Next to him, his father looked at the tabloid piece Wang Wei was holding up with quivering eyes.

“Fake?” Ji Ruoxue asked. “What do you mean? How do you know? But…”

“Don't think I haven't heard the stories on my way here?!” Wang Wei turned on her with a glare.

Ripple points obtained (anger): 0.01 (Wang Wei)

Ripple points obtained (anger): 0.01 (Wang Wei)

…

Even a casual bout of anger netted Lin Yang more than 0.3 ripple points in a few seconds. It was just a guess, but maybe some people produced more ripple points just like some cows produced more milk than others. 

“Rumors? What rumors?” Ji Ruoxue tried.

Lin Yang noticed Wang Wei's body quivering, his anger barely held in. He was angry at Lin Yang, but at Ji Ruoxue as well. Probably it had been a day of high emotions for him, and it was going to get worse.

“The immortal sword school found out about my plan first. They sent me a fake shard, and that was after Lin Yang visited them,” he said, his voice dripping with suspicion. “And now you bring me a fake piece, and those rumors…”

“Lin Yang has been spreading rumors about himself for some reason —” Ji Ruoxue tried. 

“I don't care about any excuses, slut!” Wang Wei lashed out with a slap.

Ji Ruoxue fell back with a squeal. She buried her head in her hands and started to cry.

“Is it true?! Did Lin Yang conquer you? Is that why you are trying to make a fool of me?” Then Wang Wei froze and frowned, scanning the surroundings. “Did you lead him here?”

“I don't know about young master Lin Yang,” a masculine voice said, stepping out of the bushes. “But she led me here at least.”

“You… young master Lu Feng Zheng,” Wang Wei said, taking a step back instinctively. “It's good you've come. You dare to make a fool of me?!”

“Wang Wei, you sneaky bastard! The fragment disappeared. I checked before coming after you, and it wasn't there. How did you do it?!”

Lin Yang grimaced, his father's gaze burning the back of his neck. So young master Lu Feng had already found out. That was faster than ideal.

“Wait…what? What do you mean? The fragment is missing?” Wang Wei asked.

“Wang Wei, don't try to distract this young master. Today, it's either you or my immortal sword school that will cease to exist.”

Wang Wei's back seemed to straighten after that declaration. “With just you? I doubt you have such ability!”

“Then what if there are a few more of us?” another voice called out.

And another. And another. Suddenly Wang Wei was surrounded by more than ten martial artists. The proud son of heaven took a step back in dawning dread.

“You… Jade sky school's grand elder? I already defeated you. Your meridians are incurable!”

“A noble benefactor has helped me prepare to fight with you,” a man with white hair and a long white beard shouted at him.

“And you, axe demon?” Wang Wei asked.

“Me as well. You are going to be killed today, little bastard,” a bear of a man spat.

“Was this noble benefactor… Lin Yang, that useless young master? Haven't you heard of all his misdeeds?” Wang Wei couldn't help but ask.

“You've tried to slander young master Lin all these days!” Lu Feng screamed. “If not him, I would never be able to settle the hatred in my heart! Why are you so unscrupulous, spreading rumors about an outstanding young man like him?”

‘No, he isn't the one slandering me,’ Lin Yang thought, but didn't shout out. The battle was about to begin. He just needed to wait for it, and he'd have work to do collecting benefits afterwards. And after only about seventeen days in this minor realm, he still had thirteen days to harvest ripple points.

Currently he was harvesting adoration and gratitude from these great warriors, and anger and hatred from Wang Wei.

Wang Wei started chuckling slowly, then it got louder and louder. When he stopped laughing, he let his head down and his eyes were resting in Lin Yang's direction.

But they weren't exactly normal eyes. There was something strange about them. They were blacker and blacker as Lin Yang watched.

And then Lin Yang saw something strange. He saw something black floating around inside Wang Wei's body. He had never seen anything like it. Mostly because it seemed like he could see this thing even beneath Wang Wei's clothes.

“A lower realm worm is trying to steal my treasure?!” Wang Wei said, in a voice that wasn't his. 

Lin Yang almost revealed his hiding spot. He had to fight the urge to scramble back in fear. Was it possible Wang Wei was some kind of puppet? Similar to him, but kind of different?

“You dare turn your back on us?!” some of the ten masters surrounding Wang Wei screamed. “Courting death!”

And the fight started.

The dread in Lin Yang's heart calmed the longer he watched the fight. It might be that something was strange about Wang Wei, but he wasn't suddenly fighting at the second level of the initiate realm. If anything, it seemed the first layer of the initiate realm was the peak of this world. And when there were ten masters at the same realm against one.

“Where the hell are my followers?!” Wang Wei shouted as his injuries grew.

“Hehe,” one of his attackers said. “You think we don't know you were trying to build an army? A better question would be, where are our followers?!”

“No…” Wang Wei cried towards the heavens. “No, no, no! I always win! You said I was special. You said I was—”

A large shadow suddenly covered Wang Wei’s whole body like a tarp. And then the shadow flew out from under the siege of more than ten enemies.

“Where did he go?"

But Lin Yang didn't have to wonder. His frail body was flailing, his legs kicking at the air, his neck grasped hard in the hand of a black swathed Wang Wei.

There were three stone fragments tied to Wang Wei's belt. The fragments Lin Yang needed to finish his skill. He didn't know if they were all there, but having more would probably be better. 

Only, how was he going to get out of this jam he was in? How was he supposed to survive? What would happen if he died in a minor realm?

“Leave my son alone!” a voice shouted, a familiar voice.

And then with a whoosh an iron sword cleaved through Wang Wei's arm. The young warrior screamed in agony. 

Lin Yang collapsed on the ground.

Then the black stain, the one Lin Yang could see even through Wang Wei's clothes, escaped. It flew fast. It flew towards Lin Yang uncontrollably.

Lin Yang already had a bit of a guess. His new skill could allow him to see anomalies in souls. So what was this except an anomaly?

From context, it was probably a soul from an upper realm. Probably just a soul fragment. Whoever they were, they could probably also learn the skill Lin Yang was trying to learn. And now they were trying to possess Lin Yang.

There was nothing he could do too. He had always been the one possessing others. He didn't have the skills to deal with this kind of attack.

He felt it, when the dark mist entered his body and started to affect his soul. In front of him, Wang Wei started to writhe in agony. Then the agony also hit Lin Yang.

He couldn't control his body. He didn't even have the brain power to deal with it. He could only try to resist the pain. Perhaps he was screaming. Perhaps he was convulsing. He couldn't think of it at the time.

He felt darkness start to press down on him. And then a soothing sensation started to sift through his body.

He blinked. He felt a wetness on his cheek, and his muscles were stiff and borderline unresponsive.

He felt some kind of soothing sensation in his soul. That was when he remembered that he was now resistant to spiritual attacks. So this semi-possession was a spiritual attack of some kind?

It might be a good thing that he had survived, but he hadn't gotten any information on this wandering soul. 

Still, above him, only the spy stood and looked between him and Wang Wei indecisively. 

Wang Wei was not convulsing anymore, but when Lin Yang saw him, he looked almost half dead. Or at least soul dead. There was breath still, although very weak, and his eyes were open and scattered, empty-looking.

Right next to Wang Wei was Lin Yang's father. Simply drawing a sword had the man on his back now, breathing hard. It seemed his injury had worsened. Most of the other martial artists who'd helped Lin Yang were probably in the same situation by now.

Lin Yang was still a little overwhelmed, but he forced himself to calm, to breathe. 

So much had happened so fast. But one thing was for sure, if he didn't do anything, the old man would die. And once that happened the whole ‘save the Lin family’ quest would be forfeit.

Hopefully the last three fragments would help him learn a new and important skill.

He didn't read the temporary skill effects. He only spent ripple points. More than eighteen points to learn and upgrade all three skill fragments to the second level. He still had more than thirty five ripple points left.

You have merged five skill fragments. This skill is more than seventy-five percent complete now.

Divine palm of the enlightened soul (lvl.2-upgradaeble(?? ripple points))

Effects: Your soul energy is transformed. You are resistant to soul attacks. You can see anomalies in souls, meridians, physiques. You can cure all injuries and sicknesses in minor realms. Less effective in higher realms.

“It has more effects than I would have expected from one skill…” Lin Yang said with a frown.

And apparently he hadn't consumed all the fragments; but probably he'd be able to upgrade it now because he had more than seventy-five percent of the full skill?

The possibility that all the extra effects are from the skill fragmenting are high. The system can try to recreate the original skill now; or it can be allowed to upgrade in this brand new direction? Note that the effects of the healing being a bit less effective in the higher realms is probably also because of the fragmenting. And there maybe other negative effects.

There were merits and demerits. But weighing things up, as long he could upgrade the skill, then that loss of effectiveness wouldn't truly matter at some point. 

If the skill broke its level cap, wouldn't it be stronger than its creators intended.

And it has more effects now. He chose to try and explore a new route. Besides, why would he spend ripple points to rebuild it when he still had time to search for the last fragment?

He touched his father, and in that moment he saw things. He could see his father's heart. A normal heart, and something normally invisible that surrounded it. It was this second thing that had a hole in it. The injury on his father's heart meridian. And he also saw other meridians.

He saw a special energy float into his father's body. He watched the hole in the old man's heart meridian close on its own.

After less than thirty seconds, there was nothing more he could do. His father's injuries, both physical and spiritual should be healed. He could only wait for the old man to wake up.

During the few minutes after that, Lin Yang abused this ability that seemed to have no cost. He didn't really have any qi in this body, yet the ability seemed to work either way. 

He healed all the formerly injured martial artists. His palms shined almost white and luminescent. The old men, and young master Lu, looked at him like some kind of saint. In this kind of lower realm, Lin Yang wasn't surprised someone able to effortlessly heal meridians would be revered.

A hacking cough from behind him surprised Lin Yang.

“Old man!” he shouted once he noticed his father was awake. 

There was a feeling of happiness, of warmth, of relief that Lin Yang was sure wasn't his. Because he could never feel such things. He had never felt such things. He wondered what, if anything, could make him feel something similar.

Quest completed. You have been awarded 70 ripple points.

He allowed himself a little smile. Maybe his emotions were a little small, but a little smile also had meaning. Now he could just relax over the next few weeks and collect more ripple points.

You will be transferred back to the main world in ten seconds. Please prepare.

“What the fuck?! Why didn't you tell me earli—”