*THE NEXT MORNING*
Jing woke herself up pretty early this morning. She wasn’t exactly sure on when the sect test was taking place today. Just the location. So, after getting herself all dressed up in her mortal clothing that she refined, she decided to finally answer a question that has been plaguing her mind ever since she refined Li Li. She sat on the bed and looked at the peacefully resting owlet sunken comfortably inside the stone pillow. A small smile found itself on her face as she thought how cute he looked.
‘After I refined Li Li, there is very little he wasn’t capable of. Be it in strength, speed, reflexes, wit, mind, body, and even internal organs. I improved them all to the greatest degree. Making little Li Li the strongest baby owl in the world.’ Jing thought before suddenly retracting her statement.
‘Wait no.. Since there are cultivators that can destroy mountains and split oceans, there has to be spirit beasts just as strong or even stronger. Maybe little Li Li isn’t as all powerful as I’m thinking.’ Jing decided.
She looked at Li Li one more time before finally managing to work up the nerves to try what she was thinking.
‘If I can upgrade other living things and objects.. I should somehow be able to upgrade myself as well then..’ Jing gathered.
Before she attempted this though, she made sure to think of all the refinements she would want for herself. If she left it up to her subconscious then who knows what sort of monster she would be refined into. So, she started listing all the basic upgrades she would want for herself after trying her ability on herself.
‘Better skin, brain, heart, hair, lungs…..’ Jing started to list off many of the things she would want to improve about herself using the amazing powers of SCP-914.
Before finally attempting to use her powers on herself on very fine.
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Jing’s mind blanked out. She was no longer inside her room and could see nothing and hear nothing but complete darkness. She couldn’t feel any part of her body and couldn’t move at all. Fear was slowly permeating into her mind. She couldn’t even scream out in terror. She was completely paralyzed… She started to feel as if maybe this was how it was meant to be in one part of her brain. While the other wanted her to continue fighting and screaming. Refusing to assimilate in this state for any longer and gain complete freedom for herself once more. The space she was in was completely dark. And the darkness seemed to give her a sense of familiarity and peace. But Jing didn’t want peace. She didn’t want to stay here and rest inside this dark space and she refuses to.
As time went on very slowly… Jing could feel once again. Her arms, legs, face, and all!
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” She screamed in freedom as she got complete control over her body and senses once more.
With her newly regained senses, Jing took a second look at her newfound surroundings and herself. She was completely nude and the place she was in was just as dark as it was when she couldn’t see earlier. But there was something else in the space with her. A white floating gaseous sphere. The sphere felt comforting and soothing to her as if it were another part of her and always belonged to her. She walked over to the floating thing and attempted to touch it. The thing passed through her fingers and felt very cold to the touch. But despite this coldness, Jing didn’t feel as if it was unpleasant. It was similar to the feeling of getting inside a cold body of water and then slowly getting used to that temperature and enjoying the body of water in all.
Much different from the feeling from earlier that wanted to whisk Jing off into an endless and tranquil sleep. She started to think.
‘Could I use my ability here as well?’
She tried to touch the wispy object again and refine it using SCP-914 but before she could reach it, her mind was suddenly taken away.
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Jing was back inside her room at the inn inside Yellow Jade City. Li Li was standing on her thigh staring deep into her eyes. Jing’s brain felt as if it just got done being scrambled and shaken up. She grabbed her head as her eyes tried to focus on Li Li staring at her.
“Whoa… I’m back… That was strange… but I feel…. better… better than before…” She mumbled as she took off her glasses.
The clarity and improved focus in her eyes nearly caused her to gasp. She could finally see! She hurried over to the window and looked outside into the streets below.
“I can see!!!” She exclaimed in a surprising voice that finally matched her young teenaged age.
She started bouncing all over the room squealing in joy at all the new things she could feel, hear, see, and more.
Li Li flew onto his pillow, confused as ever about what’s happening to his mom. A few moments ago, she was just staring into the wall without moving or breathing in the slightest. She didn’t even blink! Li Li did everything he could to wake her or make her move again but nothing worked! He couldn’t even hear her heart beating a few moments ago. It was as if she suddenly died and everything stopped working. But Li Li knew that it was impossible for this to happen naturally. It was all too quick and her body wasn’t reacting like a dead body should. He should know when she spent most of yesterday morning teaching him about the human body and more.
But then all of a sudden, she started changing in front of him. The first thing that went was her skin. It changed from its regular appearance into something much smoother and amazing. It was as if her light brown skin decided to become perfectly flawless. Along with the rest of her body! Her skin was the first thing Li Li noticed that started changing, the next was her hair, and then her insides! Li Li could hear the sounds of his mother’s innards changing and moving around as well.
He didn’t understand in the slightest what was happening to his mom and frankly didn’t care once he heard her heart beating up again. He was so happy she was back to normal that it didn’t matter what happened to her before. So, he watched as his mother expressed happiness and joy in something other than causing other humans pain and suffering. He didn’t understand why she was so happy but he felt just as happy just because she was and started flying around chirping and whistling in jubilation as well.
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“Li Li! You’re happy for Mama’s rebirth as well!? You’re the greatest son a mother could have!” She hugged him tightly.
It wouldn’t be until 5 or 10 minutes later that Jing would finally settle down and take in her refined self. She looked no differently outwardly due to her desire on keeping her plain appearance besides her very smooth skin and beautiful dull black hair that reached a little bit pass her neck. But there was far more hidden within her basic and small figure. And if she was being honest, she was a little excited on finding out just how much better she became. If she was refined to the specifications she made before she upgraded herself, then she believed she had almost nothing to fear among cultivators in the Qi Gathering realm.
She’s already capable of seeing a small group of ants traveling along a tree branch over hundreds of meters away from her window and her hearing was nothing to scoff at either. She could hear everyone inside this entire building if she wanted to, but thankfully she could filter certain sounds out pass a certain distance from her.
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“Well Li Li. It’s time we take our first step in becoming cultivators. Let’s go pass that test!” Jing said confidently.
“Hoo!” Li Li responded even though he has already reached the first stage in cultivation for spirit beasts.
The two left the inn together and Jing finally realized that maybe this recruitment test wasn’t as simple as she thought. The streets were littered with people all over. People of all shapes, sizes, ages, and even colors! There were various groups wearing green clothing, red, blue, yellow, purple, and more! From what her ears could pick up, these were the many different cultivation clans that sent their youth to try and be accepted into the Golden Serpent Sect. These youths were typically dressed in their clan’s symbols. And most of the cultivators she saw were spending spirit stones to purchase many different items from the vendors she saw setting up yesterday. Spirit beast eggs, strange pieces of paper, swords and sabres, colorful ores, and more!
The rest were either wandering cultivators that wanted to join a highly famed sect or normal mortals just like Jing and wanted to see if they had what it takes to become a cultivator and become more than just mortals. It didn’t need to be said that a majority of mortals typically wouldn’t try to become cultivators through sect recruitment tests. This was because not even cultivators themselves were free from death when trying to get accepted into a sect. Most sects that decided on recruiting new people to enter their sects typically have to pass a dangerous and life-threatening activity before making it in and many were sure that the Golden Serpent Sect was no different.
There was plenty of gossip about what the Golden Serpent Sect was planning on doing for their test this time around but no one knew anything concrete. Some said they would have their talents measured and if you passed a certain measurement, then you would get in. Some said they would have to go through a physical gauntlet to show off their physical prowess to get inside. Others said they would be forced to meditate and see how much potential they have in sensing Qi based on how much Qi they could sense.
All in all, none of this helped Jing figure out exactly what to expect up ahead. So, she waited in the very very long line of people that stretched a few blocks ahead towards where the members of the Golden Serpent Sect were waiting. With her enhanced sight she could see three important figures with a group of youth behind them. They were wearing a white robe with golden streaks running down them. A golden serpent was laying bare on the front of the robe in an S shape. The three figures could be seen in a square formation laying down small pieces of paper with one of the youth that came along with them. The first of the 3 figures was an elderly man. He had a long white beard and a wrinkly face like any old grandpa. The second figure was a buff muscular middle-aged man. His muscles seemed strong enough to frighten bears and lions without problems. And the last figure was much younger than the other two if we were comparing looks alone. She had the face of a young adult with the appearance of a beautiful woman, capable of toppling kingdoms and empires with just her face alone.
The pieces of paper that they laid down suddenly flashed with a bright light before shooting out a purple gas. The purple gas rose a few meters into the air before forming itself into a square. The pieces of paper burned up in a purple flame after the gas shaped itself. One of the old guys walked into the gas and disappeared inside of it, confusing Jing even more. He then popped out a few seconds later and nodded to the other two before they started the recruitment process in whole. Jing saw as they motioned the waiting people to enter inside the purple gas.
Waves of excitement and nervousness splashed over the long line of people. No one knew exactly what laid inside that purple gas. Apparently it was called a formation, from what Jing gathered. A formation is made up of talismans, which was the pieces of paper she saw, and could hold certain techniques or Qi inside them to do many different things. One of the things she heard they could do was form a Qi barrier and block off attacks, form a formation that could make anything step inside it be poisoned by an invisible gas, or even kill you by gathering lightning Qi from the sky and shooting it towards anyone who stepped inside the formation.
Jing didn’t know what lightning Qi was or that there was something besides just Qi itself. She chose to file that information for later when she joins the sect and ask more questions there. But for now, she’ll just stay in line and wait until it was her turn to go through that purple gas.
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‘Tang Wuying… I swear to the heavens as Xun Liuxian that I will destroy everything you ever loved and owned… But first… I have to get stronger… And the Golden Serpent Sect… is my first step to gaining the power needed to kill you and your entire ancestry…’ A demonical handsome youth vowed as he glared in the direction of the red-headed striking youth surrounded by those who nearly ended his life. It was taking his all to not lunge at him and eviscerate them all into pieces.
With dark purple streaks in his hair and a lean body with densely packed muscles hidden underneath, this boy has completely transformed himself from what he looked like 2-3 days ago. Every breath he took seemed to radiate an ancient power and force that didn’t match his age in the slightest. His entire body was slowly bathing in that force every so slightly, every time he breathed, becoming infinitesimally stronger by the second.
Tang Wuying wasn’t aware that someone was currently glaring holes into his back and was instead focused on something else entirely. The beautiful fair-skinned icy beauty in front of him. She was Xiao Hong! A prodigy on the same level as himself and has even unlocked a part of her ancient bloodline! The Ice Giant bloodline was a feared bloodline amongst cultivators due to their bloody and terrible history. Most cultivators that managed to live long enough with that bloodline would be capable of toppling kingdoms and eradicating sects with just a wave of their palm. Historic accounts of those cultivators always say that they leave a frozen wasteland behind them wherever they go.
And a gorgeous beauty such as her that had an astonishing potential like that, was made for someone like him! A rich, attractive, and talented young man with the bloodline of the Titanic Tortoise. Sure he hasn’t unlocked even the tiniest portion of his bloodline but that doesn’t mean he won’t in the future! His Titanic Tortoise bloodline is a powerful and ancient one that has had numerous historical accounts across the world. Those with his bloodline have undying bodies that can’t be harmed through any means once one reaches a certain cultivation. Even if their bodies were reduced to a pile of blood, they would come back even tougher! Even if their hearts were crushed into dust and skulls flattened into the dirt, they would come back with even stronger hearts and skulls! Now what a perfect couple made by the heavens would they be once they got together!
And Tang plans on courting her with all his heart and soul! For she is the only woman that is good enough for him!
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“Are you sure you’re alright Brother Fang…?” Li, from the Huan clan, asked worriedly.
“Yes Sister Li. I’m perfectly fine. You’ve asked this 5 times now. I feel even better than before if I'm to be honest.” Fang answered looking completely different compared to how he looked yesterday.
He seemed to have grown quite a bit last night after passing out on the street. He now reached a little bit taller than Song in height and also a few other additions. His body seemingly grew muscles over night but not to the point where his clan’s robes were stretched to contain them. His face was sharper and more lean and handsome compared to yesterday. And a strange black ring could be seen resting quite snugly on his right index finger.
Song couldn’t hide his shock and envy after Fang’s miraculous transformation and knew that he must have encountered some treasure or item that changed a person so much. The trash even dared to look down on him! He just had to find out what it was and steal it from Fang’s body, dead or alive….