 jin! While not reaching the legendary Tempering Marrow Stage that Xiao An had told him about, Bing Xian''s strength still exceeded that of any known Pulse Condensation Realm Martial Artist! He was six years old and reached a level of strength most cultivators in this country only dream of. And if he included the boost in strength the [Undying Nightmare Ghost Demon] gave him, it would exceed 15,000 jin! 15,000 jin! He was only a 1st Stage Body Transformation, yet cultivating his Spirit Essence before practicing True Essence cultivation allowed his foundations become unbelievably sturdy. It changed the innate qualities of his body to a higher tier, and made it more suitable for cultivating true essence. ''The combination of Spirit Essence cultivation and True Essence cultivation is remarkable. Those guys from the Zhu Clan didn''t have nearly this level of strength in Pulse Condensation, and I''m still at the 1st Stage of Body Transformation....''. Bing Xian sat underneath a tree, watching the group of men finish placing that giant carriage onto the Little Xiang''s back. He has a massive bag sitting next to him, with all his supplies for the next few months, after which he would need to either purchase or hunt for food. Today was the day that Bing Xian had set to leave Green Valley Town. He had already given Wang Xue ample time to say goodbye and be content with her mortal connections, leaving him enough time to cultivate himself. ''Ten months on the road.... I''ll be seven in just a few months....''. Bing Xian suspected that it would take longer than ten months to reach Sky Fortune City. With his current speed, he would reach Level 30 Spirit Grandmaster in roughly 3-4 months from his current Level 23 Spirit Grandmaster. ''I have three other Spirits that need Spirit Rings as well. My [Immortal Fusang Tree] is difficult to find Spirit Rings for, and the [Nine Incessant Winter Body] needs Ice-attributed Spirit Beasts in order to cultivate properly..... even the golden bird Spirit Essence needs some Spirit Rings....''. Bing Xian didn''t want to settle for killing Spirit Beasts in order to get their Spirit Rings. Getting a conscious Spirit Ring would allow him to not just get information from the beast like he did from Xiao An, but maybe even information about other Spirit Beasts, one''s that are hide to find. ''Especially Plant-Spirit Rings.... even on the Douluo Continent they were rare....''. Bing Xian noticed a tall shapely figure walk towards him, a massive crowd behind her, holding signs and good luck charms as she walked towards the shady tree. The six year old stood up and arched his back. His small body, while not showing any signs of muscle or strength, was one that showed almost no fat, and was limber and skinny, like a boy his age should be. He looked at the pretty girl in front of him. She nodded. "Yes Sir Bing!". The two walked, being trailed closely by the rest of the village, their screams and shouts were mostly ones for good fortune on their journey, but some caused Wang Xue to go red in the face. "Lady Wang! I love you!". "Please come back Wang Xue!". "I''ll never marry anyone but you!". Bing Xian rolled his eyes at the group of teenage boys. Even in his previous life, it was mainly the males that professed their love for the woman of their dreams, especially at Shrek Academy. The Sea God Fated Festival allowed for male students to profess their love for the woman of their dreams. "I will travel to Sky Fortune City Wang Xue! I love you!". He slapped his face is disappointment, remembering that the Sea God Fated Festival was much more structured and civil than this train wreck. "There will be many more teenage boys pining for your affections in Sky Fortune City. Remember that you cannot be as dismissive of them as you are of these teens". Wang Xue nodded. Bing Xian''s plan was to portray himself as a mysterious elder whose face was scarred badly, and was forced to hide his true face with a mask. Wang Xue would be his family''s Young Mistress, who journeyed to Sky Fortune City to join the Seven Profound House. In over ten months of journeying, Bing Xian and Wang Xue would undergo massive increases to the strength and cultivation, Bing Xian especially. His Rank 7 Martial Talent would be able to fully shine in this time and ?ssist in cultivating the [Holy Shadow Blackening Art], and practicing the [Thirteen Shadow Transformations]. Not to mention the [Heavenly Inscription Chronicle] as well as cultivating his Spirit Essence to Rank 30. He smirked internally. ''Who knows, maybe I''ll even find a Spirit Beast that''s suitable to become my Spirit Ring.....''. With an elegant leap, he jumped up to Little Xiang''s back, and underneath the carriage the villagers had kindly built for him and Wang Xue, the gazes of over one thousand people looked at up him and Wang Xue, their eyes filled with awe and respect. And a little bit of ?ust, mainly directed at Wang Xue. "Let''s go.... to Sky Fortune City!". Chapter 29 - One Year Later..... The sun was shining brightly over Sky Fortune City. The total population of Sky Fortune Kingdom was roughly 50 million people, and roughly one tenth of that, lived in the Kingdom''s capital. Sky Fortune City! To the mortals and cultivators with common backgrounds, it was akin to a Holy Land of cultivation! Many Houtian cultivators and countless Pulse Condensation cultivators lived within the city''s walls however there was several who reigned above them all.... Xiantian! A cultivator that exceeded the limits of their own mortality and could fly in the sky! They had a lifespan of 300-400 years and within the boundaries of the Sky Fortune Kingdom was a peak powerhouse. There was only one Xiantian Realm cultivator who supported the Royal Family of Sky Fortune Kingdom, but within the Seven Profound Martial House, even students there were unsure how many Xiantian there were. The Seven Profound Martial House had waters that even the Royal Family of the Sky Fortune Kingdom didn''t dare to tread. The power behind this branch house, while still just a branch house, was not by any means small. "Hey! Little Li! Why are you running? It''s so early in the morning, peak traffic doesn''t start for at least another two hours!". A guard came running towards the biggest gate into Sky Fortune Kingdom, covered in armor and sweat from head to toe. His face was pale and his tone was cracked. "Guests! We have special guests coming!". The other guards brows frowned when they heard the obscure words of Little Li, they started whispering before a violent banging noise came from outside the main gate. Little Li''s eyes widened and yelled at the group of guards. "This guest came to the eastern gate but his mount was too big to enter! The southern main gate is the only gate big enough for this elders mount to get through!". The shaking increased in both magnitude and time. With every passing second the faint sound of an elephants roar and stomping legs echoed throughout Sky Fortune City. ''What is going on! Just who is out there!''. The City Guards quickly and efficiently opened up the main gate to Sky Fortune City and their eyes widened and their heads tilted up to greet the unbelievably massive beast in front of them. Little Li had already seen the beast once before at the eastern gate, and even he was enraptured by the beasts domineering aura. He quickly snapped out of it and bowed at the sight of the massive elephant. "Lord Bing! I''m so glad you found the southern gate, can I please escort your [Tempest Gale Mastodon] to where the beast ranch is?". The giant [Tempest Gale Mastodon] didn''t move an inch, but the guards felt a cool breeze come over them and a cold sweat came over them. "It seems the City Guards here are a bit slow. If I was an enemy, you''d all be dead". A wizened old voice echoed out from behind the group of guards, and they turned and looked down at the short figure in front of them. Although the words of this short figure hurt their pride somewhat, it meant nothing to these group of Body Transformation Martial Artists. What was their pride worth when compared to their life?! The smile almost grew bigger when the figure spoke. "My granddaughter and I would like to formally enter Sky Fortune Kingdom.... I am aware that applications to enter the Seven Profound Martial House start soon?". Little Li came forward and bowed once more. "Yes Lord Bing! In fact the applications start in three days! I''m sure your granddaughters talent, she''ll be guaranteed a place in the Seven Profound Martial House". The short figure nodded slightly at these words, before a fairy-like voice echoed from the carriage on top of the [Tempest Gale Mastodon]. "Grandfather? Have we arrived?". The City Guards gazes were unconsciously drawn to the unbelievably sweet voice coming from the carriage, and many of them gulped as they looked up. Lord Bing smiled. "It seems you''re awaken Xue''er. Come down and walk with your grandfather for a bit. All that time in the carriage, you need a breath of fresh air....". Jade like skin that was as smooth and radiant as nephrite. A sensual and m?tur? body that didn''t belong to a sixteen year old girl. Her curvy figure couldn''t be hidden behind such loose fitting robes, and the eyes of the City Guards were drawn to her ?h?st, h?ps and waist. What made this fairy so unique, was the faint white sword image between her brows, causing her to have a strange mixture of both a heavenly beauty and a powerful martial lord. She was dressed in a fine white robe with black patterns stitched into the sleeves, which complimented her calm black eyes, which was full of curiosity and excitement as she gazed at the inner city walls several li away. "So this is Sky Fortune City.... it''s quite nice, don''t you think grandfather?". She smiled as she mentioned the word grandfather, which caused the City Guards to go red in the face as they gazed at such a heavenly beauty. The short figure rolled his eyes and his figure vanished and reappeared on the head of the [Tempest Gale Mastodon]. The masked grandfather patted the giant beasts head and gestured for Xue''er to come back aboard the carriage. "Come Little Xiang, you''ve come a long away, you deserve a good rest for a while". The massive beast roared in contentment before stomping unhurriedly towards the nearby beast ranch. Little Li attempted to follow them, but was forced to trail behind as his speed couldn''t match the [Tempest Gale Mastodon]. He took a deep breath before gazing up at the ten meter tall beast, his body still covered in sweat. The guard''s mind was drawn to the faint breeze that the short masked figure exerted, and the complete lack of sound and true essence caused his instincts to raise slightly. ''His movement technique was astounding as well. No sound, no true essence leaking out, no presence or aura exerted.... it was as if an invisible shadow passed right through me....''. His eyes were once again drawn to the short figure sitting on top of the [Tempest Gale Mastodon''s] head. Little Li came from a small martial arts family within Sky Fortune Kingdom and his own attainments in martial arts were not small either. He had reached the peak of the Body Transformation Stage at age 27 and was only a little bit away from reaching the Pulse Condensation Realm. A small fire burned within Little Li and he looked up to the sky and clenched his fist tightly! ''I will become just like Lord Bing one day!''. A seven year old sneezed nearby.