Ch174 Leaving On A High Note

I’ve successfully spread rumors of my 4th level of qi refinement breakthrough.

From all of the gossip I managed to overhear these past few hours, not many mentioned my appearance.

A few women that recognized me made remarks about my skin and hair, but they all seemed to be of the same consensus that it is the result of my 4th level breakthrough after expelling impurities.

Some of the more keen-eyed late stage qi refiners made comments about my high levels of qi saturating my bones and muscles. However, they convince themselves it must have been the Wang Clan’s high grade spirit apples and the side effects of consuming large amounts of qi nourishing pills.

I’ve been in this world for almost a year, making my body age about 17.

It is not entirely uncommon for me to still be growing at a rapid rate, even without qi breakthroughs.

To qi refiners, I am not suspicious at all, just appearing as a cultivator leeching off two powerful foundational clans.

I am far more wary about unknown cultivators beyond the late stage of qi refinement, so I steer clear of the Lin and Wei Clan shops.

My understanding of physiques are almost as limited as the qi refiners that have lived in this small city all their lives.

The Mu and Wang Patriarchs seem like they have a greater understanding than some, but they are isolated and seem stuck in their older ways, far more focused on keeping their clans steady.

From the way Old Mu talked about the capital, it sounded like he hardly had any freedom to explore or connections to make his way into interesting shops or get a hold of truly valuable resources.

Even the so-called perfect grade cauldron he managed to purchase was a high grade tier 2 item with external spiritual copper fixtures to increase its strength.

My only potential source of consistent unique information is Lan Xin, and even she is limited quite a bit still.

Any word of the Inner Sect is even more guarded and secretive.

I need some new sources of information.

Revealing my 4th level of qi refinement is a step in the right direction, but I need to discover a natural way to push it further.

–

When I arrive back on the Wang Clan peak, I find it much harder to sense the overflow of dense tier 2 qi coming from the main mountain’s vein.

Only the offshoots of fractured portions beneath the smaller structures on the way up the mountain can be sensed.

As I approach the Wang Clan Mansion, I’m greeted by two mid stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Wang Yang stands tall and proud, with a silky smooth soul.

Mu Shouxin holds deep fracture lines in his, clearly each one from a battle decades, or even centuries, ago.

They have healed up somewhat, and he is in far better shape than the Old Wang Patriarch was before, but he still has to use a considerable amount of mental energy at all times to keep this collection of green and white wisps steady.

He only holds an initial stage spirit grade physique. Any stronger, and this old soul may not be able to handle it.

We exchange greetings, and I follow the two old men into the mansion.

We walk through a pair of tall arching doors, and a wave of dense qi hits my senses.

From inside, the array is visible, and Wang Yang closes it behind us.

All 18 array flags of the Mountain Guarding Spirit Formation have been set up in the foundation of this building, creating extremely dense dormant barriers around the outside of every wall.

We walk down into the cultivation chamber where I broke through before, and I’m left alone with a low grade tier 2 spirit contract, with the Old Mu Patriarch left in mystery about what exactly I’m going to give him to heal his soul.

He imprints the simple agreement without any hesitation, and the cheerful yips of a white fox echo through the closed-off room next.

Meimei pops out of my hidden realm, circles around my feet a few times, then climbs my back to look at the old man from on top of my head.

Her perfected stage physique spreads out, filling the entire room with a white mist, probing to see what the task I’m asking of her is.

“Think you can handle it?” I ask, and Meimei simply licks the side of my face before jumping over to the stunned old man.

“Just cultivate normally. She’ll take care of the rest.”

–

Less than 8 hours later, the healing process is done.

Two minor breakthroughs occur in Meimei’s cultivation, bringing her to the late stage of level 10, and when she returns to sit in my lap and use my Jade Purity Soul Scripture to digest the wisps of damaged souls, they’re completely assimilated in less than an hour.

My spiritual senses have expanded a few meters, but there is no shocking change.

Meimei still has enough energy to run around the room in circles, hoping for someone to play with her.

I give in and scratch her head when she comes by, but she continuously baits me to try and stand up and chase her.

“Once we leave the city, I’ll play with you more…” I whisper with a chuckle, and run to chase her one time before returning her to my hidden realm.

Mu Shouxin opens his eyes from his focused cultivation soon after and stands to his feet, staring down at his body in disbelief.

“It is miraculous. I’ve never seen, or even heard of a spirit beast with an innate physique that can fully mend and rejuvenate souls… I always assumed only tier 3 elixirs could hold a power like this.”

He keeps his distance from me, bows in thanks many times, and clasps his fists.

“I do not know why fate has brought you to Lingshi City, but I am thankful that it has. Please know my gratitude is as deep as Old Wang’s. Our entire Clan would have fallen months ago without your help. If there is anything else you might need, please ask. I am happy to make another journey to the capital if you need any other artifacts.”

I contemplate his words before replying.

“There is nothing I need from the capital right now, but I will keep your offer in mind… My only question is why you’ve brought fate into the matter?”

My gaze pierces into his system scan, as the secret displayed is still exactly the same one that was present when I saw him for the first time during the wedding.

[Mu Clan’s Patriarch. Direct blood grandfather of Mu Shulan. He has mastered his family's acquired physique to its pinnacle, passing it on to his two strongest sons with 6th-grade roots: Mu Zhiheng and Mu Zhimu. He holds forbidden knowledge of the Verdant Prefecture’s origins, tied directly to his clan’s physique.]

He pauses at my words, so I continue.

“If you’d really like to pay back a favor, satisfy my curiosity. What exactly happened to Mu Shulan’s father, Mu Zhimu? And… what knowledge do you hold about the Verdant Prefecture’s origins?”

His pupils shrink, and his face drains to a pale white, even as his gaze remains glued to the floor.

His newly healed silky smooth light green soul twists erratically, and his heartbeat rises faster and faster with every passing second.

“I… cannot tell you. This is the one thing off-limits… It is simply too dangerous for me to say.”

My gaze tightens, as I believe him, but still don’t understand why.

“Tell me what you can. I am merely curious.”

He grits his teeth, and his outer soul calms down in relief, but the innermost portion is already being strained even more as he grunts out words.

“Our Mu and Wang clans, we have a history that has caught up to us. Old Wang and I made a bloodline offering together 150 years ago while in the Great War in the Black Marsh. We-”

He coughs as his soul bends, and he chooses his words more wisely.

“We found a damaged inheritance with karmic ties that would either destroy us or bring our clans to glory… Over a decade ago, some of our foundational members, including both Wang Ming and Mu Shulan’s parents, returned to the site to attempt to renew the inheritance to give our clans more time to grow, but they have not returned.”

He looks up with a very serious stare. “That is why I claim that it is fate. For the time has come for our clans to rise or fall.”

His soul twists even further, starting to strain past its limits, so I put up a hand.

“Alright, that’s enough. No need to push yourself any further.”

He gasps for breath, then closes his eyes to cultivate in silence for a few minutes while I think.

There really is some strange force at play in this world.

Though, after seeing the backlash on this old man, I’m convinced it is not due to some predetermined fate beyond my comprehension.

It feels like a similar force to the illegible markings in my system that covered up that crystal’s data and Xu Hong’s enemies.

I may be able to see a visual manifestation of it in my system scan, while others are pushed by their instincts and bodily functions to not utter words that will go against this elusive force.

It is the result of some kind of contract, like the weaker ones I’ve made this Mu and Wang Patriarch sign. The conditions are just more complex, using their souls, physiques, and even descendants as bound entities in the deal.

Another half hour passes by as I think to myself, and the old man recovers.

Once he looks up again, I continue my questions.

“Wang Ming and Mu Shulan. You’re aware that both of them will awaken innate physiques once they reach Foundation Establishment, right?”

Mu Shouxin’s shock at my questions has become numb. He hardly reacts, only gives a nod.

“Yes, I am aware.”

“Are these awakenings related?”

The old man nods again, clasping his hands. “Yes, they are. It is part of a bloodline inheritance to regain the innate physiques of our ancestors many generations back. After all, inherited physiques and spirit root grades can only decline over time normally.”

My eyebrows scrunch at these words, as his soul begins to twist and cut him off from speaking further.

My curiosity about the specifics have waned.

Clearly, he cannot give me any more important or revealing information, but I’ve just thought of something interesting that could benefit me.

“Is this a well-known phenomenon? Are there many qi refiners that can hold inferior vibrations before their physique awakening?”

Mu Shouxin’s soul settles as the topic shifts, and he looks up, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“I wouldn’t say well-known, but most informed foundational cultivators are aware of it. Every few years, there is a young talented qi refiner in the Outer Sect that shows signs of their innate physique awakening prematurely, and they’re immediately given named disciple positions, or sometimes, if the physique is rare enough, they’re sent directly into the Inner Sect for training.”

I let an extremely subtle fluctuation of my physique out, making a barely visible veil of white armor appear when I move my arms around.

“So then, do you think it would be believable if I abandoned my claim of practicing the Martial Elite Mid Stage mortal grade physique and claimed that this is a budding awakening?”

Mu Shouxin watches intently, and I feel his hot spiritual senses piercing through me.

“It is possible…” he murmurs. “Though, your control is far too consistent. No unawakened physique would be able to maintain its strength level so easily.”

“That is the only issue you see? When I’m concealing it, is it impossible to tell I have a fully solidified physique?”

Mu Shouxin tightens his gaze, and the pressure in the room rises higher as he tries to peer inward.

“I’m unable to sense it, your concealment technique is peculiar. Only the vibrations you release are what I can see, and they certainly do not feel like mortal grade.”

–

I practice for a little longer, asking Old Mu questions every time I create subtle waves of instability to see what is believable or not, and become more comfortable with this possible angle of concealment.

We exit the chamber and return outdoors.

Old Mu is extremely thankful, but still shaken from some of my questions. He returns to Old Wang’s side, and the two talk to themselves in a backyard of the estate.

I wander around the sparring rings, as it is past midday, nearing evening, and many are taking breaks and returning to their quarters to rest.

My attention stays on one young boy, Wang Tengru. He spars with many of the 4th and 5th level qi refiners upwards of ten years older than him.

His strength is still lacking, but all of his energy pathways are far more opened up than they were in our spar. The heavenly marrow cleansing pill I granted him has certainly increased his ability to fight longer and harder at his current perfected 3rd level of qi refinement.

The weak inferior vibrations of the swift sword movement vibrates in my senses every few minutes when he lands a perfect focused hit.

I do not interrupt his training. I simply walk away, back to the Patriarchs.

I toss Wang Yang a high grade tier 1 storage ring with only a perfected tuft of verdant steel sword grass with the same swift sword enchantment that the normal qi grass did.

“I want you to give this to Wang Tengru as a congratulatory gift once he breaks into the 4th level of qi refinement.”

Old Wang nods, and I turn to Mu Shouxin.

“There is a perfect grade short sword I sold Mu Shulan in the Red Pine Market many months ago. It has an abnormally high content of verdant steel. If you could gift Wang Tengru it publicly from the Mu Clan, that would be helpful.”

The smooth light green soul of the Mu Patriarch trembles with curiosity, but he doesn’t question it. He simply bows his head and agrees to do so.

“Excellent. I wish you both well. I will be returning to the sect.”