After I placed the jade slip back into my storage bag, I gave Senior Azure Claw my full attention.
“What sort of proposal?” I asked.
“I wish for you to find a worthy successor of the Forest Tiger Sect.” Senior Azure Claw said. “It is the best way I can think of to honor my disciple’s memory. He founded the Forest Tiger Sect because he wished to leave his mark on history. I am… confined to this place for the time being, so I must rely on others to perform this task for me. If you are willing to do this, I will reward you for your efforts.”
I frowned in thought.
“What sort of reward?” I asked.
Senior Azure Claws studied me for several moments.
“Tell me, young Darian,” he said, “How much do you know about your heritage?”
I blinked at him in surprise.
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Everything.” Senior Azure Claw said. “Unlike most Ironwood Tigers, I was the descendant of an Azure Dragon, which in turn was descended from a divine True Dragon. Thanks to my heritage, I managed to reach my current level of power before I died. I sense a connection between us, young Darian. It’s faint, so much so that only someone at my level of power can sense it, but it’s there.”
I sucked in a breath. Azure Dragons were powerful spirit beasts that were considered sacred. Clan Azure Dragon, the rulers of the Azure Dragon Empire, were said to be descendants of one of these legendary creatures.
“Are you saying that I’m descended from a dragon?” I asked.
Senior Azure Claw made a so-so gesture with one of his paws.
“Yes and no.” He said. “It’s as if you inherited the spirit of a dragon, but not the blood of one. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
The spirit of a dragon but not the blood of one? I thought of Nova and her beast form. She was a heart demon, or used to be a heart demon. What if her main soul had been the descendant of a dragon? Wouldn’t that make me one as well, in a roundabout way?
Wait, that didn’t make sense. Nova possessed her main soul. So, if she was the descendant of a dragon, I would have the blood of a dragon as well. Unless I was wrong about that. Could a heart demon possess someone other than their main soul? I didn’t know. I would have to ask Sidra when I returned to the Dawn and Dusk Sect.
“If you are willing to help me,” Senior Azure Claw said, “Then I will give you some of my blood. It’s diluted, but with the right technique, you could refine that blood and gain the bloodline of a dragon.”
Senior Azure Claw’s offer tempted me. Even if he was lying to me and I wasn’t the descendant of a dragon, the blood of a Rank Four spirit beast was still valuable. I’m sure I could find some use for it. If nothing else, I could sell it for spirit stones. However, it didn’t hurt to be prudent.
“Are there any special conditions or stipulations that I need to be aware of?” I asked.
Senior Azure Claw’s eyes gleamed with approval.
“Yes.” He said. “For someone to be considered a worthy successor of the Forest Tiger Sect, they need to meet three criteria. First, they must have an Ironwood Physique or something similar.”
I nodded. That made sense. I didn’t know what an Ironwood Physique was, but based on the name, I assumed it was a physique with Metal and Wood attributes. A physique like this was required to practice both the qi refining and the physical refining portions of the Forest Tiger Script.
“Second,” Senior Azure Claw continued. “They must be willing to settle down in this area and rebuild the Forest Tiger Sect.”
Again, that made sense.
“Third,” Senior Azure Claw said in a soft voice. “They must acknowledge and honor my disciple, Jared, as their master. Other than those three criteria, there are no other conditions. I won’t set a time limit or anything of the sort.” He stared me right in the eyes. “However, you must swear a heart demon oath. It’s the only way I can guarantee that you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain.”
I hesitated at that. Swearing a heart demon oath was a serious matter. If I broke it, a heart demon would form in my soul and haunt me. It might even grow powerful enough to consume me from the inside out. In effect, the heart demon would become me. However, despite this condition, the deal still favored me. Senior Azure Claw mentioned that there wasn’t a time limit to this. As long as I didn’t give up on finding a worthy successor to the Forest Tiger Sect, I would be fine.
“Very well,” I said, “I accept.”
Senior Azure Claw grinned.
“Excellent,” he said, “Now swear the oath.”
I placed a hand over my heart.
“I, Darian Wind Dance, swear to find a worthy successor of the Forest Tiger Sect. If I break this oath, may a heart demon form in my soul.”
I felt a soundless click in my soul as soon as I said this. It felt… odd. Not painful or uncomfortable. Just odd.
“You should be more careful, young Darian.” Senior Azure Claw said with a chuckle. He poked me in the stomach with one of his claws. “If I were the wicked sort, I could renege on my side of the deal and there wouldn’t be anything you could do about it. After all, you’ve already sworn the oath and you’re not powerful enough to force my hand.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
“That’s not fair!” I said.
Senior Azure Claw stared at me with a serious expression on his face.
“Of course it’s fair,” he said, “I’m stronger than you. That’s how the world of cultivation works. The strong are respected, while the weak are trampled upon. If you don’t like the way someone treats you, then become stronger.”
I gave him a dismayed look.
“You wouldn’t renege on our deal, would you?” I asked.
Senior Azure Claw smirked.
“No, I am not the sort to bully my juniors like this.” He said. “Though your reaction was most amusing.” He stopped smirking. “However, there are plenty of people out there who would trick you like this, given the opportunity. Be more careful in the future. Otherwise, you might fall victim to a cunning old monster.”
He was right. I let my excitement and greed get the better of me.
“Thank you for the lesson.” I said, giving Senior Azure Claw a martial salute. “I won’t forget it.”
The spirit chuckled.
“You’re welcome, young Darian.” He said. “Now then, let me give you your reward.”
One of the rocks in the cavern shifted and moved, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside this compartment were several jade bottles. One of them flew out and landed in my hands. Liquid sloshed inside this jade bottle.
“There,” Senior Azure Claw said. “Some of my blood, as promised. However, be warned. Don’t refine it until you find a suitable technique. Otherwise, you may suffer from adverse side effects.”
I nodded with a solemn expression on my face.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Good,” Senior Azure Claw said, “I will send you away before going back to sleep. Don’t return until you’ve fulfilled your end of the bargain.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a force lifted me off of my feet and flung me back. This force carried me through the tunnel leading to the cavern, until I arrived at the dead end where I first woke up. For a moment, I feared that I would crash into the stone wall and die. However, a tear in reality opened up just before this happened and swallowed me whole.
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When I exited the other side, I found myself back in the clearing. It was evening now. The others were waiting for me. They all wore worried expressions on their faces, Elliot and Willow in particular. The moment I emerged from the hidden realm, Willow pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. Even after I reassured her several times that I was fine, she refused to let me go. Elliot insisted on checking me over for injuries and such.
While this went on, I explained what happened with Senior Azure Claw in the hidden realm. When I first mentioned that I found the skeleton of a Rank Four spirit beast inside, Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin’s eyes lit up with excitement. However, when I mentioned that the spirit of said Rank Four spirit beast was still around, their excitement dimmed.
Cultivator Isabel, with annoyed expression on her face, declared that this whole endeavor had been a waste of time. After she said that, I pulled out the jade slip containing the Breath of the World technique and told them that Senior Azure Claw gave this to me as a reward for avenging the Forest Tiger Sect. Each of my companions took a turn examining the contents of the jade slip, and each of them grew excited by what they saw. A technique to speed up one’s cultivation and allow one to replenish one’s internal qi was valuable indeed.
After some discussion, we decided that we would take turns studying the Breath of the World technique. While we could read knowledge imprinted onto jade slips and other mediums with our spirit sense, we couldn’t make copies. For that, we would have to be in the Golden Core realm. Since I was the one who retrieved the Breath of the World technique, everyone agreed that I would get to study it first.
As for the matter of finding a worthy successor to the Forest Tiger Sect, I kept that to myself. The blood of a Rank Four spirit beast was valuable. While I trusted my companions, I didn’t want to tempt them. Cultivator Isabel eyed me with suspicion when I said that I didn’t get anything else from the hidden realm, but she kept her suspicions to herself.
It was evening by that point, but we decided to leave the forest valley rather than linger. We had wasted enough time. After all, we didn’t know when the Ancient Blood Sect would send someone to investigate the deaths of Cultivator Blood Petal and the others. So, the six of us hopped onto Elliot’s flying boat and flew off.
Speed was of the essence, so he brought out his best one. We picked up the former prisoners of the Ancient Blood Sect disciples, before making our way to Clear Basin City. There were too many people to fit onto one boat, so Elliot brought out a second boat just for the former prisoners, which Cultivator Isabel piloted.
On the first night and day of our journey, the six of us took time to sort out the loot we retrieved from the Ancient Blood Sect disciples. Most of it wasn’t useful for us, since they looted it from the small clans and sects within this area of the Sacred Ironwood province. While there were a lot of resources, most of them were for Qi Condensation cultivators. Only a small portion was suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators. We kept the latter for ourselves and gave the rest to the former prisoners. This was in addition to the resources we had already set aside for them. They were ecstatic and thanked us over and over again.
The loot that we retrieved from the Ancient Blood Sect disciples themselves was far more interesting. As disciples of one of the Seven Great Northern Sects, the resources available to them were several steps above what the average cultivator could get their hands on. Per our agreement with Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin, we gave them first pick of the loot. Cultivator Isabel grumbled about this, saying that the two of them contributed the least, but the rest of us ignored her.
As expected, Cultivator Albin picked the tiger puppet that Cultivator Davina wielded. He rubbed the small jade statue against his cheek with a lascivious expression on his face. Everyone stepped away from him and gave him strange looks, except for Cultivator Rexanne. As his betrothed, I assumed she was used to this sort of behavior.
To my surprise, Cultivator Rexanne picked the blood red spear that used to belong to Cultivator Crimson Skull, the one that Elliot damaged when the two fought. She explained that studying the spear and repairing it would further her understanding of magic treasure refinement.
After that, the rest of us picked out loot for ourselves in order of cultivation base, with Elliot going first. Rather than the azure feather fan that once belonged to Cultivator Blood Petal, he picked the blood red sickle. I found this odd, since the sickle was a mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure. When I asked Elliot about this, he said that since the azure feather fan used to belong to Cultivator Blood Petal, whoever had it would become a target. Cultivator Isabel shrugged and said she didn’t mind, before taking the azure feather fan for herself.
That left Willow and I to pick something. None of the loot that remained caught my eye at first. There were some mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasures, pills, and talismans, as well as precious materials, spirit herbs, and spirit stones. Instead, I turned my attention to the various jade slips, scrolls, and manuals that we recovered.
Most of them belonged to the small clans and sects from this area of the Sacred Ironwood province, excepting the ones we returned to the former prisoners. However, a few belonged to the Ancient Blood Sect disciples. To my complete lack of surprise, the mystic arts and techniques contained therein were all related to blood. Some involved using vitality to empower one’s attacks, while others required vitality to work altogether.
One technique in particular, called Subsume the Beast, caught my eye. It allowed one to take the blood of a spirit beast or a demon beast and refine it in order to take on the characteristics of said beast. I thought back to my fight with Cultivator Beast Eater, and realized that this technique was how he achieved that transformation of his. He must have refined the blood of some kind of ape spirit beast.
While I found the technique intriguing, since it would help me refine Senior Azure Claw’s blood, I remembered how Cultivator Beast Eater looked after he transformed. The thought of becoming a misshapen monster didn’t sit well with me. Senior Azure Claw also warned me that if I wasn’t careful while trying to refine his blood, I may suffer from adverse side effects. However, I couldn’t let the matter go.
So, rather than bash my head against a figurative wall, I consulted Willow. She was a disciple of Crimson Fiend Hall, which specialized in blood, so I figured she might have some knowledge on the matter. Willow took one look at the Subsume the Beast technique and called it trash. While it gave one significant power, the side effects weren’t worth it. Crimson Fiend Hall had much better techniques with similar effects.
I took her advice to heart and decided against picking the Subsume the Beast technique. After all, I still had the token from Sect Leader Twinheart and now I knew what to get with it. Instead, I picked another technique called Living Candle.
Using this technique allowed me to burn my vitality to empower my physical prowess. However, using this technique came with a serious downside as well. If I burned too much of my vitality within a short span of time, I would either suffer serious injury or die. Still, I thought the trade-off was worth it. As long as I didn’t cross the threshold, I would be fine. Vitality, unlike one’s lifespan, could recover with time or through the use of Healing Pills.
Willow picked a technique as well, though I didn’t know which one. After that, we took turns dividing up the loot amongst ourselves. Cultivator Rexanne and Cultivator Albin took most of the precious materials, since they specialized in refining magic treasures. Meanwhile, Willow took all of the blood mystic arts. No one argued against this, since she was the only one who could use them anyway. We divided the remaining loot equally among ourselves, though I made sure to get the writing of the Forest Tiger Sect. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my end of the bargain with Senior Azure Claw.
All in all, I ended up with a decent haul, which included various pills, spirit herbs, and precious materials, as well as one thousand spirit stones. Of particular note, I received a bronze buckler that was a defensive mid-grade Foundation Establishment magic treasure, to replace my broken turtle shell magic treasure. I also took several talismans, including the one that increased my flying speed. Having it on hand would help guarantee my survival.
After that, we spent the next several weeks flying back to Clear Basin City. At first, I spent this time focused on the Breath of the World technique. The more I studied it, the more I realized how profound it was. As Senior Azure Claw said, there was a rhythm to the movements and cycles of the world. By understanding this rhythm and resonating with it, one could deepen one’s connection to the world itself. The Breath of the World technique was just one method to achieve this.
This rhythm didn’t just govern the larger cycles, such as the rising and falling of the sun or the phases of the moon. It also included smaller cycles, such as the life cycles of living beings, among other things. The butterfly was an example. It started off as an egg, became a caterpillar, formed a chrysalis, and emerged as a butterfly. In order to gain proficiency in the Breath of the World technique, one needed to observe and understand these movements and cycles. Simply studying the technique wasn’t enough.
When I realized this, I memorized the technique before passing the jade slip to the next person. Even achieving basic mastery of Breath of the World would take time. It wasn’t something I could achieve during this trip. So, I put it aside for now and focused on my other techniques, Living Candle in particular.
This technique had three layers to it. With each layer, the boost to one’s physical prowess increased. However, the cost increased as well. I doubted that a Foundation Establishment cultivator such as myself would be able to use the third layer of Living Candle without dying immediately.
Even the first layer gave me trouble. The first time I practiced the technique, I felt empty and hollowed out by the end. I ended up taking a Healing Pill to recover. As I continued to practice the technique and gained proficiency, I became used to the empty and hollow feeling. By the time I mastered the first layer, I could use it for a full minute without suffering permanent damage.
However, using Living Candle always unsettled me. I gained a newfound respect for Willow. Burning my vitality on a regular basis as part of my path towards immortality sounded hellish. I could understand why blood cultivators harvested vitality from others, though I still didn’t condone it.
During the entire trip, we kept an eye out for anyone from the Ancient Blood Sect. Elliot also took this time to send a full report back to the Dawn and Dusk Sect via transmission talisman. They congratulated us on fulfilling this part of our mission, and said that they would handle the aftermath if necessary.
Despite this reassurance, we remained vigilant and only relaxed once we reached Clear Basin City. After that, we parted ways with the former prisoners. They thanked us once again for our kindness. Cultivator Gray, the leader of the Five Wandering Blades, promised to repay us. We told him that this wasn’t necessary, but he insisted. In the end, we relented.
After that, we took the teleportation array network to travel to East Mesa. Finally, my reunion with Ellen was at hand.