Capítulo 109: Chapter 109 - So, who'll invade our dimension?
"I'm leaving at dawn. Came to say goodbye." Two days later, Xin met up with Wu Lei in the corridor of the masters' quarters.
"It would be cooler if I watched you disappear into the sunrise." Lei sighed. Totemic cultivation was dangerous, there was a chance he'd never see his friend again.
"Eh, people ride into the sunset. Dawn is for the new beginnings, not good-byes."
"No way I'd wake up early to stare at your sorry ass. Thanks for coming."
Xin chuckled.
"Heh, it's tough, you know. Leaving the comfort of the sect and your friends, all to go and live naked in the steppe."
"Naked? The fuck?"
"My ascesis is going to be pretty harsh. I won't go into too many details."
"You're fucked in the head. Did you get the materials, at least?"
"I did. Chonglin didn't budge a single spirit stone. Had to also buy some new materials and replace the crossbow shoulders completely, I barely have any stones left."
"How many bags of holding do you have now?"
"Three. One with travel supplies, one with lab equipment, another one with a crossbow. Got a huge backpack, too."
"Quite a setup. Pal, you know you're quite stacked? All these shards and minor artefacts, decent equipment, a totem — you aren't the scrub I met back there in Tealstone."
"Well, you've got your jumper boots and two rare shards. And a meteor sword. Not even speaking about all that cash! You aren't doing too bad for yourself."
"I guess so. But fuck me, your totem materials cost a fortune. I'd say we are about equals in terms of wealth, but don't worry, I'll remedy this rather quickly. I'm staying in Clay Nest, after all. Bodyguard duty, if you know what I mean."
"Runs."
"Yes, on top of my normal income. And some business with granpa Chonglin. Let's just say... Some squirts need to be taught a lesson."
"You're absorbing his vocabulary. You'll smell like an old man when I return, I don't doubt that. Eh, could be an upgrade." Xin sniffed the air in an exaggerated manner.
"Fuck you! Wait, you've got your totemic senses. What do you smell?"
Hmmm, Lei thinks this ability is permanent? Funny, what gave him this idea?
"You need to wipe more thoroughly after the toilet. Yao Nang needs to visit a female oriented doctor, and you need to scrap your tongue. That yeasty smell is rather nasty."
"Bullshit! I don't lick pussies, that's for fags! Ha, gotcha, you're making shit up. Your totemic smell isn't that strong."
"Yes, fags are people who eat pussies. Got any other insights?"
"Oh, why don't you leave already! You've been leaving for the past week and a half, stop stalling!"
"Eh, you're right. Goodbye, Lei. I'll go see Ming now." Xin gave Lei a hug.
"Oh, think it's your first time getting touchy! Did something happen?" Lei grinned, surprised. Xin was quite restrained with touch, even with his friends, and this hug caught him by surprise.
"Oh." Xin got embarrassed lightly and put his hands on his sides. "Remember, when I come back, we fight. And I'll wipe the floor with you."
"That's a challenge I like! Now fuck off!"
"See ya!"
***
As the sun rose, Rui Ming was playing a flute on a bench outside of the sect, on a road between the sect's village and the main complex. He was dressed into his battle armour and had a moderately sized backpack near him.
"You're travelling lightly, it seems." Xin pointed to Rui Ming's belongings.
"Well, I've got two bags of holding. Your backpack is larger than mine, but isn't quite full. I assume you're intending to fill it with rare materials?"
"Indeed, if I manage. What's your plan, then?"
"I'll travel to the Last Gale cliffs, and climb as high as I can. I'll fell some minor elementals if I can, maybe perform some missions as a mercenary, but mostly I'm looking for rank two and above materials. And an inheritance, if I'm lucky. The sect offered to help me commission some stuff from the capital, but the prices are absurd."
An inheritance? Is he hiding something? Whatever.
"Wind path materials are already expensive as it is, and you end up paying for two intermediaries this way. Eh, at least they gave you that rank two dao shard."
"Oh, you don't know? They took it away. Said they can't risk it. It's mine to use once I return. They only gave it to me since there was a battle coming."
Xin rolled his eyes.
"Disgusting. Well, so you're going to catch a flying ferry to the capital, what then?"
"It's two days of travel, then I'll take a ship to the First Southern Peak. The Last Gale Cliffs are a day of travel from there. Overall, it's a one week journey, if I'm lucky."
Xin momentarily calculated the speed of the flying ferry. The capital is around two thousand five hundred li (1250km) away — reaching it in two days means he'll move at more than... fifty li per hour? Incredible.
"I wish I could ride that ferry, sounds amazing."
"I already did, once. Watching the flying ship pierce the clouds inspired my Windstrider technique."
"With you, everything is a technique inspiration. I'm afraid of opening my mouth, hehe."
"You don't have to open your mouth. I'm observing you, that's enough. But... I don't want you to feel like I'm using you for cultivation gains. You seem like a good friend, too. I'm glad I met you."
Xin felt embarrassed. He remembered the moment Rui Ming started treating him so kindly. It was when he discussed the "Five Winds Treatises" with him, and exchanged a bit of cultivation thoughts. For Xin, it seemed like a mundane dialogue, but Rui Ming found it of great importance, for some reason. Quite embarrassing, considering he hadn't even read the second part of the book.
"I'm... Glad I met you, too. When you return, let's clash our swords."
"Swords? Thought you're using a glaive?"
"Well, it was a figure of speech. I'll most likely swipe at you with my claws."
"I've been thinking about a wind claw attack for a long time, this might inspire..."
"Stop! Are you fucking with me?"
"I might be." Rui Ming's expression was blank, but he was clearly teasing Xin.
"You owe me some stories of your travels, brother."
"Expecting the same of you. What you're doing is quite unique. Makes me think a lot, actually."
Xin rolled his eyes.
"Please explain."
"It's clear to me that totemic cultivation is strong. The Fist sect masters we fought used animal styles and physical cultivation, and had rudimentary soul cultivation abilities. Those were quite decent, but weren't as good as xiandao cultivation and dao shards. Is there a logical reason why totemic powers are so unpopular?"
"You know, I've been thinking about it a lot, too. Sometimes, people don't pursue the most optimal option, just because it's not very popular. Being a novator and exploring sounds logical, and it clearly works, until it doesn't. There is a stigma associated with totemic powers, because of our history with the nomads.
On lower stages, it's cheaper to cultivate than xiandao, but also more dangerous. And, when it comes to xiandao, even with a mediocre talent, you can ascend to Foundation stage, but with totemic powers, without a certain inborn talent and spiritual attunement, it won't work, and your talent itself is much harder to gauge."
"But you didn't know this when you started."
"Correct. But I felt an intuitive pull towards totemic cultivation. I didn't want to sell my totem, I was somehow confident I'd master it, even before my totem woke up and could meaningfully influence my thoughts. My inborn soul foundation is above average, at least, and my years in the wilderness have contributed positively, I'm sure. I guess that's why I'm able to progress relatively fast. Still, I am yet to master more than one aspect, so it's too early to call myself talented. Time will tell."
"Refining a white tiger... I have no idea what it means, but it sounds like something ancient clans did. You know, from the times before xiandao cultivation."
"Right. Except my abilities aren't transferable through blood, and so is my totemic foundation. The clans have their secrets."
"Secrets? Xin, it's blood cultivation. It's banned, but the strong of this world are all using it in private. That's the most likely answer, I feel. And a bit of shendao, of course."
"Someone could call you a dangerous thinker for this. I won't. Most likely you're right. Still, in the past, there were many more blood path cultivators. I guess the purges worked, even the demons barely use it now."
"I don't think a natural element can be inherently bad. I agree with regulating it, of course, and admit that most of its users are evil... But banning it deprives the world of its advances. Now that the worlds are fighting, I'm not sure it's wise to neglect a tool that could be helpful."
Xin rubbed his chin. He had similar thoughts, but tried not to discuss this with anyone. Rui Ming opening up like that was quite surprising.
"I agree, but there is a risk of compromising every value we hold dear. You blink, and next moment you're tossing mortal babies into the fire to power your next 'blood slash' or whatever. Whatever. Do you hear the rumours of who's even invading? Nomads again?"
"I know as much as you do, but we can find out more by analysing the signs." Rui Ming squinted. "Do you see the Border Guard reinforced? No, quite the opposite. I don't know who'll invade, but I know for a fact that nomads won't. If undead, asura or any other demonic creatures like that were to invade, we'd see a wide-scale attempt at reinforcing our continent's shendao powers. Don't you agree?"
"Yes, it makes sense." Xin was astonished, how did such simple logic elude his thoughts? Ming is probably right. "We could claim that the Emperor doesn't know who we'll be fighting, but cutting down on Border Guard means they excluded the nomads. I'll make a risky assumption and claim that they know our enemy. And no one is being trained to fight a specific monster type, everyone just has to arm themselves and improve their cultivation. That already betrays the answer."
"I'm glad we've reached the same conclusion. Seems we'll be fighting human cultivators."
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