Hua Ming woke up with her eyes wide open. Her pupils were completely devoid of emotions and only sadness remained. She opened the door and silently looked out. Knowing that her senior brother was dead…Her heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand. In her mind, she had already decided. After giving the token to their master, she would exit the sect and find her senior brothers body.

That was the only way. Her obsession would lead her to a path of revenge, but how can she simply let her senior brother's killer roam free?

Steeling her resolve, she would first bid the senior farewell.

Stepping towards the small shed behind the shack, she saw an unexplainable scene that shocked her to the very soul!

“Master Tan Ye! This spell is about turning qi to flames!”

“Woah! That’s so cool! Quick, hit the target!”

“Yes!”

Liu Chang shot out a small flame, the size of a nail, that flew through the air and hit right on the red mark of a target that was hanging on a tree.

Tan Ye really liked Liu Chang. Not only was Liu Chang polite, he also explained anything and everything about the cultivation world with extreme patience.

First of all, the stages here were from highest to lowest:

Heavenly Stage - The peak of cultivators, 0 currently.

Sage stage - only 1 or 2 in the whole world

Boundless Immortal - 100’s of cultivators.

Immortal Stage - 1,000s of Cultivators.

Glass Immortal Stage - 10,000’s of cultivators.

Expert Cultivator Stage - 100,000 of cultivators

First Cultivator stage - millions / starting stage.

Tan Ye looked Liu Chang up and down.

Sensing his gaze, Liu Chang simply smiled innocently.

This guy is one out of a thousand cultivators?

“Uh.. I’ve been a little disrespectful then…”

Liu Chang felt petrified to hear that. He could sense a slight discomfort from the statues.

“No! You have not, please just treat me like before!”

“But…”

“Please!!!”

Liu Chang screamed in desperation. Having Tan Ye’s respect would literally crush him!

Liu Chang…you’re really a nice guy~

Tan Ye, someone that got kidnapped to this world hasn’t talked to anyone ever since. He also had the lowest expectations about the cultivators here. Tan Ye was expecting a cannon fodder villain to slap him in the face or throw spirit stones at his foot to humiliate him.

M-maybe the world isn’t so bad after all…

“But is it really alright to show off our spells like a parlor trick?”

“Not at all. To showcase my weak spells in front of Master Tan Ye is like a dream come true.”

Suddenly they hear a voice from behind them.

“Senior Brother?”

They both turned to see Hua Ming staring blankly at Liu Chang.

“um…I’ll leave both of you alone for now.”

Tan Ye fled the scene.

Liu Chang smiled towards Hua Ming.

“You’re awake.”

Hua Ming got close to Liu Chang and checked his body.

“You broke through!?”

“It was all thanks to Master Tan Ye.”

Finally, after checking Liu Chang whether he had any injuries, she let out a breath of relief.

SMACK!

Then she smacked him.

“Ju-junior Sister!?”

“Just stay still and let me hit you until I’m satisfied!”

“Junior Sister!??”

Tan Ye sipped his peach juice and looked at Liu Chang running around in circles.

Indeed, no matter how high your cultivation is, you can’t beat your future wife. Rest in peace, Brother Liu Chang.

Tan Ye walked to his room and sat on the chair at his desk. Overall, his room was clean and organized and only had the bare minimum. There were a couple of green plants, paintings, poetry, but not too much decoration.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Through this incident, he felt a strong alarm go off in his head. When he was about to leave, he didn’t even have a back up plan. His foot began shaking up and down repeatedly. This event told him about how important it was to have a backing.

This can’t go on.

Time passed quickly and dinner came. The scent of hot chicken, greens, and spicy noodles filled the air. For this occasion, Tan Ye also brought out his personal collection of wine that he had been awarded by the system. Though he wasn’t a big fan of liquor and wine, he was impressed by the sweet taste when it touched the tip of his tongue. Still, he preferred other beverages.

For himself, he poured a carbonated coca cola. He dropped two ice cubes into his cup.

PLop~ Plop~

Sizzling sounded out from the coca cola.

Tan Ye rubbed his hands together. With his hands, he crafted a photo frame and held it close to his eyes. This was also the perfect chance to ask Liu Chang for some advice.

Liu Chang and Hua Ming looked at the feast before them. Of course, with their acute senses, they could already smell it from miles away.

“Master Tan Ye, is there a special occasion?” Hua Ming asked.

Tan Ye clasped his hand in front and bowed.

“Actually, I have something I want to ask about. I thought that it would be more comfortable with some food to accompany us.”

Liu Chang spoke, bowing back at him, “Whatever Master Tan Ye asks us, we will surely answer to the best of our abilities. No need for such formalities.”

“Still, having food as we talk will ease my worries.”

Hua Ming nudged at Liu Chang. He could only sigh as accepted the invitation.

“Declining too much would be rude. Pardon our intrusion.”

They all sat down.

“Master Tan Ye, please ask.”

Not wasting a precious chance, Tan Ye asked, “It’s like this, I plan on opening a store.”

Hua Ming and Liu Chang froze in place. After Liu Chang and Hua Ming had a warm reunion, Liu Chang had told her about everything that he had been through. Just in case though, he didn’t tell her about Tan Ye’s statue.

“What are you planning on selling?” Hua Ming asked.

This question caused Liu Chang to feel like a thousand blades were pointing at him. As if his head was placed right on the edge of a guillotine. One swing and his head would be chopped off.

He knew the horrors of just one statue, what about thousands of them?

“It’s not just statues, I also want to sell paintings and music scores.”

Tan Ye was scared of selling his stuff. It wasn’t that he didn’t have any confidence in his art, but the meaning of art changed with the times. Abstract art could be the trend or some other form of arts could take off in the market.

Which was why he thought about not selling poetry. Besides, only scholars and such would want to buy Poetry.

Still, other than his artistic values, he didn’t know anything else. Hopefully, he could stay in the same city as Liu Chang’s sect and be protected for his finite life span.

Hua Ming was curious and asked, “Uh, Master Tan Ye. I’m sure you can sell, in fact, you will be really popular, but…can I ask why you want to open a store?”

Tan Ye waved his hands and smiled, “After this incident, I realized how foolish I was. I can’t alway stay hidden from trouble. If so, then I should just brace the storm rather than try to escape it.”

“It was my fault that Master Tan Ye was involved. I’m ashamed.”

“No, no!” Tan Ye waved his hands hastily. “It would have happened eventually. Thankfully, this time we stopped it or else…”

Hua Ming looked at the strange atmosphere. She looked Liu Chang and Tan Ye in confusion.

Is there a misunderstanding? Why do I feel like something is off?

Then, as if struck by a golden shock, a great idea surfaced in her mind.

“How about coming to our sect!?”

Liu Chang stopped breathing.

J-juniior sister!??

“Going to your sect?”

Hua Ming who was innocent, spoke out what was her mind without care.

“Right! The reason why you want to open a store is to have peace and tranquility right? If so, then you could stay within our sect as a guest.”

Tan Ye thought about it for a bit and thought that…it was actually a really good idea!

But what if demons attack the sect? Do I have to sacrifice myself to save people…

Tan Ye remembered reading novels where the Protagonists would be “Fight till the end, no surrender!” But that life wasn’t meant for a side character like him!

This time, Liu Chang pitched in.

“Is there a problem?”

Since we're already here then let's play it by ear. At least I can help repay Master Tan Ye if he decides to stay within the sect.

“I don’t want to be confined to the sect…”

Liu Chang and Hua Ming nodded in understanding.

“You’ve mistaken us Master Tan Ye. Our sect controls a whole continent.”

“...A whole continent?” He felt flabbergasted.

“Yeah! Our sect is pretty big. If you don’t want to stay within the sect, you can live in one of the towns. If you want a secular place, our sect has 12 peaks. If I ask my master, Master Tan Ye will be able to occupy one of them. ”

How much power does your master has? Considering that Liu Chang was an immortal Stage Cultivator…their master is Boundless? Or higher?

“Are you sure?”

“We can’t guarantee it until we talk to our master, but it should be fine.”

Even Liu Chang was confident in his answer. Hearing his answer, Tan Ye started to consider it even more. But then again…

A peak. It’s a peak as high and tall as a skyscraper. Without a sword, I would have to walk.

Just thinking about how cultivators lived made him feel irked.

“Is there a place where not a lot of people can access, has a lot of nature, but not a lot of animals, and also is somewhere you don’t have to walk a lot in order to get to? More or less, something like my current place?”

“I don’t think there's any better than here–”

“–There is! Senior Brother don’t you remember?”

Was there? A place where it has a beautiful scenery, and a impenetrable barrier?

“Wait. Are you thinking about…”

“Don’t we have the Bamboo Sword Haven?”

“Bamboo Sword Haven?” Tan Ye felt some sort of inspiration from this name

“It is our sect's hidden grounds. A sword is born inside of a bamboo tree and only those fated with it will make it appear. Otherwise, the bamboo will just be bamboo.

Liu Chang added, “Although we use it from time to time as a trial, If you do choose to stay there we can make it so that you aren’t disturbed.”

Interesting. A sword born from bamboo!?

“Mountains rise where skies grow dim,”

“A vast jade green cane field where shadows swim.”

Liu Chang and Hua Ming were surprised when Tan Ye started chanting a poem. Their eyes and ears completely focused on Tan Ye. A burning sensation flowed round and round in their dantian and they tried to keep their calm. Within their souls, they could feel their swords shivering–not from fear but from awe. Spiritual energy were being absorbed like water to a sponge.

Tan Ye continued his poem.

“Swords ring forth, shattering mortal dreams,”

“Cold gleams whisper the heart’s true hymn.”

“In drifting clouds, lost forms abide,”

“In turning tides, the marks of immortal pride.”

“Beyond life’s bounds, no birth nor end,”

“Bamboo, blade, and heaven blends.”

With every verse in the poem, it felt like a hot spring was being dug and countless springs sprouted from within their dantians. Their cultivation bursted out and they broke through small stages. These small stages shouldn’t be underestimated. Usually it would take a couple of decades to thousands of years to break through even the smallest stage.

Tan Ye looked down in embarrassment. He wasn’t used to having people around and as he was alway alone, he had a habit of making poems on the spot.

What caused him even more embarrassment, was that these two weren’t reacting at all. He could only hear them breathing loudly. Tan Ye noticed they were rooted on the spot. He waved his hands in front of them.

He could only think of one reason for this situation.

Is this..enlightenment? No way right? Am I more awesome than I thought?

Tan Ye felt that should be the case, but also felt that it was unbelievable. How could cultivators hear a mortal reading out poetry and just level up like that?

Wait, is it because…

He had a new idea that made more sense.

It’s because they hear such a mundane poem that they level up? Like how an old monster visits the mortal world to experience the relationships of mortals?!

Tan Ye nodded and no longer bothered thinking about it.

Hopefully they don’t take a month to awaken.

His feast that he had prepared was now being eaten alone.