Ren had gathered a lot of experience piecing together his cultivation manual for the foundation establishment realm and the core formation realms, assisted greatly by epiphanies. He had also taken risks and drawn from the vast reservoir of knowledge he accumulated when it came to improving his techniques. It was based on that self-confidence he had nurtured over years that Ren had tried his hand at creating his own offensive technique.
He had drawn most of it from the Heavenly Trajectories, an offensive divination manual, and his own experience with Karma and the ties that bound. The idea had been simple in concept if not in execution. For most fights, he used the basic form, which was to predict an enemy's move and trap them, using his mental technique to perform the complex calculations based on the principles and natural models he built.
He had been encouraged when his incomplete technique displayed moderate success upon merging it with his Turning Seasons Sword Array. He had begun testing it out during the spars with Hua and was able to improve his rate of accurate predictions. Even testing it on beasts gave promising results. It was then that Ren began to consider its application to cover one of his greatest weaknesses, a lack of a powerful attack to decisively end a fight.
That led to the concept behind Fated Fall. A partially formed technique where he divined the perfect place to attack then tied the attack through a karmic bond with the enemy so it was unavoidable. A charged blow at a weak point that was fated to strike. The concept had been so impressive that Ren had persisted despite his struggles in actually piecing together the different manuals and techniques.
The latest epiphany had even found his efforts worth exploring while it formed the core formation layer of Causality of Karma, coincidentally exposing many of the vulnerabilities in the move. Ren had spent a significant portion of the month of travel to the monastery smoothing out the flaws. He had managed to make enough progress that the various sections of the attack were no longer patched together portions of source material and instead a more meshed and cohesive technique, capable of standing on its own merit.
That reason and his desperate circumstances were the only reason he thought to use it. Even if it didn’t function at peak performance, it should have been enough to do the bare minimum to save his life. Which was why Ren was so shocked when the technique defied his control and manifested abnormally!
The tentative pathways of the technique crumbled and reformed seemingly of their own volition as it left his control. He was utterly drained of qi and couldn’t even examine what was happening, only watch and pray it would still work. Even as his legs gave out and he collapsed backward, Ren sensed a swirl of fate at work around him. Inside his dantian, Ren could feel one single karmic strand tug insistently at some immense, immovable weight, as if yanking a mountain.
‘What is happening?! Why is the strand connecting to Subo acting strange?’ Ren was almost too exhausted to panic. He had played his ace and had nothing left. There was nothing left he could do but let his mind wander until it was decided if he would live or die today. In front of him, the sword bearing the energy of Fated Fall blinked out of existence instead of flying forth.
Hovering between life and death, Ren watched with resignation as his attack vanished and the slavering beast filled his vision. Hopelessness threatened to overwhelm him until a towering frustration replaced it.
‘No! I’m not willing to die here! I need to do something… anything!’
He was just about to swallow another pill and draw from the spirit stone to squeeze out more qi, which would possibly injure his dantian beyond repair when he froze. The sword reappeared as if it had always been there, buried deep inside the demonic pig's left side, just above its limb. The massive beast’s moment died as if it had slammed into a wall before it slowly toppled over sideways. Ren watched it with wide eyes.
A small pain pulsed behind his ear, and he thought he heard a faint whisper saying, “Mus… get …er’s ar…” So faint was it that Ren thought he half hallucinated it in his exhaustion.
‘It worked? It worked!!’ Ren exulted at his survival. Still too enfeebled to move, he stayed on the ground, incredulously trying to work out what just happened at that last moment.
Ren wouldn’t call himself an expert on karma by any means, but by now he had learned to pick up on the vague clues it left behind, usually when it centered around him. This time, he detected strange fluctuations in the connection between him and Subo. It was impossible to describe with words, but going by instinct, it was almost like his actions had somehow affected Subo’s future.
‘Why did the attack have an effect on Subo? Did I harm his fate? The power that attack displayed was much more than what I channeled into it. Where did the excess come from? Did it come from Subo? Can the Karmic ties I form even do something like that? Only sin and merit should be able to be absorbed, not energy or qi? Did I sacrifice something unknowingly? No, the connection with Subo is still there and shining brilliantly. Did Fated Fall develop some hidden conditions? Really, what just happened?!’
Ren was bursting with questions he had no answers to. He knew he would have more time to think on it later, so he simply forced himself to memorize every sensation he could. Drained of qi, he couldn’t even rely on his mind technique. He did what he could, then looked around. Subo had switched to holding back and finishing off the last of the lesser beasts. The back half of the demonic beast lay split in twain with his brother standing over it panting.
Trusting Subo to handle matters, Ren lay back and waited. When the others were done, they came over and collapsed beside him. They were covered in filth but no less exultant for their victory. Hua had already begun to meditate while the battle was fresh on his mind, which left Ren to tentatively ask Subo,
“Did you perhaps detect anything a few moments ago when I launched my strike?”
“No? I was too focused on making sure none of those little beasts escaped. Why? Did I miss your impressive finishing blow? I’m certain it was very powerful!” Subo's teasing consoled him a tiny bit. Whatever Ren did hadn’t had a direct effect on his companion. As for the true consequences, they would just have to wait.
This was the second time they had fought together, and the bonds they had forged shouldn’t be disrespected so lightly. Ren swore internally to himself that if his improvised attack had harmed his friend’s future, then he would do all he could in recompense to atone. This event also highlighted to him just how esoteric and powerful a force Karma was and served as a strong reminder to never take it for granted.
Beside him, Subo was unaware of Ren’s turmoil and was rousing himself to his feet. Ren watched as the young monk said a small prayer over the corpse of the demonic pig and then began to chant. Ren didn’t want to disturb him, so he watched silently.
From the front half of the corpse, near where his sword was still buried, a large core twice as big as his fist emerged and fell to the ground, radiating intense demonic qi. Subo ripped part of his robes and covered the orb carefully without touching it. Once the core was extracted, almost all of the demonic qi in the corpse disappeared.
He then rejoined Ren to wait for Hua to finish his sword cultivation. Ren took that time to convey that final whisper he heard, seemingly from the beast.
“You heard what? That must mean…” Subo went into deep thought, and then his eyes grew wide.
“The beast’s signs of intelligence don’t match with reports of devils, but it must have been on the verge of regaining its mental faculties. What’s more disturbing are the implications of acting now. If it had just waited silently for a few years, this vent might have been enough to complete the transformation. It would have been going against instincts to attract attention at this crucial stage. I’ll have to report this to Master.”
Then turning to Ren, Subo flashed a brilliant smile, saying, “I’m glad both of you were here! I might have survived this fight on my own but not without severe injuries. I might have even missed out on the trial this time! Instead, we might have earned additional merit by slaying the beast and reporting the events of today! You even made sure that we won’t have to exert much effort on cleansing the land! Thank you, brother Ren, brother Hua!”
Ren was taken aback by the sheer enthusiasm and earnestness of Subo’s praise. ‘How did he still have this much energy?’ he thought. But even as he blushed, something about Subo’s words caught his attention.
‘Was this what the changed future pertained to, that he not miss the trial? But we had already joined him for this mission. Even if I had failed my final strike, how would that change the fact that Subo had emerged without injuries this time? Would the sect have punished him for my death? Somehow, I don’t imagine that happening. While they might seek restitution, Subo wouldn’t be punished for what was essentially my fault for biting off more than I could chew.’
As much as he wanted to puzzle out the exact consequences, Ren pushed it temporarily out of mind, and he responded to Subo’s sincerity.
“I’m glad we joined you too, brother Subo! I have learned much about demonic beasts today and witnessed the danger they represent with my own eyes. I’ve even made progress in my techniques. It has been a most informative time.”
Not long after, Hua opened his eyes. The piercing and fierce gaze at that instant revealed that Hua had made just as much progress as Ren had, if not more. Hua’s growth always advanced by leaps and bounds after a battle like this.
The three of them tiredly began making their way back. On the way, Subo told them more about how other specially trained disciple monks would be deployed to cleanse the land. Without the corrupted qi cloying their senses, Ren could detect signs of life all around him.
Reminded of something, Ren asked Subo,
“Does the Monastery raise spirit beasts? Is there any special area they are not allowed in?”
Subo didn’t mind explaining further. “As a whole, the only spirit beasts the monks raise are those used for farming. Even the few monks who practice alchemy prefer to use spirit plants and herbs and only use spirit beast parts when they are procured without causing harm. Respect for the sanctity of life is a core tenet of the Golden Light Monastery's beliefs.”
Ren took a moment to absorb that information, but he forced himself to return to his agenda, which was to find a safe place to bring out his tortoises. Yu Ran was still under the care of Elder Ding’s elemental beast, but the others had been cooped up for as long as he had. They didn’t seem to mind for the most part, but they did seem more listless without anything to do. It would also help Ren save on spirit stones if he didn’t have to power the pouch himself.
Subo said he would point out some gardens where no one would mind their presence. But the young monk was curious why someone would raise pets without a purpose if not to eat them. Ren’s explanations didn’t seem to help much either, but then the monk got an odd look in his eyes and asked if they might make a small detour from their urgent return.
It turned out that all this talk of spirit beasts had just stoked his hunger, and he wanted to hunt while outside the sect. Only then did Ren remember how Subo had been granted special permission by his master to eat meat out of the sight of the monastery. It had stuck in his mind because it was an extremely odd decision to allow one’s disciple to so flagrantly defy the monastery’s core principles.
Ren made a mental note to not bring out his pets in front of his new brother when he was hungry. Hua had already found and captured a large bird, and by then even Ren was tempted. As delicious as the food had been this morning, he still wanted a proper meal. That fight had certainly helped work up an appetite, and it was getting quite late in the day. Deciding on the spot that they may as well do this right, Ren offered to cook, to which Hua nodded exuberantly.
They made a small camp where Subo stoked a fire and Hua went to hunt some more. Ren brought out all his ingredients and utensils and began preparing a lavish feast to celebrate their victory today. As the meat roasted, he prepared the side dishes knowing Hua would certainly be bringing out his latest accomplishment in brewing wine.
To avoid making Subo uncomfortable, Ren asked first if wine was acceptable. Subo acted like a proper monk, saying he shouldn’t indulge but didn’t mind if they did. His pious stature was all for naught when the aroma of the barbecued meat filled their makeshift camp and he couldn’t stop salivating. As if he had smelled the food was almost ready, Hua returned with more meat. He then poured a wine made from some ice attribute fruit that smelled refreshingly cool. Seeing Subo glance curiously at the wine, Hua poured another cup without a word and placed it in front of the monk.
Ren was about to chastise Hua for trying to tempt a monk when he noticed the cup was already empty. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sudden change in attitude, so he just served the meal instead. The three of them toasted each other and began their feast. Watching Subo’s eyes widen with shock and pleasure before he began eating ravenously brought great joy to Ren.
As they feasted and laughed beneath the thick canopy, Ren couldn’t help but contemplate how strange his life could be sometimes. Filled with unique events that he might never have had the opportunity to experience as a mortal. The good fortune of having companions to share in his troubles and joys. Not to mention what wonders his future may hold! For all its dangers, Ren wouldn’t trade his life for any other!
A/N: No cliff today! I hope you're enjoying the journey so far as much as Ren seems to be.