Chapter 34: Fixing the problem
// The Result
An entire year had passed since they built a shelter on the peak of the lone mountain.
Zed's level of mana circle remained stagnant as he struggled with suppressing the side-effects, and until now, he still needed to use a spell in order to move his body.
During the past year, He spent his entire time studying the state of his body and looking for the reasons for the side-effects.
Eventually, after three long months of studying, he found out the cause for his impulsiveness.
As it turns out, corrupted pieces of mana were stuck inside the frontal cortical areas of his brain.
What is a corrupted mana?
Zed also didn't know about its existence until now. He found the corrupt mana due to its unusual murky state that differed from normal mana in his body.
Usually, When mana is stored in the body, it remains as an ethereal fluid-like substance that is constantly flowing inside his mana circuits.
Similar to how blood is constantly flowing inside the body.
However, in Zed's case, His entire body had the effects of a mana circuit resulting in the mana flowing not just inside his mana circuits, but also in his organs, muscles, nerves, etc.
Zed speculated that this was the reason for his body's heaviness. Fortunately, it did not affect any of his involuntary actions such as breathing, blinking, digestion, and more.
He only struggled in the movement of his body. It felt like either he was suffering a different gravitational pull than others or that he was walking through quicksand.
Going back to the corrupted mana, Zed named it corrupted mana because the mana was in a semi-solid state where it left lasting effects on the place it formed.
After identifying the cause, he spent his time looking for a solution.
He did not try anything rash until he found a safe and successful method. After all, The brain was a very delicate part of the body. If he was not careful, he might leave even worse damage to his brain.
At worst, he might even become braindead.
So Zed continued to study his brain while maintaining caution.
After another three months, he had come up with several plausible methods to clearing out the corrupted mana in his brain.
He spent the next two months applying all of them, but it all led to failure.
The main idea was trying to move or melt the corrupted pieces of mana, but mana is an entirely different element by itself.
It has no other known property except crystallized mana. In his previous life, crystallized mana was used as an energy source used to power up several advanced technologies that were only available to the rich.
That was because crystallized mana was very scarce and was even more valuable than diamonds.
After all, it was known for its unique property of mana conductivity.
Most crystallized mana or [Mana Stones] were kept by the [Order of Mages], the number one authoritative society in his previous life.
Only after suffering several failures did Zed remember the properties of Mana stones. From there, he tried his best to remember the details about crystallized mana.
Fortunately, his vague memories were enough for him to recollect the rest of the subject. After comparing the properties and description of the two, he found out that they were almost completely similar.
After a couple of experiments, he found out that he was able to move the corrupted mana by sending more mana into it.
It was a long and slow process, but he was able to successfully remove the corrupted mana and exude it outside his body through his nose.
From his nose, a black murky substance exited and Zed instantly felt his mind become clearer. It was a cleansing feeling as he felt clarity within his thoughts. Zed was mildly disappointed that the contaminated mana became obsolete. It remained as an unidentified black mucus without an ounce of any mana related abilities.
In the end, Zed spent eight months getting rid of the first side effect. As for the state of his body, No matter how hard he searched, he found no plausible remedy for his body.
In the meantime, since his body was still somewhat movable, he tried to get used to moving his own body without the help of spells, and unsurprisingly, he had a hard time doing so. Zed felt like he was a patient going through rehabilitation.
Fortunately for him, Lan'er and the others were more than willing to help him and were very supportive in his recovery. He started from walking for ten steps, until eventually, he got used to his body enough to walk and do simple chores.
Strenuous movements such as running, lifting, and dodging caused him to run out of breath faster, similar to a person with an asthma condition.
This was how Zed spent his first year in their new shelter.
As for Jingfei, Meixiang, and Lan'er. They continued to improve their martial arts. Especially Jingfei and Meixiang since they were now official students of Tang Xiurong.
After Tang Xiurong introduced herself and offered to be their Master, Meixiang accepted it instantly while Jingfei had an incredelous reaction after finding out the identity of the person controlling her best friend's body.
To Jingfei, the Immortal realm was already the peak, but as it turns out, there were several more stages after the Immortal realm.
However, their master refused to divulge more information until they reached the Immortal Rank themselves.
-Flashback-
Tang Xiurong observed the faces of the two girls in front of her. She had just offered them the chance to become her students.
Jingfei and Meixiang were slightly dazed by her aura, but then Meixiang instantly kneeled.
"Disciple greets Master!" Meixiang greeted humbly while bowing with her forehead touching the ground.
Jingfei snapped out of her stupor once she saw Meixiang move.
She didn't understand why her sister Mei acted the way she did, but what Jingfei did know was that an opportunity of a lifetime had appeared in front of her.
And so...
"Disciple greets Master."
Jingfei followed Meixiang's actions and bowed with her forehead stuck to the ground.
"Mhmm.." Tang Xiurong, possessing Lan'er's body, nodded in satisfaction.
"Very well. Raise your heads. I accept you two as my second and third disciples."
Jingfei and Meixiang followed Tang Xiurong's cold and commanding voice.
Seeing the serious and determined gazes of the children in front of her, Tang Xiurong became more motivated to the idea of teaching them.
Her thoughts were perfectly masked as she continued to speak.
"There are things you need to know after you become my students."
Jingfei and Meixiang paid close attention to Tang Xiurong's words.
She raised her fingers one by one. "First, do not divulge my existence to anyone. Not unless I allow you to do so."
"Two, Although I am an Immortal Empress, all my treasures and inheritances are left in the Immortal Planes, however, as for the states of those inheritances, it is unclear."
"I don't remember how many eons have already passed since my reign. I'm not even sure if people still remember me, so I cannot promise any inheritance or treasure for you three once you ascend to the upper realm."
The three of them; Meixiang, Jingfei, and Lan'er in spirit form nodded in understanding.
They already felt fortunate for being guided by, not only a simple Immortal, but an Immortal expert who had reached the peak.
Tang Xiurong raised her third finger. "Lastly, Although I am an Immortal Empress, I already have an inheritor to my supreme martial path."
"So I will offer you guidance, but... you must find your own martial path."
Meixiang and Jingfei nodded once more. It was pretty clear to them who their master's inheritor was.
Again, they didn't feel bad about it because they were already grateful for being under the tutelage of an Immortal.
One must remember that in the Xianxia world, Immortals were hailed as Gods. They were omnipotent beings capable of changing entire terrains with a simple move.
Actually, Tang Xiurong's third point made Jingfei and Meixiang even more motivated to pursue and climb the path of Immortality.
They were determined to carve their own path.
Tang Xiurong was pleased with their attitude.
"Now then... First things first, Disciple Meixiang... your goal is to reach the Core formation realm by the end of this year."
Their stone faces broke in disbelief as they couldn't believe what their master stated.
"M-master?" Meixiang stuttered in surprise.
"You heard it right." Tang Xiurong's eyes narrowed as she spoke with conviction.
"You will reach core formation realm by the end of this year-"
"But!"
"Or I will disqualify you as my disciple. Remember, it is not so easy to become my student."
Meixiang gulped in nervousness as she finally realized what it means to be the student of an Immortal.
'Of course! Why did I think that my path will be easier after being taught my an Immortal? I'm an idiot!'
'To be honest, this isn't bad for me because I also realize that I need to work harder than ever. Lan'er hasn't unlocked her meridians yet, and she can already contend against me.'
Meixiang took a deep breath and cleared her thoughts. She met Tang Xiurong's eyes and answered, "Yes master!"
Tang Xiurong smirks. "Good."
"As for you..." She turned to Jingfei.
Jigfei felt slightly itchy now that her master's gaze was on her but nevertheless, she was prepared to meet her master's expectations.
"Let go of the spear. It is not your path."
Tang Xiurong's clear and harsh judgment shook Jingfei's strong heart, but she did not dare doubt her master. Jingfei understood that her master was saying this for her own benefit.
However, understanding and accepting were two different things.
After all, how could she let go of the weapon she had been using for her entire life?
Seeing Jingfei's reluctance, Tang Xiurong elaborated.
"You must have noticed it yourself, right? No matter how hard you try, you can never match up against your senior sister Meixiang or Lan'er."
"And even if you take their talents out of consideration, you can only match against Zixin who studied the spear for a year."
"I'll tell you this now, but your brother Zixin has a very gifted comprehension, but he is not skilled with the spear. The main issue lies in your stagnant skills."
Tang Xiurong moved closer to her disciple. "Everyone is born with a different talent and unfortunately, you have reached the end on your path of spears."
Tang Xiurong's calm explanation made Jingfei feel disheartened as she thought, 'If... I was untalented in the spear this entire time, then... Could I even become good at anything? Or am I really... useless?'
She was very proud of her spearmanship skills, and even the people around her praised her for it. But after her master stated the reality of her skills, Jingfei could not help but feel discouraged.
Tang Xiurong released a small smile before reassuring her disciple.
"Don't worry Fei'er. I already know which weapon suits you. Although it is an unorthodox weapon, I'm sure it will fit your style magnificently."
Jingfei looked back at her master. "Really master?"
"Indeed... This new weapon of yours will greatly help you in the future as it will accompany you on your path to Immortality."
The confidence behind her master's words made Jingfei feel optimistic as her doubts were slowly fading away.
"What weapon is it master?" Jingfei asked curiously.
Tang Xiurong's eyes slightly narrowed as the edges of her lips curved upwards. She made an intrigued expression as she answered in a lighthearted tone.
"Your weapon shall be...."
(E/N: I'm reading this at the same time as you guys, not just mindlessly editing, but actually reading this, so all I can say to you, the author, is, **** you.)
-End Flashback-
Woosh... woosh..
Snowflakes fell from the skies as the cold winter season came to the forest. The chilling breeze of winter blew through the trees as the dark and grey clouds covered the skies, making it difficult to tell if it was night or day.
Thick and tall trees were covered in white snow as snow accumulated on top of their leaves. The trees were very big as they normally reached a hundred and fifty meters into the skies.
An ordinary human might mistake himself for getting lost in a forest of giants as they could only be compared to the size of an ant when they stood next to one of the trees.
Fortunately, the winter was rather calm as there had been no blizzards that occurred within the forest.
Suddenly, the serene and silent state of the wintery forest was disturbed by a deafening growl.
"GROAAR!"
*Dush! Dush!*
Some of the thick and tall trees fell as a large beast crashed into them.
The ground rumbled as the giant beast failed to get back up to its feet. Several wounds could be seen on its body as blood stained the long white fur that covered its entire body.
The beast sized over 30 meters high and its appearance was no different from a bear's. Its large maw contained numerous strong and sharp teeth while its large claws reached a meter long.
"GRAAAAAARR!!!"
Thunderous roars shook the forest as the giant beast tried to get up to its feet, but was stopped by a large crescent beam that landed on its shin.
Slash!
A deep wound appeared upon contact, causing the beast to wince in pain.
Three small figures arrived in the area while they nimbly moved above the tall trees. They appeared like jumping grasshoppers as they easily jumped from one large tree to another.
One of the three figures left the shadows and shot towards the unmoving beast.
Her appearance was illuminated by the dim light above the forest as she soared in midair, ninety meters above the ground.
Her long silver hair fluttered through the skies as she drew a one-bladed sword from her hand. The blade bore no striking appearance as it seemed to have been customarily made to fit her short stature.
A confident smirk appeared on her enchanting face, making her appear unnaturally charming. Her fair skin and heavenly facial features would make one think of her as a Fairy from the legends.
Shing...
Her blade glinted as it reflected the beast's head.
The girl's arms flexed as she muttered to herself;
[Empress's Conquest 6th technique: Dominating Decree]
A terrifying pressure was released from her blade as she descended from the skies. The beast felt instinctive fear, as it immediately raised its head to see the source of its fear.
It tried to move but-
BAM!
The girl's sword landed in the beast's head, creating a huge web of cracks underneath them.
"Tsk." She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction seeing that her attack did not go through the beast's thick hide.
She immediately retreated from the beast as soon as she noticed one of the shadowy figures appearing near her.
Not a second after the previous girl's retreat, a harrowing sound echoed throughout the field as a deep and large wound appeared on the beast's nape.
The wound was so deep the it cleaved the beast's neck halfway through.
Needless to say, the beast had not time tp even shout out a cry as it instantly died after receiving that last attack.
The one respnsible for this devestating attack landed near the corpse of the beast.
Silky, long, black hair fell down her back as her mouth breathed a sigh of relief. She had golden round eyes that were complimented by her willow shaped brows.
Her face exuded a sense of gentleness and innocence, a beauty that one would make any person feel the urge to protect her.
However, her beautiful and innocent appearance couldn't be underestimated. Especially when she was holding a tall and large scythe, one that gave off a very dreadful feeling.
The silver-haired girl landed next to the girl who was holding scythe.
"...That was really incredible." The former whispered in awe.
Edited By: WorthyAdversary