Meng Lin’s eyes fluttered open to find herself in the dimly lit cave once again, purple lay beside her and the drip of water still echoed in the cave.
“Oh … awake … you finally” an old voice chimed within her ears which made her turn her head to find an old man sitting further away from her.
It was the old man that she had seen before, he seems to be speaking an ancient language that she knows of, however it seems more primitive than the one she understood.
“Who are you” she asked, with the same language. She wasn’t asking the actual question as it was more of an experiment to see if he understood her.
The old man, slightly taken aback paused for a moment before responding to her question, with a more relaxed tone.
“Ah, it's rare to find someone who can speak such ancient tongue," he said. "I am Xuan Liu, you can call me Old Liu for short”
"I led that serpent here as a token of my gratitude for saving my life unintentionally”, he said as he gestured towards the large, majestic serpent coiled around Meng Lin.
Hiss
Purple hissed with his serpentine tongue, almost as if confirming what the old man was saying.
Meng Lin nodded, her thoughts hidden. She couldn't help but wonder about the world she was in now, she had noticed that she couldn’t see the qi within the air as she does when she was cultivating.
Instead there is a different aura in the air, and aura with the same potency as qi.
"What world is this?" she asked, her eyes scanning the cave and its surroundings.
Old Liu was confused by the question and he answered. "I don't know much about this world, I only know of 13 provinces”
“And what is your profession” Old Liu’s eyes raised at Meng Lin, his eyes twinkling with curiosity “I am a talisman master”
He continued, assuming that Meng Lin doesn’t know about talisman masters, "There are four grades of talisman masters: yellow grade, earth grade, sky grade, and divine grade.”
“The strongest force in our Yi province is the Thousand Earth Sect, led by a Sky grade talisman master."
Meng Lin listened attentively, her mind absorbing the information. She couldn't help but feel a sense of distance and curiosity about this world, it seemed to only be about talisman masters.
"What grade are you?" she asked, her eyes curious.
Old Liu smiled proudly. "I am a yellow grade high tier talisman master. It's not that strong, but it's enough to survive in this world."
Meng Lin nodded, impressed by his demeanor, he was at the lowest rank but he still held his head high. She then remembered the reason for her current predicament and felt a pang of depression.
Taking her mind off it she asked “ what happened after I became unconscious”
Old Liu suddenly became quiet as he turned towards Purple, he began “the moment that the serpent appeared eveything became chaotic, the pursuers began attacking it and in response it killed all of them, except me, I assume because i was chained up and in the same predicament as you”
"What trouble will that bring, I noticed that there was a young man there that seemed to hold some position” she admitted, her voice not filled with slightest of concern. "Did anything else happen after that”.
Old Liu's eyes widened in surprise at her sharp insights and leaned in, lowering his voice. “ you are exactly correct, that young man was the young master of the Yun clan. They are a powerful force with dozens of sky grade talisman masters and they operate in almost all provinces”
The old man sighed as he expressed his grievance, “they are searching everywhere for me, believing me to be the perpetrator. I am the only one that knows what really happened that day.”
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“Oh!” Meng Lin said, her mind elsewhere, she was wondering whether to kill the old man since he was the only one that knows of her existence in this world.
But she quickly dismissed the thought and focused on Old Liu's next words, hoping for more clues about the mysterious within this world.
“I grew up within the confines of the Threefold City and didn’t have any family members…” Old Liu began to rant about his life while Meng Lin stayed silent and listened.
While listening she couldn’t help but notice the calculating glint in Old Liu's eyes as he spoke, as though he was carefully choosing which details to disclose.
Turning her attention towards her body she realized that while asleep, it seems that most of Energy strands were fully absorbed within her body, leaving only a couple more that lingered on her body.
She continued to listen while at the same time circulating her qi to cultivate the last strands, she hoped that something would happen when she absorbs all of them.
She also wanted to open her system panel and accept the system rewards but she thought to wait until she was alone before doing that.
And so she just stayed motionless on the floor, absorbing as much knowledge about the world as she could.
About 3 hours into it, Meng Lin learned about the powerful clans around the area and their recent activity in the provinces, she also learned or the identities of several key figures.
As Meng Lin was getting engrossed, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness and the only thing that she was able to think were ‘what keeps causing this’ as she went unconscious once again.
Hiss
Old Liu seeing this became worried and wanted to get closer but hearing the hissing sound he abruptly stepped back, his concern taking the back seat in his mind.
Pulling out a talisman from his sleeve, he layed it on the ground and gestured towards the serpent that was eyeing him like a threat.
With that he didn’t wait any longer and turned to leave the cave.
****
Qi Providence
In the highest mountain of the Qi Province, a grand palace stands tall, its towering spires piercing the cloud-laden sky.
The palace nestled amidst lush greenery, seemed to not have been created by hand but rather spiritual energies as its aura alone dominated the whole mountain.
At the highest point of the palace, on a platform with a panoramic view of the entire mountain, an old woman sat crossed legged.
The old woman, despite her frail appearance, exudes an aura of extraordinary authority and wisdom.
Her eyes, though aged, hold a unique charm and a glint of sharp intelligence. She sat on the platform that overlooked the mountain and her eyes, which had been closed in meditation, suddenly open.
Thump
Thump!
Her heart pounded in her chest, and she found herself smiling, a genuine, heartfelt smile that had not graced her face in years appeared on this day.
“Finally, I was beginning to lose hope in my own lineage technique” the old woman said, feeling a sense of relief and satisfaction wash over her.
“Now, where are you” she said as she waved her left hand through the air to summon a golden hue that surrounded her.
She focused her energy, and the golden hue shimmered before her, forming into a clear surface that projected a cave with a large serpent coiling next to a sleeping young woman.
“Oh, she’s quite weak, no protection against common devination techniques, and this chaotic brute qi!” The old woman carefully studied the projection, her eyes narrowing with concern.
Her excitement suddenly plummeted and she began to go into deep thought.
“If I expose myself now, there's a risk of attracting unwanted attention, especially from the alliance. Yet, if I don't act then what would have been the point of waiting all these years”
Her eyes flickered with a sharp light as she weighed her options. "I'll need to be discreet." she decided. "I can't afford any mistakes at this stage."
With a wave of her hand, the golden hue dissipated, taking with it the projection of the cave. She rose from her seat and walked to the edge of the platform.
“Based on the brilliance of her soul, she should be a low ranked Soul Wondering Cultivator, I can’t use Divine Transmission, then I’ll use the lesser technique of Divine Transmission” the old woman said as the air around her shifted.
Her aura, which seemed restrained surged and from within her body came a massive spiritual consciousness that seemingly encompassing hundreds of miles before stopping at a specific location. The spiritual consciousness settled over an enormous ancient tree, its leaves glowing faintly in the moonlight.
She closed her eyes, focusing her energy on the tree. A faint light started to shimmer around her and the tree, establishing a connection between them.
The tree, known as the “Spiritual Communion Tree”, was a rare species that could act as a conduit for spiritual consciousness, allowing her to manipulate and use a technique called Consciousness Endowment.
She opened her eyes, the light in them reflecting the glow from the tree. "Now, let's see what I can do," she muttered, her hands moving in intricate patterns.
As she moved her hands, the space around her started to fluctuate, creating ripples in the air. The space seemed to be drawn in by her, coalescing around her before being released towards the tree.
The leaves of the tree started to glow brighter and a wave of invisible energy burst from the tree, spreading out over the landscape. The wave of energy swept over the mountains, forests, and rivers, reaching as far as the cave where Meng Lin lay unconscious.
In the cave, Meng Lin's body shook slightly as the wave of energy washed over her. Unconscious as she was, her body instinctively absorbed the energy, the strands of Energy around her body stirring in response.
Back in the palace, the old woman watched as the wave of energy spread out. "It's done," she said, her voice filled with satisfaction. "Now, all i can do is wait."