This new revelation was still not enough for Han Xuhan to reach the same conclusion as Lady Caizhi. How could this act of awakening someone's physique earn Mu Ran the label of a scourge? Why would he deserve death because of it?
But the next sequence of memories followed before his thoughts could develop further.
This time, the owner of this memory sequence was sitting inside a cellar, hands rummaging through tomes of old scrolls. Han Xuhan's eyes caught several titles and diagrams on the opened scrolls that eventually clued him to what she was researching.
Rare physiques recorded by historians since time immemorial!
In the archive of the Crimson Snow Sect, he had never seen such a collection. Most of the knowledge on this topic was preserved for the elders or disciples of senior generations.
Soon, she seemed to have found what she was looking for. One of the most decayed, blurrily written scrolls was gently spread on the top of the pile. Her fingers traced the human-body diagrams drawn on it, the calculations made beside the drawings, the notes describing intricate, complex details beyond Xuhan's understanding.
Even the flow of information he was receiving as a part of her memory didn't help much in understanding the concepts discussed there.
However, he could decipher some of the keywords, and the title of the scroll that was written in ancient cursives.
The Dragon Reverend Physique.
Han Xuhan's thoughts exploded into a chaotic state. The Twin Devil Physique, the Dragon Reverend Physique...
He recalled the day he had officially become Mu Ran's underling. That day, inside the technique Library section of the Archive Pavilion, he had heard Mu Ran mutter the name of his own Physique.
The Twin Dragon Devil Reverend Physique!
At that time, the name had felt cheesy, but befitting a protagonist-tier character, a man blessed by the heavens. But he had believed it.
But now, that one name seemed to be divided into two here. Half of it belonged to Mu Ran, and the other half to Qing Ya.
Right then, he felt the flow of data in his mind disappear. The foreign sensations were cut off.
With dizziness, his eyes opened, and he found himself inside his real body.
The tentacle that had been wrapped around his upper body had disappeared.
Relief mixed with dread enveloped his heart as he slowly backed away from the octopus-lady.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lady Caizhi appeared unbothered by his distrustful look.
"What do you know about Physiques, youngling?" she said softly.
"...Nothing. Absolutely nothing."
"You've made it a habit to lie instinctively. Strange!"
"...I-"
She held up a hand to silence his protest.
"I do not believe that the Crimson Snow Sect would refrain from informing its disciples of their own rare Physiques. As an owner of one, you should know at least the basics."
"...." Once again, Han Xuhan found himself unable to reply.
In his short life as a cultivator, he had faced a handful of powerful experts. Xuan Zi, Fang Xie, Kong Ye, Brother BB, and Luo Yi– all of them had their unique personalities.
Xuan Zi's unpredictability, Fang Xie's insanity, Kong Ye's resourcefulness, Brother BB's scheming, Luo Yi's egotism...each trait had left a distinct impression on his mind.
And this Lady Caizhi was quite different from all of them. No matter how he spoke, she seemed to be able to filter out the lies from the truth immediately. If it was just limited to that, Han Xuhan would've chalked it up to her experience and enhanced perception...but it was not.
Not only did she have the power to see his lies, she could even see the secrets he was guarding behind those lies, which made it very, very troublesome for him to communicate with her naturally.
Once again, Han Xuhan realized the horrific depth of the world of cultivation. Any random expert he met had so much power and advantage over his being that it suffocated him to even think about it.
"I was only told of the characteristics that make my physique 'rare'. All I know is that my meridians are too delicate and malformed to function properly for a long time. My journey as a cultivator may end soon, probably. And that there is no solution at all."
As horrified as he was, Han Xuhan still took the opportunity to fish for his interests. Perhaps this cultivator from a foreign race might know of a solution to his problem...?
"I don't think you trusted their statement much. You seem to be pretty hopeful that there might be a way to resolve your problematic Physique."
Her words made him bite his tongue. But he persisted.
"Of course I am hoping so. Who wouldn't?"
"Makes sense. Humans are often too stubborn to accept the truth when it is against their wishes. But in your case..."
The way she trailed off thoughtfully made Han Xuhan's thoughts pause.
Could it be? Could it be? Was there a way?!
"In your case, you need not lose all hope."
Han Xuhan's heart almost leaped out of his chest. He had to take a couple of deep breaths to steady his mind. The rabbit-hole of Mu Ran and Qing Ya's childhood secrets took the backseat in his head. Those things could wait!
With considerable effort, he leveled his tone and spoke.
"How? I'd love to have your guidance, Lady Caizhi."
"The rare Physiques of cultivators all over the world could be considered blessings from the celestials, making one an anomaly of nature. An ordinary human's natural form has neither meridians capable of influencing qi, nor special Physiques to enhance their talent in fields that their body isn't equipped to delve in. Elemental control, mutated meridians, extraphysical senses, perception of the supernatural world, sensitivity to qi, overbearing mental capacity, comprehension of the way of heaven and earth, affinity to bodily enhancement, affinity to soul strengthening, capability to inherit ancestral talents, factors to empower bloodlines, ability to thrive beyond our totality, and the ability to adapt to mutations– these traits are the most common when it comes to the recorded history of rare Physiques all across the world of cultivation.
"A cultivator with such a Physique will always be treated like an opponent, like an eyesore by the heavens. Because they are more likely to ascend to the throne of an existing celestial, thus shaking the status quo, the existing balance among the living beings of heaven and earth.
"For a better understanding, think of how you'd treat a village brat who has been chosen by the emperor to preside over your sect, replacing an Elder. The brat is a foreigner, his intentions and aims are unclear to you. He doesn't know the political relationships among your mountain peaks. He's bound to shake some foundations, create trouble, make enemies, and offend disciples and elders alike, no matter how perceptive he is. After all, he doesn't understand the lives of cultivators as an outsider.
"In the same way, the celestials have an unfavorable attitude towards an ascendant, even though most of them used to be in his position once."
"Wait, wait, wait... at the beginning of your explanation, you said that the rare Physiques are blessings from the Celestials, making the receiver an anomaly of nature. But if such a blessed person can dethrone a Celestial, why would they create bless mortals with the Physiques?!"
Han Xuhan, who was about to lose himself in the flow of her descriptions, broke out in cold sweat as he noticed the massive contradiction.
Lady Caizhi grinned as if she had been expecting the question.
"Do you think the Celestials are selfless beings without personal interests, ambitions, and schemes? The Heavenly authority doesn't represent the interest of a single person.
In the magnificent Heavenly Court sit innumerable Celestials on usurped thrones. Humans, humanoids, and non-humans– all have their own agenda. The scale of conflict that takes place therein is beyond your comprehension, youngling. So, why do you think would a Celestial's blessed child be spared the wrath of his opponent?"