Chapter 223: The Scroll Within

Yang looked thoughtful. “I am not sure if it could be called an inheritance.”

Both Senior Brothers Fan Xiao and Qing An whipped their heads around, looking shocked.

“You received something?” Senior Brother Qing An exclaimed.

Yang nodded. “The Senior bestowed a sword technique to me.”

Senior Brother Fan Xiao raised an eyebrow. “A technique from an existence capable of destroying entire worlds?”

“Would you allow us to take a look?” Senior Brother Qing An asked eagerly.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao whipped around to look at him in displeasure. “You know better than to ask for something like this.”

“I would never attempt to take something from my own brother,” Senior Brother Qing An replied, looking offended. “I only wished to take a look out of curiosity.”

“Senior Brother Fan Xiao, surely you know Senior Brother Qing An well enough to know what he would and wouldn’t do.” Senior Brother Song Weilong smoothly interjected to diffuse the tension.

“I don’t mind sharing with you all,” Yang offered, and he meant it. If there was a way, he would be more than happy to share the knowledge gained with his Master and Senior Brothers. “The techni—”

Only to be interrupted sternly by Senior Brother Fan Xiao, “When a technique is bestowed by an elder, receiving it is an honor. Disseminating it carelessly would be an act of great disrespect. The Senior chose you for a reason, and spreading his heritage thin would mock his trust.”

“He didn’t actually call it an inheritance.” Yang frowned. “He called it a boon for having me brought to the fortress.”

It was Senior Brother Qing An who let out a heavy sigh, turning to Yang with a gentler tone. “It's still a directly bestowed technique, so you can't just go around teaching it to others in its pure, unaltered form," he said as he shot a pointed glare at Senior Brother Fan Xiao. “I only wanted a look at a foreign world's technique." Looking back at Yang, he continued. “You may only share and pass it on to others once you have made enough changes or advances to it yourself.”

“That's a rule for sharing techniques?” Yang asked, surprised.

“Only for the ones directly given,” Senior Brother Weilong said dryly. “You can share as much as you want any technique you find or steal—"

"The term is liberate." Senior Brother Yuan Shen interupted but went quiet at the scorching glare he received.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao continued from where he was interrupted. "Though I would never advise going around spreading your techniques.”

Yang nodded to him before turning towards Senior Brother Qing An again. “I don’t actually have it written down in a manual or Jade Slip. The Senior imparted it directly into my mind.”

“Directly in your mind?” Senior Brother Qing An said in wonder.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Yang muttered.

“It hurt?” Senior Brother Weilong frowned.

“Being relentlessly chased and hacked into pieces by a crazed, murderous sword,” Yang said flatly. “Yes, it hurt.”

Senior Brother Weilong looked as though he were desperately suppressing a laugh. “Usually it's like going through a jade slip.”

“Well,” Yang grimaced. “I suppose I received the immersive package."

“It's not like seeing words written in your mind?” inquired Senior Brother Fan Xiao.

“There is a scroll in my mind, but I can only read and comprehend a small part of it for now. The Senior said I will comprehend more of it as I advance,” Yang admitted.

“Recite the first few sentences of it," Senior Brother Fan Xiao said.

Yang immediately reached out into his mind to read the first few sentences of the scroll and recited them to Senior Brother.

Only to find not a single sound escaping his lips.

“What?”

He tried to repeat the sentence, focusing harder, but again nothing came out. 

“What is happening?” Yang looked up, bewildered.

“Is it a restriction?” Senior Brother Qing An asked, looking at Senior Brother Fan Xiao.

“Perhaps. But it may also simply be that Junior Brother perceives the technique in his mind in written form because that's what he is most familiar with.”

“Then the actual technique was…” Senior Brother Qing An said as his lips quivered.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao let out a rare smile. “Indeed.”

They both turned their gaze to Yang, who eyed them suspiciously. With how they were smiling, it certainly was bound to make him miserable. “What?”

Senior Brother Weilong placed a hand on his shoulder, wearing a sympathetic expression, though Yang could see the mirth in his eyes as clear as day. “Junior Brother, it is not the scroll where you are learning. That is merely your mind's manifestation of its interpretation.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, shaking his head before reality hit him hard enough to shatter his willful denial. “I would have to go through being chased by that psychotic sword again and again?” He whimpered.

“Of course not.” Senior Brother Qing An assured him cheerfully. “The subsequent stages will undoubtedly be more difficult than the first.”

"He means you will be hacked even worse." Senior Brother Weilong added helpfully with a kind smile.

“Don’t despair, Junior Brother,” Senior Brother Qing An said encouragingly. “A technique from a higher-world cultivator would likely pay you back manyfold over your lifetime. Let's test it out once we are outside.”

Yang nodded, though his expression remained dubious.

“There was also this,” he said, raising his hand to show off his new accessory. “As a meeting gift.”

“A meeting gift?” Senior Brother Weilong muttered. “How unusual.”

Senior Brother Qing An gently took hold of his hand and peered down in concentration. Even Senior Brother Fan Xiao and Weilong leaned down to get a closer look.

“Have you already bound it to yourself?” he asked Yang.

“Not yet. He tossed the ring at me as I was being literally expelled from the fortress. I barely had time to take a second look at it,” Yang admitted.

“I can’t see within it,” he said with a frown. “Typically, an unbound storage ring allows anyone to inspect its contents."

“Really?” Senior Brother Weilong looked up at him, curiosity shining in his eyes. “That's interesting.” He took hold of Yang’s hand from Senior Brother Qing An and tried looking inside.

“You’re right. Even I can’t see within it," he said with a smile. “Now the question remains whether it's due to alternate forging practices of another world or if this ring is too advanced for our world's rules to apply.”

“It could even be both,” Senior Brother Qing An suggested as he glanced towards Senior Brother Fan Xiao, who remained focused on the ring before he locked eyes with Yang.

“Take it off.” 

Yang immediately gripped the band with his other hand and attempted to twist it off, but it was stuck. The ring was a perfect fit. It rotated smoothly around his finger, but it would not come off no matter how much pressure he applied. He pulled with all his strength until his knuckles turned white, but it didn’t move a bit.

Frustrated, Yang looked up at his Senior Brother Fan Xiao. “I can’t make it budge.” He thrust his hand towards Senior Brother Fan Xiao. “How about you try to pull it off?”

“I wouldn’t dare,” Senior Brother Fan Xiao said dryly. “I believe it bonded to you the moment you put it on, or that Senior was strong enough to bind it to you.”

“Is that why I can’t take it off?” Yang frowned. He wasn’t happy with having something literally bound to his body without his consent.

Senior Brother Fan Xiao’s look turned curious. “It may also simply be a security feature to prevent others from forcing you to take it off.” He looked up at Yang with a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. “I have a feeling this one wouldn’t be as easy to take away by Qing An’s preferred method.”

Senior Brother Qing An let out an evil grin. “We can try! What do you say, Junior Brother?” He turned to look at Yang. “We have plenty of healing pills. You’ll have your hand back in no time.”

“Senior Brother, I am sure our Junior Brother appreciates…” Senior Brother Weilong let out an amused smile. “Your enthusiasm to help him discover all the secrets of his new trinket, but maybe not to the extent of removing his limbs?” 

He turned his gaze towards Yang, who nodded so fast his head almost popped off. “I am okay with never finding out.”

Senior Brother Qing An let out a regretful sigh. “Pity.”

Senior Brother Fan Xiao drew his attention back to the matter at hand. “Chen Yang, try to peer inside the ring. If it's already connected to you, you may be able to see what's inside.”

Yang followed his instruction and let his conscious mind connect with the ring.

Only to immediately reel back, stumbling into Senior Brother Fan Xiao, who placed a steadying hand on his back.

“What happened?” 

“Are you alright?”

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