*Ding*

Name; Renshen

Form; human

Ability; the Void

Cultivation level; 8000

Cultivation stage♾️

Life; ----

Ren awoke, sighing out the exhaustion from over a fortnight of just meditating in his mental galaxy. He had moved a step forward. So had his disciples who woke different days before him.

They hadn't cultivated much as their bodies were still weak. Instead, they had chosen to wait for their master to awake while never leaving the pagoda.

The elixir he had been given had helped him a lot. Not just healing his body but aiding it in its evolution and increasing his cultivation speed. During this time, he had focused on trying to bond with the void's energy to avoid another incident as the recent one where he had almost gone crazy because of lack of its control.

He opened his palm. A small void hole that appeared like a pool of darkness appeared there. It was different than before. How? Because within it, a thread of golden and another of darkness rose from it, weaving together to show the harmony of the two energies he now had.

He was curious about what he could do with this kind of power. His future self hadn't written down anything else other than how to cultivate and bend both the void and space. He had to figure out the rest on his own. Which was both annoying and thrilling at the same time.

He thought of a little round bomb while staring at the woven energy threads, and slowly, they began bending and twisting further until a marble-sized ball was formed.

He held it between his fingers and stared intently at the tiny object that had hardened like granite. Normally, he couldn't feel any energy coming from it because of the void hiding it. But when he connected with his qi, he felt a ripple of destructive power from the orb.

'Could be useful to destroy things,' he thought, storing it away before he got up.

Using his qi, his whole body felt as usual, helping him walk out of his seclusion room.

"Congratulations, Master!" A chorus rang out from his disciples who stood on the other side of the invisible barrier near the stairs. They held their salute until Ren approached them.

"Get u-"

The senior disciples immediately fell on their knees and kowtowed.

"We're sorry for the trouble we caused you, Master. Please punish us as you see fit."

The display of submission was touching, almost making him forgive them. But they needed to be taught a lesson so they wouldn't venture into dangerous places again without giving him the full information. He was sure one of them must have sensed the odd nature of that cave, yet they ignored it and kept going.

"Then, I want the three of you to clean my courtyard thoroughly. If I spot a speck of dust, I will fine you ten gold bars. Am I clear?"

They replied, "Yes Master!"

Smiling in his heart seeing them all healthy, including the twins, Ren walked out of the barrier. "You two, go check on the beasts," he instructed looking at Liu Ming and Wu Tao.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

They quickly got up and saluted at him, hiding not their happiness for seeing and talking to him again.

"Liuyue?"

"Yes Master?"

He looked down at her. "I'm craving mood cakes and tea made with Han's sap. Will you please-"

"I will do it right away Master. Thank you for giving me a chance to make them for you again."

There were tears in her eyes. Tears of adoration and gladness.

Without talking further, Ren turned to the twins and opened his palm. "Thank you for fighting and saving whatever you could. This is a reward for you."

They stared at the four weird dark golden orbs. Afraid of being disrespectful for asking what they were, they chose to be silent and receive the reward with smiling faces. "Thank you, Master!" They bowed, saluting, each with two orbs in their palm.

"Also, do not use them before we test them later. I just wanted to-"

Their sniffles interrupted his speech. Which wasn't that useful since the important part of it was asking them not to use them just yet. Leaving one wondering why he hadn't given them after testing them.

Other than his height phobia, Ren had started realizing how he kept forgetting the little things, which pushed him to do everything in the present rather than postpone it and then, forget it.

"Why, why are you crying? Do you not want them? I can switch-"

"Master!" they cried in unison before wrapping their hands at his waist to embrace him firmly.

His eyes bulged at the contact.

How long had it been since he felt the warmth of another? He had avoided all bodily contact since he was reborn to protect himself both emotionally and physically. But here he was, letting two children hug and wail at him.

"Thank you for taking us in. We promise to do anything you need of us. We'll live and die for you," Tian declared.

"We owe you our lives, Master," Ling added, crying less than her brother.

Ren looked down at their heads and placed his hesitant hands on them. Rubbing their hair gently, he heard himself make a promise, "I won't allow you to be hurt again. This is now your home. I'll protect all of you equally."

Ling looked up with glistening eyes. "Master, can...can...can I be-"

"Ahem!" Ren cleared his throat, having read her mind before she had the chance to say it aloud. "I need to rest now. Why don't you follow Liuyue to the city? It'll be good for you."

They moved away from Ren saluting. "Yes, Master."

"Master, shouldn't we rebuild the sect before-"

"The event is in a few days. I don't want strangers here in our absence. For now, all of you can move into my courtyard. There are enough rooms for everyone."

"I will make the arrangements right away."

Ren gave a little nod and turned away, walking into the void portal.

####################

He raked his eyes over the ruins that now had invited moss to grow all over them. It hadn't been that long, but again, the laws guiding this world differed from those guiding Earth. Just like how the moss here was a shimmering silver color that drew in any eye.

It was beautiful and calm, but it made the atmosphere feel damp from retaining the rain that had fallen days earlier.

Ren felt regretful that he hadn't been out for the first rain since he gained his human form.

Just like every other natural aspect of this world, even something as mundane as rain contained spiritual energy that replenished the grounds it fell on. This made the world more radiant, protecting it from dying like Earth was.

The area where he had burnt the beasts' corpses had the most moss on it, which appeared darker in color than the rest.

Feeling a little pain in his heart, Ren continued walking, heading to where the entity he had brought back was taking shelter.

Ren walked into the rundown shed behind the kitchen. Cold air instantly enveloped him, like waking in the cave where he had found the creature. But the cold was quickly overpowered by his warmth which was radiating straight from his dantian.

He stopped when his gaze fell on the red-haired female who had the same features as Xian, including his breath.

Seated in a lotus position, her hair had spread out in the air like tendrils, moving and alive.

"I have been waiting," she spoke opening her eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Why?" Ren stepped forward, his hands still held behind his waist. "Shouldn't you first explain to me how you're now a woman?"

The red hair settled on her back and front, pulling Ren's eyes to study her out of pure curiosity.

Without any clothes, he could see everything. Which wasn't much since her breasts had no nipples and her crotch had no genitals.

"What are you?"

"A figment created from the longing of the person who carried the jade that is now my heart. The desire to be reunited with the master of the sword you carry."

"You speak clearly."

"All thanks to you leaving me here, I have gained some enlightenment and do not wish to be bound by the unfulfilled desires left behind by the being's emotions I was born from. I have fallen. Became a demon over time from the resentment in the jade and from those that I killed. I have no place here."

"Oh?"

Ren kept moving till he reached a broken window. As his finger ran over the dusty surface, he asked, "And you think I'll release a demon into the world that holds something I'm very interested in?"

The entity frowned. "Are you going to take away my heart?"

"I can if I want. I'm keeping you here out of curiosity."

"What if I don't want to be imprisoned again?" it asked, its voice shifting to that of a male. The development had Ren's curious eyes fly to it. And just as he thought, this demon could shapeshift but lacked the full knowledge of what was supposed to be down there. Maybe the memories in the jade were lacking in that part.

"You can fight me. If you win, I'll let you go."

Xian stood in its male form, the breasts already gone, and its arms slightly buffed than when Ren last saw it.

"You're not like the others. Your soul is...different. And the blade you wield is my heart's weakness."

"Ah! Tough luck."