Yeah! You heard me, right! I listened to a baby crying after I had condensed my martial soul. I'm pretty sure it was a baby because I always hated it when our neighbor's baby cries at night.
The sound of crying is right next to me, startling me. After opening my eyes, I immediately looked around, expecting to find a baby. Wait, I can't hear the cry anymore...what happened?
A cultivator approached me. "Follow me!" he ordered.
"Excuse me...did you happen to hear a baby crying a moment ago?" He only glanced at me and proceeded to walk.
It seems he does not want to talk; he doesn't like me. I know that look; I saw it many times before, which means he looks down on me. Arrogant prick! I don't want any trouble, so I followed him in silence. We arrived right next to the majestic gate of the sect. He pointed out the direction where Miss Chen's group.
"Wait there for further instructions."
I nodded, and he turned away. The group was about twenty-five children. So these are the combat type group, and the Sabre is with them.
Yes, let's just call her Sabre for now... because it's tiring to call her Miss Chen all the time. The name Sabre is very fitting... aside from her martial tool, she is also giving me a very sharp look right now. Her eyes can cut me into tiny pieces... I hope that's only my imagination.
Right...it looks like I will be entering Gold Peak with Sabre. I avoided her eyes and kept my distance, as far away as I can. The atmosphere is a little tense.
The children are mostly keeping among themselves. They are still confused about why they're separated from the others.
(The Vice Sect Master will announce the different Peaks after the test. I already explained it to you, so we don't need to waste time listening to the Vice Sect Master.)
After stepping away from Sabre's sights, I relaxed. I looked for shade and sat down, looking up the gates. It is a massive gate, about three stories, and spanned for half a kilometer. It's made of metal, but I am unsure what kind.
A carving of a coiling Dragon is on its surface, with wide stretched wings on both sides. How in the world did they build this thing? I bet this thing took a handful of builders many years to make such a grand gate. Yet again, this is a world that defies common sense, so what do I know? Anyway, this is unimportant.
I closed my eyes and concentrated; I'll try replicating my experience earlier. I find QI cultivation very fascinating. To discover a new world with infinite possibilities is a great experience.
Reading my first wuxia/xianxia novel gave me the same feeling; I can't get enough of it! I read the first web novel was Tales of Demons and Gods (TDG by Mad Snail), not the best but not the worst either. It opened the cultivation world for me...
"Owaaaa! Owaaaa!"
There goes again! This time I am 120% sure of what I'm hearing a baby crying. I stopped circulating my QI and opened my eyes... I looked around and still nothing!!!
Wait, let me try circulating my Qi again. I closed my eyes and started to feel my QI. The moment I controlled it, the high pitched voice of a crying baby rang out.
This is insane! I can only hear it when I am using my Qi. I concentrated my consciousness on my Dantian, which others call the sea of QI or sea of consciousness. The location of the Dantian is...never mind, every wuxia reader recognizes what a Dantian is, so it's useless to talk about it.
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To further investigate, I explored my Dantian expecting to perceive something... Behold! A baby! Formed by golden light. It's hovering in the void at the center of my Dantian.
Upon closer inspection, I observe that the baby is a She. Since I can't find anything protruding in her groin area. She is about 1 foot tall with those chubby hands and feet. Her eyes closed, but her mouth is wide open, crying so loud.
Ohhhh! What a cute baby I just want to pinch those chubby cheeks! The only problem is she is crying so loud, and I'm starting to get a headache.
Why is she crying?! I have no experience regarding babies!!!
I don't know what to do, so I directed my consciousness towards her, trying to establish a connection. At first, there was no response, so I tried projecting calming words like: "It's okay, I won't harm you. Stop crying, baby..."
Then she opened up to me without warning. It feels like our mind formed a connection. Her mind is very delicate and chaotic, with no apparent thoughts or ideas. Though she could communicate through her feelings, it seems like she is hungry.
Now I know the why, so the next question is: What should I feed her? I racked my brain, arriving with a few possible answers, which I disregarded right away (Milk? Really?! I'm not a woman with breasts!!).
Humans need food to survive; food provides energy; Qi is a form of energy (Right?), should I feed her with my Qi? So that's what I did; I circulated my Qi and channeled it towards the baby. The moment it entered the baby's body, I felt sudden tiredness.
The more Qi I gave her, the more I felt exhaustion; the good news is that the baby stopped crying. I'm getting sleepy after feeding her for a few minutes. I'm starting to lose my concentration. Thankfully, through our shared consciousness, I realized she is already asleep.
I opened my eyes and took a long breath...that was very exhausting. That baby has a big appetite! .... the baby... Wait, I need to name her; I can't be calling her "the baby" all the time.
Hmmm, I'm too tired to think right now... let's just name her Ashley, as a girl version of my name Asher.
Okay, so Ashley is a surprise. It seems like my martial soul is not as simple as it looks. I would be able to learn more about it if I have more Qi. Things keep on changing in this world. A martial soul with consciousness is not supposed to exist...let alone a baby... I am unsure of what is happening.
I guess. It's time to accept the fact that this world is not the same thing I created. It doesn't follow the things I wrote, it is different, and it follows its own rules and laws.
By this time, most of the tests are already finished. I also missed what happened to Bo Jin. But I'm pretty sure he will enter Jade Peak. I'm also pretty sure he was exempted from the test since he already awakened his martial spirit.
When the test concluded, the gate opened, and the recruits are sorted to the different Peaks. The deep groaning sound produced by the entrance was deafening.
(I did not notice how they opened such a big gate. A gate like this should be very heavy.)
A paved pathway was revealed behind the wide gate. The path is about 1-kilometer long, leading towards a stone stair. Above the stairs is a magnificent palace. It rivals any court inside the Forbidden City. Don't be impressed yet since this is only the entrance of the sect.
"Welcome to Good Guys Sect!" The Vice Sect leader spoke.
He is a typical old man with long white hair and a long beard. Although he is wearing a very stylish robe with intricate designs and symbols.
"I am Li Ping, the vice sect leader; I welcome you on behalf of the sect leader. All-new members will be divided depending on the results of the test conducted earlier.
The Good Guys Sect has four Pillars: Jade Peak, Gold Peak, Silver Peak, and Bronze Peak. But before you enter your respective Peak. You must first register to become an official member. Your names and other personal information will be recorded. After you are registered. You will also be provided with an identification tile, new robes, and a basic cultivation technique."
"The identification tile is fundamental. This can be used as proof that you are part of the sect. Not only that, but this is also where your contribution points will be recorded. As well as your position in the sect. You will learn more about it later...Wang Wei, I leave the rest to you!"
After Wang Wei bowed with respect, vice sect leader Li Ping vanished into thin air. Dozens of cultivators started to usher all the children inside the gate.
I followed closely with my group while admiring the surroundings. The path is paved with some kind of marble...such luxury. Large trees are planted at the side of the road, creating a wall covering what lay beyond.
We continue walking...then it occurred to me. We will be submitting our personal information. So what name should I give? Asher Cruz would be a very odd name in this world. A world based on ancient China. I need to change it to something appropriate.
How about Uchiha Sasuke?..that's a cool name! ... Nope! That's a Japanese name. How about Jet Li or Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee...my idols... Nuh, those are Westernized Chinese names.
What do you think?