A pillar made of moss-covered stone slowly rose from the center of the blue pool of water.
The full extent of the pillar was not visible as it seemed to extend from the very bottom of the water hole, far deeper than the region where the Water Ghoul lived.
On top of the pillar, a flat surface was encompassed by a magical bubble made of pure Shinsoo. No matter the depth and the crushing pressure, the bubble had shielded its contents from the water.
The light that had attracted Shin Sumi and Lan Hui's gazes came from that magical shield.
"Defeating the Water Ghoul was the trigger to reveal the treasure, eh?" it didn't take long for both disciples to understand what happened.
The moment the top of the circular magical bubble came into contact with the surface of the water, it burst open, dissipating into thin air and revealing what was inside, the protective light dying out.
A scroll was resting on the flat top of the pillar.
Lan Hui gestured respectfully to Shin Sumi, prompting her to retrieve the item.
Shin Sumi grabbed it and was about to unfold it when she stopped her hand. She had just thought of something. Instead she threw it towards Lan Hui who grabbed it, surprised.
"You read it, Lan Hui. Whatever it is, I think you deserve to have it. You are the one who saved us today."
Even Lan Hui couldn't reply anything to that. He humbly accepted, not understanding why Shin Sumi didn't even want to read the content of the scroll.
He didn't know that the little grey nut was on her mind. Shin Sumi was lucky to have thought of it beforehand, or else the contents of the scroll might just have vanished at some point in the next few hours.
How would she explain that? The little nut's ability to steal books, scrolls, jade writings and refine them was heaven-defying, which also made it hard to explain if it was witnessed by someone.
Every time it had happened, the nut had been right next to the writings, but now that they were all in the water, no too far from the radius of restorative magic emanated by the nut, Shin Sumi couldn't really tell if it had a way of acting or not.
What she was sure of was that the nut had always stolen things that she herself had read.
By purposefully handing the scroll over to Lan Hui, she made sure that the scroll remained intact. Depending on what it was, she could maybe have a look at it later, but only if it wasn't part of the nut's ability of stealing.
Lan Hui unrolled the scroll and started reading out loud, his eyes instantly sparkling with interest.
"Minor Teleportation Spell! We really struck the jackpot! This is an amazing spell!"
Even Shin Sumi was impressed.
"Teleportation? Is that even possible?!"
It was the first time she had heard about something so insanely powerful that her mind could not rationalize it.
Lan Hui had forgotten that whoever Bai Fulong's real identity was, if he was taking the trial it meant that he was only an Honorary Disciple too, just like him.
In his mind, the mysterious savior was almost shining with infinite power and knowledge, but no, Bai Fulong was simply a mortal waiting to step into the Liquid Realm like everybody else.
"The scroll allows a Liquid Realm cultivator to step through the folds of space five times. It is a Minor Teleportation because although the process is instantaneous, the distance is limited to five kilometers at most."
Like he was used to back in the lower valley, Lan Hui explained to Shin Sumi all there was to know about the scroll, reward of their difficult fight.
"From what is written here, I can tell that the spell can also be used by an honorary disciple but only twice. It seems like the teleportation empties a good bit of the Shinsoo of the user, so for an Honorary Disciple the scroll has to use more power, thus reducing the number of uses."
Shin Sumi had little to no knowledge in magic and Shinsoo formations, only knowing the basic principles but what Lan Hui told her made sense.
She replied, refusing Lan Hui's proposition to give it to her "It is a great treasure for you to have. Just in case something happens, you will be able to escape safely. And after you enter the Liquid Realm, you'll be able to do that five times!"
Lan Hui bowed as a way to express his thanks. Besides, from what he had seen of Shin Sumi's strength and speed, five kilometers was a distance that she could cover in less than a minute, probably.
Her speed was unprecedented below the Liquid Realm, so she would have no trouble escaping pursuers. For her the scroll was very useful only if she became trapped in a Shinsoo Formation or the likes.
"Gnnn... Wha-" Bai Xuengen was slowly waking up. Shin Sumi and Lan Hui cut their conversation short to give all their attention to Bai Xuengen.
Lan Hui recalled the most recent events for him as well as the Minor Teleportation Spell scroll they had found while Shin Sumi checked his hand for traces of the curse.
The yellow robed disciple's eyes shone with a strange light when he heard about the spell, like glints of envy and greed, but he chased the thought away as he lifted himself out of the water and turned to Shin Sumi.
"Brother Bai, thank you for assisting me and saving my life this time again. The Black Cloud Curse seemed to have disappeared, or at least it doesn't flare up anymore."
Shin Sumi was a bit embarrassed and had to control herself to not laugh a bit.
"Erm... Actually it was Lan Hui who saved us both this time... And as for the curse I only tried something and was lucky that it turned out successfully."
Bai Xuengen's eyes almost burst out of their sockets. In a hurry he apologized to Lan Hui and expressed his thanks, instantly forgetting all about seniority and the usual formal aspect of relationships.
Just like Shin Sumi before, he asked Lan Hui to call him by his name, losing the 'Senior', making all three of them brothers as they had all at some point saved one another's life.
All the while, Shin Sumi disguised as Bai Fulong was observing Bai Xuengen's hand. No matter how hard she looked and how much divine sense she used, she could not see any trace of the curse that was there before.
Once again she was astounded at the little nut's powers. Relieved, she joined the two others in celebration of their newfound friendship.
***
Chu Erlong had been meditating amongst her group of followers for about an hour. She wasn't trying to achieve a breakthrough or to comprehend some sort of technique but was just circulating her energy to make sure she was in top condition.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Despite what she had let on, she was actually concerned that Bai Fulong had changed the situation just by his arrival. He was an unknown variable at the level of the yellow robed Bai Xuengen, and could potentially ruin her entire plan.
Chu Erlong was sitting cross-legged on a small Shinsoo formation made of five mid-grade spirit stones assembled in a circle. The simple fact that she was using mid-grade stones to absentmindedly cultivate showed her place in the Chu Clan. It also served to impress her followers just in case after weeks of this man-hunt they grew tired of it.
Her followers were also cultivating in small groups, waiting for the return of Liu Qing in order to resume their attack, and were taken by surprise when Chu Erlong coughed loudly.
"Baargh! Cough cough...", out of nowhere it seemed like she had suffered a strong cultivation backlash as a mouthful of bad blood erupted from between her beautiful lips.
"Boss Chu, are you okay? Did your cultivation turn backwards?" a red robed middle aged man asked after quickly supporting her.
With a face of disgust, Chu Erlong pushed the disciple away "Let go of me, I'm fine. It's the Black Cloud Curse... Somehow Bai Xuengen got rid of my Clan's curse!"
Back in the Dark Sky Starry Sect's Grand Hall, Chu Xuanba reacted violently to his granddaughter’s words. Standing up, his fingers hooked in the old wood like a claw, he was clutching his arm-rests so tightly that the chair splintered and almost broke.
He hadn't been looking at Shin Sumi's group for a while and had ignored the curing of Bai Xuengen until his own granddaughter had found out the hard way.
"My Black Cloud Curse defeated?!! That is impossible! Nobody under the Core Formation should be able to get rid of it!"
"Grand Elder please calm down. The chair has done nothing to you, old friend" Patriarch Sen intervened.
Under his bushy eyebrows, his clear eyes concentrated on the green dot shining on the spirit map. At this point all the Elders knew the name 'Bai Fulong' although none of them knew that individual.
It was clear by now that whoever the green talented disciple was, he was hiding his identity well. Besides the Patriarch and Elder Zhu, none of the others present knew of Shin Sumi's real identity.
In fact it wasn't that important. No matter the talent shown, she was still only an Honorary Disciple. She had a long way to go to prove her worth at the scale of the sect, and was still just a promising bud that hasn't yet bloomed.
All it took was a slight overestimation of her strength in front of a powerful spirit beast and the bud could disappear. Or another flower could bloom first and steal all the sunlight.
***
Without the Black Cloud Curse in place, Bai Xuengen could not be traced easily anymore. For the first time in weeks, he and Lan Hui tasted a relative peace, taking the time to cultivate instead of fleeing every hour or so.
The group of three was still not completely out of danger from Chu Erlong's gang but now the only way to completely assure their safety was to progress in strength.
The third ring of the training dimension in which the Rising Star Tournament took place, the underground maze somehow related to the People was rich in ambient Shinsoo.
The further one progressed along the circular domains, the stronger the Shinsoo pressure was. It was relatively easy to get accustomed to the density of Shinsoo, and the benefits to one's cultivation were unimaginable.
With the treasures hidden about everywhere and the appropriate quality of natural energy, this place was as different from the sect grounds as heaven and earth.
Bai Xuengen and Lan Hui were slowly recuperating from the weeks-long hassle of being chased, taking in as much Shinsoo as possible and making impressive progress.
At their side, Shin Sumi was looking afar, her gaze lost in the distance. She didn't feel like cultivating, her concentration taken by other concerns.
"How do I find the third Vein of Hell Fire? And if we find it, how do I explain to Bai Xuengen and Lan Hui what I'm doing?"
Another thing she hadn't thought of previously and had just recently crossed her mind bothered her.
"Bai Xuengen has no idea who I am, he never saw me before. When we fought the golems he didn't recognize my sword either... But Lan Hui will for sure recognize the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword. He knows Fen Wudao gave it to 'Yan Yan' so he will at least know that my two fake identities are one and the same."
She sighed, unable to find a way to continue to protect her secret "how long will it take before Lan Hui links my battle prowess and the green talent I'm supposed to have? I am the only green talented disciple of this era and he's one of the only other disciples to know..."
Shaking some of the thoughts away, Shin Sumi decided to try cultivating. Sometimes leaving it up to fate or destiny was easier. If she could do nothing about it then she shouldn't be bothered by it. The only thing it could currently do was cloud her mind and slow down her progress, like a chain dragging behind her.
All three of them cultivated for an entire night, which was something they hadn't done in a long time. A sliver of divine sense was kept out around them at all times though, just in case.
The very next day they started to actively find a way out of the maze. They even went as far as taking notes on their locations, Lan Hui inscribing the information on a piece of jade using divine sense.
Shin Sumi saw new markings on the wall and instructed the two disciples accompanying her about what she knew of the People and their Story.
"Wow, you know a lot of things, Brother Bai. Where did you learn all that?"
"I used to read quite a bit a long time ago..." Shin Sumi stayed a bit evasive. It was almost as if she could tell what Bay Xuengen was probing for before he even asked.
"So... How long have you been in the sect for? Where do you come from?" his voice was very casual but the look in his eyes betrayed him, proving his piqued curiosity.
Feigning meditation, even Lan Hui was obviously interested in the conversation.
Immediately feeling Bai Fulong's reluctance to answer, Bai Xuengen continued to try and put him at ease.
"You know, not a lot of disciples knew how to read before entering the sect. I heard that most newly arrived disciples come from small villages and hamlets all around Blue Fire Country and Light Shore Country. The fact that you read a lot before must mean you come from a wealthy family like me, right?"
Shin Sumi's eyebrow lightly twitched when she heard the words 'wealthy family'. Bai Xuengen wasn't wrong, after all Shin Sumi was the daughter of the mayor of East Seaside Village, and their family mansion was the biggest there. But that was from another time.
Compared to the looks and scale of everything in the Dark Sky Starry Sect, Shin Sumi's family could only be described as lowly. Even still, she understood Bai Xuengen's words and viewed him in a new light as he continued.
"My family is the secondary branch of a small clan of Blue Fire Country. Every ten years they get to send one youth to the Dark Sky Starry Sect. One of my ancestors saved an Immortal from the sect a long time ago, and that was the promise he made in retribution."
"I was born a commoner on a farm" started Lan Hui in reply, "I don't remember where my parents live. I didn't even know that reading was a thing before I got here. I was picked up by an emissary of the sect in travels to Blue Fire Sect. The first thing he told me was that for a lowly mortal it was surprising that I had even an ounce of Shinsoo in me."
"So when I hear about your Story of the People, it makes me wish I had that as well in my childhood. But it's funny, I almost never think of my parents. I am way happier in the sect anyway."
Shin Sumi stayed silent during the entire talk. It was not that she didn't enjoy sharing memories but she had to keep her secret safe. And also because she had cut off that part of her life forever when she arrived at the sect.
The Shin Sumi from East Seaside Village was gone, only the cultivator remained. Or at least that was what she had thought.
But now hearing about their life stories, Shin Sumi felt a distant longing in her heart. Her soul was almost throbbing when she thought about her brother, her uncles, her father, and her mother.
She hadn't even said goodbye to her mother before leaving.
Bai Xuengen looked up at the face of Bai Fulong. A fleeting silvery light had attracted his eyes. It was a tear streaming down Shin Sumi's face that had escaped her own perception.
"But you know, stories are from the past. As cultivators we better look forward and not let our past hinder our cultivation."
At first, Lan Hui didn't understand why Bai Xuengen would choose to change subject right when it seemed like Bai Fulong was about to speak, before he saw the tear on his face.
Shin Sumi quickly wiped it away when she realized what happened and jumped to her feet.
"You are right, Brother Bai. Let us concentrate and look for a way out. Brother Lan take the stairs up, you this tunnel and I will check the third path. In five minutes we regroup and decide which way to go."
It was the way they had found to look efficiently for clues and directions, although it had yielded no results yet.
"It would be much more efficient if we spread further out, but we have to stay together, in case of an attack by Chu Erlong" she was thinking.
Unbeknownst to them, a shadow that had escaped their senses was observing them from a dark corner. The shadow disappeared in the blink of an eye. It was only after it ran past a luminous crystal that it was possible to see the details of the person hidden in the dark. Liu Qing.
Unbeknownst to Shin Sumi and her group, Chu Erlong still had another way of tracking them. Using the most discreet and most efficient at hiding and spying there was under the Liquid Realm as a pathfinder, Chu Erlong's group had been slowly tailing Shin Sumi's group, even using precious artefacts to hide their presence.
"Their group had split up two minutes ago, Big Sister Chu. We need to move now or else they'll be together again!"
"Alright Liu Qing. Everyone, go!"
Chu Erlong's orange dress waved, giving orders. Her eyes were shining with delight and her mouth was curved in a beautifully dangerous smile.