Two carriages were speeding down an earthy road.
The second one carried supplies and camping equipment alongside a servant by the name of Tao Fang.
The first one carried two people, an old man, and one little girl. The old man's name was He Shoushan, a 4th-stage cultivator, and healer.
Currently, he was listening to the whining of the 13-year-old girl, Yu Jiao.
Being exposed to it for a few days, he was used to it and treated it as background noise. Similar to a day in the city markets that were full of people shouting for their wares.
Despite the girl whining about her sore behind and body, He Shoushan's thoughts were stuck on the topic he had with Yu Jiao at the start of their journey. The topic of the individuals with grand destinies and their influences.
That topic had changed a few things within him, and he felt it the most in his stomach, where an ethereal tiny baby slept. It was the Soul baby he had given birth to very recently, in a manner of speaking.
That event had given him youth and vigor, but most of all it had given him time to pursue the Dao for another 500 years.
At least, in theory, that was so, after all, he could still die much sooner.
With his eyes closed, he ignored the whines outside his body and meditated on this new Soul he gained and watched how it aged.
If one considered the time he gained it, the Soul should look just like a newborn baby, but his Soul baby currently looked about a year old, and it nevertheless continued to age faster than it was normal.
Maybe it was the accumulation that he gained from all his years of cultivation that finally found an outlet, but the esoteric perspective on the Dao spoken by the little girl helped to fasten the process.
' I feel that my cultivation will not be hindered by enlightenment but by accumulation if I stay with this Jiao. Normally I could just repay this debt easily with a bit of time, but our recent topic has changed things. ' Shaking his head in contemplation he opened his eyes and looked at the person in question.
Despite short black hair that was not common among those of nobility and those of status, with her cute face, the girl looked similar to other children her age, if one discounted her somewhat smaller body, as her previous illness did not allow the body to grow as it should.
Still, it was the mind in the body of the little girl that made her so precious and intriguing, for it held the mind of an Otherworlder, and even if her knowledge was not as vast as it currently appeared to be, just the different perspective that one gains by being born and living under a different civilization, gives birth to a different mindset.
' If I take her words at face value then, Destiny has brought us on this path. And if her words are true and I follow Destiny, then I should take her as a disciple. Yet, I have this feeling that won't happen. How will I repay the debt I owe her, then? ' He Shoushan asked himself.
" Jiao, I have considered our previous topic, and if your words hold the truth in them, I should take you as a disciple, right? Why do I get the feeling that you will deny that? " He asked the little girl.
Rousing out of the stupor of boredom and sheer stupidity for the long journey that she was undergoing and still had in front of her, Yu Jiao jumped at the chance to take her mind off the passing scenery.
To her, the journey was nice at first. The plains, rivers, farms, and forests passing by painted a nice picture of the new world she landed in.
Her previous concrete World had expanded too much for such things to easily be enjoyed, especially if the individual was using a car and just sped by such scenery. Unfortunately, the shaky carriage and lengthy ride had dulled such emotions, after the second day and now on the third day it just became a passing scenery with a sore behind, and nothing more.
With her mind occupied by the question she heard, her mood changed immediately. " That is because Destiny can go to Hell, there is no way I am becoming a healer. " She replied sternly.
With clear denial so easy to spot, it roused a certain feeling in the old man. " Why not? What is wrong with being a healer? "
" Nothing, it just is not my thing. " Replied Yu Jiao. " Look, I had been given the chance to take a healer's path back in that life, and I didn't take it. Aside from being stupid and very young back then, the healer's path is quite demanding. Well, it was there, not sure here, but it should be similar. Even if I can increase the speed at which I retain information, being a healer is just not fun, I guess? See, I simply lack the mental aspect of caring for others. One could say I am far too selfish to chase that path. "
Disappointed at the refusal, He Shoushan buried his initial response. It was true, after all, to a degree. Being a healer required a certain mentality, and few chose it, no matter how respected they would become.
" Alright, I won't bring that topic up again, but that still leaves us with a problem. " He still wanted to see if his debt could be easily resolved. " Whether I chose to believe in Destiny or not, your unintended help in my stage ascension has created a debt between us, and in some way, I have to pay it back. What do you propose? "
Nodding at the old man, Jiao went quiet for a bit and considered her plans. " Old man, just because I won't accept being healer and your disciple with whom you share all your acquired knowledge, it does not mean I can't be your student. There is one thing I am interested in. "
" And that would be? " Somewhat intrigued, he responded.
" My mentality will not allow me the dedication of healing that you seek. " Jiao stated. " But I can tell you where my mentality lies. Umm, from a very young age I liked figuring out how things work and as I grew up that didn't change. " Jiao expressed herself. "What did change however is my field of interest. I won't bother mentioning them, but I will tell you where my years of reading stories have led me to. "
With a second to find the right words, she went on. " Let me say it like this. After one has read a lot of similar stuff, one's interest starts to wane and they branch out into more than just the story itself. You want to understand how the story was constructed, how it is influenced, and by what, to what degree. My interest landed on Powers and their mechanics. I loved tinkering and imagining Powers. How they would function, how they would interact with people and other Powers, and most of all how they would change my life. "
Stopping for a second as if lost in remembrance of the past, Jiao went on. " Yet, no matter how much I liked it and how much I dreamed, being somebody without any Power and being in a situation where I would never be able to have any Power just depressed me, more and more. It was when my depression was at the closest to erupting that the accident happened and changed me or the original me in this case. Either way, despite me being here and having decided to follow my original's path to Power, I still am interested in the Roots system. "
" I see, you want my knowledge about them, but won't follow my path. " Responded He Shoushan, the healer. " I take it you're not interested in the general knowledge but the detailed interactions between the physical bodies and the roots? "
" Yes. " Agreed Jiao to his inquiry. " Right now, I know myself pretty well, as having the ability to revisit my memories with clarity does that. So I know that at some point I will try to think and create Mantras. With their creation, will come the time for experimentation, and from what you told me, the Roots system is a very delicate thing, so if I want to reduce the number of casualties, it's best I know more before I start on it. "
With the understanding of the girl's plans, shivers arrived in the old man's spine. To so casually imply that she would experiment on people no matter his thoughts on the matter, frightened him a bit.
Especially when it comes from such a tiny body and yet if it had not been for his recent revelation on his inner thoughts, the emotion would have been probably much greater.
Realizing where his thoughts were going, He Shoushan closed his eyes and meditated on them for a bit. ' Just because I have accepted that Life is about suffering at its core, doesn't mean I have to live with it. Being a healer is about helping people and if the amount of suffering I prevent by helping her is what the Heavens have in store for me, then that is what I will do. '
Contemplating his response for a few more moments he opened his eyes to reply, but the reply never came out as he felt the carriage slow down. And in seconds the sound of horses neighing to their driver's command confirmed it.
Observing the frown on the Jiao, he looked out through the window and at Gao Junjie. " Gao Junjie, why have we stopped? Is there a problem? "
" Maybe? " Replied the stern rider ahead of the carriage in uncertainty. " No matter how I probed ahead, I saw nothing indicating danger, but my instincts tell me otherwise and I have learned long ago to trust them. "
" Hmm. " Deploying his Divine Sense, he scanned the surroundings. He saw nothing in the immediate vicinity but as his improved cultivation increased the range by a lot he felt the anomaly. " About a kilometer ahead of us I sensed a slight interference. It is not that strong. Either a Foundation Cultivator using a Stealth Mantra or a Cora Cultivator trying his best at stealth, but without getting closer I can't tell you more. "
" How much closer would you need, Elder? " Questioned the rider in reply.
" About half that distance, maybe less depending on the Mantra. But do take into account that I am not versed with experience in that field. " Replied the Elder.
Hearing no more questions being asked, the Elder stared back at the frowning girl. " Bandits? " She asked.
" Doubt it, this road is frequented by the Yu. even if we are only halfway to the institution. " Replied, He Shoushan.
" I see. " Was all she said before she stuck her own head out of the window and shouted back to the second carriage that was right behind them. " Tao Fang. "
Immediately a reply was heard as the said person also stuck her head out. " Yes, miss? "
" Come join me here. " Ordered Yu Jiao and the servant accepted.
Back inside she looked at the old man and saw his inquisitive gaze. " What? It's safer here with you than back there. "
" Do you care for her safety? " Asked the old man.
" Probably not as much as you think, but she is a good person I think. Best not to take chances, right? " Replied Jiao and a few moments later the door opened to show the servant in question.
Curtseying to the old man for a second she went inside and took a seat by the little girl's side. " Miss, are we in trouble? "
" No idea, but probably not. " Replied Jiao. " Say, old man. Since they are not bandits do you think it's somebody from the Xia clan, attempting something? I know my father retaliated in some way. He feels like the type that would, I just don't know how and to what degree. "
" I have no information on that, I am afraid. " Added the healer before he and the other passengers felt the carriage move again.
This time it was slower but it moved steadily. Ahead of them, Gao Junjie trusted the instincts that had not failed him before and prepared himself for the inevitable.
Step by step his horse brought him forward on the road and when he measured the distance they passed the motion for a stop again. Without even asking for it, the old man did his probe again and this time he felt it much clearer. " There are five of them. Two Cores and three Foundations. I don't sense any stealth Mantra being applied. " Said the old man softly, but this time he used Qi to send the information to Gao Junjie.
Nodding Gao Junjie signaled again and they continued moving.
" Old man, if you sensed them, shouldn't they have sensed you in return? " Question Jiao as she wondered how it worked.
" Normally that is what happens. After one acquires Divine Sense at the Foundation stage, it requires another stage of ascension to improve upon it, unless you are cultivating the rare Mind Mantra. Me being at Soul Creation makes it so they can not sense me if I am not intruding deeply and in my defense, they are not trying their best at staying unnoticed. " Replied the old man. A few moments later when the carriage was closer it happened. " Ah, there it happened. Gao Junjie used his Divine Sense on them and they noticed him. "
Indeed as they were noticed, they dropped their stealth and showed themselves. With a signal, the carriage stopped and Gao Junjie stepped down from the horse. Once down he pulled a sword from the saddle and went to meet the offenders.
Stepping forward a few steps the offenders appeared. With two men in the front and three in the back.
All of them had bandit gear on, with loose and dirty garbs on them and shabby swords in their arms. Even normal people would recognize they were not true bandits but it was enough, as it hid their true identity.
With about 50 meters between them, Gao Junjie activated his Mantra first. His skin attained a bright clear jade color and at the same time, its texture gained the hardness of Jade while retaining the suppleness of normal skin. Now he looked like a statue with clothes on it. As he activated his Mantra, he pulled out the sword from its scabbard and stared at the offenders.
The offenders on the other hand showed no visible changes, but from them, one could feel the heat emanating. No side said anything before the two Cores stepped towards Gao Junjie, while the Foundations went around Gao Junjie towards the first carriage.
With a motion that would be impossible to execute with a mortal body, the three Cores collided and clashing sounds echoed from them. Yu Jiao on the other hand, whose head was close to sticking outside the carriage only saw blurred shapes dancing around each other and only the swords banging on each other was clear to her but even they echoed as if the drummer was playing a rapid song on a metal cymbal as the three people fought.
Dozens of those sounds echoed out before the three Foundations reached the first carriage when another two shapes appeared in front of them. It took Jiao a second to recognize their attire as the carriage drivers.
Each of them occupied one of the offenders but as if Fate decreed that one of them would have the chance to finish his mission, he sidestepped the defenders and went for the carriage.
A strange feeling emerged in Jiao's mind as she witnessed such. Before the offenders reached the carriage and before the drivers went to stop the offenders, she had activated the bullet effect of the mind.
As she witnessed the strange event, on a hunch she willed her phantom to appear above her.
As it appeared slightly above the carriage, it grew in size to rival an average house, which was about 10 meters. Next, it raised its right hand upward into the air, and with an open palm that rivaled a man in size alone, it shoved the hand downwards with the perfect timing for the center of the palm to land right on the incoming man's head.
Like a man who was missing the much-needed fly swatter tool and had to resort to his palm, it struck the man on the head. Despite having his Divine Sense, as that was common sense in combat, he failed to dodge in time and barely came to a stop as it reached him.
It just came too fast, but unlike what he imagined would happen, the impact, while strong, didn't carry the weight and force one would expect of a palm and hand of that size.
In fact, when it hit him, he barely felt the force with his Foundation Body. It was closer to a tickle.
The sheer expectation of being swatted down and it not happening broke all his expectations.
He just stood there stupefied at the odd happening. Unsure as to what to do, he looked up but it was only his Divine Sense that told him there was something there.
In curiosity that should not happen on a battlefield, he used his free left hand and tried to touch the giant hand above his head but as he tried the hand raised itself once more and came down once more.
This time being more prepared he raised his sword at the palm coming onto him and like the sharpest knife in existence it penetrated the hand without any resistance but his head still got hit.
Still, he felt the hit but barely registered the force behind it. Recognizing that whatever the hand was it couldn't hurt him he slashed sideways at the hand from the penetrated spot.
Seeing the result with his Divine Sense, he nodded and slashed a few more times. If the sword had been bigger it probably could have sliced the palm whole but sadly it wasn't and so the phantom raised its hand again, only this time the damage that it gained vanished in seconds.
As the damage vanished, so did the phantom. " Tch, knew that would happen. " Jiao said as her bullet-time ended and her body breathed harder.
Ignoring the attacker, she looked at the old man beside her and saw a face that expected something good or interesting, but only received nothing in return. " What, I made the Ability barely over a week ago. Did you actually expect something from it? Oh, and call off this charade. I frankly doubt it's a coincidence that they had one man more than we did. Not to mention your presence here and not doing anything to stop them. Whose idea was this anyway? "
With the expectation not being met and disappointment at seeing the result, He Shoushan spoke. " Gao Junjie, we can stop this. " With those words said, the play ended. They all stopped attacking each other and silence returned to the road.
" Ha, I knew it. " Pleased at guessing the reasons for the event, Yu Jiao smiled and nodded at herself. But as she looked to her side she saw the emotions pass on the servant's face with haste.
Her face that at first portrayed fear and panic as the men were approaching the carriage had vanished with the words of her mistress and what replaced it now was one of relief.
It was moments later that the drivers returned to their posts and they continued on their journey.
" So whose idea was this? " Asked Jiao again but the answer came not from the old man sitting in front of her but from a voice outside the carriage. " It was your father that approved, miss, but it was my idea. "
Looking out the window Jiao saw her new instructor on his horse ride beside the carriage. " I see, and what was the goal? "
" To observe how you would react, miss. And to test that phantom Ability of yours. " He replied. " As your future instructor, I must commend you on your response but I also must say that your response was… underwhelming. "
" Hmph. " Was all the response Jaio gave in return.
" Miss, I am sorry if I am infringing on your secrets but if I am to train you, I would advise you to be forthcoming with your Ability, so that I may include it in my calculations. Is that possible? " Asked Gao Junjie.
" Sure, go ahead, ask. " Agreed Jiao.
" Then please start at the beginning and tell me how it all functions and what was the goal you had envisioned. " He inquired immediately.
" Hmm. " Jiao hummed for a second, and with a thought had the phantom appear again in its invisible mode. Immediately she felt two Will's touching it and immediately she saw realization on the old man's face. " What you currently see is just the skin of the Ability, shaped so that it looked like I did in my previous life. In truth, I can make it look like anything I want but for now, I went with this form. The true form of my Ability is the core in the center. It is the energy gene… I mean creator. It's what powers the skin you currently see. "
" Miss, my sense is showing me the core, I can't seem to penetrate it and observe how it functions. All I can sense is the pull on the Qi it has. " Remarked Gao Junjie.
" Oh, here, try again. " Said Jiao as she stopped the spin of the Black Hole Energy Generator.
" Ah, I have been told about that flame. " He said as he recognized the flame from the description of Lord Liwei. " Correct me if I am wrong, but if what I was told is right, then that flame consumes Qi and what comes out would be Life Essence and Mana, or Yin and Yang. Am I correct? "
" Yes. " Answered him, Jiao.
" Fascinating, to think such a flame exists. " Remarked Gao Junjie, while the old healer just nodded. As for the servant, her expression showed confusion at the deepest levels.
" Go on, miss. "
" As you currently see, the Flame of Life is currently burning in the middle of the core. As it burns and consumes the Qi, as there is enough of it in the air, it will grow bigger and bigger. It's a slow process but in theory, it could grow to envelop the whole World. " Shivers went through the old man and the riders outside. " I doubt it would happen as it is quite easy to snuff it out before it reaches the proportions needed to be able to ignore anybody's attempt at stopping it. "
" Jiao, has the original told you how he came upon such a flame? " Asked the old man this time.
" Oh, interested, are we? " With an eager expression to see their reactions, Jiao answered. " The truth is he didn't encounter it, he created it. "
The shock came upon the old man. " Haha. " Laughing with joy, she did for a few moments. " Sigh, don't be so shocked, old man. The Flame of Life he created appears shocking here where the air is full of Qi, but back there he created it for a different reason. It's only shocking for you since you don't know how it operates. As for how it operates, I will be keeping that information for myself, as no Qi user will ever be able to use it, aside from just giving it the spark to come to life. It was designed by a Life Essence user for Life Essence users. "
With no other option the old man accepted that he would not be quenching that knowledge fountain, he nodded. " Let's get back to the Ability in question. To make use of the flame I had to use a different Aspect, or Dao as it's called here. Back in that life there were multiple ways to describe it and I doubt the word Singularity will tell you anything, so how about a Black Hole? Does it ring any bells? " Asked Jiao, but with a shake of the old man's head and a verbal denial of Gao Junjie, the answer was a definite NO.
" Hmm, how to explain it best. " As Jiao thought of how it was possible to explain it, her eyes glanced at Gao Junjie and remembered how his skin turned to the Jade color and she figured it out. " Mister Gao, as you have cultivated the Jade Mantra, how familiar are you with the Dao of Earth? "
" Enough, or I would not have reached Core Creation. " He replied.
" Ok, imagine you pick a stone from the road and make it bigger. What does the stone gain? " She asked him a simple question.
" Weight? " He replied, but Jiao shook her head. " Well, you're not completely wrong, but no in this case. Weight is something else, try again. "
" Volume. " Again he replied. " You're close. Volume is half of the answer we need. Let me ask you again, what is the difference between gold and silver that is the most obvious aside from the value. In fact, ignore their monetary value. "
" I would say weight, but you seek a different answer. Density? " A smile blossomed on Jaio's face as she heard it. " Yes, the density of gold and silver is different so they weigh differently. Now let's return to the stone again. "
" Imagine a big, big stone. Like a house-sized stone. If you could squeeze the stone into a tiny pebble, would the resulting pebble weigh the same as it did before you squeezed it? "
As Jiao asked that question, the old man in front of her rolled his eyes at her and placed his attention on the man who was answering the questions. He could feel the Qi in his body responding to the questions.
" Do you have a word to describe the pebble, or should we use the one from my World? " Unaware that her questioning had started anything she asked.
" I think I know what you're describing, it's Mass. " Replied Gao Junjie, somewhat astonished as the Qi inside him was responding.
" Ah, ok Mass it is then. " With the word already existing, Jiao used it and continued her explanation. " Mass is the result of Volume and Density multiplying each other. Every single material in this world has Mass. Wood has Mass, the flesh on your bones has it, and even the Air you breathe has Mass. It may be infinitely small but it is there. Ever heard the expression that you are literally carrying the World on your shoulder, well it's the truth, partly at least. " She remarked absently but Gao Junjie's expression became even more cloudy. " The air around you, inside you, above you, has mass but as it's spread out over the whole World you just don't feel it as our bodies are accustomed to it over the many many years it has lived in it. Anyway, back on track with Mass itself. Let's imagine a stone again, only this time we make it grow bigger but at the same time, we have its mass increase. At first, it will just grow and grow and you won't notice any difference to it. The difference is there but you won't notice it, as its effect is almost unnoticeable, and it will stay that way until it reaches a certain point. Once it does it will start attracting other stuff by itself. At first, it will be Air, as it has the least Mass then it will be Water, as that too has Mass, and then it will start attracting the Earth around itself. "
More Qi rumbled inside Gao Junjie as his body started attracting the Qi from the surroundings on its own.
" Here is where the interesting stuff happens. Once that Mass has grown enough, it will spark the material it has inside itself, and out of that spark, a wildfire will blossom into such a bright light that it will shine in such proportion that it will banish the darkness for eons to come. Do you have an idea of what I am talking about? If you don't then look up into the sky and look into that bright shining light, and tell me what you see. " Before she even heard her answer in the form of Gao Junjie's voice, a different sound came upon her ears.
It was the sound of thunder. Like a deja-vu, it entered her mind and it sparked a memory that happened a bit more than a week ago. With wide eyes, she stared at the old man, and in a hurry, she stuck her head out of the carriage and looked into the sky but there she saw no dark clouds.
Seeing none she looked back at the old man for answers and he delivered. " There will be no tribulation. He does not have the accumulation of Qi needed for it, but I can guess that it won't be long before he does, maybe a few years at the latest. "
Hearing it Yu Jiao relaxed somewhat but with an imaginary hand, she wiped away the imaginary sweat that she imagined she had and just stayed quiet.
Sadly her mind went the opposite as in her head all she did was curse at herself.
FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, I did it again.