Cixi dragged her feet on the way to the Hall of Knowledge. Despite putting up the cowl of her robe, she kept looking over her shoulder. She jumped and grabbed Felix’s shoulder when a disciple waved.

A little more paranoid about the pervert than I thought.

Wouldn’t you be if you had a peak core realm after you? [Orange Voice]

I guess you have a fair point and she has been looking over her shoulder for days. That would wear on any reasonable person's nerves. Has she even been sleeping properly?

Could you sleep knowing that someone vastly more powerful than you has a thing for you? This is always on the table in this crazy world but LongShi’s interest in her makes it so real. A peak core cultivator like him could kill us with ease. …That said I never let it bother me, or to be more precise that particular worry never gave me anxiety. [Orange Voice]

Strangely I find myself in agreement. Must have gotten some of that from you.

Is that why we are so cool with the Elder Zhenzhen’s situation? [Orange Voice]

That is not even comparable for several reasons! Look, I would rather not have this level of introspection right now. Let’s focus on helping Cixi.

They made it to the Hall of Knowledge unmolested. It was common knowledge that the building was one of the most protected locations in the sect. A tension that had laid about her since she came to him started dissipating. At the entrance to the eighth floor, she halted and tugged Felix to a stop.

“What’s wrong Cixi? It’s safe here,” said Felix.

“Felix, isn’t this level blocked by a formation?” said Cixi.

“I have permission to go up. It is where I spend most of my time,” said Felix.

“Yes, but what about me? I’ve never even been to the fifth floor. I shouldn’t be keyed into the protections.”

“I- huh.” Said Felix, rubbing his chin. “I don’t know. I honestly hadn’t thought of that. I bet you need the elders…”

Cixi reached a handout toward the staircase and was blocked.

“See? I’m stuck down here,” said Cixi. “Can we do whatever you need to do here? I don’t want to bring up my manual in front of the elders.”

“I also want to keep my secrets hidden and to do that, I want to get into a more heavily protected floor. However, if you want me to not ask the elders then I am not sure what our next move is,” said Felix, frowning at the staircase. A few lines and script lit up around it as Cixi shoved harder. “You know Cixi, you need to work on your subterfuge ability. You are practically screaming ‘suspicious’.”

“Suspicious! I am not suspicious. You’re the suspicious one.” said Cixi.

“It was advice not criticism. I’m not asking you to explain, I am telling you that you need to get better at hiding whatever you’re hiding.”

“I’ve done a great job. You didn’t notice before.”

“I tend to have a one-track mind. You should not use me as your metric. I have no idea if others noticed but be careful. We have a war going on and people are extra cautious,” said Felix.

“…Should we go ask the elders for permission?” Said Cixi.

“No,” said Felix, rising to his feet. He knelt to examine the barrier’s glyphs a little closer. “The reason I wanted to come here now is that the elders are busy with the recent assassination. There aren’t many of our elders in the sect even and they should all be coordinating with our allies. If we try to talk to them now, we may bring attention to you. I am not exactly a low-key figure anymore.”

A sigh filled the room. Felix and Cixi flinched, hands falling to weapons.

A shimmer appeared in the air and Xue materialized. Cixi stepped back in alarm, but Felix let out a laugh.

“I should have known. Xue, have you been following us this whole time?” said Felix.

She nodded and raised her hand to the blocked doorway. A few of the words on the doorway's arch flashed.

“Were you why Elder Zhenzhen knew to come find me in the Clear Sky compound?” said Felix.

“Yes,” said Xue.

Uh oh. How long has she been watching?

Xue ignored him and turned to Cixi who had withdrawn. The younger disciple bowed low to her.

“Senior. Thank you for saving us from the Empire’s troops. I was too exhausted to thank you properly back then.”

“You are welcome,” said Xue. “I have keyed you into the formation one time, but it won’t let you in a second time. Do whatever you need to do.”

She turned and Felix raised his hand.

“Senior sister, if you are going to follow me, can you not just disappear? I want to talk,” said Felix.

Xue watched him and gave a slow nod.

Nice. I need to figure out what she saw earlier. Did she see me with Daiyu? Oh god! Did she see me with Elder Zhenzhen?

They all ascended the stairs together and Cixi scooted up to Felix.

“How are you this close to her? Why do you have access to this floor? Are the rumors true?”

“I assure you that the rumors are greatly exaggerated.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Look, I thought most of the answers would be clear when I told you I could help with your manual.” Said Felix. He barely looked at her as he tried to read Xue’s face. “Most of what you’ve heard I am sure is exaggerated.”

Felix brought Cixi to one of the tables clear of his book stacks and sat down. Cixi sat across from him. Xue for her part, hovered at his shoulder and pulled out a book to read.

“Okay Cixi, give me your manual.” Said Felix and held out a hand.

“I said I wanted to do this in private.” Said Cixi, looking at Xue. “No offense, senior sister.”

“Xue has been following me for our entire conversation,” said Felix, glancing back at Xue. “Possibly longer. She’s doubtless heard everything we discussed when I warned you about the elder. If you are trying to keep a secret at this point, you’ll just have to trust her as well.”

“Can I?” said Cixi and looked into his eyes. “Can I truly trust her? Or you?”

“We are friends, right? I promise to keep your secret,” said Felix and then waved behind him. “And Xue promises to.”

“I do not.” Clipped Xue.

“Don’t listen to her, she’s just shy,” said Felix.

“You’ve been getting a little bold lately, haven’t you Felix?” Said Xue, a chill spreading in the room. “Very bold.”

“Hahaha, see, you can trust her.” Said Felix, “I do with my life.”

The cold was gone and he heard another sigh behind him.

Get high roaded!

“Very well,” said Xue. “You have my word junior sister, as long as you promise to not betray the sect’s or this young fool’s trust in turn.”

Okay, ouch.

Cixi nodded and held up a hand over the table. A book appeared to land on the table with a smack. Xue blurred, leaning over the table to hold Cixi’s hand. The younger girl had no say in the arrangement as she tried to retract her hand.

“Xue?” said Felix. “Promises?”

She ignored him and looked up to stare the now very nervous Cixi in the eyes.

“How does a merchant’s daughter have a spatial ring?” said Xue. “And how can you be so foolish to wear it openly? I thought Felix was the only fool here.”

“How do you know I am a merchant’s daughter?” Said Cixi. “Ah right, you followed us on our mission as well. Can I have my hand back?”

Xue nodded and let go. Cixi quickly pulled back. Felix spotted the plain brown spatial ring on her index finger, one she always played with.

“Xue, I said she could keep her secrets. I don’t think-“said Felix.

“It’s alright Felix.” Said Cixi, letting out a weak smile. “This isn’t part of that secret, and she is right to criticize me. I was so nervous that I forgot to hide it. This is a separate secret senior Xue. One I also ask you to keep.”

“You know this is only making me more curious about your circumstances,” said Felix, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Well, are you happy Xue? Can you give the poor woman some space?”

Xue frowned but leaned back. Felix shook his head and finally looked at the book. It was without a title or cover. He opened it and skimmed through a few pages.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Huh, it is a body and Dantian cultivation manual. Don’t see many of those.

He scanned it with the system.

[Judge of the Human Heart (Mortal, flawed)]

Power: Above Average

Comprehension: Beginner (0/10)

Stage: Core Realm

Above average? That’s so strong… What the fuck Cixi?

“Well, I have to admit Judge of the Human Heart does appear to be quite impressive.” Said Felix

“How do you know that name?” said Cixi, pulling the manual from his grasp. “Who are you?”

“We all have secrets Cixi,” said Felix, and reached out to grab the book. He gently pried it from her shaking hands. “And I didn’t know the name until I touched the book.”

“What game are you playing?” she whispered.

“Now look who can’t stop prying. You need to share if you want to be shared with.” Said Felix.

He paged through it and his eyebrows raised. The manual reminded him of Xue’s manual in function if not form. They both worked to augment very specific skills at the loss of versatility. Though Cixi’s wasn’t at the same level of restrictions as Xue.

“Really, and you were keeping such a thing secret from me.” Said Felix, stopping at a page that had a detailed layout of the pathways in and around the eyes. A few of the pathways made him frown, as he hadn’t seen them in his other readings. “It almost makes me want to ask even when I promised.”

You could seduce her and pull all her secrets out. [Orange voice]

Stop right there. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that’s been a solution more and more since you’ve woken up.

Why what’s wrong? When you have a hammer, everything can be a nail. When you have a sword, everything can be cut. When you have charm, everything can- [Orange Voice]

No, just no. Okay. What do you think of the manual?

It’s dangerous. [Orange Voice]

Yes, I got that much. It is built to make a cultivator’s eyes their true asset. It says it can allow one “to see into the hearts of man and beast, to find true justice”.

Probably heart cultivation or reading your opponent. Your improvement ability doesn’t always explain every possible side effect of a cultivation method. I guess we'll just have to find out. [Orange voice]

That makes sense… anything from your memories?

I was a seducer, not a scholar Felix! The only eye-based techniques I have are the most common or for the bedroom. Or do you want to learn [Heavenly Bedroom Eyes]?

Hush. Just hush.

Yes, Daddy. [Orange Voice]

Again, no.

“Well?” said Cixi. “Can you help?”

“I can help but it won’t be easy,” said Felix. “Are you sure you want to use this? You need a specific constitution to get the full benefit of it. The manual won’t say it, it is annoyingly vague.”

“I have it. The first one in my family in centuries but I have it.”

“Alright… You also know the manual is flawed?”

“That is my family’s secret manual, how can it be flawed? We’ve spent generations refining it into something amazing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Said Cixi.

Felix nodded and looked down at the manual. The system showed comprehension 1/10 and he had encountered the same issue with Xue’s manual. The complexities and concepts were beyond a mere essence condensing cultivator. In many ways, this was worse than Xue’s manual. Hers was created using the manuals of the sect as inspiration. This manual wasn’t.

[Do you want to initiate manual learning for the cultivation manual [Judge of the Human Heart] for 1 KE?]

[Yes or No]

Haven’t wasted points on just learning a manual in a while. Yes.

Like an old friend, the conversation started. Xue and Cixi faded into the background. His guide illuminated much, and excitement bubbled up in him as some of his confusion on eye techniques cleared up.

The manual essentially refined the body’s eyes to their full potential, aligning the cultivator's whole body to power eye techniques. It would still support movement and other techniques, but would certainly limit those that could be used.

Time passed and he finished. He let out a breath to center himself and looked up into Cixi’s normal eyes. He frowned.

Shouldn’t they look different from other eyes? I got the impression that they should…

“So, I think I figured out the reason the manual is flawed,” said Felix.

“I told you it isn’t flawed.” Said Cixi.

“The flaw comes from the manual trying to work for both a normal cultivator and one with the constitution. It does work, but it produces a worse version of what it could. I suspect your elders kept trying to improve the manual but generations of having and not having the special constitution had them working at cross purposes unintentionally. I can improve it by having it focus on one.”

“I suppose that’s possible.” Hedged Cixi.

“Now, please don’t get offended but are you sure you have the Constitution?” said Felix

“How can you come up with all this after reading the manual for a mere hours? My ancestors spent longer than you’ve been alive working on that book.”

“You’ll have to trust me.”

“…I think I have the constitution,” said Cixi.

“Think isn’t good enough, Cixi. Can I have your hand?” Felix.

She reached out and he took it in his.

[Cultivation: Essence Condensing 2]

[Constitution: Heart Eyes]

[Bloodline: None]

[Roots: Heart Root]

Heart Eyes and Heart Root… I haven’t heard of either of these. Orange!

I have a name and for the last time, I am not a scholar. [Orange]

“Is the constitution you have Heart Eyes?” said Felix.

She nodded numbly.

“Good, then it seems like you truly do have the constitution.” Said Felix “Do you also know you have something called a Heart Root for your spirit root?”

“How are you finding out all this?” said Cixi. “I didn’t sense you did anything when you touched my hands.”

“Secrets, Remember? We promised to keep them,” said Felix with a smile. “Now I am going to try to work on your manual, just know that the final version will no longer be suitable for a normal cultivator.

“I am beginning to wonder if my secrets are worth yours.” Muttered Cixi.

Felix ignored her and initiated the improvement process.

-----

Felix leaned back and relaxed. Two days of non-stop work on the manual had taxed him mentally.

It had cost him more than half of his remaining points and he couldn’t even turn it into the sect to recoup the loss. The ‘Flawed’ had been removed from the system notification. Almost as important, the manual should be as perfect for her as he could currently make it.

The real snag came in how to account for Cixi’s spirit root. Spirit roots' most well-known use is in controlling qi as it enters or leaves the body. It is why many speculate the first cultivates had amazing spirit roots since cultivation came as easy as breathing to them. I for one believe they may be right.

[Judge of the Human Heart] didn’t require one but had a list of suggested roots for best effect. Hers hadn’t been on the list but the name “Heart Root” alleviated much of his worry.

“Are you sure you should have done that Felix,” said Xue, still standing over his shoulder. “You didn’t seem like friends on your travels.”

“Yes, I would agree we weren’t friends back then,” said Felix, leaning back. “Xue, why do you cultivate strength?”

“Because it is the most economical use of my time.”

“Economical?” said Felix. “How so?”

“When a merchant makes a deal, he is looking for what benefits he gets in the short vs the long term. He is also weighing risk and benefit. Comparing all these, he can decide the best course of action.”

“And?”

“And successful cultivation means immortality. Infinite life. Infinite compared to the risk; it is the most logical answer.”

“Huh, that makes a weird kind of sense. What I meant was what do you want to do after, say when you achieve your goal.”

“I will have plenty of time to come up with something else then.”

“I can respect that point of view. I on the other hand am much more concerned about all the little things in between. What is strength for if I can’t use it for what I want, was where I was going with my question. Damn, your argument is good though. It’s kind of absurd since normally when you make a hyperbole of an argument, it is fundamentally flawed since it doesn’t exist in real life. Your point is that it does. At least here.” said Felix.

She raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t have to be smug about it. Your merchant background is peeking through,” said Felix. “At the end of the day, I choose to trust Cixi. What was your impression of her though?”

“She is no merchant's daughter,” said Xue. “If what she said is true about the manual being her family then she also comes from a powerful background.”

“What one though?” said Felix. “While I admit that I have neglected my study of the regional powers, I did make sure to learn about the big players. That includes what they are famous for. None of them have something like this. Not in the Central Region, the Empire, or the Kingdom. Could it be from another continent or beyond?”

“Her family might have kept the names themselves hidden, or maybe called them by another name. I find that more likely than an essence-gathering cultivator traveling from so far. A nascent soul maybe.”

“And the dragon spear sect elder did recognize something about her, so she is probably local,” said Felix, and his expression dropped. “Should you have gone with her? I am kind of worried the Dragon Spear Elder will be waiting for her outside the sect.”

Xue shook her head.

“I already thought of that. Elder Harold reached out to me when I let Cixi into the upper floor. At the time, I chose to ask if he knew where Elder Long Shi was. He’s at the front for a week, so now would be the perfect time for her to leave if that is her wish. That's why I didn’t say anything.”

“Way ahead of me, huh?”

“I can watch things unattached while you are in the middle. It makes it easier to process things.”

Felix froze and turned to look at Xue. She looked up from her book, calmly meeting his eyes.

“So, Xue, just out of curiosity, have you been following me since when?” said Felix.

“Since you met with the elders. After hearing of your conflict with Elder Long Shi, I knew you needed to be watched. I did of course go cultivate when you were sequestered in a cultivation cave.”

“So, you saw everything?”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Like when I was with Daiyu?”

“When you kissed her mask, you mean?” said Xue looking back down at her book. “I don’t care if you choose to act shameless or weird. Though now that you know I am watching, please restrain yourself.”

Show some kind of emotion, you are so hard to read. Orange, getting anything from this?

The name is Liang Yanmei and no. You must unbalance girls like her. [Orange Voice]

Hold on Orange, you have a name. When did we remember that?

Now. And please use it. [Orange Voice]

Of course, Orange.

“And you’re sure you don’t have any opinion on this?” said Felix.

“Just that you should act responsibly and not play with a person’s feelings. However, if you keep it to such innocent actions, it isn’t unusual to explore. I did. Wait, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about such things when you lost your memories? Do I need to ask the Elders to explain how things work?” Said Xue.

“…did you follow me when I was with Elder Zhenzhen? And no, I’ve not forgotten,” said Felix.

“Of course not, she left before I could follow. She moved much too fast. I only knew where you were when Elder Harold told me to come and protect you. Why?”

Tell her about the kiss. That’ll unbalance a girl like this. [Orange Voice]

If you aren’t going to suggest good ideas, then be quiet.

“No reason.” Said Felix.

Xue eyed him and he put on his best smile.

“So how has your cultivation been going?” said Felix.

“Well, enough.”

“Can I look at your manual?” said Felix “I might be able to do more now that I am in the second realm.”

She didn’t respond but was staring off into the distance, a bit of concern on her brow.

“Xue?” said Felix.

“Felix, the Elders want to see you at the hall of knowledge. Come.”