章 9: Revelations
The next morning, Shin Sumi got up early to meet Xiao Yue next to the market entrance.
Xiao Yue was already waiting for Shin Sumi. As radiant as the day before, she greeted her with a hug.
"How did you sleep Sumi ? Is the dormitory comfortable enough ?"
For a second Shin Sumi asked herself what Xiao Yue was talking about.
She had been so used to having her own courtyard that she had forgotten for a second that red robed disciples would normally share rooms in one of the main dormitories of the lower valley.
"Yes I slept perfectly fine. And you ? Do you have your own room ?"
"Yes that's one of the perks of wearing orange ! I have a private room, and even a small spiritual formation set up to close off the room to other people ! I'll take you to it if you want, and you can show me your dorm as well !
But for now, let's go to the Quests Pavillion ! It is the best way to make spirit stones."
As they started walking, Xiao Yue explained a little bit more about the quests system.
"It might be hard for you to do a lot of quests, considering that you haven't started condensing Shinsoo yet. For now you can probably only take a search quest."
Her grey eyes reflected into Shin Sumi's and she continued explaining.
"These are not hard to do, it is basically a list of things that you can go look for in the mountains of the sect and bring back to the Quests Pavillion. It is also a good basis to obtain more status points."
"What are status points ?"
"It is a ranking amongst the Honorary Disciples. When you complete a quest for the sect, you are awarded a certain amount of points. With those points you can unlock more difficult quests that give you more points. Also at the end of each month, the top hundred disciples based on their status points get special rewards from the sect !"
"Last month I placed in the top eighty and was given fifteen spirit stones and a protection talisman!"
"How many quests did you have to do and how many status points did you earn ?" Shin Sumi asked. She desperately needed more spirit stones to feed to the little nut and cultivate with.
Xiao Yue wore a proud smile on her pretty face. It was clear that she was very happy with her achievements.
"I did a dozen or so. If you choose the right quests it is not too difficult. Usually I prefer personal quests though. For personal reasons sometimes Liquid Realm disciples add their own quests to the list at the Pavillion. They tend to be a bit more difficult and original, but the rewards are buch better ! Sadly they don't give off status points upon completion. Ah, here we are !"
Opening her arms in the manner of a tour guide, Xiao Yue showed Shin Sumi the Quests Pavillion.
It was a building closely resembling in design the Affairs Pavillion but it was much bigger.
The place was full of people going in and out or simply waiting in front of it.
As they got a bit closer, Shin Sumi discerned a big jade screen emitting a soft glow.
"Status Points Ranking" she read out loud.
She was trying to find Xiao Yue's name from afar when a blast of wind hit her from the side.
"Watch out Sumi !" cried Xiao Yue pulling on her sleeve.
A second later, a yellow blur had passed right in the spot where she stood. A few meters away, in the front of the Quests Pavilion entrance a large group of disciples made way in haste, letting the yellow blur enter unhindered.
"What was that ?"
"More like who. It's the yellow talented disciple Jun Qian. He's number one on the ranking."
Xiao Yue was frowning. Considering the special way she felt about other people, it was clear that she didn't like him very much.
Recalling something she heard a few days before as she read his name on the first line of the ranking screen, Shin Sumi said "Jun Qian. Isn't he the rumored number one strongest Honorary Disciple in the Dark Sky Starry Sect ? I've heard people say that he is voluntarily keeping himself from entering the Liquid Realm."
"Yes that is what the rumours say. Honestly I think it's possible, he is despicable and would do anything as long as it suits his personal agenda."
"But why would he decide on purpose to stay on a lower level ? Does that make any sense ?"
Shaking her head slightly, Xiao Yue explained.
"The Liquid Realm disciples don't take the same quests as us. In fact they don't live like us at all from what I've gathered. And Jun Qian has been first on the ranking for over three years now. Every month he enjoys the best resources that any Honorary Disciple could ever hope to get. If he broke through to the Liquid Realm cultivation stage, he would find himself at the bottom...
Instead he stays here, enjoying himself and doing quests. Last month a lot of people were hoping to get the speed talisman but I guess he got that one too."
Shin Sumi pondered for a moment, but her thoughts were interrupted by loud exclamations from the crowd in front of the Pavillion.
Since the arrival of Jun Qian with his speed talisman a few minutes earlier, people had started gathering. For the nameless disciples who would likely never end up on the ranking board, it was spectacular to see how many points a top disciple had gathered.
Reading the number next to his name, Shin Sumi saw Jun Qian's total.
"12,000 ?!! How did that bastard get 3,000 points in a single quest ?!"
Next to Shin Sumi, Xiao Yue nearly had smoke coming out of her nostrils. It was the first time Shin Sumi saw her like this.
"He must have killed a really dangerous beast in the woods. Maybe even a Liquid level Beast like a horned serpent or a murderous sky vine."
This month too, Jun Qian was certain to place first in the ranking.
As Xiao Yue explained, the month had only started a week before but Jun Qian already had around 5,000 more points than the second on the jade screen.
Shin Sumi had only seen a yellow blur earlier due to his extreme speed, and didn't see Jun Qian's face. With the description she had gotten from Xiao Yue, she was starting to form a picture in her mind of what the despicable Jun Qian must look like.
A lot of people had gathered and quite a large number of girls were waiting for the number one Honorary Disciple of the sect to come out of the Quests Pavillion.
They were all his followers that had heard about his return.
Shin Sumi thought silently "I guess the stronger, the more followers one has." Thinking about Xiao Yue right next to her, she wondered why an orange-robed pretty girl like her didn't seem to have any followers.
The acclamations redoubled when a figure walked out of the Quests Pavillion.
Contrary to her expectations, Shin Sumi found that the youth wearing yellow robes was not at all what she expected.
He seemed to be in his mid twenties and had a handsome face. His gaze was gentle and his lips always held a slight smile.
In one motion Jun Qian detached a yellowish paper talisman from his leg. Letting it go in the wind, the paper turned wrinkly and soon it had dissolved into invisible powder.
For a second Shin Sumi's blue eyes crossed Jun Qian's sight, their gaze interlocking for the briefest of moments.
Turning away, Jun Qian grinned as he received praise from dozens of his followers.
Most of the girls around were younger than him and their eyes were shining with wonder.
Xiao Yue tugged at Shin Sumi's sleeve, taking them out of the path of the amazed mob.
Jun Qian left the Quests Pavillion and soon the place was a lot quieter.
A few orange robed disciples that were already around contracted their hands into fists, walking inside the Pavilion with renewed determination.
"Hmpf. What is so great about that Jun Qian anyway ? If I had spent years in the sect just like him I would already be in the Liquid Realm."
Xiao Yue was voicing her angry thoughts in a low voice as the two girls finally entered the Pavillion.
The inside was entirely made of shining red wood pulsing with a soft light.
Jade screens and scrolls were everywhere. In some way the Quests Pavillion resembled a library. Shin Sumi immediately liked the place because of that.
She had seen a lot of people enter the building, but for some reason the inside seemed to be much bigger than the outside and it wasn't crowded at all.
"Uh, this is strange. Maybe it's because of Immortal magic. Or did all the people go upstairs ?"
In the middle of the the entryway was a big wooden staircase.
Each step was carved with inscriptions that looked similar to those on Shin Sumi's courtyard gate.
"A Shinsoo formation ! Does it prevent people from entering ?"
Shin Sumi had no knowledge regarding Shinsoo formations and could only form wild guesses.
Out of sheer curiosity, she landed her foot on the first step.
Immediately a powerful force of expulsion rose around her, seemingly to prevent her from going further. But before Shin Sumi was ejected, a soft light shone from her bag of holding and the force of expulsion disappeared.
It takes some time to describe but all of it happened in an instant and nobody noticed apart from Shin Sumi herself and Xiao Yue who was about to warn her.
She had started speaking but was interrupted before she could even begin to warn Shin Sumi.
Normally the force of expulsion would have blasted her at least a few meters away. But for some reason Shin Sumi was still on the second step.
Without turning towards her flabbergasted friend, Shin Sumi kept on advancing.
Past the second step no more obstacle rose and Shin Sumi walked unhindered to the second floor of the Quests Pavilion.
As she stopped to observe her surroundings, Xiao Yue finally caught up with her.
She was holding her command medallion in her left hand, the one with the green stone bracelet and she had a bit of sweat dripping from her forehead.
"How did you do that ?! Sumi, why can you be here ? Even with my command medallion the repulsive force is almost too strong for me to resist !"
"What do you mean Yue ? I'm perfectly fine... What is this place ?"
"It is the quests room for ranks orange and above ! This is where disciples can find the best quests, those that give out a lot of rewards from the sect. The spirit automaton of the Quests Pavillion ranks them automatically and calculates reward accordingly. Sumi, I think it is best if we go back... I don't understand but you shouldn't be up here ! Follow me."
Shin Sumi took one last look around her before following Xiao Yue downstairs.
Clearly the second floor of the Quests Pavillion was more luxurious than the first one. There were no disciples present it seemed and the scrolls and jade screens covering the walls and tables were less densely packed.
Shin Sumi understood why she shouldn't have been there and why she was in an instant.
"That is bad. I've made a grave mistake ! With my red robes I am not supposed to be here ! What am I gonna tell Yue now ?"
Biting her lips, she quickly exited the building behind Xiao Yue. It was easy as all the low ranked disciples around automatically parted to let her orange robed friend pass easily.
Once outside, Xiao Yue put away her command medallion and crossed her arms in front of Shin Sumi.
"What was that, Sumi ? How did you go up the stairs ? Normally there is a repulsive Shinsoo formation to prevent red robed disciples to gain access to the upper floors."
She had her brows furrowed and a suspicious air about her.
"Do you have some confusion treasure to trick Shinsoo formations ? What is going on ?"
Shin Sumi's lips started bleeding a little bit because of how hard she was biting them.
The taste of blood didn't wash away her guilt as she wondered what to say.
"What can I do ?" she asked herself, "Should I tell her the truth ?"
Shin Sumi didn't want to lie. She hadn't known the girl for more than a day but they were already sworn sisters. Besides deep inside her heart she felt that Xiao Yue was honest and trustful.
But her secret was too big "What if Yue decides to expose me ? I think she wouldn't do that but how can I know ?"
All of her thinking happened in a second but it felt like an eternity in Shin Sumi's torn mind.
Unbeknownst to her, something else happened.
At the same time as she was pondering on her situation, a soft light glimmered on her wrist. Thankfully it was completely hidden by the cloth she had tied earlier during her experiments with the nut.
The nut didn't come out of the leaf pattern but it still shone briefly.
Without knowing it, a strange sensation spread through Shin Sumi's body.
For some reason Shin Sumi felt much calmer than before. She stopped biting her lip and clasped her hands behind her back.
She knew what to do.
"Yue, can we talk somewhere more private ? I know a place, follow me. I promise to tell you everything you need to know."
Xiao Yue was still on the defensive but she trusted Shin Sumi.
Ever since she was little, she had a special instinct and it had never failed her. She could feel in her guts some things that other people would never know.
And as she followed Shin Sumi in the direction of the south of the lower valley, her heart told her to trust her.
***
Shin Sumi and Xiao Yue had walked in silence. The situation was very reminiscent of when Lan Hui had revealed the truth about Elder Zhu to Shin Sumi. But now it was her turn to reveal something to someone else.
She and Xiao Yue were in the middle of a small forest in the lower valley of the Dark Sky Starry Sect.
Not a lot of people knew that the forest was the settings of a lone house and courtyard.
"This... it's an abandoned courtyard ! I heard it's last occupant was a green robed disciple from more than a hundred years ago " said Xiao Yue upon seeing the closed gates.
Without a word, Shin Sumi took out her identification medallion from her bag of holding.
The gates flashed with the signal of the Shinsoo formation deactivating and opened without a noise.
"Welcome to my home" said Shin Sumi leading the way.
She was bowing from her waist, waiting for Xiao Yue to recover her senses and enter.
It took a full ten seconds before the grey eyed girl finally reacted.
"Your home... You mean ... You are the green robed that arrived recently ?!"
Of course, Xiao Yue had heard about the news. They were solely rumors but rumors often stemmed from partial truths. People had been saying here and there that a newcomer had arrived whom was supposed to be a complete genius.
Never could Xiao Yue have guessed that her new friend was that genius !
She wasn't at the Liquid Realm yet so she couldn't sense the Shinsoo fluctuations from others. But why would a genius wear read garments ?
"It wasn't my plan to hide it from you, but the thing is ..." Shin Sumi started explaining.
She talked for almost an hour, recalling her story to Xiao Yue, but of course omitting the little nut.
Shin Sumi still felt bad for her lies but that's what her strange sensation from earlier had led her to do.
Shin Sumi was smart, she understood that it somehow came from the little sentient nut.
It wasn't her first interactions with it and this time the sensations closely resembled what she had felt when the nut gave her small bursts of stamina during the first test of the sect entry.
Taking one last breath, Shin Sumi finished her story.
"I hope you are not mad with me Yue... Do you still want me as your little sister ?"
Shin Sumi's last words came from her heart. She honestly wanted Yue to forgive her and was waiting anxiously for her answer.
Along the explanations, Xiao Yue's hand had found her chin and she was holding it seriously, thinking.
It was only after a few minutes that she opened her mouth.
"Sumi ... I understand. I know what you feel "
Shin Sumi lifter her head to look at Xiao Yue in the eyes. She was a bit dubious.
"Does she ... ?"
"That also explains why you wanted to get spirit stones so fast ! You lack confidence in yourself ! You don't need to Sumi. With your big sister here, you will make progress soon. You've only been here for two weeks. No progress doesn't mean you are bad at cultivation, even geniuses need a bit of time !"
Shin Sumi let out a long internal relieved breath. Xiao Yue was back to her original self.
Thankfully she didn't hate Shin Sumi, she just thought Sumi had put too much pressure on her own shoulders.
Xiao Yue's instincts told her that what she had been told wasn't the whole truth but she knew that she had at least a part of that truth.
"I guess everybody has their secrets... Maybe one day you'll tell me and I'll tell you mine as well Sumi" she thought as she forced herself to think of another subject.
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