Destiny in Cinders

The hidden room was neither treasury nor armory. Nothing like treasures or precious weapons were stored within. Instead, there were rows of shelves that housed many oddly shaped ritual tools. There were even several ancient bell-like musical instruments. Everything was neatly arranged on the shelves, some even having labels, and they seemed to have come from different places and times.

An Jing looked at an axe-like object that seemed to be made from the fang of some ferocious beast. There was a description of the item nearby.

"Lifevessel: Fang. Excavated from the Dustdawn Wilds in Year 2 of the Tianxing Era. Used to strengthen teeth and bones and stimulate vitality. Well suited for bearers of the Tiger-Ox Stampede lifearc. For others, it will have a detrimental mental effect."

An Jing turned to look at a bronze bell.

"Lifevessel: Rustmark Bell. Discovered in Year 1 of the Longliao Era at Whitestream, Hanhai. Used to stun souls or awaken them. Well suited for bearers of the Dawnbell Duskdrum lifearc. No known side effects."

An Jing pondered as he looked at these lifevessels, objects that had different effects depending on the lifearcs of their wielders. Only a small of them had detailed effects, with most of them still remaining to be discovered. There was also a shelf at the center of the room that was left empty.

"Lifevessel: Vitalboon Dish. Excavated from the ancient dao ruins in Year 5 of the Tianbao Era. Gathers qi to nourish life. Well suited for bearers of the Qi Soul Lending lifearc. Any other user will suffer both spiritual and physical side effects."

"Gathering qi to nourish life, huh..." An Jing recalled the medicinal sludge in the tanks from earlier, causing killing intent to build in his eyes. "Looks like these are the tools they're using to brew the ingredients into medicines."

Were the children in the dungeon fated to become medicines? An Jing suddenly recalled seeing a similar dark-gold dish in the apothecary. The vice apothecary had been using it all along without any trace of hiding it.

He exhaled deeply and continued his observation. The lifevessels in the room didn't seem to be particularly precious. No doubt, information about the side effects were obtained through trials with unwilling users. He kept on searching for something that he could use.

"An Jing." The voice had been quiet since he entered the room. Only now did it keep guiding him. "The corner to the left."

An Jing turned to look and suddenly saw a frosty glow from the corner. It was supposed to be a dark room that contained nothing but lifevessels, but one of them seemed to stand up. It looked like a broken sword of rather ancient make. The blade seemed to have broken off right at the hilt. Its surface seemed completely dull and rusted, making it look no different than a piece of scrap.

Even so, he was surprised to see it as he could tell that the rusted hilt looked identical to the Sword of Tranquility's that the mysterious sword voice had taught him! The hilt that popped up in his mind was complete, but the one before his eyes was broken and rotting away.

He looked at the sign that read, "Lifevessel: Brokeblade. Discovered during Year 1 of the Jingchang Era in the northern frontier. Purpose: unknown. Fitting lifearc: unknown. Taboo effects: unknown. Possible matching lifearcs may have something to do with soldiery or slaughter."

Jingchang was the most current era of Grand Chen, starting after the snow calamity of the northern frontier. It was also the year that An Jing had spent as a vagabond with his family.

The broken sword didn't look like it had any use at all, nor did it seem to fit any known lifearc. Given its decrepit state, it wasn't even capable of being used as a normal weapon, so it was stored along with all the other low-tier lifevessels. Despite that, it was glowing at that moment. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Hold me," said the mysterious voice of the broken sword. "Start contemplating the Sword of Tranquility."

The broken sword seemed incredibly brittle and completely rusted through. An Jing approached it carefully and held it. Instantly, a wave of frost swept through his palms into his chest, but it didn't feel bad. Instead, he felt like his body linked up with it and made it a part of himself.

"Huh?" He calmed his breathing and began to contemplate the rusty sword. All of a sudden, the broken sword vanished from his hand! Yet, deep within his sea of consciousness, the vague outline of a sword had appeared! The hilt of this sword seemed even more solid than before. Some of the rust had faded, restoring some sharpness to the sword that caused it to glow silver.

"Amazing!" With but a thought, the broken sword returned to his hand. It was something that had been completely beyond his ability to imagine. Then again, it wasn't that impressive in comparison to how the spirit of the broken sword managed to teach him the technique telepathically.

"To think that your body is able to bear my sword lethal qi, Evenstar metal lethal qi!"[1] The sword soul seemed rather shocked too.

"What in the world is your lifearc?" However, they didn't linger on the question. "This is good. You won't suffer from the corrosive effects of my sword lethal qi and can use it to refine your body. I had expected that you would have to endure it, but it seems like that isn't even necessary."

All of a sudden, loud footsteps could be heard.

"Did they send someone? The steps don't sound hurried, so it doesn't seem like a search. Maybe it's just a routine inspection."

An Jing listened intently as he furrowed his brow. "I don't think I left any traces, but if they come to check this room, there's no way for me to hide. What should I do..."

He gripped the sword tightly and hid behind the door. "If I hear someone approaching, they must be someone who's going to check this room. I probably won't have to die if I'm found here, but I'll be under even more scrutiny than before. I'll no longer be able to roam freely as I have given my status as the senior disciple. There's nothing I can do for now. Perhaps I can try covering my face and force my way past them, but I doubt that will work."

"That is true," said the sword soul. "Even though these demonic cultists have hollow foundations, they are proper martialists with aura. And while you have a good foundation, you're still a step away from the Aura Realm. It's one thing for you to take on a single person, but you can't deal with the whole group."

"I'm well aware." An Jing managed to calm down even though the steps had reached the courtyard. "I know you've prepared something for this. Tell me, and I will do as you say."

The sword soul admired An Jing's steadiness. "Grip the sword and use Sword of Tranquility."

An Jing did as he was told, contemplating the rusty sword. At that moment, the sword in his mind began to overlay onto the sword he held in his hand. A silver sword-like glow could be seen extending from the broken part of the blade. It shimmered slightly, visible to the naked eye.

"What is this?" An Jing could feel the light through his closed eyelids.

The sword soul said, "Sense my presence. Feel my shard."

An Jing recalled the sensation when he first gripped the broken sword. With the hilt as his anchor, he began to sense it. Instantly, six points of light appeared in his mind. Three were rather dim and distant. One of them wasn't far, but it was just as dim. One of them was so close that it almost looked like it occupied the same space An Jing did, but it didn't seem to emit a stable glow, as if it was sealed. The last point was the only one that emitted a stable glow.

"Open your eyes and aim it towards the most stable one. Then, slash," said the sword soul.

An Jing did as he was told without hesitation. Then, he marveled as the broken sword cut open a pitch-black rift in space itself, revealing a completely different world on the other side. "What in the world is going on..."

Despite all that, his calm was not swayed. Coupled with the stability provided by the Sword of Tranquility, his bewilderment lasted but a single instant. He snapped out of it and took the only chance he had to escape!

"Go in," the sword soul whispered. "This is the only way we can get out of this."

The jingles of keys could already be heard outside the hidden room. An Jing stepped into the rift without thinking twice.

The door to the room swung open as a group of cultists entered to inspect for any trace.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," the leader complained after they looked around. "What was the vice apothecary thinking, asking us to patrol the herbarium at a time like this. Don't tell me that old thing really thinks someone can escape from the dungeon."

One of the cultists said, "It looks like someone touched something..."

Then, another one of them snapped, "You fool, didn't you come to take the dish lifevessel earlier?"

When they were sure that nobody else was in the room, the cultists closed the door and left.

"Sheesh, that old thing must be paranoid. We're already deep in the mountains as it is. Nobody will be here."

"I would get a bit like that too if I were him. Who'd be willing to be posted at a place like this? I hope I'll be transferred back to Grand Chen soon."

The voice of the sword soul rang clearly once more. "We are about to head to a different world. Unless you help me find my other shards to strengthen me, you won't be able to remain there for long. The shard that's closest to you is in the canyon behind Direlife Manor. Don't worry. The cultists will be holding their ritual there soon. You will have a chance to enter it.

"For now, grip the hilt tight and focus on the Sword of Tranquility. By waving the hollow blade, you will be able to enter the foreign world or return to the world of Void Embrace. You have incredible talent. Coupled with your Spark, as long as you break through to the Aura Realm in the other world without them noticing, no normal cultist will be able to handle you."

"I have no doubts that I can reach the Aura Realm, but how do I hide this from the manor lord?" An Jing asked. "He's at the Fortification Realm and has a wonder of observation. He might be able to spot my breakthrough right away."

"You have already learned Sword of Tranquility. As long as you maintain that tranquility, I will be able to hide your prowess, at least to people of a certain level of cultivation. However, you should not be careless. There are many resources and dangers in the foreign world that even I am not aware of. You may make use of them or end up dead because of them. Everything is possible. You hold our fate in your own hands."

"I understand. I will treasure this opportunity." An Jing's mind was incredibly clear. The moment he had stepped through the rift, he already knew that he had his fate in his own hands and sword.

Emerging from the rift, he saw nothing but darkness, but light gradually bled into his vision. He was in some kind of deep underground ruin. Huge metal beams seemed to hold up the stone ceiling and walls, appearing incredibly stable. Dense growths of semi-transparent and luminescent vines seemed to fill the area, allowing him to see the whole place clearly.

An Jing observed the huge ruins. It seemed to be built according to ancient architecture. The place looked to be some kind of collapsed pavilion, sacred and solemn. The rows of collapsed pillars nearby were covered in ornate and intricate engravings, radiating classical beauty and giving a cohesive sense of unity to the structures around.

He stepped back in an attempt to get a view of the bigger picture, only to be surprised. He had stepped on something stiff yet brittle. Thanks to Profoundstep, his foot didn't make a sound, but he ended up crushing the thing he stepped on.

An Jing turned back and widened his eyes at the sight of crushed bone—there were many corpses underneath him! The skeletons were all in uniform.

"Wait a second?!" What shocked him weren't the skeletons, but rather, what they were holding. They were things that he had never seen in this world before. Not spears, not lances, but fire lances. In other words, firearms.

1. Evenstar metal (庚金) is a combination of the metal element of the Five Phases and one of the ten heavenly stems, Geng, the seventh ordinal. Evenstar here refers to the planet Venus. ☜