I Am Supreme

Shi Wuchen’s indifferent voice was inexplicably distant. It resounded in the air and echoed in the disciples’ hearts.

The black, beady eyes of all ninety-nine children stared at him nervously as they held their breaths. At that very moment, they seemed to have made their resolutions.

‘No matter how tiring and how hard it is… we don’t ever want to be replaced!’

“All of you, follow me.”

Shi Wuchen did not say more as he led them along at an unhurried pace. After a while, he spoke, “When you enter the Nine Supremes Hall later, state your names respectively and make your vow to join the Residence of Nine Supremes without regretting your decision in this lifetime!”

…

Sometime later, the children’s ringing voices thundered down from the Nine Supremes Hall atop the hill as they made their vows.

“We are fortunate to enter the Residence of Nine Supremes today, and become the Residence of Nine Supremes’ disciples… We do not regret it nor will we betray our sect in this life!”

The tender voices of the children turned into bolts of thunder, roaring in the sky, one after another, ceaselessly.

Heaven’s vows had been made.

Below the mountain, thousands of children were still ceremoniously standing where they were. Their eyes were shining with yearning, enviously watching the place above the clouds where the voices emanated from. Those were their mates, and they were a step ahead of them.

‘We shall catch up with more effort!’

‘We want to make our vows above the clouds as well!’

‘We want to announce to the world that we do not regret joining the Residence of Nine Supremes!’

…

“Do you mean that these children were actually bought from human traffickers? Most of them aren’t even prepared for the Celestial Luck Banner schools?”

Dong Qitian clicked his tongue in wonder.

“Not bad.”

“These children are so talented… Why didn’t anyone see it? Even if one or two of them were blind, it’s impossible that all of them are. How can this be? It’s absurd!”

“They weren’t originally gifted, of course. In fact, they were merely ordinary before they came to the Residence of Nine Supremes. Just like what you saw when you first arrived…”

“Do you mean to say that the Residence of Nine Supremes is able to hoist a person’s innate talent up in such a short time? That it is as effective and divine as we see, and can be used repeatedly, benefitting many?”

“I’ve never said that. Don’t push me into the fire pit, senior!”

“I understand. I won’t ask further.”

…

“Hmm… According to what you’ve said, not even one of the disciples of the Residence of Nine Supremes now is from a wealthy background?” asked Dong Qitian.

“The Residence of Nine Supremes is a new sect. I don’t want to invite trouble.”

“This isn’t about inviting trouble or not. Most affluent heirs have their families’ elders rinse their meridians and physiques the moment they were born. This sort of starting point is what these children we have now can’t compare with. People say that the poor ones study as they can’t afford to practice martial arts under masters – it makes sense.”

“I know. Still, rich children have a lot of flaws too.”

Yun Yang was not at all swayed, replying very indifferently, “Especially true when we don’t have too much to attract them. There’s no need to crack our minds over recruiting these people as the results will probably be half the effort made.”

“What about in the future?”

“The future?” Yun Yang looked at Dong Qitian with an amused glimmer in his eyes. “All the more reason that we won’t need to do it in the future. When the Residence of Nine Supremes stabilizes its standing and grabs the Celestial Luck Banner, the spiritual Qi intensity of the sect’s location will probably increase, by another one or two times. I mean, from what we have now.”

“By then, it’ll only be easier to mass-produce prodigies here.”

“Since it can be done with external assistance, why would I still want those conventional geniuses?”

Yun Yang gazed at the children in the Residence of Nine Supremes, his expression gentle. He spoke softly, “I see these children in front of us – they’ve suffered a lot, but they’ve also learned the ways of life; they know about how cruel this world can get, more so than others. They’ll cherish what they have now even more because of it, guarding all that they have with whatever they can.”

“It’d be my pleasure to invite a bit more light into their futures.”

“I believe that their endurance towards suffering and pain will be much, much stronger than their peers who have never had such encounters.”

“Perhaps, their hardship won’t be recompensed in this society, under this sky. However, I’m willing to give them a chance, a bright future. A place above the clouds – that’s the chance that I’m able to give them.”

Yun Yang said with a smile, “As long as they work hard, they’ll receive a glorious tomorrow.”

Dong Qitian was silent for a long time before he finally sighed deeply. “What you think is quite radical – extreme, even. Still, I must say that you make sense as well.”

“From what I see, this is true logic. How is it extreme?” Yun Yang retorted.

Dong Qitian replied, instead, “Why don’t you tell me why are you doing this?”

Yun Yang’s gaze was distant, stretching into the horizon, as he answered, “It’s only empathy. Since I was born… I’ve been an orphan for more than twenty years.”

There was a flash of melancholy in his eyes that took Dong Qitian aback, allowing the latter to suddenly understand the motivation and intention behind Yun Yang’s actions.

“Rich children will cry when they’re scolded. They’ll cry when they fall, when they’re bullied, when their toys are snatched away when they’re injured or wounded – they’ll cry when they’re hungry… And when they cry, someone will be there to comfort them.”

Pointing down, Yun Yang’s tone was soft. “These kids who have been kidnapped to be sold, who are bullied and harassed, they’re in a high-strung state every day; they experience pain all the time, but they rarely cry.”

“They know that it’s useless to cry. No one will comfort them, just because they cried. They could even be beaten up worse because they cried. They gradually got used to it. Even if they were bitten by a dog, they could only bandage themselves while swallowing their tears. They could only grit their teeth and take it if they were hit. Yet, they won’t cry.”

“I have rarely cried since I was young, like them, because we know that crying is useless. Since it’s useless, what do we cry for?”

Yun Yang raised his chin. “I want to give them an opportunity. I hope that their future will be like mine, that we keep our tears in our hearts. When we’re faced with this world, this martial world, we can laugh freely, we can conquer it!”

“This, this is the Residence of Nine Supremes that I envision!”

“This will be the actual Residence of Nine Supremes!”

Dong Qitian mulled over Yun Yang’s words, feeling that he must have an initial ambition for his emotions – or more likely, his actions. It was evident, however, that Yun Yang did not want to speak of it.

Yun Yang’s gaze was currently on the void as if he was seeing his Nine Supremes brothers again.

“We come from the lowest class of society.”

“We know our pains. When we have the world in the future, when Yutang reigns the over the realm, whoever it is, they must remember to… take care of the lowest class children a little more.”

“They’ve had it too hard – too hopeless.”

“If we don’t give them hope by then, what would be the meaning of our life time’s worth of effort?”

Yun Yang’s eyes were glowing as he murmured, “I shall give them hope!”