Chapter 373

Ghosts of the Mine (XIV)

"Hmm~" I hummed a soft melody as I went out for a walk, just before the crack of dawn. When I say walk, I mean just meander about the general clearing and take a peek or two toward the parts between the trees, but it was pleasant enough, truth be told.

Though the forest throughout the night is anything but silent, it does actually quiet down toward the dawn, especially right before it.

It was dead silent. There wasn't even any wind to shuffle the branches and the leaves, just the faint echo of my footsteps pressing against solid, dry ground.

[--your Disciple, Wan Lan, has reached Minor Comprehension of the Harmonized Heart Sutra]

[Reward: 200CP]

Oh? Good job, Wan Lan! I knew you could do it!

I crouched by one of the shrubs that I've passed a few times now, having caught sight of a small bud toward its bottom side. It was red and unwinding, but stuck between the branches; as I moved and cracked them, giving it some space, it shuddered and its petals actually moved a bit, as though ready to finally bloom.

[--your Disciple, Xi Zhao, has reached Minor Comprehension of the Harmonized Heart Sutra]

[Reward: 200CP]

Eh? Et tu, Xi Zhao?

I mean, it has been a while since I have given them the upgraded one, so it stands to reason that they'll be comprehending it around the same time. With the exception of Long Tao, of course. Though the reward feels a bit lackluster, hey, I'll never say no to free points.

Standing back up, I stretched and felt the bones still crack and give way. Even now, in this 'immortal body', it still felt good, to be honest.

[--Congratulations, Host, on acquiring a new Disciple]

... I have?

Huh?

When?

What?

Do you mean that tiger?

No, wait. Why would that tiger accept me as a Master? No, wait even further--I never offered to become its Master.

[New Disciple, Lao Shun, has reached Perfect Comprehension of the Harmonized Heart Sutra]

[Reward: 1,000CP]

... hmm?

... what?

Who did what now?

No, no, no. Alright, Jake. Big, biggy Jakey. You're dreaming. You're having a weird, off-putting, strange dream in which a man who is centuries old and is miles stronger than you, smarter than you, and richer than you elects to become your Disciple. See? Dream of all dreams, concocted somewhere in the depths of my brain.

Acceptance that I did actually fall asleep for the first time in months and knowing that Lao Shun was likely to leave us quite soon as his 'year period' was just about up calmed my heart that was just about ready to burst out of its cavity.

It was impossible, and the word "impossible" is self-explanatory--in that, impossible things never happen.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

[Congratulations, Host, on achieving a magnificent feat]

[A Martial Artist who is decidedly stronger than you and further along the Path of Dao has willingly chosen to disciple himself under you]

[You may see Lao Shun's status for free now]

[Extra rewards have been generated]

[New System has been unlocked: Disciple Standing]

[You may now designate Disciple's standing, should you choose to do so; designations go as follows: Honorary Disciple, Direct Disciple. You may unlock further forms of Standings in the future]

[Honorary Disciple: you have guided them temporarily, though they did not inherit your core methods]

[Direct Disciple: those you've taken under you and taught everything you know]

[Note: everyone currently discipled under you has been designated as Direct Disciple; you may manually move them]

[...]

[Benefits]

[Honorary Disciples: gain 10CP monthly per Honorary Disciple]

[Direct Disciples: every Direct Disciple gains a 1% increase to their Qi Gathering speed per year they remain your Direct Disciple. Does not apply retroactively]

[...]

[Extra reward: Soulfire (???)]

[Soulfire (???) -- a semi-sentient flicker of transmutating flame, used primarily for alchemical concoction. Soulfire is one of the few entirely unique flames, in that only one of it exists, though it is not impossible for there to be more--it is simply that the circumstances for its creation are so specific that them occurring even once could be considered a miracle. In order to wield it, one must have an extremely powerful soul, as the flames will otherwise burn it to ashes]

[Would Host like to view Lao Shun's status window?]

I mean, sure, why not? I'm making all this shit up in my brain, anyway; may as well see what other crazy shit this brilliant mind of mine can concoct. Come forth, an absolutely insane status window!

[Target: Lao Shun]

[Age: 539]

[Talent: ???]

[Cultivation Realm: Peak Inner World (False) --> Peak True God Realm (All-Consuming Inner Demon)]

[Cultivation Method: Enduring Fire Sutra (???)]

[Cultivation Arts: Merging Flames (peak-Heaven), Infernal Cascade (???)...]

[...]

[Traits]

[Nature-Blessed (Legendary) -- blessed at birth by the Spirits of Nature]

[Proud (Legendary) -- pride is carved deeply into his bones; he recognizes very few as his peers, let alone superiors]

[Tormented (???) -- something happened when he was young that haunts him to this day. If he attempts to break through into the next realm, he will succumb and go berserk; even without it, he will one day become consumed by his demons]

[The Burned (???) -- underwent a baptism of Alchemy Fire, an accursed ritual that was deemed too barbaric even for Flayers to indulge in. Due to surviving it, his affinity with Fire Dao is beyond intricate, and he innately can command any Alchemy Fire, regardless of its rank]

[...]

[Assessing suitability...]

[Anomaly Detected]

[Special Physique Detected: Elemental Dantian Physique (Ancient)]

[Elemental Dantian Physique (Ancient) -- a physique of the Ancient Order of Alchemists, once known as Transmuters, that was bestowed upon them by the Elemental Dragon '???'. It insulates the dantian from elemental clashes that accompany trying to wield more than one type of elemental Qi and makes it possible to wield them all. As a consequence, however, the speed at which the physique can actually facilitate Qi is immensely slow, bordering on a defect]

[Two Secondary Anomalies Detected]

[All-Consuming Inner Demon (???) -- an Inner Demon that had long since deeply rooted itself within Disciple's heart. If left untreated, it will lead to certain death]

[Plume of Death (???) -- a deeply implanted feather of the descendant of P'eng, sectioned off within the disciple's soul. Though harmless as-is, it is bonded to '???' and can be used to completely annihilate Disciple's soul. However, '???' must be within 100 feet for it to work]

[...]

[Recommendation: In order to completely realize a vast innate talent, the host is recommended to first absolve Disciple of the Inner Demon; as a secondary measure, Plume must be carefully uprooted, as it has practically fused with the Disciple's Soul. Host's current capabilities are not enough--seek Alchemist Yuan, as he is the only person within Host's current reach capable of uprooting it. Once the host gains Alchemist Yuan's approval, a method to uproot the Plume will be provided]

[...]

[Final Assessment: A legendary talent virtually tailored to become a once-in-an-epoch alchemist has been struck with misfortune and envy, rendering his journey one of suffering. If all ails are undone, there is a slim but still real chance that they may become the first Alchemist to ever achieve the status of an Emperor purely through alchemy, becoming the first Soul-Spirit Celestial]

Wow! My brain sure is creative! So much so that even I didn't know about it! Alrighty, then, time to wake up.

... hey. Why am I not waking up?

Why are they all coming out of the tent with even more zeal-suffused looks in their eyes than usual?

Why is Lao Shun walking toward me--hey, this old-ass monster just plastered his forehead into the ground thrice and did it so hard that it bled.

"Disciple Lao Shun greets Master." Oi, you're over five hundred years old. What the fuck are you doing?! "If you would have me!"

... no, seriously.

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!!