by Virlyce
Bonk.
My beliefs were wrong. How did a flimsy shield made of worms stop mini-DalDal!? The grandpa smiled at me as something pushed me away from him. “Not bad, Junior Lucia. But it’ll be a few more decades before you can hope to compete with me. Let me see you channel the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique.”
“…Can I refuse?”
“Refuse? Why?” The friendly grandpa tilted his head as the shield disappeared. “Didn’t Elder Shu say you cultivated it to the ninth layer in a single day?”
“The ninth what?” The cultivation technique has layers? Oh right, it does. I learned everything about the technique through that glowing light, but I also mentally chose to block everything about the technique because of how traumatizing it was to learn and use it. It was really painful, okay? “Mm. Maybe I did cultivate it to the ninth layer. But it was too painful! I don’t want to use it anymore.”
“Painful? Ah.” The grandpa nodded and smiled at me. “It’s only painful the first time, Junior Lucia. The next time you use it, it’ll feel pleasurable.”
He wants me to say it, doesn’t he? Phrasing it like that, how am I supposed to not say it? “So it’s like sex?”
Mr. Shoe buried his face into his hands. The grandpa didn’t say anything, but his expression was a bit stiff. Okay, it was very stiff. He set up that punchline! It’s not my fault! I, I guess I’ll just channel the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique to distract him. Mm. Let’s do it. Hopefully, the grandpa’s right and it ends up not being painful. Okay, qi, do your stuff! A few loops over there, some swivels over here, some circles around the stomach…, hmm, this doesn’t feel right…? Does it change every time I do it? Well, that’s okay. Five circles around the stomach instead of four! And we’re done.
The grandpa was still looking at me with a stiff face. No, he was looking past me at Mr. Shoe. “Elder Shu, did two heart devils just….”
“Yes.” Mr. Shoe hung his head like a dejected puppy. “She…, yes. Yes…. I want to cry.”
Ooh, that tingles. The two worms from Mr. Shoe and one worm from Ilya disappeared inside of me, but unlike last time, it didn’t hurt! It really didn’t hurt! Fill the skies and enter me, heart devil wormies! …Any second now. No? Maybe I can’t harvest heart devils from the sky and earth plane? That’s a bummer. Ah, there’s a few worms heading here now. One, two, three, four, five…, they’re moving too fast! If I had to guess, I’d say there were twenty of them. That’s so little….
The grandpa gasped. “There’s so many heart devils gathered in two days! Elder Shu didn’t judge your natural talents incorrectly.”
Whew, so many tingles. It’s a shame it’s still daytime otherwise I’d vent on Durandal right now. I wonder if immortals can make the sun disappear at will. Hmm. Well, even if it was nighttime, it wouldn’t be appropriate because we’re back at the sect. …We’re back at the sect? But I didn’t command the boat to move! This grandpa’s too sneaky!
The grandpa stood at the bow of the boat, his robes flapping in the wind. I have to admit, he looks cool. I bet Durandal would look even better though if he took that same pose. “Everyone, I’d like you to greet the new chosen of our sect, Lucia Fluffytail!”
“We greet Lucia Fluffytail!”
The boat shook from everyone shouting at the same time. I’m getting shivers. This … is so awesome! It’s not scary at all since they’re all greeting me! I, I like it. Worship me more!
“I disagree with her placement!”
Eh? Who’s raining on my parade?
***
My grandfather successfully brought Lucia Fluffytail back to the sect. As planned, we gave her a proper greeting. What wasn’t planned was the sudden shout that ruined the atmosphere. A core disciple stood up and pointed his sword at the flying boat. “How can we allow a stranger to become a chosen of the sect?”
My grandfather landed the boat and appeared by my side, using an instant teleportation that only earth-realm experts and above could achieve. It takes a lot of qi to shift one’s body like that. My grandfather leaned over and whispered to me, “Who’s that?”
“Grandfather! You’re the sect leader! How do you not know?”
“There’s a million people in the sect! I have trouble remembering the ten thousand essential herbs for alchemy; how am I supposed to recognize everyone?”
I sighed. “That’s Flying Forest; he’s the number one core disciple on the rankings. He broke through to the mid-low-ranked saint-realm level a week ago.” I’ll be honest; I don’t know all the sect members either. I just happen to know Flying Forest because I rejected him two days ago. He’s one of the people who doesn’t take well to rejection, and I instantly planted a heart devil inside of him. If it wasn’t for my status as a chosen, I’m sure he would’ve attacked me. As a cultivator of the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique, it’s easy to read the emotions of someone I’ve traumatized.
“He’s a mid-low-ranked saint-realm expert?” My grandfather raised his eyebrows. They were like fluffy white caterpillars with a little tail trailing off his face. “He didn’t want to become an elder?”
“Right. When I rejected him, he told me he’d become a chosen to teach me my place.” There are a lot of benefits to being a chosen instead of an elder; namely, one can practice the higher levels of the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique. For someone to become a chosen, they have to reach the sixth layer. In other words, they have to plant heart devils in 300,000 people. …Like I said, I have a lot of suitors. It also helps that I’m extremely beautiful—I’m not being narcissistic. I’ve given several thousands of women heart devils simply through jealousy.
That’s not to say that someone who’s an elder can’t learn the higher levels of the Heart Devil Cultivation Technique, but an elder in the sect has to be partial and fair. The opportunities to plant heart devils drastically decreases. Losing to a fellow disciple that’s younger can cause a heart devil to form, but what if a disciple loses to an elder? People are very frail and will find excuses to place the blame on their surroundings rather than themselves. I lost because he was an elder; it’s only natural—that’s how people think. I’m really curious as to how Lucia Fluffytail reached the ninth layer. Just what kind of person is she?
“Lucia Fluffytail, do you dare to duel me, Flying Forest!?”
Could she be using the same methods as me to cultivate heart devils? Pretending to be a frail and helpless young lady to charm the hearts of others? But judging from her previous outburst, I highly doubt that’s the case. If Flying Forest challenged me to a duel, I’d turn him down while implying he’s not qualified to even challenge me to stoke the heart devil inside of him. I think it’s safe to say everyone in the sect is looking forward to seeing how our new chosen will react.
Lucia Fluffytail stood on top of the bow of the boat. Was she copying my grandfather’s pose? Her arms were crossed over her chest, her dress fluttering in the wind. The sword hanging on the belt on her waist was at the perfect angle to catch the sunlight. It was hard to tell the finer details due to the distance, but from my objective standpoint, Lucia wouldn’t be judged as a beauty using the Immortal Continent’s standards. Her hair was brown instead of black. Her skin wasn’t as pale as most cultivators, but she wasn’t tan either. Evidently, she went outside a lot. And there was just something about her face—perhaps because it looked extremely angry—that made her seem unapproachable. Lucia opened her mouth, and her voice thundered over the crowd, “Unrelenting Path of Slaughter: Puppers Ballista!”
She raised one arm, and an armored person…? An armored wolfkin appeared out of nowhere on top of her palm. It was holding a spear that seemed to be made of cloth. What was she—she threw him!? Like a bolt of lightning, the armored wolfkin flew down from the boat and harpooned Flying Forest before he could react. …Are they dead? Have I just witnessed a murder in the sect? “…Grandfather?”
“Uh…. When I went to bring her back, she also attacked me for no reason whatsoever. Though she’s only a low-low-ran
ked saint-realm expert, her physical strength was on par with a half-step to earth-realm expert. Much like a fire dragon.”
Like a dragon? She had the physical strength of a dragon? So not only was she a genius in cultivating, but she was also a body-refiner. Cultivating the body is very arduous, and there aren’t many saint-realm body-refiners in Kong County. Heck, there aren’t that many in the whole of King Province. I wonder if our sect is a little too small for someone like her. I don’t have any delusions of strength just because our sect is one of the powerhouses of Kong County. We’re just the biggest fish in a very small pond. It doesn’t mean much.
“Do you think Flying Forest is still alive?” The sect forbids killing between sect members. Will Lucia Fluffytail hold the record for breaking rules in the shortest time after joining the sect?
“Even if he isn’t…, we’ll say he is.” My grandfather rose to his feet and teleported to Flying Forest’s side. Then the two disappeared. What happened to that armored wolfkin?
“Who else wants to rain on my parade!?” Lucia Fluffytail shouted down from the boat. It was on the ground, but it was still three-stories tall.
“I do! How dare you sneak attack our sect’s greatest core disciple? Do you dare accept my challenge!?”
Right, Flying Forest was the disciple of Elder Forest. Their similar names are not a coincidence; they happen to be grandfather and grandson. And Elder Forest is also one of the strongest elders in the sect; he’s actually my grandfather’s greatest rival for position as sect leader. If I’m not wrong, he wanted to make Flying Forest the next sect leader. How will Lucia Fluffytail react? Her tail was sticking straight up like a lightning rod. It seemed like that was her ‘getting serious’ pose.
“Oh, whew, look at the position of the sun. It’s second-breakfast time! I guess we’ll have to continue this challenge some other day. Bye!”
…I think I have a firm grasp on this new chosen’s personality.
***
“I’ll fight him.”
“Eh?” Lucia looked at me with a baffled expression. “Are you sure, Durandal? He’s making my tail stiff, and we both know I’m stronger than you.”
…There’s no need to rub it in like that. “I’m going to fight him.”
“But if you die….”
“Then I’ll be back in a week; there’s no issue.” Really, there isn’t. As long as the core in mini-DalDal’s hilt remains untouched, I’ll be fine. The only reason I was out of commission for so long when Lucia was poisoned was due to me transferring the poison to my core.
“There’s a serious issue! How am I supposed to go without sex for a week?”
This girl. Why is she so lewd? “I’m sure you’ll manage. You’ve lasted decades without it.”
“That’s because I never had it before! But now that I know what it feels like, I—”
I kissed Lucia on the lips because that’s the quickest way to make her fall silent. Then I retrieved a sword from her interspacial ring. This wasn’t my normal sword that wasn’t augmented; it was a special sword that I picked up from the weapon shop, courtesy of Black Devil Shu. When it was reinforced with qi, special formations inside of the blade would amplify the qi. There’s also a function to command it from afar, but a real swordsman fights in close combat. Hmm? I said something about only using a normal sword to fight people with? Are you sure? I don’t recall. If Lucia can use this excuse to retract her statements, so can I.
“You’re not the one who sneak attacked my grandson.” The person who had challenged Lucia was standing on the bow of the boat. Lucia was behind me, inside of the boat’s uppermost cabin. Ilya was hiding behind Lucia, and Black Devil Shu was hiding behind Ilya. Why was Black Devil Shu hiding from his own sect member?
“I’m not, but I’ll be the one fighting you.” Since Lucia’s not frightened by any saint-realm experts, there’s a high possibility that this man is an earth-realm expert. He also looks extremely old, so there’s that too. Normally, the older someone is, the more likely they are to be weak, but given the nature of the Immortal Continent, the norms have been reversed.
The old man snorted. “Getting in my way? You’re courting death!” He raised his hand and slapped downwards even though he was standing ten feet away from me. A giant palm materialized in the sky above his head, crashing towards the ship.
Though it’s true an earth-realm expert would have more qi than me, that doesn’t mean I can’t win. To condense something as large as that palm, the qi would be spread out equally. If I focus all of my qi into the tip of my sword, I should be able to cut through a small section of the palm. Like so!
Ilya and Lucia screamed while running away. Though I cut a small hole in the palm to prevent myself from getting hurt, the rest of the palm still crushed the ship. Well, it collided against the ship, but it didn’t cause the vehicle any harm. How strong was this thing? Right, now wasn’t the time to worry about that.
“Oh? You didn’t die? Then how about th—”
While the old man was busy chattering away, I focused all my qi into my feet and lunged forwards; then I shifted my qi into the edge of my sword and slashed at him. I cut straight through his chest, but there wasn’t any feedback. Did he disappear? A moment later, the man distorted and vanished, leaving behind a torn robe.
“How dare you sneak attack me!?”
He was behind me? I didn’t even see him move. No, he wasn’t behind. He was above!
“Rending Devil Claws!” The old man shouted from atop one of the boat’s crow’s nest. Five black lines appeared above me and screeched as they rushed towards my face, ripping apart the air in the way.
Did he think he was the only one that could disappear and reappear at will? Versatile Path of the Sword: Retreat into Mini-DalDal! Versatile Path of the Sword: Exit Mini-DalDal! And just like that, I avoided his attack. Is this cheating? That’s up to the winner to decide! I focused my qi into my feet and stepped against the boat’s mast. Then I charged vertically up. A Breaking Blade might have long range, but it’d be easily blocked. My attacks can only pierce through his defense if his qi is spread out.
“You’re an earth-realm expert? That can’t be! How did you disappear like that?”
Of course, I answered his question with a slash of my blade. The only time you should speak while fighting is never! Unless you’re Lucia, who likes shouting out the names of her abilities. Or if you’re a magician who needs to chant his spells. It seemed like the old man learned his lesson about my slash. He condensed a shield made of black worms like the one the sect leader had created to block Lucia. Unfortunately, my attacks aren’t as straightforward as hers! Versatile Path of the Sword: Curving Like a Whip! My blade traced the edge of his shield and curved towards his shoulder like a serpent, drawing blood.
“You—!”
I thought he’d learn by now to not speak so much. I stepped forward, placing my leg behind his and wrapped one arm around his waist. Then I leaned forward while kicking my free foot against the mast in the crow’s nest. Like that, both of us tumbled towards the deck of the ship. A fall from this height won’t harm either of us, but the most important part is removing his leverage. Versatile Path of the Sword: Biting Like a Beast!
“Grah! You’re biting my neck!?”
“How dare you bully Durandal! Unrelenting Path of Slaughter: Swing as Hard as I Can!”
A humongous force crashed into me and the old man from below. Like a fountain, spurts of blood shot out of the old man’s mouth and splashed over me. I didn’t feel much of it because I was soaring through the air and the wind was cutting my face. Since the distance I was from mini-DalDal grew too great, I was transported back inside it. I exited mini-DalDal just in time to see the old man create a small imprint amongst a faraway cloud. Perhaps there was a certain requirement to using his teleportation technique and flying through the air wasn’t it.
“Phew, that was scary. I freaked out when I saw you bleeding!”
But I wasn’t the one bleeding…. I
f anything, her attack was the one that injured me the most. I sighed and ruffled Lucia’s hair, making sure to rub behind her ears. “Thanks.” At least my master cares for me.
“Where’s Elder Forest!?” …Wasn’t the sect leader a little late? He did drag away that poor harpooned disciple, so I guess he can be forgiven. “I heard he attacked the chosen?”
Lucia pointed at the cloud with the person-shaped hole inside of it. “I smacked him far, far away.”
The sect leader stared at the cloud. Then he looked at Lucia and me. “What happened while I was gone?”
***
That was incredible. The man by Lucia Fluffytail’s side actually competed with Elder Forest without giving an inch. Clearly, he was just a saint-realm expert, but he managed to stand toe to toe with an earth-realm expert. Amazing people are bound to be surrounded by amazing people, huh? I guess that’s why I’m all alone. …That was a joke. Even mediocre people are surrounded by mediocre people. I don’t even have a mediocre friend. I’m so lonely.
“Little Moon, come up here.”
Little Moon? That’s me. Why was my grandfather calling for me? I rose to my feet and retrieved a flying sword from my interspacial ring. My grandfather was standing atop the bow of the boat, waving at me to come over. For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this, but what can happen to me as long as my grandfather’s there? In the first place, why do I have a bad feeling about this? Just what is making me so uneasy? It must’ve been the breakfast I had. It definitely has nothing to do with the new chosen who’s superior to me in nearly every single way.
“This is my granddaughter, Soft Moonlight. She was the only chosen of the sect until you came along.” My grandfather introduced me to Lucia Fluffytail. She’s ... not imposing at all. It looks like my nerves were just getting the better of me. She looks so friendly! It must be the ears and tail. They remind me of my grandmother’s pet fox.