Cultivation System: Elder Edition

Chatpter 312

Surging Spirit Art (III)

[--Creator's Eyes used]

[...]

[Target: Jin Luang (Mo Daong)]

[Age: 88]

[Talent: low-Earth]

[Cultivation Realm: Demigod (False); Peak Spirit Manifestation Realm] 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

[Cultivation Method: Hundred-Poisons Mantra]

[Cultivation Arts: Soul-Snatching (Primordial), Poison Mist (mid-Earth), Hundred-Flower Poison (low-Heaven), ...]

[...]

[Traits]

[Heaven-Cursed (???) -- an individual directly cursed by the Heavenly Law due to an unforgivable transgression; barred from entering Saṃsāra. He will face complete annihilation upon death]

[Cunning (Legendary) -- rarely ever does anything outside of his schemes; deeply plans for everything and calculates all his actions]

[Soul-Snatcher (???) -- an individual who had taken over a Soul of another person, committing an unforgivable crime. With each passing day, his soul weakens. Time left until annihilation: 12 years, 3 months, 14 days, 17 hours, 13 minutes, and 44 seconds]

[...]

[Assessing suitability...]

[Anomaly discovered...]

[...]

[Target has a trace of Divine Dao not belonging to them; based on the levels, it is likely that they have come in contact with a place where an Emperor has either died or once resided. Inspecting the trace directly might yield the exact location of where it was picked up...]

[...]

[Recommendation: capture the target and send a trace of your Qi toward their Dantian]

[...]

[Final assessment: an low-end talent that would have never amounted to much; a chance meeting both blessed and cursed him, as his inadequate knowledge of the world has led him to commit a grave taboo]

... huh.

What the hell?

Isn't he kind of on the level of Lu Qi? I mean, he's 88 and still just barely at the Peak of Spirit Manifestation Realm.

All else aside... did the system just tell me to kidnap a guy so that I can locate the place he found the Emperor's traces or whatever? That was probably where he also learned how to soul-snatch, which begs the question... why the hell would I go there? If Soul-Snatching is such a taboo that you literally get annihilated upon death, why would I go out of my way to pursue it?

I can't say I'm not curious, though. I mean, I know next to nothing about Emperors or Empresses--I've heard the names enough times, sure, and I have this vague idea that they're considered a relative pinnacle of martial arts, but beyond that... I'm not too sure.

Was it an actual cultivation realm? A title? Or something else entirely? I don't know.

I mean, it's not really my place to know, either--I'm so weak, comparatively, that it's best that I don't know.

Then again, I now know that the first shaman who's ever lived is still alive, so knowing what an Emperor is probably is nothing compared to that.

"I felt a bit bad," I said. "But suddenly... I just don't? Hm. You'll have to come with me."

"Heh. Has the poison already fried your brain?"

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"Long Tao, my grandaunt might have a way to find out where he chanced upon the Dao Trace."

"Hm? What are you mumb--"

Wow. He did the chop. Seriously. That works? Just a chop on the neck and he's somehow passed out?! I always figured that was just some bullshit--

"I simply blocked his acupoints," yeah. Reality is often disappointing, I suppose. "I've never heard of your grandaunt before."

"Oh, yeah. A magnificent woman. She once drank seven gallons of milk in three minutes. Set a village record."

"..."

"Does your family happen to know anything about soul-snatching?" I asked as we quickly carried the body back into the house, as I really didn't want to invite any more scrutiny. Even if the guy's a fake, that's not something I can just divulge.

"A thing or two," he said as we settled the old man into my room. "One of the Six Taboos," he said. "The most unforgivable acts a person can commit. One's Soul is sacred beyond all else, and debasing it has major consequences."

"Hm."

"However, it's only so if the Heavens know." he added. It seems to be the pattern of things: anything goes... if the Heavens don't know. The question is, how would they not know? With each new revelation, 'Heavens' seems less like an omnipotent force of nature, and more akin to just some court of jesters making shit up. "This guy is a complete moron; he probably didn't even know what he was doing. Just saw an opportunity to better his life and took it without a second thought."

"..." I remained silent for a moment, pondering whether I had the right to judge.

I mean, I've seen how much one's birth in this world determines--somehow, it's actually even more important than back on Earth. It feels like the circumstances of birth write out the entire path for the future--access to resources, to high-grade arts and methods, to good teachers, grand opportunities...

What he did was evil in more ways than I can even conceptualize, as the concept of 'Soul' still feels elusive to me, but people doing all sorts of things because they literally have no other way of improving their circumstances is a tale as old as time itself.

"When did you wake up, by the way?" I asked. For someone who looked half a step dead, he recovered too fast.

"Not too long ago," he said. "That alchemist fed me something nice."

"... what did you do to end up that way?" I asked, not really expecting an answer.

"You must be aware, Master, that we won't be leaving this city without killing the city lord," he said. "But as we are right now, we stand a greater chance of sneezing out lumps of divinity. I simply... increased our chances, ever so slightly."

I looked over at him and sighed; honestly, Long Tao made my life both easier and harder. Without him, I'd have likely never gotten this far, but, similarly, there's a chance I might have closed myself off on some mountain with a dozen random disciples, grinding points, and never experiencing so many awful things in a row had we never met.

"Here," I took out the Divine Essence Pill and the Surging Spirit Art; for all my grumbling, if he dies... rather than losing an old monster to guide me, I'd be sadder to have a lost a friend. As unconventional as it was, we really were friends... of sorts. "I trust you enough not to restrict you, but I worry still, Long Tao--just as I do for all the other kids. You don't have to do everything on your own; I know I'm not the most reliable Master in the world, but I hope you'll reach out for help."

I got up and left under a faint smile of his; I never could know precisely what he was thinking, but any time he smiled that way, I knew it was his best way of showing gratitude.

... I also hated it because I knew that what I just gave up was worth so much it could have fetched at least a few million Spirit Stones!

Nah. It's probably priceless.

I don't think there are many things under the Heavens that can block an attack from the Emperor. But I have that gut feeling that if we somehow manage to untangle ourselves from this city and kill the city lord, the rewards to come would be worth 'sacrificing' something so monumental it would likely upend all of creation were it to be known.

... or is it my brain just desperately trying to comfort itself? Let's just not think about it.