CHAPTER 14

The Burning Sea School was located in the far south of the Sea Walker Kingdom. Basically, as its name implied, it was closed to the sea. But more than Mir expected. The school was actually in the sea. Not far from the beach, there was a mountain range coming out of the sea, this was the Burning Sea School territory. A total of forty-one peaks that were towering through the sky and piercing the clouds. Around each peak were walls blocking the waves from the sea. It felt like the mountains were floating on the sea. They were linked to each other’s by stone bridges with the same walls on each side. It gave the feeling of walking in the middle of the water. The stones were bright red and Mir guessed that the name of the school came from there. The mountains were full of red bricks making it feel like flames protruding from the ocean. It was actually a beautiful sight. Elder Lan got down from the horse and took Mir down as well. They were on the beach. How long had it been since Mir had walked on a beach? In his life, never and in his previous life…He couldn’t remember. Ever since he started high-school, he had worked hard without true breaks. The sand was brightened by the sun and he couldn’t help but taking his shoes off to enjoy the feeling of walking in the sand. It felt good and relaxing. He nearly wanted to lay down right there and take a nap but elder Lan told him:

“We still have a long way to go. The horse can’t go further so we have to cross the bridge ourselves.”

The only way to get to the school territory was by crossing the giant bridge that went there from the beach. It was long. A width of a hundred meters with walls on each side, around five meters high. It was an impressive architecture. But Mir was more curious about something else.

“Why can’t the horse go further?

-Only beings with an awakened core are able to walk on the bridge. That is the reason why our Burning Sea School has never hosted the genius tournament until now even though we are one of the best schools. Don’t ask me how it works, I have no idea. And if you’re wondering how the bridge ‘floats’, the reason is simply that they aren’t floating. There are pillars supporting them. It’s said that when the school was founded thousands of years ago, the ocean was further away and the school was actually in a valley. It only became the Burning Sea School years later and obviously got its name because of the red stone.

-That’s incredible.

-Isn’t it? Well, there are many more surprises awaiting you further ahead, let’s go little Mir.

-Yes, elder.”

Mir put his sandals back on and followed the elder. They were silently crossing the giant bridge. It was infinitely long so it would take time, he could only see red bricks stretching to the horizon. What’s more, as child, he couldn’t walk really fast. As he was following silently, he noticed the emptiness of the bridge even though it was that wide so he asked:

“Elder, how come there’s no one on this bridge?

-That’s because the doors are closed at this time. Our Burning Sea School has a policy. Our doors only open once every month for the disciple to go out except in June where it is time for disciple’s recruitment. Since we’re in October, there is no one allowed in or out.

-Won’t we be blocked outside then?

-Do you think the disciple rules apply to the elders? Ahah. I can come and go as I please. And since I want you to get inside as well, you will.

-That’s great. What about this then?”

After discussing, he noticed something in the distance. It was still only a black dot though. The elder sighed as he saw that. Because of his attainment in cultivation, his senses were sharp and he could easily see what this black dot was. He turned to Mir and said:

“You’re young but you are quite wise so there is no need to hide it. ‘This’ is the truth of humans. Greed.”

At first, Mir didn’t understand the elder’s words. While they were profound and he could grasp on the concept, since he couldn’t see that far, he didn’t know how it could be related to such a truth. However, as he grew closer, he understood. There was a giant black pot on a side of the road and from there, a tree that was four meters high had grown. It wasn’t impressive as it looked like a basic tree. What’s more, because of the season, there wasn’t a trace of green on it. But there was still something there, something peculiar. Something hanging down from a branch. Hanged by the feets, there was a young man, no older than fifteen, a teenager. He was out of breath, nearly naked except for briefs and had bruises and scratch all over his body. It was obvious he had been mutilated and left there in a near-death state. The elder’s words, Mir could know understand their link with the sight. Under the tree were some words. It said, “Enemy to the Outer Fire Alliance”. Mir didn’t know about the Outer Fire Alliance but he knew what this meant. This guy offended some group of people and they dealt with him. Mir looked towards elder Lan for explanation. He was also frowning at the sight and told Mir:

“During the quiz, the host were some herbalist group, right? Well, our school is authorizing the foundation of groups too. It strengthens the minds. This poor sap probably angered this Outer Fire Alliance and they got revenge on him when the doors opened at the start of the month.

-Aren’t they going to be punished?

-No. if it was inside the school, they would. But this bridge is considered “outside” and everything that happens outside is out of our jurisdiction. Or rather, we don’t bother with it. The outside world is a dangerous place, we try to teach that to our disciples. That being said, I am not too proud of this. I don’t approve of this. But what is there to do? Ahh… This poor kid is finished.

-What do you mean?

-He can’t move. He’s been lucky to survive this long after the gate closed. As soon as a flying beast spot him, he’s dead.

-You won’t help him elder?

-Hmmm… What can I say? After you’ve lived as long as I did, life doesn’t hold the same value. I’ve seen so many people die after all unfairly at that. This world is cruel. Even if you help one, there will be a second and third…And the one might need help again. If you can’t see something to the end, there is no point in trying.

-Basically, if you don’t have the power to help everyone, don’t waste time helping any?”

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What Mir said was a philosophical truth from his previous life, it definitely wasn’t something elder Lan would have expected from this child. He thought the child wouldn’t understand and ask to save the hanging kid. Elder lan would have done it, if only to give the child some happiness and left him with a clear mind but he didn’t expect the kid to understand him and not plead for the hanging child. But the words Mir said after were even stranger. He asked the elder:

“Can we bring him with us as a test subject then? I need to test stuff regarding martial arts cultivation and he probably doesn’t want to die.”

To think a five-year-old child could talk so seriously about human experimentation was something unexpected but after so long, elder Lan swallowed his surprise. Mir was just too strange and wise for his age. He was a monstrous child with a devil’s mind. However, elder Lan nodded. Mir had earned many items back during the tournament, he would want to test them obviously. Having a test subject then wouldn’t seem idiotic but rather smart, it was rationally a clever idea but still, to have a small kid say that and think it through… It was still hard to accept. That’s when the hanging kid spoke:

“I’m fine with being a test subject as long as I can survive this one time”

The kid was barely hanging on to his live yet, he was still conscious of his surroundings and able to talk. It seemed like he wasn’t just a dead punching bag. The elder and Mir looked at him curiously once more. They both saw that the injuries didn’t all come from a single time. This kid had been bullied for some time. But Mir also saw the kid’s cultivation. He was a peak fourth realm. For his age, it was average but it would be enough for Mir to test things. Mir asked the hanging kid:

“Do you want revenge?

-Yes.

-Good. You’ll do. Elder Lan, can we?

-…Hmm…

-You said you could do as you pleased for the entrance to the school, didn’t you? Please, elder Lan.

-Alright. Let’s get him down first. Mir, you don’t have any healing medicines, right?

-I don’t.

-Then consider this a present from me.”

After that, elder Lan got the hanging kid down and fed him a green pill. Then Mir saw something unbelievable. The injuries on the kid’s body were rapidly disappearing and healing. It was going on at a tremendous speed. After a few minutes, the dying teenager turned healthy. He opened his eyes, got up and clapped his hand while bowing:

“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving me, as I said previously, you can use my meager life as you see fit.”

Mir was stunned speechless. The eyes of the kid in front of him were full of determination and the strongest will to live he ever saw. It felt strange. What’s more, the kid was fine with giving up his live for some time if it was enough to repay his savior. This world was filled with strangeness to Mir. But he was someone who could adapt to things, so he nodded at the bowing kid and asked him:

“What’s your name?

-I am an orphan, people here called me ‘dog’.

-And what’s the real name?

-I don’t have any.

-Then, let’s find one. how about Oka Mi?

-Okami?

-Yes, I think it would fit you quite well. It’s up to you though.

-Okami is fine. I will go by this name from now on.

-Good, then let’s go, Oka.”

Elder Lan looked at Mir as if he found it dumb to give a name to a test subject but he brushed it off and led the way for the two kids. Oka was following behind Mir like a servant, it was quite the sight since he was quite tall. Around 1.80meters. He was also fairly good looking now that there were no more bruises on his body. He had short black hair, they probably cut it for him before hanging him down…It seemed like people here liked to have long hair for some unknown reason. He had piercing brown eyes and was quite muscular, what you would expect from a young martial artist basically. 

They walked for a long time before arriving to a dead end, or rather, to the school gates. They were big enough to cover the whole bridge. There were people wearing red and blue robes in front of the door and some were standing on a tower post, keeping watch over both the bridge and the ocean. They were the gatekeepers of the school.  As elder Lan approached, they respectfully clasped their hands and bowed while saying:

“Salutations to elder Lan!”

He only nodded in response and asked:

“Open the gate, I will be going home with those two.

-Yes, elder! Open the gates!”

Mir thought they would be opening the whole thing, having the giant bridge gates completely open. He was wrong. Only a small section, no more than ten meters in length, opened and folded itself on the other part. Elder Lan laughed at Mir and explained:

“It’s a folding door type. We can open it in different width. This is the smallest and the one used generally. Now then, let’s go, we have a long road until we reach my mountain.”

Mir frowned at the thought of the elder owning a whole mountain but thinking back, it was possible, he was a grand elder after all. They passed through the gates and they were closed behind them. They were in a small square with a few houses. It was around 100 square meters. From there were three bridges leading to the three closest mountains. Elder Lan went on the middle bridge and was followed by Mir and Oka. As they walked further and further down the bridge, they crossed paths with hundreds of disciples. Most of them were polite towards elder Lan but disdainful towards Oka. The rest were polite towards elder Lan and didn’t even glance at Oka. This showed how much respect elder Lan enjoyed in the school and how hated Oka was. Mir started to wonder just how much this dumbass had messed with others and who he offended. It’s true that he needed someone to test his stuff and theories on but if he had to shoulder grudges because of that, it might have been better to find a different test subject… While they walked, there were many intersections as bridges connecting all mountains were linked together. It formed a true labyrinth of path inside the ocean. From the sky, it must have looked incredible. But they were inside the bridge so all they could see was red bricks and hundreds of disciples wearing the same robe. Mir didn’t like this type of cloths. Truthfully, in his previous life, if he had worn such a thing, he would have been a laughing stock for others. He was the type to wear expensive black suits to sleep. A true Richard. Where on earth would you find a rich man in a robe? Not where he had lived at least. So, it felt weird to see hundreds of people of both genders wearing the same robe. He asked elder Lan:

“Elder Lan, do disciples here are forced to wear the same robe?

-No. This is the ancient robe of our school. According to the rules, you can wear whatever you want as long as our emblem is on your back. They are wearing this robe because it is our official ancient cloth, it’s to show their respect towards the ancestors. Don’t you like it?

-Honestly, I don’t like robes. They aren’t practical…

-Well, you’re young…”

Elder Lan sighed and Mir nearly told him to screw off with his “you’re young”. He wasn’t young, only his body. It really was a pain to be considered a child. The biggest difference between this world and Mir’s previous world was the value of honor. It was higher than anything, even life. People could kill to escape humiliation. They wouldn’t mind suicide as well to not shame their name. it was a strange world and Mir had a tough time accepting the value of honor. In his previous life, honor was worth nothing, only by discarding it early on could one rise in ranks. By the time he jumped, he had long since given up on his honor and his pride. But here, people were honest and cared about honor. It felt strange to him. To the point of not understanding why they would wear this robe to honor dead ancestors. In his previous life, you would go to a ceremony once, a burial, and that’s it, the deceased had been honored. Here, they were honored even thousands of years after they passed away and by people that didn’t even knew and cared about them. He couldn’t grasp the concept. Not yet at least.

After more than two hours of walking, they took a turn in a secondary bridge and headed towards a green mountain. The sight was slightly different from the previous mountains as there were a lot less houses but a lot more fields. Elder lan said with pride:

“This is my personal mountain! It’s named the Herbal Mountain and only the members of my herbalist association are allowed to step in. the reason are those fields! Here, we cultivate all sorts of rare and precious grasses and plants. From now on, you guys will be living there with me, at the very peak, of course.

-Awesome”

Mir was really expecting wonderful things from this. His goal in this life was simple: live greatly and lavishly without care for others. This place would be the first step to reach that goal.

First Part - END