This was it, the first cultivation-based adventure, a bona fide relic!
It was time to formally start the legend. It would start here, at the Peach Blossom Sage relic.
****
I stepped into the portal with undisguised excitement. You could see it clearly on my face, though everyone always disagreed.
My vision twisted, and I couldn't tell up from down. At the same time, I felt headless, like my body was no longer my own, a feeling my drunk uncle felt most of the time I reckon.
There also appeared to be some kind of unique pulling force that was probing my body, it wasn't long before I heard some cracking sounds, that didn't sound good.
By the time I could see again, I was in a hall that smelt like old people and the only person by my side was… Shen Ling? That's interesting.
"Where's everyone else?" she asked while looking around with a confused expression.
I looked around, but I wasn't confused. I mean, we all know how this song and dance goes, am I right?
However, she didn't, so I had to explain. "According to normal cultivator logic, the space transference properties of the portal probably separated us, and the mere fact that you are with me is nothing short of luck. Whether it's good or bad… well that remains to be seen."
She looked at me as if she understood, but at the same time didn't. Something tells me I'm going to be experiencing a lot more of those looks.
"C'mon, we gotta find the others," I waved to Shen Ling beckoning her to follow me.
We were walking down what appeared to be a corridor, or maybe it was a hallway. I really miss Google when it comes to things like this, but oh well.
At least most of the knowledge I got from the internet and my last savage novel/manga binge is meant to help me go 'meh,' a lot in this world. With a trade-off like that, I can't really complain.
"This place feels weird to me for some reason."
Shen Ling ran her hands across the wall of the corridor as we walked along.
There was an expression on her face that I couldn't quite make out. Then again, when it came to social cues, no amount of Google could help me in that regard, and trust me, I tried.
"What do you feel?" I asked her as I tried my best to spread out my spiritual force, trying to scope out my surroundings.
Now that I think about it, when you take into consideration the use of spiritual force, the so-called heavenly gaze, and the nonsensical sixth sense, cultivators really are an amalgamation of everything that personal space stands against.
"It feels… warm, I think," Shen Ling replied.
"As long as it's not running down your l…"
Shen Ling, spotting something in the distance, hurried to cut me off with a reddened expression. "W—What's that!?"
'Was pee taboo or something?' I thought after seeing her reaction.
Looking in the direction she pointed to, there was indeed something. Well, that was only if you considered an entrance to another room as something, then this was about as something as it got.
I stepped into the room and immediately thought to myself. 'This relic isn't gonna really pose much of a challenge, is it?'
"S—So beautiful." I stole a glance to my side and saw Shen Ling, who appeared to be mesmerised by the sole object in the room that rested atop a white pedestal in the centre.
Upon this white pedestal was a piece of cloth that waved endlessly like the waves of the beach I never got to go to.
It appeared almost dreamlike in appearance, as if it was something that belonged in the presence of an immortal, and that anything less would be blasphemous.
As I stared at it, I had a feeling that just touching it would be a sin, and at the same time, another thought came to mind.
"That would make a great veil."
"Wha—"
Shen Ling was shocked by my words and couldn't react before I started to walk towards it.
"Long Di, wait!"
"I would like to say no," I continued walking forward to grab the piece of cloth.
Lord knows that Shen Ling needed a veil. She got so red last time from people staring at her, that I think MY blood pressure went up.
Vrrrm!
Suddenly, a light barrier came up that blocked me from progressing any further.
"Oh?"
I wasn't expecting this and neither was Shen Ling, who looked pretty nervous but at the same time relieved that nothing else happened.
Seeing the relief on her face, I almost felt bad for what I'm about to do.
Krrrsh!!
"W—What are you doing!?"
She asked in surprise as I encased my arm in grey tribulation lightning energy.
"I encased my arm in grey tribulation lightning energy."
There were some things in this world that you couldn't really explain any other way, and telling someone that you encased your arm in grey tribulation lightning energy, well, it appeared to be one of them.
"I can see that! What are you planning to do with it?" She asked.
"I'll let my next action answer that for you."
As I said this, I channelled more of my energy into my arm as I placed it on the light barrier.
Dum!
A terrifying rumble shook the entire room, nearly knocking me and Shen Ling off our feet. We quickly tried to stabilise ourselves, but I managed to keep my hand on the barrier and put even more power into it, which served to intensify the shaking.
"L—Long Di, stop! I don't think we're supposed to forcefully break the barrier for some reason!"
I could hear Shen Ling shouting behind me in a panic, but something told me that I shouldn't stop, and that was the numerous cracks that were extending all over the barrier.
However, as I poured more power into my palm, I noticed something off that was happening much faster than I could react, "Oh dear me, Shen Ling maaay have had a point ther—"
Boom!
A blinding light bloomed just as an explosion erupted from the place my palm made contact with the barrier before it blew me away!
As I flew, I quickly took the sword I kept at my side and stabbed it into the ground.
The intense rumbling split my skin between my thumb and index finger, but I managed to hold on until I came to a complete stop.
A long ditch was drawn into the ground from where I flew. It wasn't long before Shen Ling rushed to my side and looked at me with concern.
I will not lie to you when I say that my greatest concern throughout all this is whether or not I will hear the dreaded 'I told you so,' then again, I didn't really care.
"Are you okay?" She asked as she struggled to help me up.
She wasn't really doing anything since the gear I wore made it impossible for her to, but I appreciated the gesture.
I nodded to indicate I was fine as I stared at the point I got flung from.
As the light from the explosion died down, a peculiar question came to mind that I had to give voice to.
"Shen Ling, quick question, do explosions normally look like an old man in a pink dress?"
"What are you… N—No?"
"Oh," I pointed at the light barrier after my knowledge about explosions grew. "Then someone should tell that explosion that it's doing it wrong."
Shen Ling's eyes followed where I pointed, and her eyes widened in shock at what she saw.
There in front of the barrier was an incorrectly exploded explosion that ended up not into a dying-out firework, but rather into an old man. I heard those were only slightly different from explosions, so nothing that can't be fixed, but it was still wrong.