Lucas bathed in the gentle flow of spiritual energy that soaked every particle of his physical form. It was cozy like a warm drink on a chilly winter morning and refreshing like a cool fall breeze at the end of a hot summer at the same time.
[Interesting.]
Huh? Lucas was confused about where the new voice originated from. He had been excited about the possibility of the powerful cultivator finding something special about him, like the ability to internally cultivate. Although he had an inanimate body, he had an intelligent human mind after all.
[Did this aura originate from my lightning tribulation? Lightning has always been associated with the dispelling of evil spirits and negative energy.]
Elder He gazed down at him with a thoughtful expression. He held out his hand and an object appeared from his dimensional ring. It was a vial filled with a dark, smoky substance that rolled about restlessly. It was not that difficult to tell it wasn’t a good thing at first glance.
Lucas instinctively cowered in his mind before reminding himself that he was a rock, one that didn’t feel pain at all. Yes, there is absolutely nothing to worry ab-
[Please have mercy on this poor rock.]
This is a cruel cultivation world. Who knows what methods there are?! What if the cultivator detached his soul from the rock and subjected him to evil, torturous experiments because of his unique transmigrator soul? Lucas couldn’t think of anything else unique about him that could attract an immortal’s attention besides his transmigrator status.
The Immortal cultivator slowly emptied the vial onto a white-jade plate with rounded edges. The substance filled every crevice of the plate as if trying to find a way out but stopped by an invisible boundary.
[A high-level evil spirit remnant. Unfortunately, I do not have anything weaker on hand. Hope it won’t let me down.]
Lucas’ view shifted as he was lifted by the golden thread of energy that connected him to the cultivator and moved towards the ominous substance. It seems to be also a connection that allowed him to ‘hear’ the other person’s thoughts. Currently, this new ability brought him more stress than relief. High-level?! That doesn’t sound very beginner-friendly. Old man, why are you not following the rules and routines?
Too bad the connection seemed to only be one-way and the cultivator showed no signs of hearing him. Soon, most of his vision is blocked by the restless substance. Thankfully, he could still sense the sounds of the outside world, so he didn’t feel too stressed about losing most of his sight once more. It appears his fears about the dark substance were also unfounded.
It was chilly, something he wouldn’t appreciate if he was still in his human form as it reminded him too much of ice baths. However, it didn’t feel like self-torture in his rock form but rather soothing as it melted away his recent tension and stress. Don’t judge mysterious substances by their appearance…
[No repulsion?]
Elder He’s disappointment flowed through the connection and interrupted his enjoyment in his new bath. Suddenly, Lucas sensed a shift in his vision once more. He’s being lifted out. No, I’m not done.
There wasn’t much he could do. Even if the cultivator could hear him, he doubted the cultivators would let a sentient rock that felt comforted by ‘evil spirits’ rest in peace. Forcing him to rest in pieces and sealed away under a mountain for all of eternity is more likely.
Why? A wave of timely anger distracted him from the terrifying thought of being imprisoned in a dark space for an eternity. It gave him a newfound courage and he mentally grabbed for the dark substance that was almost out of reach. F this world and its biased rules.
To his and also the cultivator’s surprise, the dark substance escaped the imprisonment of the seal and drifted towards him. Upon contact with the body, it didn’t stop but entered into his rock form. Soon, all of the substance disappeared within him, giving him some satisfaction as if he had a nice snack. I wonder if I can absorb anything else…Despite his curiosity, he fought the urge to grab at the immortal’s golden aura to test his thoughts.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
[Interesting.]
Great minds truly think alike, and before his intrusive thought could even pass, a golden stream of warmth blanketed over his body. Lucas’ mind raced. Is this a test? He really could do without knowing the consequences of failing the test. Thankfully, his impulsiveness returned to controllable levels once his anger faded.
Just a touch surely won’t hurt…carefully, he reached out and contacted the golden mass before him.
{Sounds of fighting echoed up from the valley below. The clink of metal against metal. The cries of pain, fear, and anger. The overwhelming scent of fire and smoke.
He stared calmly down at the massacre taking place in the burning village. A father stood courageously in front of his family. A mother threw her body over the small form of a child. The sword stopped at nothing.
He sighed, “The wheels of Life and Death...then let it be.” As he turned to leave, a baby’s cry sounded from the village. It wasn’t louder nor was it particularly more emotionally disturbing than the rest. It didn’t stand out in this unfortunate situation, but despite all odds, it managed to draw his gaze.}
Lucas snapped out of his daze as the vision ended. He gazed thoughtfully at the withdrawing golden flow of energy. A lingering feeling told him that he need not fear the imaginary consequences of failing a test. In this new world, there is no fault worse than ‘uselessness’.
With newfound confidence, he reached for the retreating golden energy and pulled. Warm and…strong. It was much stronger than whatever he had absorbed before. It rushed into every crevice of his rock body, lighting the way as it flowed fast. With its help, Lucas finally discovered the hiding place of the dark energy from before.
The dark mass was calm and still to the point that Lucas almost couldn’t recognize it. Upon contact with the new energy, it dispersed like the morning mist before the rising sun. Only a small pebble-like object that could not be moved was left behind. The golden energy appeared as confused as him as it chose to withdraw for the time being.
[Familiar. It holds a similarity to something I’ve seen before in the old records. Perhaps the Pavilion Keeper will know more about it.]
Lucas was deposited back into the storage ring as the cultivator exited his residence and started in a new direction, probably on his way to meet the Elder Wei that the cultivator boy spoke of from before.
Instead of observing more of his surroundings like he did before, Lucas found more interest in what was happening within him. It was hard to tell if the space was small or big which didn’t logically make sense, but also not that shocking in a world with space magic.
The small pebble in the ‘floor’ of this space did not show any change or react to his probing. A thin layer of barely visible golden energy clung to it like a second skin as if it was keeping the object safe…or warm.
What is this? An egg? Am I going to give birth to a rock child?!
{Reincarnated into a cultivation world and somehow still managed to remain a virgin and pregnant within the first week. Congratulations.
Did your mother not teach you to keep your mouth shut if you have nothing nice to say?
I guess she didn’t.
…wait a second, why does it feel like-
What even gave you the idea it’s an egg in the first place?
True…what gave me that idea? I think I sense a new ‘life’ within it. I’m not sure how I’m even able to do that…
Considering the shape, most normal people would conclude it is a ‘seed’ before an ‘egg’.
Right! Why didn’t I think of that? Well, I guess I technically did.
Taking full credit despite barely contributing to the project. Not very surprised.}
Lucas decided to be the bigger person and let his inner voice have the last word. He turned his attention to the small object, curious about its abilities. The idea of it being a seed and not an egg put his mind at ease despite them being similar concepts for some reason.
A seed…perhaps such a big seed means a tree. Lucas pondered on what kind of life would emerge from the object. How long would a tree need to sprout and grow? It doesn’t take a genius to figure it will take a long time. Luckily, as a rock, he had nothing but time on his hands.
Perhaps, he could find some magical fertilizer to speed up the process in the future. Maybe more energy? That shouldn’t be too hard to obtain as long as the cultivator remains curious about his functions.
Grow faster, little one. Bring your father, I, the golden finger every transmigrator should have.