Chương 27: Tiny Steps, Heavy Weight

Ren returned home just before the sky darkened. He first checked on his new troublemakers and found three of them sleeping like logs in the guest rooms. And according to Madam Zhang, they wouldn't wake up soon. As the scion of a renowned clan, Liu Wenhai's body was free of blemishes and in a pristine state. Madam Zhang had treated his wounds and prepared a gentle, nutritious bath for him. However, the same couldn't be said about the girls. Liuxue's situation was expected.

A commoner background, with obvious hardships. Her body was a total mess, especially when considering yesterday's ordeal. Just patching up the old wounds might take months and countless resources. But what truly surprised Ren was Ruolan. He had thought her situation would be similar to Wenhai's, or at least better than any commoner's. Yet—"I found poison glands in her body, young master," Madam Zhang said, her expression grave and… pitying.

"Countless of them. Merged with her body long before childhood."

"You mean she is…" Realizing the implication, Ren went silent. He slumped into the kitchen chair, fingers pressing against his temples.

"She was raised as a cauldron— fated to become nourishment for someone else's cultivation," Madam Zhang didn't mince her words, frowning, her tone cold.

"The Eldest of Jadeleaf Sanctum has a rare spiritual body. Something related to poisonous flowers."

"They must be out of their damn minds." Ren felt the urge to hit the desk. A part of him, reckless and irrational, wanted to go and demand answers. A righteous sect cultivating cauldrons from their very blood? That is demonic. But reason held him back. He could go there and demand answers with the sect's backing, but… he couldn't do that. Not by depending on them. And to change that— I need strength. Strength to demand answers.

Strength to crush any resistance and exact justice, just like how my soul brother always did. A silence clung to the room. Ren clenched his hands, not even noticing the slight line of blood dripping down to his elbow. At last, he let out a deep sigh and leaned back.

"Does she know it?" he muttered.

"I'm not sure. Even I wouldn't notice it if I hadn't seen it somewhere else," she answered.

"But she is a smart girl. Must've realized something is wrong, and distanced herself from her family." She then gave him a long stare at his hand, her frown softened.

"The disciples you chose… they are pretty unique, young master." He sighed, eyes half-lidded.

"Unique, huh? That's one way to put it…" he said, shaking his head, but didn't sigh. On the contrary, he forced a chuckle.

"Anyway, keep an eye on her. No— on every one of them, so I can push them to their limits with peace of mind." Madam Zhang nodded gently. Her gaze carried a soft glow. A pitying one, maybe. … Afterward, Ren visited the awakened servants as well, reassuring them that nothing like this would ever happen again. He also took them back into the manor as he knew they would continue to remain outside if he didn't. By the time he stepped into the backyard, night had already fallen.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had exhausted his luck for today at Master Shu's place as the dark clouds obstructed the moonlight. He sat in the backyard, swept away his worries, and cleared his mind. Moon-Devouring automatically started, though he noticed a sluggishness soon. He could still absorb tiny amounts of moonlight energy, but it wasn't as effortless as he was used to. He tried to spread his senses like when he tried to sense spiritual energy, but nothing changed. Frowning, Ren opened his eyes.

I had to stop if the weather isn't right? Well, pardon me for living! cursing, Ren considered sleeping this night and trying his luck tomorrow. However, he immediately threw away that thought. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, only focusing on the devouring sensation. He realized he only relied on the skill's passive activation, instead of trying to guide it. Unlike cultivation, he had taken its automatic use as granted. He became an observer, his senses magnifying the energy's course.

During the daytime, moonlight energy acted like a lazy bum, coating outside his body like a second skin, inactive. But with the moon's appearance, it would move in a fixed route as it devoured the stray energy and strengthened his body at the same time. As curious as he was, Ren couldn't make sense out of it as the slivers of moonlight he absorbed made it hard to properly observe its movements at other times. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it It looks… random?

All the spiritual energy techniques he knew had fixed routes over meridians— highways for spiritual energy, if he had to make a comparison. The energy flowed through them like cars, unable to jump from one meridian to another unless there was a proper 'crossroad'. However, moonlight energy acted as if flying over the roads, without any restriction. It was even passing places that should be 'meridian-less', meaning dead areas. Is it trying to depict something as well? Like a visualization technique?

thought Ren, searching his soul-brother's memories for something similar. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything. Visualization techniques were priceless in this world, which meant they were coming into play only after the Soul Transformation stage. Never mind, that's where the immortals' play stage is, not appropriate for a puny beginner like me. Relinquishing his distracting thoughts, Ren attempted to see the bigger picture of the moonlight energy drawing. Though he had to admit it was harder than he expected.

Senses weren't like his eyes or limbs, and he still couldn't get used to using them. Ah, clicking a few places for zooming in or out is really a luxury. Zoom out, a little bit more, yeah, like that. He couldn't quite describe what he was doing, but he 'desired,' and his senses complied. At last, he felt a limit. He couldn't get past it no matter how much he wanted, and deciding it was enough, Ren saw himself… from outside? It was like the inner sight but seemed from another's perspective.

His body was a mass of pure darkness, while his meridians shone. It really resembled a city's top-down photo taken at night. His core shone the brightest as if the center of a universe; his little sapling's shadow seemed to peek out of it. Meridians covering nearly all parts of his body seemed like an intricate road network, and yet no spiritual energy was coursing through them. A miserable thing, for any cultivator. Despite that, something more spectacular, far more glamorous filled the void.

A tree rising to the top of his head, formed fully by the rotating moonlight energy, glimmered in a silvery hue. Threads of moonlight drawn toward it from all around of him, traveling to the tree's crown which held a slightly-filled sphere and accumulated there… wait, it's not a sphere…

"Moon, it's creating a moon…" muttered Ren as he woke up, a headache stabbing his head viciously. He let out a tired sigh. Massaging his forehead, he lay on his back. The cold marble felt strangely soothing. How many more secrets are still hidden? It was getting more and more complex, and Ren couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. He always had an attitude to approach questions carefully and thoroughly, and wouldn't easily feel frustrated. Yet here I am, completely crushed under them.

Having no progression truly kills motivation. While he was wallowing in desperation, an alert voice startled him— [Ding! Detected progression in skill: Moonwalker.] [Skill progression bar: 1/10] [Level 2 Reward: Moondevourer Visualization Art] [System note: Good work, host! You finally took your first, tiny baby step. Keep up the good work and dedication!]"I have a progression bar for skills, too? Then why didn't you inform me earlier? I want to sue you for negligence, you damned thing!

Also, why do I feel like you are mocking me instead of congratulating?!" Ren forgot about the headache and jumped to his feet, pointing a finger at the system panel. He wholeheartedly wanted to punch this thing!

"Useless thing… If I one day find a system supervisor god or someone like that, you are finished, you hear me? Rotten bastard," he grumbled a few more times, before deciding to take a shower to freshen up. His headache was getting unbearable, and the moon had disappeared behind the clouds for too long. I will rest a little, then try again. Getting that reward might change something, he thought as he went back to his room. Also, a long day of teaching is waiting for me… Just then— He felt a vibration in his pocket.

Ren reached instinctively, searching for his phone. Though instead of a phone, his token flashing red came out.

"Ah, old habits die hard." A chuckle left his lips.

"Must be Baozhai." He injected a sliver of his energy, expecting to hear her words. But instead, he felt a sting in his hand holding the token, and a scene was transmitted to his mind. He saw a figure.

"About the damn time," Ren muttered, shaking his head aside. The barrier opened as he transmitted his voice with the token.

"Backyard." As soon as the word left his mouth, a chilling breeze licked his skin, giving slight goosebumps. His mouth smiled, a perfect imitation of his soul brother's temperament, but his eyes were cold, emotionless.

"Ah, Sentinel, took you quite a while to get here," he murmured absentmindedly, staring at the being that appeared in front of him.

"Looks like you're getting rusty." The creature stood there, unmoving— To be honest, he didn't know what to call it, but it wasn't a human. No, it couldn't be. A humanoid silhouette with four arms, towering slightly above Ren, composed of pitch-dark, glasslike skin that gleamed faintly. Its body was smooth, not a single hair marred its form. And it wasn't only hair it lacked. No mouth. No ears. No nose.

Only a single mark broke its darkness: A white void, at the center of its head, an oval-shaped emptiness that glowed as it devoured all the light approaching it. It resembled an eye… but there was no pupil, no movement. Yet he still felt it was watching.

"Or did the Grand Cave feel reluctant to send you under me?" Ren whispered. The words he uttered felt cold, even to himself. Sentinel didn't answer. It never did. It simply waited. He exhaled through his mouth.

"My disciples," he said, voice low.

"Someone is messing with them. The Alchemy Peak acted under someone's order. I want to know who. From what they are planning to whoever participated, I want everything." The white void pulsed faintly. Once. Twice.

"Go," Ren ordered, his tone stripped of emotion.

"Do not be seen. Do not feel. And report only to me— not even to Master. Understood?" The being knelt, its head lowered. Just as it was about to leave, he lifted his hand sharply.

"Another thing," he said, his voice lower than a whisper.

"Send someone to Jadeleaf Sanctum. Investigate Ruolan's family, all her past, the strange things that happened to her, what she fears, what she loves— every little detail about her." He paused. A slight hesitation crept into his being, but he just clenched and unclenched his raised hand.

"And I want All-seer at Azure Sky Sect. I don't care if he has another business; tell him to be there in the shortest time period." Sentinel raised its head, the white void pulsing once as if confused.

"It's a direct order from the Bearer," he added, though he held back his reason. I can't say we might've got an Eldest to kill, after all. It watched him for a moment. Then, without a sound, it vanished. The air didn't stir as if the shadows had simply claimed it back. No hint of its presence left behind. The wind returned to normal. Ren stared at the spot for a while, then turned.