Eu-Meh walked slowly behind Ryu, unsure what to make of the situation. Why did he want to speak to her? Is he actually Ryu? Although it seems so unlikely, he really feels like Ryu.
Ryu frowned as he worries that Eu-Meh will soon find out his identity. It’s not that he doesn’t want to tell her, it was the complete opposite. He would gladly tell her right away and start reminiscing the old times with her. The problem is that this will most likely put her life at risk.
“Sister Eu-Meh, the sect leader had informed me that you have a special condition. May I?” Ryu said as he held out his hand.
“Oh.” Eu-Meh said disappointedly. She was wondering what Ryu was going to say to her. A stream of warm energy entered her hand and coursed through her body.
“This is really strange, your Qi channels are actually in reverse.” Ryu said in shock. “Not only that, the flow of Qi is particularly irregular. All the channels combine into three major ones before going into your Qi reservoir! Wait, you have twenty Qi channels in total!”
“Amazing.” Eu-Meh could only let out that word. This was more detailed than what her own master had deduced when she discovered her. Ryu didn’t understand the workings of the Qi channels before when he was a kid so he didn’t know her body was unique.
“Please don’t be afraid, I’m going to unlock all twenty of your Qi channels.” Ryu said as he closed his eyes and placed a hand on her back. This was going to be trickier than the times he opened his grandpa’s Qi channels. Eu-Meh’s body was constructed differently, her Qi channels are completely unlike from a regular person’s.
Eu-Meh wasn’t the least bit worried for some apparent reason. She felt completely at ease around Ryu. As Ryu slowly unlocked her Qi channels, she felt the Qi around her more clearly. More importantly, the control she has over her own Qi increased. This was all secondary though, her mind was still stuck on the internal debate if this person was Ryu all not. The death of the shy kid with astonishing strength had impacted her greatly, it was as if she lost a brother.
“Why are you doing this?” Eu-Meh asked softly after Ryu announced he was finished. The moonlight above them highlighted Eu-Meh’s flawless face and crystal-like eyes. Ryu couldn’t help but realize how pretty she was. Likewise Eu-Meh studied Ryu’s flawless skin, hazel eyes, cute dimples, broad shoulders, and well-chiseled slim figure. Although the majority of Ryu’s body was covered by a hooded robe, he still looked as stunning as ever.
“You remind me of someone I used to know and actually it’s a coincidence that my mentor happens to be an acquaintance to your headmaster.” Ryu replied honestly. This was actually the truth. Back in the tent the headmaster of the Saint Jade Sect, Sonia, revealed that she recognizes the move Ryu used against Elder Su. She had secretly finished the image recording from Ryu’s crystal which showed the fight between the two.
It turns out that the Drunken Master Du-Bai had a great and gallant reputation. He rescued Sonia many centuries ago when she was just a core disciple and even gave her a few pointers. The Drunken Master was an eccentric character but none could dispute his righteousness. Besides his terrifying battle power, he was also an accomplished doctor that’s probably number two in the Heaven Continent if not number one. Later Sonia’s master told her that the Drunken Dragon Fist is an ancient art that existed as long as the Heaven Continent itself. All its practitioners usually reached the apex of cultivation and lived for over a million years at least.
No wonder he could tell my real age with just a feel Ryu thought to himself.
A sense of pride was felt by Ryu when he heard this. Sonia deduced that there is no way Ryu could be a bad guy if he inherited Du-Bai’s signature move, the Drunken Dragon Fists. She mentioned Eu-Meh’s special body condition to Ryu. This special type of body was exactly the same as the Saint Jade Sect’s founder’s body. After the founder’s death, the sect couldn’t find another one just like that. The consummate skill of their sect, Maiden’s Sword Spirit, could only be utilized by someone with that body.
“The secrets behind the unique body suitable for the Maiden’s Sword Spirit are lost to us. I do have the manual passed from the founder but Eu-Meh’s Qi channels are uniquely arranged so opening them have been a challenge for us. She’s our greatest hope of reestablishing our founder’s might to the world. Could you perhaps…” Sonia was hesitant to request something from Ryu since in her eyes, she is the junior one.
“Worry not headmaster. I would gladly take a look.” Ryu promised her.
Back to Ryu and Eu-Meh, the two didn’t know what to say to each other afterwards. Ryu felt conflicted if he should tell her or not. Eu-Meh on the other hand didn’t want to sound like a crazy person and ask if he is the young boy she knew before. She’s also a bit ashamed to be standing beside someone who looks around the same age as her but is already in the King Domain.
To break the silence he decided to give her a few parting gifts. Since Alexis was in the Sovereign Domain, his wealth and collection of items are much greater than most. Ryu picked a suitable longsword and a soft shell armor out and gave it to her. Recalling that he took the storage rings from the three elders from the Resilient Gaia Sect, he browsed through them and gave her suitable cultivating materials.
“I couldn’t possibility accept this.” Eu-Meh instantly protested.
“You can repay me in the future. We will definitely meet again if you reach the peak of martial arts.” Ryu said quickly a few figures approach them. It was Elder Su, her master, and the four members of the Raging Thunder Sect. Ryu shook her hands and left.
Eu-Meh stared silently at Ryu’s departing figure, recalling a similar scene when Ryu gave her a spiritual pill to consume before the Talent Examination. His exact words were you can repay me in the future as well.
Elder Su’s voice finally sank in. “A full rank 7 set of armors and a rank 7 sword? Did you seduce him or what?”
“What?” Eu-Meh snapped out of her daze and entered another one. Rank 7 items were crafted by those in the Emperor Domain. A full set of armors are hard to come by since weapons require so much less materials. The sect recently bought a defensive rank 7 item from the auction house for over four million! Is this what you call too rich?
Following the four members of the Raging Thunder Sect, Ryu was silent the whole way. The elders didn’t bother Ryu since the headmaster Sonia had personally vouched for his medical skills. Ling-Yu was naturally outgoing, an extreme extrovert and also spoiled. She couldn’t help but bother Ryu along the way. Her attempts was in vain since Ryu focused his mind elsewhere.
The group went back to the city to hire the fastest mount they can to reach the Fading Shadow City where the Raging Thunder Sect is residing in until the Thousand Swords Graveyard opens. The flight would take four hours.
Back in the Inferno Fist School in Blazing Tempest Town where Ryu’s grandpa and grandma resides, the clone that Ryu sent was currently meditating in a secluded room. Its Qi was concealed and only a small trace of aura was laid around the school to check for intruders. Previously a spy was sent to scout out victims of the Wang family, thankfully Ryu’s clone caught the intruder and casted Absolute Agreement on it to prevent it from leaking anything news.
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Ryu wanted to let his new grandma Seo-Yon, who was his and Eu-Meh’s mentor in the past, know how Eu-Meh was doing. Locating them in one of the mansions room in the basement, the clone appeared at their location in a second.
“Oh Ryu.” Seo-Yon said in surprised as she sensed a gust of wind in the room.
“Oh it’s the clone.” Sheng greeted. He still didn’t fully understand how Ryu can have a clone here but be elsewhere. Ryu explained many times that this clone has a real body but is controlled by the main body. Anything that it sees or do, the main body will know right away. Likewise if they need to contact Ryu, the clone can immediately connect them with him.
“I just saw Eu-Meh in the Yasha Province. Her progress is remarkable, she’s in the Master Domain. It seems like she’ll do well in that sect.” Ryu informed her.
“That’s great! How did she react to you? Did you tell her who you are?” Seo-Yon asked curiously. She knew Ryu’s identity should be kept secret.
“Uhh I didn’t really tell her but I think she suspects that it’s me.” Ryu said.
“Don’t underestimate a woman’s intuition.” Sheng warned.
“I won’t. What are you guys doing here?” Ryu said after noticing their attires were very formal.
“We are about to pay respects to the founder. Today is the day that the Infernal Fist School was founded. We didn’t want to bother you since you mentioned that it’s hard for you to get Qi from your main body.” Seo-Yon explained.
“Oh that’s alright, I will go with you guys. I’ve never seen the founder’s tomb.” Ryu said, with a flick of his finger a more formal set of clothes fell out of the Infinity Tomes and he changed in an instant.
Seo-Yon led them down a series of stairs, a small flame torch was in her hand. They ended up in front of a small room that was pretty well preserved considering it was meters below ground. Inside the room was a small casket made of special wood that had a faint trace of Qi. A plaque was on the wall stating his will and the date of death.
“Here lies the infamous blacksmith Exoe Lee. The sun shined brighter in this town because he was here. With his enormous wealth he decreed that his descendants will carry out his wish that the poor will always be welcome to learn the basic Qi cultivation methods as long as his wealth lasts. He was beloved by family, cherished by friends and respected by the whole town.”
The date stated was roughly seven thousand years ago. Ryu was shocked that a simple blacksmith in a town could have laid such a foundation for a tuition free school. The trio bowed and was about to leave when Ryu stopped them. Something was off.
“Grandma… something is not right… may I open the casket?” Ryu asked.
“Open the casket? Don’t be disrespectful Ryu.” Sheng whispered.
“No, there is a trace of Qi inside the casket! Something remotely alive is inside.” Ryu explained. In fact the trace of Qi was linked to the ground below.
“That shouldn’t be possible. The founder died over nine thousand years ago.” Seo-Yon said in shock.
With her permission Ryu slowly opened the casket and a perfectly preserved set of bones was in there. On the corpse’s neck contained a necklace. The gem on the necklace is where the Qi is originating from and it led to the ground below, so far below that even with Ryu’s special vision he can’t see the end.
“I don’t think this is the real corpse. It should be much lower.” Ryu said. He asked his grandparents if they wanted to go along with them and they nodded. He motioned them to stand still and with a stomp, the ground beneath them outlined into a square and sank downwards. A hundred meters, three hundred meters, one kilometer, two kilometers, and finally seven kilometers down. Ryu erected a barrier around them after the heat started getting unbearable. If it started to get dangerous, he has a way to get them to safety. This clone contained almost enough Qi equal to two reservoirs so basically this clone is as strong as two King Domain experts. It also has access to the Infinity Tomes. If the main body is in grave danger then he can release the clone and the main body will retrieve the Qi in the clone instantly.
Seo-Yon and Sheng had shocked faces when they noticed that the earth around them became magma. Ryu’s clone had a composed attitude so they didn’t make a sound. They thought they had an idea of how strong Ryu was but this definitely proved them wrong.
“Here it is.” Ryu said after reaching ten kilometers deep into the earth. A large domineering rectangular shaped object was stationed below. It seemed like a room. A powerful enchantment was around this area. If things got dangerous, Ryu already decided to take his grandparents into the Infinity Tomes. Storage rings can’t contain live beings but the tomes could.
Arriving at the edge of the enchantment, Ryu studied it briefly before attempting to decipher it. This was his first time utilizing advanced enchanting skills he learned from the ex High Priest of the Sky Continent. Enchantments draw their power from Qi and another unique power. The difference between enchantments and skills or spells is that the Qi can be stored inside objects. As long as the user injected enough Qi or leave a Qi source inside the enchantment, the enchantment can last indefinitely.
The Seven Forgotten Professions cannot be learned by just anyone. There are two requirements. First is the Origin Power that is needed to integrate with Qi to perform these professions. Origin Power comes from within one’s mind. It is an energy different from Qi since it can’t be manifested, it’s a type of mental energy. By itself Origin Power is already really useful, it can allow the user transition into the “zone”. The zone is a mental state of operation in which a person performing any skills is able to reach their maximum potential and do things perfectly. It is a superlative of regular concentration and focus. In Enchanting, Origin Power directs and molds the Qi into the enchantments. Perhaps only one out of a hundred thousand people born has the ability to manifest Origin Power.
The second requirement is the ability to hear the “voices” of these professions. Having Origin Power by itself is useless, you need an affinity with these professions. This is similar to utilizing elements. If you don’t have Qi affinity with the type of element you attempt to manipulate, you can’t use it unless it’s from a specialization. Using Enchanting as an example again, one needs to be able to engrave symbols or draw symbols out with Qi. Even if you possess Origin Power but you can’t sense the symbols then anything you draw out will fall apart instantly. Only enchanters can see enchanted symbols, others would not see a thing.
“It’s opening!” Seo-Yon said in shock as the large black rectangular object in front of them started opening up.