Every single cultivator was shocked senseless as they felt the overbearing aura of their sect master and Emperor of Veridian Peaks. Most mortals in Edge City were not able to resist that wave of power and passed out on the spot. Luckily, there were tons of formations around to limit the damage to a simple loss of consciousness.
Shock rippled through all four cities as every cultivator quivered with trepidation! Many were unaware of the Sword King's true name, but the message and aura left no room for doubt. Lin Jian was their very own sect master! Never in their lives had most of them encountered an aura as powerful as this, save for a handful of elders.
Cultivators from all the cities on the mountain descended rapidly to converge on Edge City, eager to meet with their sect master. However, before any of them could reach the library where the message had originated, the few elders who had been with the Sword King a short while ago swiftly commanded everyone to disperse and attend to the unconscious mortals and weaker cultivators. The sect master had clearly conveyed that he desired no interruptions!
Inside the library of Edge City, everyone inside were either mortals or outer disciples that had relatively low cultivation and amongst them was the second brother of Lo Shen, Lo Tao. He was the only person aside from the Sword King that hadn’t passed out due to some special circumstances and he immediately rushed over after he felt the aura of his sect master and what he saw startled him quite severely.
Sitting in front of the kneeling sect master was the mortal the Lo brothers had brought back from the old-city!
At that moment, the old man had looked up and saw the bleeding and unconscious Tyler and he also noticed a young outer disciple nearby. Crazy speculations went through his mind as he wouldn’t be convinced by anything that this man wasn’t an unbelievably powerful cultivator.
In reality he was obviously not wrong on all points, as Tyler was indeed from the Pre-Shattering times but every other speculation though, was wrong.
Now, Lin Jian needed to approach the situation with caution. The injured Tyler had raised further speculation about the senior's condition. It was evident that this senior must have sustained significant injuries if just this minor encounter had led to his unconsciousness!
Seeing the young outer disciple nearby, he immediately ordered him to leave them alone as carefully infused some of his true essence into Tyler’s body to get a clearer picture of his wounds. Oddly enough though, as he felt the movement of his energy working its way through the ancestor he couldn’t detect a single injury to his body that would force his level down this much. The only injury he had detected was an injury that only occurred when mortals were faced with strong auras or soul pressure.
Fortunately for Tyler, Lin Jian possessed a high level of cultivation and displayed exceptional mastery over True Essence on top of being a formation master, preventing any adverse effects during his examination.
Taking into account his diagnosis and the unusual situation involving the man facing him, he produced a diminutive green pill. This pill was roughly the size of a shelled sunflower seed. Almost immediately, a potent herbal aroma wafted through the air, only to swiftly dissipate as Jian administered the pill to Tyler.
After a few breaths of time, Tyler awoke again, slightly disoriented yet well aware of the situation. He could feel the powerful energies swirling inside of him and although he had been swiftly healed, his irritation was palpable.
He found himself growing increasingly frustrated with the recurring pattern of being knocked unconscious. He couldn't help but think that people seriously needed to stop subjecting him or anyone else for that matter to this annoyance.
"Dude, seriously, what the hell is your issue, using your damn cultivation voodoo to knock a regular guy like me out cold?" he spat out, his frustration evident. But there was no stopping the torrent of anger that surged within him. He launched into a verbal onslaught, unleashing every thought that crossed his mind.
"Did I step on your damn toes or something? If I did, you know what? Fuck that. I ain't apologizing. I didn't do jack shit. It's you guys who are screwed up. You're really pushing my damn limits, first that Lo Shen character and now even the freaking sect master himself! What the hell did I even do? I was just minding my own business, wandering around my old neighborhood. Then I was enjoying my time here, doing the one thing I love – reading. And both times you assholes just had to mess with me!"
Tyler seethed with rage, his frustration and anger evident to Lin Jian. He understood that, in the tales of cultivation, acting in such a manner toward cultivators while being a mere mortal was essentially a death wish.
Yet, he couldn't care less. From his perspective, he had absolutely nothing left to lose. If this confrontation led to his demise, he accepted it wholeheartedly. He had already lost everything, so what was one more life in the grand scheme of things?
What Tyler wasn’t aware of though was that the moment he became angry, the odd soul fluctuations that had caused the Sword King to pay attention to him in the first place flared up ever so slightly and that sent shivers down Lin Jian’s spine.
Adding on to that the phrasing confirming that he used to live in the old-city, it truly frightened the Sword King.
The inner world that he had resided in for 10,000 years remained to this day inside Tyler’s consciousness but was all but impossible to detect unless some truly godlike figures appeared.
The crystalline snow globe like structure was currently filled with ominous dark clouds, lightning striking across the surface of his inner world, creating shock waves that reverberated into the emptiness of space surrounding it.
This was the source of the large soul fluctuations that Lin Jian was sensing. He had never seen anything like it before in his life.
Instinctively, the Sword King withdrew his cultivation as much as he could, his pupils narrowing to pinpricks as he hastily retreated a dozen paces. Despite his inability to discern the Ancestor's level of cultivation, the mere soul fluctuations alone were enough to send a wave of panic through him.
His composure had been shattered. There was no doubt in his mind now – he had provoked a formidable old monster!
"Apologies, Ancestor! I was unaware of Senior's injuries and I acted impulsively! Please, name your terms, and I will do everything within my power to make amends!" The Sword King responded hastily, his white robes drenched in cold sweat.
“Ancestor, senior.. I thought I told you to call me Tyler?” Tyler replied with a stern tone. By this point he had obviously caught on that the misunderstanding he suspected earlier was much more serious than he thought, but he couldn’t care less. He simply wanted to be left alone for a while.
"I apologize profusely! I forgot myself in the presence of Tyler's eminence!" Lin Jian hurriedly exclaimed, immediately bowing deeply at the waist before continuing. "I am willing to offer you any of my treasures as a gesture of forgiveness, to make amends for everything that transpired here today! Simply name your price!"
While teasing out riches from this old man would be quite funny to Tyler, he was quite frankly mentally exhausted. Too much had happened in too little time for his brain to properly process everything.
“Eh, forget it. Just leave me alone. I just want to return to my books.” Tyler stopped there for a second before continuing. “Also, stop the boot licking, it’s making my skin crawl. I’m just a dude trying to figure life out so if people would just stop fucking with me that’d be great.” he finished.
“As you wish, Tyler.” replied Jian Lin and with a wave of his sleeves, he disappeared from Tyler’s sight.
Jesus Fuck, the dude just teleported out of here like it’s nothing. That’s so fucking cool!
While he was impressed, he was still quite angry. On top of that, Tyler had a hunch that this wasn’t the end, as his situation was clearly abnormal even by the standards of this new reality. He wasn't deliberately concealing the circumstances of his arrival here, but given the extreme response he witnessed, he decided to keep it under wraps for the time being.
Additionally, what really piqued his interest was something Jian Lin had mentioned about his odd soul fluctuation. He had no idea what those were exactly but if he had to guess it probably had something to do with his 10,000 years hiatus.
Now finally alone, Tyler calmed down and took a deep breath. Since he had regained consciousness a few minutes ago, he could feel rampant energies flowing through his body unlike anything he had felt before.
Focusing inwards he could feel the effects of the pill he had been fed. The energy, which he had learned in one of the books, was undoubtedly some form of Qi.
While he had technically already been fed a similar pill, he had been unconscious the whole time and hadn’t felt any of its effects. That first pill was also made cheaply and specifically for mortals and it cost nothing more than the hair off a cultivator’s head.
Tyler remained unaware of the composition and cost of the healing pill he had been fed, as knowing the details would likely make him feel queasy considering its extravagance.
This particular pill consisted of a blend of five valuable medicinal herbs, each representing the primary elements of traditional Chinese medicine: Metal, Wood, Earth, Fire, and Water.
Such a precious medicine, a tier 2 Heaven Grade healing pill, pushed the limits of what a mortal body could withstand and risked perilous Qi backlash for most mortals that would result in their deaths almost instantly.
The cost, if compared to the world of 10,000 years ago, was equivalent to spending 10 million dollars for a single pill. This was unachievable for most of the world's population at the time and that remained true even today.
Consequently, the substantial amount of Qi now coursing through his body was anything but insignificant.
Getting a feel for these energies Tyler realized that before his return to the world, he had never encountered such a profound connection with his body in mere seconds. This sensation typically required deep self-awareness cultivated through hours of meditation, something he had never attained until the very moment he had disappeared from Earth.
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Right now however, he discovered himself attuned to every burgeoning sensation, instantly and effortlessly, without the need for deliberate meditation. It was as if he had unlocked a mental state that fostered an unwavering alignment between his body and mind, forging an enduring and unbreakable bond between the two.
Sensing the energy coursing through his body, Tyler swiftly discerned the unfolding pattern. The Qi followed a steady cycle, moving sequentially through what he remembered from anatomy class as his Heart, Liver, Spleen, Lungs, and Kidneys.
However, what truly captured his attention was the gradual transformation occurring within his veins and blood. He couldn't precisely grasp the nature of the change, but with each heartbeat, his blood seemed to pulse with an unusual vitality making him feel… excitement?
The pill's effects were miraculous, as it permeated each of the five major organs and their meridians with their respective elements, diffusing its restorative properties evenly into the bloodstream.
The impact of this phenomenon was nothing short of extraordinary for individuals like him who were not a cultivator.
For instance, if he had been afflicted with late-stage cancer, the pill would have instantaneously cured him. Consequently, the Qi was cleansing every facet of his being, offering his mortal form a rare and remarkable opportunity that few would ever encounter.
Tyler could tell that this would keep going on for a while and he was really tired, seeing as he had just dozed off in the middle of his books. The pill did revitalize him somewhat, but he was still a mortal and his body was working overtime to absorb these various energies of the pill.
So, he decided to call it a night and returned all the history books he had finished to their place. Then, he went back and grabbed the remaining 3 but he decided to just bring them to his room for now. On his way back to his room he saw that everyone in the library had passed out just like him so he simply left a note on Theressa’s desk seeing as she was currently absent.
Theressa,
I took these three books back to my room, I hope you won’t mind!
Cultivation for Novices by Sword Sect Elder Lao, taken from Section 2 Row A, Shelf 1.
Basic Meditation Techniques and their benefit to your cultivation by Refining Elder Colby, taken from Section 2 Row B, Shelf 1.
The Sword Sect’s admission exams by Sword Sect’s Elder Lo, taken from the front on the table near the reception!
Cheers,
Tyler.
With his task completed, he reentered his room, hastily arranging the books on his reading table.
The lingering discomfort from being rendered unconscious once more had caused his body to break into a light sweat, and the potent cleansing effect of the pill gave rise to an unpleasant odor. This prompted him to promptly take a brief, refreshing shower.
Upon stepping into the shower, however, a true sense of tranquility enveloped him, marking the first time he had felt at ease since regaining consciousness. Seating himself in the midst of the hot, billowing steam, he directed his focus on his body once more.
With every rhythmic heartbeat, Qi surged through his bloodstream, diligently purging away the remnants of any disease and the imperfections that had accumulated from his prior lifestyle as Tyler remained unaware of how his soul had kept a perfect memory of his body prior to the shattering, recreating it in its entirety, impurities, diseases and all.
The effects of all the junk food, sugary treats, and substances that had taken a toll on his body were gradually being erased, leaving behind a fresh slate of vitality.
During this transformation, Tyler's focus led him back to the tranquil world within his mind, expecting to face the usually calm ocean. However, what he saw shocked him.
The turbulent clouds hadn’t disappeared and torrential rain poured down from the heavens. The seas were as turbulent as he had ever seen them.
As a result of the pill's purifying effects, even the water in this mental sanctuary was undergoing a subtle alteration in color due to the massive amount of rain pouring in.
It transitioned from the customary Pacific Blue to a deeper, more profound hue resembling Navy Blue. He couldn't fully comprehend the reason behind this change, but he speculated that it likely mirrored the enhancement in the quality of his physical condition in some enigmatic way.
Fortunately, his decision to take a shower proved fortuitous. Otherwise, he would have been met with something utterly repulsive.
The cleansing process gave rise to the expulsion of these malevolent afflictions, demanding a release that unveiled the source of the noxious odor. Slowly, he excreted a nauseating yellowish-brown viscous substance, a repugnant amalgamation of all his previous life’s accumulated impurities and dormant diseases.
Despite the revolting nature of this unforeseen metamorphosis, Tyler had never experienced a sense of well-being as profound as this, barring the unpleasant odor that was gradually being cleansed away by the flowing waters.
Amidst the excitement, once the Qi within the pill had settled and diffused throughout his body, his inner world’s sea and clouds similarly dispersed and calmed down. Then, an intense wave of exhaustion crashed over Tyler like an oncoming truck.
He struggled to summon the energy needed to shut off the shower, and then he practically dragged himself to his bed as he was assaulted with a heavy dizziness. Collapsing onto it, he surrendered to sleep, completely drained of strength.
Despite his strong desire to investigate the peculiar soul fluctuations that Lin Jian mentioned through meditation and the recent changes to his body, he couldn’t right now.
Little did Tyler know that a similar technique of feeding tier 2 pills was employed on every child born into prosperous cultivator families.
This method aimed to purify their bodies, ensuring fewer hindrances as they embarked on the path of cultivation. Typically, this procedure was done as early as 10 years old and would be accompanied by a system notification awarding them a title known as [Mortal Purity].
This title granted individuals enhanced outcomes in terms of the efficiency of their cultivation techniques and would’ve looked like this:
[Mortal Purity] - Increase natural talent and Qi absorption by a significant margin.
If anyone on Earth discovered that he hadn't received a notification from the System the moment he purified his body, they would dismiss his claim entirely.
According to common belief, the system was an all-powerful force, a direct messenger of the heavens aiming to push humanity’s cultivation to new heights. Ever since the Shattering, nobody on the planet had been devoid of the system's influence.
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During Tyler’s beauty sleep, a shocking event took place at Permanence City. The sect master had made an appearance and called all cultivators on Sword King Mountain to the marshaling grounds of the outer sect, even the very few wandering cultivators of Edge City!
Whether they wanted to or not, they had no choice but to comply as the previous commotion of an Ancestor visiting shook the minds of everyone present and none of them would dare disregard what was essentially an Imperial Order from the ruler of Veridian Peaks!
Eventually, every cultivator that was above level 8 on the mountain had gathered on the marshaling grounds in front of the Sword Sect’s admission grounds. For some of the weaker cultivators in Edge City, this took a few hours but they all made it in the end. Everyone gaped in awe at the aura of the Sword King and the numerous elders of the sect surrounding the plaza.
Amidst the gathering of cultivators, an outer sect disciple named Lo Tao stood frozen, his gaze fixed on the void as if his mind had been shattered. In a sense, this depiction wasn't far from the truth, as Tyler's departing words had left the Sword King deeply cautious and meticulous in his actions.
“...Just leave me alone. I just want to return to my books… If people would just stop fucking with me…”
Reading the subtext of such a covert threat, he brushed aside any concern of cordiality and swiftly sought out the sole other cultivator who had seen Tyler and the Sword King together.
Without hesitation, he instructed Theressa, the head librarian in Edge City, to locate the young man and erase his memories. He was resolute in preventing any possibility of this individual causing trouble for Tyler by disclosing the circumstances of this ancestor to his elders in the Lo Family.
Although the Sword King's understanding of the situation deviated significantly from the truth, he remained unaware of this fact. Even if his interpretation turned out to be incorrect, it was inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
In his eyes, it was wiser to take preemptive action against a potential catastrophe than to remain passive and hope for the best. He had witnessed enough instances of the powerful seeking vengeance, and the aftermath was invariably grim and chaotic.
Looking out from afar was quite an impressive sight as over 10,000 cultivators were standing in neat ranks that almost made it look like an actual military formation with the occasional stragglers down the sides.
Surrounding them was neat little magical apparatus that transmitted audio and video in real time all over the cities within Sword King Mountain. This apparatus was in fact, a complex formation powered with Spirit Stones and was mainly for the mortals across all four cities and the palace to see.
Lin Jian could have easily allowed the message to be accessible to the other cultivators traversing the mountain in the same manner. However, he chose to display a demonstration of power, intending to emphasize that the matter at hand was not something to be regarded lightly.
To ensure everyone was here, Lin Jian scanned the entire mountain with his divine sense, something that only a cultivator on his level had access to, so that not one cultivator would be missing from this gathering.
Luckily for them, apart from the few special beings within the mountain, everyone was here. Satisfied, he floated up in the air in order to look over everyone and started his short speech with his true essence infused voice.
“As you know, an esteemed guest has graced us with his presence.”
The moment these words landed on the ears of the cultivators, most of them started to frantically look around for anyone that stood out or that they did not recognize in order to catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar guest!
“According to his wishes, he will be left alone. For those of you that are unclear as to what this means let me make it clear. If you offend this Ancestor and I hear about it from him, I will slaughter your entire family, regardless of your status. Even if my own sons offend this Ancestor, they shall be put to death!”
This news sent another shock wave through the crowd but this left some cultivators uncertain about their stance on the matter. Amongst the crowd, a Martial instructor of the Inner Sect slowly flew up in the skies and clasped his hands at the Sword King.
“Sect Master, while we are grateful for the presence of this esteemed ancestor, how are we supposed to ensure we don’t offend this senior if we don’t know whom to treat with the respect of an ancestor? Would this senior please come forward so we can show our proper respects?”
The Sword King’s eyes snapped to this arrogant Elder and he responded without uttering a word.
With a swift motion, the Sword King used his fingers as a sword and directed them towards the elder. The crowd felt a surge of energy, witnessing an illusionary 20-foot-long sword materialize out of nothingness, hurtling towards the Elder.
Before anyone but a select few could react, the elder's body exploded into a crimson mist of blood and guts, accompanied by a resounding blast that filled the marshaling yard with the distinct scent of blood.
Just like that an expert of the Aperture Strengthening stage, a level 36 elder of the Sword Sect, had perished.
Every single cultivator had momentarily stopped breathing, scared that they would be next.
"Repent your foolishness in your next life! I shall grant mercy to your kin this single time!” The sword king yelled out. Then, he took a breath before continuing.
"It is imperative that you show the same respect to all unfamiliar individuals, regardless of whether they are mortals or cultivators, just as you would with your peers. His cultivation is so profound that he can likely manifest as any cultivation level he desires. Even I cannot ascertain his true level," he explained with a much calmer demeanor after a brief pause.
“He seeks solitude. Am. I. Clear?"
Across Permanence City, a resounding Yes Your Excellency! Echoed from everyone present.
In the subsequent months, mortals and lower-level cultivators living in all the cities and their respective villages surrounding Sword King Mountain started receiving greater respect from almost all of the cultivators.
It was truly remarkable how a single sentence had the capacity to transform the attitudes of hundreds of thousands of individuals overnight.
However, there were some cultivators who viewed this as a mere suggestion rather than an order. Yet, as long as they avoided provoking this specific ancestor, they assumed they would be safe, right?