Tap.

 

A finger taped on a sword made out of Jade.

 

Tap, Tap, Tap.

 

It tapped three more times and waited for a result.

 

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

 

Five more taps and the result came for Yu Liwei as the Sound of Jade began to reverberate in the sword.

 

The Sound engulfed the whole sword with Qi helping it spread out. Soon after it reached the hand holding it and transferred from Jade to flesh. 

 

Across the muscles, it reached the bones in the hands, and soon after it spread out to the whole skeleton.

 

Once it reached every nook and cranny of the bones infused with Jade Qi, it began to sing its own variation of the Sound of Jade. When that one was created, muscles followed as they twitched in their own rhythm thanks to the Jade Qi infused into them. 

 

Right after that, the Sound of Jade infused into the blood, and another variation manifested. 

 

Through the blood, the Sound of Jade reached the inner organs and new additional sounds were generated by each organ. 

 

Even the most fragile of all organs in a human's body, the brain, Yu Liwei realized. 

 

Out of all the organs in his body, it was the least fortitude with Jade Qi, so when it began to produce its own variation of the Sound of Jade, he immediately realized that if the same happened to a mortal, a concussion would be the least of their problems.

 

It was only thanks to his Divine Sense that he was still retaining his sense of self, without a problem, but just because his brain still worked, it did not diminish the mountain that he had to overcome. 

 

And the mountain only grew bigger and bigger as the Sound of Jade infused his body and mind with ease that was both familiar and something he was trying to avoid. 

 

Self-introspection is a staple of every Cultivator. There just was no way to improve one's cultivation without a good dose of it. 

 

Yu Liwei knew that his self-introspection was deeper than any normal Cultivator could imagine, and it all stemmed from one simple yet profound action.

 

‘ For years and years, I have refined my mind and body to improve upon my inheritance, and yet the more I did it the more a gnawing feeling had been growing inside me. ’ He remembered his actions. ‘ It wasn't a feeling of danger that one should avoid, but more like visiting a new dark path, where everything was strange and new. So I continued slowly on this dark path, examining myself with every step that I took, yet now that I am not in the throng of combat I realize that it may be too late for me. ’

 

‘ Should I admit that fact, swallow my pride, and just move on? ’ Yu Liwei wondered about himself. ‘ It's not like I hadn't made a fool of myself when I interrupted the Duel of Death with Xia Renshu for all this. I could just say that I failed and had no choice but to dismiss my attempt but is that what I want? To admit my own faults and limitations just to save myself some hurt feelings? ’

 

It took a whole second to pass before Yu Liwei found the answer that spoke to his heart. 

 

‘ Observe, Understand, Improve, that is how you move up in the world, my son. ’ Were the words that popped in his mind. 

 

They were one of the first ones his father had taught him as he began his journey toward Immortality, and that's what Yu Liwei decided he would do.

 

‘ I have already observed that it's too late for my body to adapt to a wholly new melody. If I attempt it, it will destabilize my foundation at the very least, and that is a Death sentence in my current situation.’ Yu Liwei observed and understood himself. ‘ But, I do not need a completely new melody, I just need something different before I infuse it into the Seed. That leaves me with only one option. Find the weakest link and start from there? ’

 

With a solution in mind, Yu Liwei examined the song that his body was producing. Its strong points and its weak points and its very rhythm. 

 

He never was that good with songs as he observed the song with scrutiny, yet, Yu Liwei felt a sense of gratitude in his heart at the enforced zither skills his mother had him learn as a kid.

 

Soon he found the weak points and made his attempt. The weakest link was his mind, but as it was the easiest to break he left it for the last place and made his attempts in different parts of the body. 

 

Tap.

 

Tap, Tap, Tap.

 

Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap.

 

Using his own Jade Qi, he taped the strings that were his inner organs to produce different sounds from the ones they already did. Some he plucked higher some he plucked lower but ultimately it changed very little when the last place found its turn.

 

With a careful touch, he plucked his own mind with a higher note and immediately noticed how it affected him, as his own thoughts destabilized before the string found its balance back into the natural tone it had already been producing. 

 

Next, he plucked it lower and noticed his thoughts turning more sluggish before they became neutral again. Seeing the way forward, Yu Liwei began to experiment on his mind. 

 

The length of the sound, the height, and lows of the notes, and the rhythm that would suit him. 

 

Not too destabilizing and not too sluggish either, but different from the natural one that he had begun with, and soon after he found it. 

 

Different yet similar.

 

And the result had shown itself in a direction he had not expected. The sound his mind produced attached itself to the Seed his daughter had given him, and he had nurtured for two years.

 

It was minor but the Seed had received its first infusion without him even trying it. Seeing the effect Yu Liwei found his way forward. 

 

What followed was but refining it more, as the Seed took the Sound of Jade he had created with his mind. 

 

Yu Liwei had no idea how long it took, but there had to be a point when it was time for the Seed to begin its growth. 

 

When it did, a familiar feeling erupted from within. It reminded him of quite a few things but none of those mattered in that very second as something else overshadowed everything else. 

 

The Will of the Universe or Dao’s Descent or some other name. 

 

They all described the same thing and made everybody feel small, no matter the name used.  

 

Like a tiny little bug looking at a huge creature as its very action shook the little bug's world. 

 

Yet, there was something else in the insignificance that Yu Liwei felt. 

 

A curiosity that somebody comes upon when a new something enters their perception and in this case, Yu Liwei felt the curiosity spill into him as the Dao upon him encountered a new thing. 

 

Immediately it began to experiment with its new curiosity and its optimal configuration.

 

What followed, Yu Liwei had little sense as his perception began to cloud slightly as memories played again in his mind, including all the emotions that made them special. 

 

It was as if he was reliving his whole life for a second time only he could not change a single thing, no matter how much he wished. 

 

It became the hardest to endure when memories of Li Shu, the love of his life re-visited him in his memories.

 

The first time he met her was long after reaching Core Creation. 

 

Reaching that stage of cultivation meant few missions needed his presence directly, so Yu Liwei had become far more immersed in the Clan's businesses. 

 

Yet, one day his father gave him a mission out of nowhere and sent him out into the field.

 

The mission itself was not that important. It was but an excuse to travel the Empire in search of the main wife that would take his fancy, but most importantly had no inherent connection with the Five Great Clans of the Azure Wind Empire.

 

Excluding the Five Great Clans, everything else was included in theory, including the eight Clans under the big five. In practice though, none of those eight would even try merging their blood with the Yu in fear of retaliation from the big five.

 

The daughters that find themselves in the Yu Clan the easiest, are those from the merchant Clans affiliated with the Heavenly Jade Association. 

 

Those that we're able to send their daughters to the Yu Clan became concubines but never reached the status of Main Wife, as Yu Tian had already created a new tradition, where his sons would explore the world and find the main wife of their liking, instead of relying on pure status.

 

Li Shu came from a minor Clan in the Empire attached to the Evergreen Sect in the west. The Sect itself was a bit famous as it dealt with Spiritual Plants gathering and Alchemy in the West of the Empire. 

 

Yu Liwei had received a mission in their vicinity so they met by pure luck, but both of them thought more of it. 

 

Li Shu was the second daughter of the Li Clan Lord. She was talented and had reached Foundation by the time she was twenty, even if it was only one Core. 

 

She had a gentle appearance on the outside and many men had taken a liking to her but her talent for cultivation and her identity stemming from the Li Clan brought her protection in that part of the world and outside it, few knew of her.

 

But it was her playful and energetic countenance that brought her to his attention. 

 

Taking a liking to her, Yu Liwei stayed in the area for some time all while hiding his real identity. 

 

With events bringing them closer and closer, each time Yu Liwei visited that part of the Empire, came the most important part. 

 

Yu Liwei proposed to have her wed into his Clan. There was little the Li Clan could do against it. By the time the proposal came, Yu Liwei had already become Clan Lord. 

 

In truth, they embraced it, as they had suddenly gained an intimate connection with a Clan as powerful as the big five. 

 

So everything went without a hitch and Li Shu entered the Yu household. 

 

She showed no trouble integrating and there was no prejudice from the female side of the household, not even from Ye Ai, the concubine that he had. 

 

Then everything changed. The pregnant Li Shu died while giving birth and the child resulting from their love turned out to be a cripple. 

 

Devastated by grief and anger, he had almost strangled the female child that killed his wife. It was his will cultivated through the years and the hazel eyes that reminded him of its mother that stopped him.

 

What followed after were a series of grief, guilt, and frustrating days, as any investigation that followed always told the same thing. 

 

No matter how he looked, investigated, and interrogated, he could not find how, when, and where Li Shu was injured, resulting in her using everything she had to sustain the yet-to-be-born baby. 

 

It was as if the injury came out of thin air, for no reason at all. That the baby was barely surviving on its own only worsened his mental state.

 

Reliving those moments brought it all to the surface again without any input of his but the fugue state of his mind was protection, in a way.

 

It was only through the eventual hiring of a renowned healer that the baby survived at all, but the days that followed were not easy on Yu Liwei. The girl turned out to be wilful and energetic in spirit if not in body, resembling her mother and it was in that that he took solace.

 

With love, he tried his best to give his daughter the best possible life he could conceive, yet it was that blind love that doomed her in the end and a new Jiao had come into being. 

 

Once more emotional trauma returned in full force. It almost unhinged him again, but he held it back from totally spinning out of control, only to truly spin out of control once even a tiny sliver of the dark and deep emotions found an outlet. 

 

A Heart Devil had been born. It took many things from him. 

 

Ultimately it failed to do any important lasting damage to the ones he cared about.

 

As the memory recall approached an end, Yu Liwei began to regain his mental faculties but he did not realize that for every emotion he had recalled in this experience, his mind had produced a different song, and every song was infused into the Seed. 

 

The very moment that the memory recall ended, a crack was heard by Yu Liwei. It wasn't a sound per se but that was what he identified it as. 

 

The Seed’s outer shell had cracked in a way. Alongside the crack, Yu Liwei recovered from the fugue his mind had experienced. 

 

A few moments later more cracks began to appear on the shell. When the final crack found its place on the shell, the cracks began to widen and a suction effect manifested.

 

The Seed began to swallow the Jade Qi in Yu Liwei’s body and he had no input on it.

 

It swallowed and swallowed, but no matter how much it swallowed, it just did not seem to be content with it, so the Seed began to increase the swallowing rate.

 

Soon the Qi in his body began to dwindle at a horrifying rate but if there was anything that Yu Liwei was sure of at this moment, it was that he had Qi to spare as he was a Core Creation Cultivator. 

 

That combined with the ten consumed Heavenly Jade Tablets he had already replenished and stockpiled up on some extra Qi in his body. 

 

Just in case, if he considered the tale of Tao Fang.

 

Drink and drink it did, until it stopped for a moment, only for the Seed to shake for a tiny bit in preparation for the next phase, the collapse of the outer shell of the Seed.

 

The moment the Seed collapsed into itself a different suction began. This one was focused on Divine Sense. 

 

A bit of dread came to Yu Liwei as he sensed it. 

 

He had already lost half of his Divine Sense two years ago. It took him remembering, that the Seed had probably consumed any of his recovering Divine Sense to make a decision. 

 

‘ I have come all this way, might as well go all in. ’ Yu Liwei thought and initiated the infusion of his Divine Sense on his own. 

 

Alongside it, he sent his thoughts inside. Once he did, he lost any sensation in his body. 

 

There was only darkness inside, yet the moment his thoughts wondered what to do in this darkness he felt a nudge in a certain direction.

 

Following that vague feeling, he came upon a light. It was tiny at first, but soon it grew and grew. 

 

Reaching it, Yu Liwei realized what it was. 

 

It was him, only transparent. With bones, blood vessels, inner organs, and muscles representing his physical presence. 

 

The Jade Roots intertwined through his physical body represented his spiritual side.

 

With years behind his belt, Yu Liwei noticed that the representation was missing the two Cores sitting in his guts and heart. Moreover, now that he found himself in front of this representation, a feeling arose from his surroundings.

 

‘ Why do I suddenly feel this pressure from my surroundings? ’ Yu Liwei wondered as he looked around. 

 

‘ I… think I know what that pressure is. If so, that would make this projection my Ability, or its precursor. I wonder? ’ With that thought, Yu Liwei examined the projection much closer.

 

Observing and comparing to what he knew he saw no difference in his physical body and Roots aside from the two missing two Cores. With that being the case he visualized the Cores appear.

 

When they did, it confirmed his suspicions, yet the same confirmation increased the pressure that he felt from the darkness. 

 

‘ Looks like I am running out of time, however it works in this place. ’

 

Focusing on the head of his projection, he tried to envision a Core appearing only for no changes to appear and make themselves visible. 

 

‘ What if I start from the beginning? ’ 

 

Thinking of it, Yu Liwei observed the Roots in his head to find the most optimal location for the precursor of a Core, a Sea of Qi. Once he found that he focused on the spot and envisioned himself establishing his foundation again, only this one was in his head instead of heart and guts. 

 

The moment he tried it like that, changes in the projection appeared. 

 

It was a tiny point at first but soon it grew and out of it, Roots grew. As they grew into an unfamiliar shape the pressure from the darkness eased but never vanished. 

 

Once they were big enough they began to interface and fuse slowly with the ones in his head. 

 

When enough of them fused, they began to shift their positions here and there, following some purpose unknown to him. 

 

Done with growing and shifting, Yu Liwei examined the optimal shape that it had taken. 

 

‘ This is new. ’ The shape itself projected a purpose to him, but whatever it was, it escaped his notice at this moment. 

 

Next, he found the new center of the new Root structure in his head and attempted to establish a foundation again. 

 

The moment he willed it, in the center a teeny tiny space established itself and began to fill itself with Qi. It was as if a dam had finally opened up as the pressure he felt from the darkness began to subside. 

 

Not long after the tiny space was filled to the brim but instead of stopping as was usual for those that just entered Foundation Establishment, the tiny space began to grow to make room for more Qi to fill it.

 

‘ Ah, my Qi has already condensed into a liquid state so there is no need to repeat the process. Interesting. ’ Yu Liwei thought.

 

Grow and fill, grow and fill it continued for some time. It only stopped when the size of the space and the Sea of Qi inside it rivaled that of the ones in his heart and guts. 

 

‘ Now comes the hardest part, for any Cultivator but especially hard for those attempting to create two. ‘ With experience, Yu Liwei focused again and visualized the Sea of Qi condensing even more into one tiny point in the center of the Sea of Qi.

 

This was the hardest part, as not only did one need great continuous focus for it, but one also needed enough resources to sustain the continued effort. 

 

Normally it took a long time for the Qi to condense into a solid sphere and even longer if you had two spheres to work on, but now Yu Liwei had to admit, it was a piece of cake for him. 

 

All he did was focus on the right place, and visualize it happening.

 

In the center of the Sea of Qi an omnidirectional suction appeared and began to swallow the Qi around it. 

 

As the Qi was swallowed into the center, a teeny tiny sphere of solid Qi appeared and began to grow and it grew the more Qi it swallowed. 

 

Yu Liwei immediately realized a folly on his part. There was a huge difference between establishing one's Sea of Qi and a Core.

 

‘ I still have some Heavenly Jade Tablets in my ring, could I take them out from here? ’

 

Seeing the rate at which the Qi was consumed, he knew there was no choice but to try. 

 

Focusing on his right hand and the middle finger on it, he tried imagining his Bloodbound spatial ring to appear on it.

 

When it did, he wondered for a second where to summon the tablets. Then he visualized looking inside the ring and locking on the tablets placed inside a chest made out of Jade. 

 

Inside the chest, he pictured the rest of his Jade tablets, as those were the one thing he did not mind consuming at all, as they had come from him. He had used their creation as a delaying tactic against reaching Soul Creation. 

 

Thanks to them he had stayed at the precipice for quite a few years. 

 

Next, he envisioned one of them appearing in his Sea of Qi in his mind space. Done with his imagination, he searched for the Jade tablet. It took him a few seconds to distinguish its presence through the projection but he was successful in his endeavor. 

 

Nodding at his success he repeated the process nine more times. 

 

Still, just placing them inside was useless. Their solid-state was too solid for a developing Core and they would stay solid even if he threw them at the developing Core. 

 

No, what he needed to do was transform the Jade Qi in the tablet back into a liquid state to fuel the growing process of the new Core.

 

Extracting, diffusing, infusing, and solidifying sometime later, it manifested. 

 

The Mind Core made its appearance and the moment it came into being, a change began to enact itself into the darkness. 

 

Its black color began to vanish with the projection being the core of the change. In its place, a green Jade color began to color everything. 

 

‘ What is going on? ’ Yu Liwei wondered as the color of Jade overcame the darkness he had found himself in at first. 

 

Observing the change, a realization hit him. ‘ Could this place be a Mind Palace? If so, this projection is not my Ability but my Divine Sense. ‘ 

 

Coming to that conclusion, Yu Liwei sighed. ‘ I hoped it was my Ability, so I could make fun of Jiao for messing up so hard. Anyway, if that is my Divine Sense, then I should be able to merge my thoughts with it instead of doing everything in this roundabout manner. ’

 

Seconds later Yu Liwei’s incorporeal thoughts entered his projection fully. 

 

Seconds after that his mind exploded with sensory input from his whole body, only none of that mattered as Yu Liwei came to realize that the projection was in truth both, his re-assembling Ability and Divine Sense bundled into one thing.

 

The moment he had come out of his isolation and reconnected with the Dao that had never left him in the first place, there was no going back. 

 

***

 

Father tapped on his sword made out of Jade a few times before no more movement was seen from him for the next few minutes. 

 

If there was any other sign, then it was something I could not detect with my eyes, and the range of my Halo, even fully powered, was abysmal when compared to the Divine Sense of Cultivators. 

 

Still, there was the passive sense of the Halo telling me something and that something was coming from the sky. 

 

Looking around in my floating gauntlet chair, I noticed gradual cloud movement converging on the skies above the city.

 

“ Uncle, is it just me, or are the clouds converging upon us? ”

 

“ No, it's not just you. It looks like Tribulation Clouds will be forming soon. ” My Uncle replied with a serious look on his face. His eyes were glued on my father but I knew his Divine Sense was locked on Xia Renshu and Qi Jian and maybe on something else.

 

“ Jiao, what did your Father ask of you? ” I heard Uncle ask.

 

“ A few questions regarding the Seed that I gave him, and its expected outcome. ” I replied to him without mentioning the other question that Father had fostered on me. 

 

Glancing at the old healer for a few seconds, I dismissed him spreading anything. 

 

He just was not the type for it.

 

A few minutes passed when my passive Halo sense told me of a change happening to the Qi in the atmosphere. It wasn't much change but it had a definitive flow towards Father.

 

A few minutes later its flow rate increased. Then, a few minutes after that it increased even more. 

 

“ Uncle? What is going on now? ” 

 

“ He's establishing a Foundation, I think. At least, it feels like that to me. ” He answered while giving me an obvious ‘There is no way this is not your fault’ look. 

 

Ignoring his accusation, I regarded the weather again. ‘ It looks like the clouds are gathering slower on purpose. Umm… I know Father said he had no idea of the repercussions coming this way, but I still feel like I am missing something, something. No, it's not something, it's someone. ’

 

In the same instant, a memory separated from my brain and stored in a tiny Auril bubble delivered me the answer. ‘ Damn obfuscation. Definitely, I need more conditions on its recall, otherwise, I will forget I even possess the memory. Anyway, where is that stalker? ’ 

 

Glancing around for a second I remembered that my position had changed. ‘ Hmm, a stalker of his level definitely has a Divine Sense that can sense anything in the city, so he should be observing me right now. ’

 

Sending my gaze in the general direction of the dumpling stand, I spoke out loud. 

 

“ I know you can hear what I am saying. Do you know what will happen soon? “

 

“ Jiao, who are you addressing? ” I heard my Uncle ask.

 

“ An epic stalker. Don't bother yourself about it. I have a feeling that any Qi-enhanced memory retention is compromised when regarding him, however, he is doing the memory wipe. ” I explained it to my uncle. 

 

“ I see. ” He said, yet in the next few seconds, I saw his mouth move a few times before closing permanently. His eyes only betrayed confusion for a second before he refocused on securing Father. 

 

‘ Geez, I will sooner eat my boots than believe it was pure luck that he was passing by. ’ I thought to myself when a new voice delivered its message.

 

~ Quite a few things are going on right now. Whatever that Seed you mentioned is, and however rapidly he is building his Mind Core, your Father will soon be experiencing a Tribulation for entering Soul Creation. My guess is he has been holding it back for quite some time if what I am sensing is any indication. The problem is the Dao Retribution that he is summoning is combining its power with the Stage Tribulation, and I will be frank with you. He will not survive it. ~

 

“ Why? What is Dao Retribution? ” I spoke to thin air while motioning to my uncle to ignore me for now.

 

~ Domain Manifestation and Bloodline Divergence by themselves are not that uncommon, at least from where I come from. But when combined, like in your Father’s case, it is much, much rarer as it's a direct challenge to the Dao Embodying Cultivator representing the Jade Dao here on Mí zhī sēn. ~

 

‘ Mí zhī sēn? Ugh…Mystery Forest, I think. Is that the name of this planet? Was it named as such because of that Eternal Forest I heard about? Whatever, the name doesn't matter right now. ’

 

“ Old bastards afraid of Juniors dethroning them? That I can believe, easily. ” I murmured out for him to hear only to receive a chuckle in return. “ Alright, tell me why you are so sure my Father will fail? ”

 

~ Girl, I said he will die, not fail. Those are two different things. ~

 

“ That still does not tell me why? What stage is Dao Embodiment? ” I ask him.

 

~ You proclaimed yourself as somebody possessing knowledge of a different life and yet you do not know something as simple as the names for the stages for cultivating? ~

 

“ Please, I follow a different path, everything you Cultivators do is new to me, well almost anything. ” 

 

~ Fine, let me explain it like this. The Heavens are merciful as much as they are jealous. Through the various stages, we ascend by transcending different tribulations. After one acquires a Domain in the Soul Transformation stage a new Mantra is born. ~ 

 

‘ Now that is an interesting fact to hear about. ‘ 

 

~ After that is Dao Seeking and the name says it all. Seeking its secrets, establishing its foundation, refining its complexity, mastering its simplicity, and finally embodying its Truth. That Truth is Dao Resonance with the Heavens. It is the last stage of cultivation before ascending into Immortality and there can only ever be One who represents the Heavens, at least per Dao and per-world inhabited. ~

 

“ And those that deviate from the set path face Dao Retribution? ” I state the obvious.

 

~ Yes, it won't matter where in the world you are, your challenge will be sensed and retaliated. I am sure I don't have to say what happens to those that fail. Those that succeed on the other hand establish a new tradition and qualify for contesting for Dao Resonance. And trust me on this, there has not been a new tradition to be added to the Jade Dao for a long, long time. ~

 

“ Hmm, a new tradition? What are the existing ones? ” I ask him. My mind on the other hand began pondering on the possibilities as well.

 

~ The Jade Dao has quite a few branches from what I know. Spiritual Arts, Physical Arts, and Mind Arts are the big three traditions. After that, are the Five Elemental ones and some of their elemental variations. I don't know their exact count, but there are quite a few. As I said, it has been a long time since a new tradition has even shown its appearance. ~

 

“ That is quite a lot of contestants for one position. What are the benefits? ” 

 

~ Mastery of all the traditions and guaranteed ascendence to the higher plains. ~

 

“ Quite the prize, indeed. ” I comment absently, as it meant very little to me.

 

~ It is, as the alternative is facing Immortal Tribulation and very few survive it, trust me. Either way, from what I am sensing your Father will achieve his third core very soon and the show will begin. ~

 

Hearing it I observed the sky for a moment and had no choice but to agree, as dark clouds were inching closer and closer all while gathering and growing bigger and bigger.

 

Still, all that did not distract my mind from pondering on what kind of tradition Father would establish. 

 

‘ I have a suspicion but without seeing its complete form, it will remain speculation. ‘

 

Yuan Ru sent no more messages and I did not inquire about anything new from him. 

 

Time passed, dark clouds gathered above Father and the first signs of thunder and lightning showed themselves.

 

“ Uncle, is it just me, or does it seem like the Tribulation will not wait for Father to wake up? ”

 

~ Girl, that is why I said your Father will die. Dao Retribution supersedes Stage Tribulation in the hierarchy. It will not wait for him to ascend a stage to give him a chance. The moment he completes the bloodline divergence it will rain lightning. ~

 

“ Fuck me sideways, this will be ugly. ”