CHAPTER 5

BLESSING OR A CURSE?

“We’re going to the Sun Temple, right? How long will take?”, Tang Jian asked curiously once they had flown out of the village.

“It took me two days to get here following the Fire Pearl. But I used an unusual method of travelling for that. Since we’re not in a hurry right now and If we go at a normal pace, it should take about a couple of months.”, Zhang Huan replied.

“Two months!? Isn’t that a little too far?”, Tang Jian was truly shocked.

“That’s a month on a flying carriage. How long do you think it would take to get there on foot?”, Zhang Huan asked.

After thinking for a moment Tang Jian answered uncertainly, “A… year?”

“You guessed correctly, it would take about a year… And nine more. If you don’t sleep in those ten years. And survive the dangers on the road, you can, in theory, make the journey.”, Zhang Huan said.

“Ten years!? And without any sleep!? That’s Impossible!”, Tang Jian said, letting this information sink in.

“Indeed, it is impossible. For a mortal, that is. For an average Cultivator there are several modes of travel. I don’t need to tell you about them; you’ll come across them yourself at some point.”, saying that Zhang Huan closed his eyes and sat in a meditative pose, while Tang Jian enjoyed the view from the sky.

“Oh, I got lost in that mountain over there for three days when I was eight.”, Tang Jian muttered to himself.

“Those woods, too. I got lost in that region when I was ten. I was even chased by a wild boar back then. Terrible times.”, Tang Jian shook his head, remembering the incident.

Zhang Huan beside him, eyes still closed, had a frown on his face.

No wonder the first thing his father asked him was if he’d gotten lost, he thought.

By this point, they were at the edge of the mountain range.

“What’s beyond these mountains? I’m really curious.”

They flew out of the mountains and Tang Jian got to see for the first time what was beyond them.

“It’s..”, he said, “just trees.”

“It’s just trees.”, he said with disappointment.

“What, you thought you’ll see the sea as soon as you get out of the mountains. This is what most of the land looks like anywhere you go in the Western Plains. Just Trees.”, Zhang Huan said mockingly, “Now take this pill and don’t disturb me.”, he threw a pill at Tang Jian and went back to meditation.

Tang Jian caught the pill and inspected it closely. It was fingernail sized and cylindrical in shape. It didn’t have a smell and was odorless. After checking it for a while, he just threw it in his mouth and swallowed it. He felt no different.

They travelled on and on as the four horses galloped through the sky day and night. Tang Jian would often look out for something that was not just a terrain filled with trees. Occasionally, he would see some mountains and lakes. He saw a few villages as well, but from their distance they all looked the same; just a little larger or smaller than his village.

During this period, Zhang Huan explained to him how Cultivation works and the different realms involved in it.

The first level was Qi Consolidation, and it involved absorbing the Qi in nature into the body and spreading it in every part of the body; the flesh, the bones and the blood. It involves merging the Qi with one’s self. This realm is what differentiates an Immortal Cultivator from mortals in terms of physique. It gives Cultivators a physical strength that is impossible for a mortal to posses. Apart from strength, Qi Consolidation also gives a Cultivator sensory enhancement. The sense of smell and vision are improved by at least twenty times.

“That night in the woods,”, Zhang Huan said as he was explaining one day, “when you received the Fire Pearl, you summoned a fire so strong that it instantly burned your enemy into ashes before you even knew it. Try doing the same thing.”

“That night, I didn’t really do anything.”, Tang Jian said remembering the incident, “It just happened on its own.”

“That’s right, you didn’t do anything.”, Zhang Huan said as he continued explaining. “And no, it did not just happen on its own, It was the Fire Pearl. It had just chosen its receiver and wasn’t going to let him die moments after choosing him. However, that was only a one-time thing and won’t happen again. Try feeling the Pearl inside you.”

Tang Jian closed his eyes and tried searching inside for the Fire Pearl. After some time, he had a frown on his face and was profusely sweating. “Okay, I give up. I can’t find anything.”, he said, wiping the sweat.

“Of course you can’t find anything. The pearl has gone in a hibernation like state. You need to grow stronger to access that power. As you grow stronger, the power of the Fire Pearl will slowly assimilate with you and it will become your strength.”

“Wouldn’t that mean that I’ll be stronger than other Cultivators?”, Tang Jian said with a bit of arrogance slipping into his tone.

Slap.

“What’s with the arrogant tone?, Zhang Huan reprimanded him with a slap, “Always remember the words I am about to tell you; carve them in your heart. Us Cultivators have a very long life span and yet most of us don’t even get to live as long as an average mortal. Why do you think that is? Is it wars? Is it dangerous expeditions? NO! It’s the arrogant nature of the Cultivators. That’s what kills them. Once they gain some insignificant strength, they think they are unparalleled. They think they can conquer the Heavens. But you must always remember, there is always someone stronger than you, smarter than you. There is always someone better than you. You must always approach everything with a cautious mind. This thought keeps you grounded, and it keeps you alive.”

Tang Jian just stood there with his hand on his cheek as he thought about the lesson the old man had just taught him. Tang Jian knew that with the tone Zhang Huan was speaking with, he was really serious. His words had truly impacted how Tang Jian would approach things from this point onwards.

After some time, Tang Jian bowed deeply to Zhang Huan and spoke, “Senior, you have truly opened my eyes today. Tang Jian shall never forget the lesson you have taught today.”

“It’s good that you understand that.”, Zhang Huan said with an approving tone. He could sense the sincerity in Tang Jian’s tone. “Now getting back on topic, do you think you’re the only one who has a treasure like the Fire Pearl.”

“There are others?”, Tang Jian said, shock on his face.

“Of course there are. But that’s beside the point right now. We need to talk about you first.”, Zhang Huan said, pointing at him with a somber tone.

“What about me?”, Tang Jian said, sensing the shift in Zhang Huan’s tone.

“How do you think I convinced your father to let you leave the village so quickly?”, Zhang Huan asked.

“I was actually curious about that too.”, Tang Jian replied.

“Do you remember when I said that the Fire Pearl is considered a blessing to whoever receives it?”, Zhang Huan said.

“Yes.”, Tang Jian said, trying to guess where this was going.

“Well, the thing is…”, Zhang Huan said as he struggled with words. He licked his lips and continued, “It is a blessing, but it can also be considered a disaster.”

“How is it a disaster?”, Tang Jian asked, feeling uneasy inside.

“All the previous receivers of the Fire Pearls were exceptionally talented people. All nine of them were considered to be the best of their generation. But, the thing with the Fire Pearl is that it is too hot.”

“It’s too hot? What does that even mean?”, Tang Jian said desperately.

“The Fire Pearl inside you right now is hibernating, but as you progress in Cultivating, the power of the Fire Pearl will slowly assimilate with you.”, Zhang Huan said.

You’ve already told me that, you damn geezer. Just get to the point. Tang Jian thought annoyingly.

“Sometimes… well, most of the times what happens is that the receiver of the Fire Pearl can’t increase their Cultivation fast enough to handle the heat from the Fire Pearl. They start to feel hot all the time. They sweat buckets even on cold days. It reaches a point where they start burning from within. It is a slow process, so it feels like torture. At this point their body starts giving off a heat that one can’t even stand close to. If a mortal were to approach within a hundred feet radius of them, they would turn to ash instantly. Even most Cultivators can not handle such heat. After a while, all the internal organs of the Fire Pearl’s receiver burn killing them but the outer skin still remains intact for the next few days but even that turns to dust as well when the Fire Pearl blows up after the receiver’s death burning everything within a fifty kilometer radius. That’s why when the receiver is about to die, he or she goes off to remote regions. It’s quite a lonely death. Seven of the nine previous receivers have gone through this. All of them died before the age of thirty. I told the same thing to your father as well.”, Zhang Huan finished explaining.

Tang Jian just stood there looking at Zhang Huan with his mouth agape.

“I… I’am going to die.”, he said a moment later when he found his voice again.

He clawed at his chest, trying to get the Fire Pearl out, “How is this thing a blessing? This is clearly a death sentence.”

“If that is the case, then why do you think Chen Wei wanted it so desperately?”, Zhang huan said making Tang Jian pause.

Tang Jian thought about what Zhang Huan had said earlier.

“Your said that seven of them died. Then, what about the other two?”, he said, trying to find a glimmer of hope.

“The first one who completely subdued the power of the Fire Pearl, was the Patriarch, the founder of the Sun Temple. The second time it happened was with the with the seventh receiver. Lord Patriarch lived for a millennium, and the other senior also went on to live for nine hundred years. Both of them were once in a thousand year geniuses, the kings of their respective eras.”

“So…. there is some hope.”, Tang Jian said that but didn’t really feel any relief.

“You said that you’re quite lucky, right?”, Zhang Huan said with a glim in his eyes.

“I don’t really like testing my luck in such a way.”, Tang Jian said, feeling queasy inside.

“Well, the truth is that you really are quite lucky.”, Zhang Huan said with a mysterious smile. “Not just you, in fact, but everyone who is starting out their Cultivation journey in this era. The next decade will be known as the golden decade for the current generation of the Cultivators.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that you have a much better chance of survival. Even better than the two who survived. You will have opportunities to increase your strength that the other seniors could only dream about. Hell, even I’m jealous of your generation. But you must keep in mind that there will be others waiting for the same opportunities. In the end, it all depends on how hard you work. You will have to become the strongest among your peers. Not one of the strongest, but the strongest. That’s the only way for you to survive and achieve glory. I along with other seniors of the Sun Temple will help you out on your journey, of course. But you will have to walk that road on your own. So what will you do?”, Zhang Huan said.

“There isn’t really an option for me. It is either be the best or die.”, Tang Jian said as he balled his hands into fists and made a resolve to become the strongest.

“Now we were talking about the realms of Cultivation.” Zhang Huan said after giving Tang Jian some time to process everything, “The Qi Consolidation like any other realm is divided into four stages; initial, mid, late and peak.”

“What comes after Qi Consolidation?”, Tang Jian asked.

“You don’t need to know about that at the moment. It’s been fifteen days since we started our journey. The horses need some food and rest.”, Zhang Huan said, looking at the horses.

Tang Jian also looked at the horses, who looked just as energetic as they had when they started the journey. But suddenly he jerked his head to the side to look at Zhang Huan.

“It’s about time for you to start feeling hungry too.”, Zhang Huan said before Tang Jian could speak, “The pill I gave you will start wearing off soon.”

Tang Jian had remembered that they had been constantly flying, and he had not eaten anything all this time.

“So that’s what that pill does.”, Tang Jian said, receiving an answer to his question before even asking.

“Right now, we’ll be stopping by a town.”, Zhang Huan said.

“A town?”

“Yes. A town of Immortal Cultivators.”