This was really an accident; I meant to schedule it for the regular time but accidentally pressed post instead.
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“Have you entirely taken leave of your senses?” came Senior Brother Fan Xiao’s cold voice.
Senior Brother Zhen Hao’s expression in response to Senior Brother Fan Xiao’s voice was something Yang had not seen before on him. It lasted only a few moments before several of the Senior Brothers above Senior Brother Fan Xiao in the lineage spoke more or less simultaneously.
“Fan Xiao.”
“Let it be.”
Senior Brother Luo Yun Xi gave him a bored look as he admonished him. “Stop it, Fan Xiao; it's hardly the end of the world. It's a cauldron, not an ancestor’s urn. If it can get damaged just by cooking hot pot a few times, we may as well repurpose it into a chamber pot instead.”
Yang almost choked at that particular comment and took this moment to quietly reach out and move the Rainbow Lotus Cauldron behind one of the chests that Senior Brother Fan Xiao had given him, placing it out of immediate line of sight.
Thankfully, it seemed like no matter how displeased Senior Brother Fan Xiao may be, he wasn't going to speak against his own Senior Brothers.
“And it did make a flavorful hot pot,” mused Senior Brother Lu Feng as a last parting shot.
The attention around the table shifted to Senior Brother Xiao Zhan as he produced a large, jade-green slab roughly the size of a small table. It appeared to be carved from a single piece of crystal or stone, cut into a perfectly smooth triangle with rounded corners.
“Junior Brother, since you are cultivating the same technique I did, I know how difficult the early stages can be. Building your qi reserves while so much of your qi is constantly diverted towards nourishing the soul. The relentless headaches.”
He waved a hand, and the massive slab floated towards Yang. Suspended in the air, it looked comical, completely blocking his view of the senior brothers seated opposite him. The stone radiated an intense chill, cold enough that wisps of white mists drifted from its surface and the faint condensation gathered in the surrounding air.
“This Ice Jade Bed was a gift from Master when I was in the initial stages of the Heaven-Refining Soul Sutra. It helped me overcome its earlier difficulties.” His expression softened slightly. “Now I pass it on to you. May it aid your cultivation as it once aided mine.”
Yang bowed deeply and thanked Senior Brother Xiao Zhan as the Ice Jade Bed landed behind him, truly grateful for the gift, and took a peek at Master, only to sigh in relief as Master seemed entirely untroubled by his gift being passed along, and even appeared slightly pleased.
Yang found himself amused by the chain of inheritance. Senior Brother Zhen Hao passed on a gift received from Senior Brother Xiao Zhan, while Senior Brother Xiao Zhan was now entrusting him with a gift he himself had once received from their Master.
Master spoke then, and the table quieted around him.
“Chen Yang, all these gifts are your Senior Brother’s regard for you. Take care of them well, but remember, far more important than these treasures is your life to everyone in this room; take even better care of it.”
Master gave him a warning look, “Do not think some of these defensive and offensive artefacts make you invincible. These tools can at most defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator, a beginner one at that, at your current strength. It will be easy for us to shower you with all kinds of life-saving tools and talismans, but that will ultimately be an unkindness to you. You must learn to forge your own path through your own strength and judgement. This is the only way for one to ascend.”Yang stood and gave a full, formal bow. “Disciple understands and will do his utmost to make Master and Senior Brothers proud.”
“Good”, Master said strongly, pleased.
Yang went back to his seat and settled down. “Now on to the truly best and last,” Master said with a teasing smile at Senior Brother Zhen Hao, who sent a small grin back at Master.
Master waved his hand as a selection of items appeared from his storage ring, floating in the air.
“This is the technique I have specially modified for your unique situation.” Master said, pointing to a manual suspended in the air, ”I have been calling it the Thousand Element Technique,” Master said proudly.
“Have you actually made alterations for a thousand elements?" asked Senior Brother Xiao Zhan in a pleasant tone.
Master’s face darkened as he replied. “Of course not, but it is designed so that any element encountered can be accommodated within it with minor adjustments. With sufficient practice, your Junior Brother will be proficient enough to use it for as many elements as he comes across in his life.”
The others let out quiet snickers at Master's expression, but quieted down as Master sent them a glare before he continued, “You will be leaving for the Vermillion Cloud Realm shortly after the tea ceremony. You can start learning it on the way there. Fan Xiao is adept at dealing with various types of qi, so he will be able to guide you very well if you have any questions about it.”
He then pointed at the ring in the air. It was a plain, thick golden band. “Your storage treasure. The finest available. It is the best possible storage treasure you can find in any sect. It can even hold living plants and living beings, with a condition: any living being must be weaker than you or greatly weakened or injured enough.” He paused.
“I have specifically ensured living beings can be stored, because it has its uses, but I will advise against placing living beings in there unless you intend for them to actually suffocate to death.”
It was Senior Brother Luo Yun Xi who added helpfully, "It's a good way to finish off your weakened enemy.”
Master didn't take his eyes off Yang. “As I said, it has its uses.”
The third was a pouch which he sent alongside the ring. “This has some spirit stones. In case you need to buy some snacks on the way.” Yang looked inside to find mountain upon mountain of spirit stones. Snack? What snack? This amount of wealth should be able to buy him whole cities. He was practically a tycoon now.
Yang took all three things and kept the ring in his hand, looking at it closely, and found small inscriptions carved along the whole band, both inside and out.
“You need to add your blood and qi to bind it to yourself.” Senior Brother He Su Ye said to him,
Yang took his finger in his mouth and was about to bite it when suddenly he felt every eye on him
“What are you doing?” Senior Brother Zhen Hao asked, looking completely baffled.
“Breaking skin to get blood?” Yang said it like a question.
And everyone broke into raucous laughter.“With what? Your blunt little teeth?” asked Senior Brother Yuan Shen as he looked at him, delighted.
“It's worse than that; he has stronger skin than normal cultivators already, with his physique and the Molten Body Pill he has taken to strengthen his skin,” Senior Brother Zhen Hao added more fuel to the fire.
“Just use a dagger, Junior Brother Yang.” Senior Brother Yuan Shen said, grinning widely, pointing to his side, “See. You even have a pair of them next to you.”
Yang, red-faced, took the knife and made a small cut on the tip of his index finger and held the ring with his other hand as he touched the ring with both the blood and his qi.
Suddenly, the ring was on his finger, and he could feel the interior of it unfold in his awareness, with an emptiness inside that had both depth and dimension.Yang waved his hand over the gifts around him; nothing happened. He again tried thinking, especially of wanting to place them inside the storage ring.
Everything on the table vanished, and he felt it inside the ring.
“Junior Brother Yang,” said Senior Brother Fan Xiao, who had apparently been thinking while the rest of the table was occupied with the blood-getting comedy, “You are following the Molten Body Pill regimen?”
Yang immediately straightened up, “Yes, Senior Brother. Senior Martial Brother Liu Te made some for the alchemy competition and gave them to me. I took the first one in the second stage of the qi condensation realm, but I advanced two stages unexpectedly in an accident, and missed the third stage dose entirely."
Senior Brother Fan Xiao looked thoughtful as he said. “It should be fine. Given the instant advancement, you wouldn’t have accumulated any toxins in the third stage of the qi condensation realm. Take the next one whenever you have time, and it should work as expected, since there are still enough qi condensation stages left before you establish the foundation to complete the regimen.”
Yang nodded and thanked him for the guidance.
Master spoke again, addressing Yang. “Now, do you have any questions, Chen Yang? The ceremony and the banquet after it will not leave any opportunity for conversation, and after it concludes, I would rather you all depart on the sect's ship along with the other disciples heading to the Vermillion Cloud realm. You will be away for at least several months.”
Yang hesitated. He turned the timing over, weighed it against his curiosity and against the months that would follow if he let this go until after the Vermilion Cloud Realm.
It was probably not the best time, but he was not willing to wait for months to get an answer.
“Master, I was wondering if you would be willing to take a look at the painting we spoke about.”