Several hours later, in the dead of night, the pair came upon a mountain range with seven peaks and valleys. Xin Gui directed his spirit beast to carry them up the third peak along a narrow path surrounded by trees. At last, they crested a final hill and exited the wilderness onto a plateau. There, they found a settlement composed of wooden longhouses and pagodas. Xin Gui smiled tiredly at the sight, and ceased circulating his beast companion art. Supporting his sister in his arms, he dropped to the ground as his wolf spirit returned to his dantian. Together, they walked along the path to the weathered stone gate.
At the gate, Xin Gui retrieved a jade token from his storage ring. A pulse of blue yuan qi emanated from it, revealing an invisible barrier that dissipated into motes of light as the token temporarily deactivated the gate’s defensive array. He hurried inside, tugging Xin Mei along after him, and with another shimmer of spiritual energy, the barrier re-established itself behind them.
Xin Gui strode quickly and purposefully over the wandering dirt path, ushering his sister along. On their way, they passed several young men and women dressed in similar robes. Most allowed them to pass without comment. Some called out to Xin Gui in greeting, but they were ignored.
In less time than it takes an incense stick to burn, they arrived at the entrance to one of the three great pagodas. Xin Gui entered straightforwardly, blowing past a stunned attendant, and brought Xin Mei up several flights of steps to stand before a door engraved with elaborate formations. At this door, Xin Gui showed a hint of apprehension, more than he’d displayed even in the moment he chose to steal the treasure token from his father and spirit his sister away.
The anxious expression disappeared in the next moment, fast enough that Xin Mei thought she might have imagined it. His gaze regained its steely edge, and he knocked forcefully on the door, holding his head high. He called out in a clear voice.
“Elder Zhao, I have a proposition for you.”
The door swung open. Xin Mei peered inside, and couldn’t stop her eyebrows from rising in surprise. The room beyond the oaken portal appeared two to three times wider than the pagoda housing it, and was filled from floor to ceiling with an uncountable number of spiritual treasures.
In a single room, there were more weapons than Xin Mei had ever seen, more scrolls than she had ever read, and items she couldn’t begin to identify. The pressure emanating from all of the spiritual artifacts was enough to make it difficult for her to breathe. She felt herself being forced to retreat a step, but in the same moment she discovered her brother’s hand on her back as his qi surged out to envelope her protectively. At Xin Gui’s insistence, and with his support, Xin Mei tentatively stepped through the door.
In the center of the room, amidst monstrous piles of riches, there was a wooden desk. Behind it sat a shriveled old man, who at that moment was holding a brush impossibly still over a blank length of parchment. Xin Mei and her brother approached the desk, careful not to disturb any of the haphazardly piled equipment that surrounded them. They stopped several feet before reaching the desk, but the old man made no motion to greet them. He simply sat before the parchment with a look of intense concentration on his face.
They dared not disturb the elder, choosing instead to silently watch him work. However, even after a considerable length of time, the elder failed to even twitch, let alone acknowledge them. For what felt like a lifetime, they stood apprehensively, suppressing the sound of even their breath. To Xin Mei, the air tasted dry and cold, like the yin qi that collects over forgotten graves.
Finally, when Xin Mei felt she could no longer bear the strange atmosphere, the old man made his move. He did not, however, paint a talisman in a few swift strokes, or pen a poem worthy of recognition the world over. Instead, he sighed and set his brush down. The tension broke like a short-lived fever, and Xin Mei found herself feeling disappointed.
“The little one—she is your sister?” Elder Zhao asked.
“Yes, Elder. I’ve brought her to become a disciple of the Misty Mountain Sect. Her aptitude with my family’s techniques is no less formidable than my own at her age. I believe her talent is more than enough to merit a seat amongst the inner disciples.”
“This action is a little premature, Junior. The yearly induction exam will not be held for three moons yet. There is no place for her within the sect until that time.”
“Forgive me, Elder, but I believe there is a way,” Xin Gui said slowly. The young cultivator flipped his palm, revealing a wooden medallion which he had retrieved from his storage ring. One side of the medallion showed a mountain that pierced the clouds in defiance of the heavens. The other was carved with the characters 冠军 (Guànjūn: Champion). Elder Zhao tried to appear unaffected, but failed to completely conceal his greedy character when the item was revealed.
“The Tian Yun Tournament champion’s token. One can exchange it with the sect to obtain a high-tier spiritual weapon, or even a heaven-grade cultivation manual. You wish for me to disregard the sect rules and make use of my authority as an elder to induct your sister into the Inner Sect in exchange for this thing?” Elder Zhao sounded at first disbelieving, and then spoke very rapidly. “Very well, in this world, there is always a back door. I can—”
Xin Gui held up a hand, forestalling the excitable old man. “Elder Zhao, you misunderstand me. I would never ask you to bend the rules, or expect you to be capable of such a thing. Your sterling character and iron will is known to everyone on the mountain.”
“Then, you’re after … ?” Elder Zhao uncertainly trailed off.
“Elder, please make Mei’er your direct disciple.”
“Pfft!” A strange sound escaped the elder’s mouth. He had luckily not been drinking anything at the time. Elder Zhao was indeed a wiley old fox with an iron will, but how could he have expected this junior to speak so audaciously?
“Brazen! Simply too brazen!”
“I meant no disrespect, Elder,” Xin Gui said calmly.
“Then you are ignorant. The relationship between a master and his disciple is an eternal bond, more intimate than even parent and child. Such a thing cannot be bought or sold.”
“Forgive me, Elder Zhao.”
“Hmph,” the elder snorted coldly. He flicked his sleeve and gestured toward Xin Mei. “Come here, child.”
Naturally, Xin Mei obeyed.
“Spiritual roots aren’t bad,” Elder Zhao said quietly, as if he were speaking to himself. “Latent talent is also acceptable. The constitution is … adequate. At the very least, I would not lose face.” As he spoke, it sounded more and more as if Elder Zhao were attempting to convince himself.
“Honorable senior, this disciple will strive endlessly to become worthy of your tutelage,” the girl said, bowing her head. Xin Mei grew up as the young mistress of an ancient cultivator clan. She knew well the eccentricities of old monsters, and what was required to receive their guidance.
“Good, good,” Elder Zhao said, stroking his long beard in satisfaction. “Very well, I’ll give you one chance. Take a cultivation manual from over there,” the elder said, gesturing dismissively toward a pile of scrolls. “If you can cultivate the first layer within three days, I will consider your comprehension sufficient and accept you as my disciple. You will live on this peak, in this tower, and receive direct guidance in the Dao.”
“Thank you, Elder Zhao,” Xin Mei said, clasping her hands in front of her chest and bowing deeply. The elder waved his hand, and gave a significant look toward his scroll collection. Understanding his meaning, Xin Mei hurried over and began looking for a cultivation method that would be suitable for her.
On her shoulder, Xiao Lu watched as Xin Gui’s token changed hands. He’d paid a great price for his sister to have this chance. Whether she could firmly grasp this opportunity and become the carp that leapt over the dragon gate was up to her. Xin Gui had done all he could, but that didn’t mean Xin Mei was on her own. She had Xiao Lu, after all.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
And Xiao Lu had … a system?
Dao Guardian System Activated
Congratulations, you’ve met the preconditions to activate the Dao Guardian System.
This system is designed to facilitate the proper development of karmically significant individuals.
These chosen sons and daughters of heaven will experience great calamities and tribulations,
and it is up to their Dao Guardian to keep them alive and help them fulfill their Dao.
Good luck!
Children of Heaven:
Xin Mei
Welcome Gift Box Unlocked!
You’ve received:
1 Cultivation Method Token
1 Enlightenment Token
1 Physique Token
1 Spiritual Root Token
3 Martial Technique Tokens
Quest Issued
— Elder Zhao’s Challenge —
Help Xin Mei achieve initial success in the first tier of a suitable cultivation method.
Success:
[Direct Disciple] Title
300 Spirit Coins
Unlock: Spirit Market
Failure:
Xin Mei loses title: [Child of Heaven]*
*The Dao Guardian System requires at least one
Child of Heaven to remain active.
If Xiao Lu had eyelids, he would have blinked in confusion. Instead, he just stared at the blue screen that had appeared in front of him. He stood very still for a few seconds, and then unconsciously began bobbing with excitement.
The little spider looked between Xin Mei, who was apparently a chosen one, and the screen, but no one seemed to have noticed its abrupt appearance. Then he did a double take. He felt like something was off when he looked at Xin Mei. If he just … looked a bit closer …
—Status—
Name: Xin Mei
Titles: Child of Heaven, Xin Clan Young Mistress
Age: 11
Species: Human
Cultivation Base:
Qi Condensation Realm — Seventh Layer
Cultivation Method: Spirit Beast Companion Art
Martial Techniques: Spirit Beast Bond, Spirit Beast Control, Claw under Claw
Spiritual Roots: Water — 96% Purity
Xiao Lu was again forced to rub his forelimbs over his eyes to simulate blinking. After clearing his vision, the new … status window … was still there. He could gain information about things just by looking at them. Having attained this cheat skill without spending any effort, Xiao Lu felt a little bashful, and began having warm feelings toward the system.
Responding to his will, both the status window and the main system window disappeared. Xiao Lu was very excited and interested in exploring all the details of the system later, but there was another task at hand.
While he’d been distracted, Xin Mei had already gone through several cultivation scrolls. She seemed to be skimming the titles and contents before sorting them into a few different stacks. Paying closer attention, Xiao Lu saw that she was separating the cultivation methods according to elemental affinity requirements, and further, based on whether they cultivated the body, the internal Qi, or both.
Xin Mei’s spiritual roots were water-aspected, so she was discarding methods that required other kinds of roots. It was a pity that she was not born with rare dual-aspected roots, or she would not have had to discard so many interesting-looking methods.
Thankfully, Elder Zhao still possessed several methods suitable for a cultivator with water roots. Among these, it seemed that several had caught her eye, as she was spending more time looking them over.
In her right hand was the Gu Pot Heart Sutra, and in her left hand was the Tranquility Whirlpool Manual. After thoroughly reading both of these, she set them down with a sigh, and continued looking. Interested, Xiao Lu crawled over and took a look at these scrolls himself. After some concentration, Xiao Lu caused another blue window to appear.
—Status—
Name: Gu Pot Heart Sutra
Class: Cultivation Method
Type: Poison
Description:
This Sutra instructs the user to create a Gu pot by sealing poisonous creatures inside an object. As these creatures battle each other and die, the practitioner channels the poison and yin qi released into the heart, and then moves the poison blood qi that is produced into the dantian. The user’s blood and qi becomes more toxic as time passes, increasing the lethality of his attacks and rendering his body immune to lesser poisons.
Grade: Low Mortal Tier
Requirements: Water or Earth Roots, 30% Purity or greater
Compatibility (Xin Mei): 22%
Xiao Lu was astonished. This method was … trash! No wonder Xin Mei set it aside. Xiao Lu felt it was better that Xin Mei refrain from using techniques like this in the future. The small spider couldn’t help but imagine being trapped in a deathmatch with other poisonous creatures … What a trash method! Absolute trash!
Now that he knew he could check the status of cultivation scrolls, he began inspecting the others, and tried not to think about it anymore. He didn’t want to waste time or distract himself, so he ignored the descriptions and just started searching for high grade techniques with decent compatibility.
Eventually, he found a promising candidate and attempted to draw Xin Mei’s attention.
“What is it, Xiao Lu? Did you find a cultivation manual for me?” Xin Mei asked, smiling playfully. The spider bobbed up and down in affirmation, causing Xin Mei to feel surprised. “Did you really?” She reached over and picked up the scroll Xiao Lu was standing on.
“Nine Venom Scripture, huh? I guess you noticed that I was paying more attention to the poison methods.”
Xiao Lu bobbed, causing Xin Mei to giggle. “Alright, thank you Xiao Lu. Now, let me read what you’ve found.” She said, causing the spider to scurry off the scroll and back onto the girl’s shoulder.
“Hm … refine nine venomous spirit beasts, refine their venom 99 times, use the venom to refine the body and qi 999 times … Xiao Lu,” she said, giving the spider an exasperated look, “this scripture is going to take forever to cultivate to perfection.”
Xiao Lu bobbed in agreement, and then skittered over to a certain section of the scroll, drawing Xin Mei’s attention to that portion of the scripture.
“Oh, I see. The first several stages of advancement can be accomplished quickly—it is merely the later stages that require exponentially more time. And perhaps we will find a more suitable method in the meantime.
“Alright, it’s decided. I shall cultivate this Nine Venom Scripture.”
“Are you sure you want to trade long term success for short-term gain?” Xin Gui asked, appearing at his sister’s side as if he’d always been there. Xin Mei managed not to jump. Mostly.
“Of course not, brother. Look here,” Xin Mei said, pointing out another section of the scripture, “See? This manual claims to provide a solid foundation for both body and qi cultivation. It will limit me to the poison path, but I’ve always intended to walk that road anyway. There’s no path for a water-aspected cultivator with greater offensive potential.”
“You’re not wrong, Mei’er,” Xin Gui said after a long pause. “I can see you’ve given this a great deal of thought. If this is your Dao, you should pursue it without reservation.”
“I will. Thank you, Brother.”
“... If you two are quite done, why don’t you see yourselves out. I have other things to do than sit and watch children play.”
“Yes, Elder! We were just leaving! Thank you for the opportunity, I will study this Nine Venom Scripture and return here in three days.”
“Yes, yes, I’m sure you will. Now, go.”
Xin Mei and her elder brother performed Dao salutes and respectfully departed.
“What do you think of your new master?”
“He’s not my master, yet. But, I think we’ll get along. He’s very honest about his feelings. I look forward to pranking him.”
“Hmph,” Xin Gui snorted, shaking his head, “courting death.”