Chapter 124 - Ridiculous Discovery (Part III) (Patreon)

Wang Chen closed his eyes, aware that this cultivation session would likely end the same way as the others did. Meaning, with him passing out. Nonetheless, one thing he had learned over the last few months was to endure and be ruthless with himself, because the world wasn’t merciful to anyone.

As Lucian pushed Blood Essence into Wang Chen's body and traced the sixth unlocked meridian, both men felt a bottleneck, as though the gate to the seventh meridian was both near and impossibly far away. This sensation was different for each of them, but they were sure there was some blockage in the way.

Narrowing his eyes, Lucian said, “Tell me what you know about the Lesser Yang Descending Meridian.”

Wang Chen thought about the name for a moment before shaking his head. “Nothing, Benefactor. Is this the seventh meridian? What does it do?”

Lucian was about to answer with the shallow knowledge he possessed when he felt an unnerving sensation.

What is this?!

Alarmed, he mobilized his Blood Essence to enhance his body. He felt as if an unknown threat was about to reveal itself.

What is this dangerous sensation?

Flipping his cultivation to the inverted path at the Qi Refining realm and expanding his Qi perception to its utmost limit, he sharpened his physical senses to inspect the surroundings. Every scent, no matter how faint or common, and every sound, from tiny droplets of seawater dripping from someone's clothes to distant chatter above, was picked up by Lucian.

Yet he found nothing of importance. Nothing lurking nearby, or a powerful entity flying down to strike him.

Amidst Lucian’s confusion, Wang Chen said, “Uh, forget it then. I should discover it on my own, right?"

The moment Lucian heard those words, the dangerous sensation disappeared. He watched Wang Chen's back with cold eyes and thought, Was it him?

His mind raced. Every moment he had spent with Wang Chen went through his mind, yet he had never felt that dangerous sensation before today.

Wang Chen's secrets are more problematic than I thought. Why am I noticing this only now? Is it because I became a cultivator? Lucian thought.

Meanwhile, Wang Chen stood in silence, thinking about the Lesser Yang Descending Meridian, which was the seventh meridian. He assumed Lucian was testing him and that figuring it out would help his cultivation, so he tried to reason through its purpose.

On the other hand, Lucian was getting more concerned.

I can't ignore this, but I can't solve everything now either, Lucian thought. He has become crucial to my natural cultivation and can greatly accelerate my advancement. I'll solve the problems as they come.

Lucian still did not know what had triggered that dangerous sensation or what it truly meant, but he was almost certain it had come from Wang Chen. Removing his hands from Wang Chen’s wounds, he muttered, “Go find a servant to apply medicine to you. Your body isn't ready for another breakthrough yet.”

Opening his eyes, Wang Chen frowned and stood up. Then, he turned to Lucian and asked, “Will this affect our plan?”

It was clear he was talking about rescuing Bai Xiaomeng.

Lucian stared at Wang Chen and shook his head. “Not at all. I’ll begin as soon as an opportunity presents itself.”

Nodding slowly, Wang Chen’s gray eyes darkened with disappointment as he reflected on his performance. He considered researching the meridians and strengthening his body so that he would not be a burden. When he walked out of the room, he was already set on finding ways to become stronger.

Unaware of Wang Chen’s thoughts, Lucian was lost in his own reflections.

I should keep observing him, he thought. Making a move now without a broader understanding could cost me dearly.

Lucian most didn't want to act against Wang Chen, using mind techniques to discover more about his condition, because he no longer knew what to expect. To him, it would be a tremendous loss if Wang Chen’s ability to cultivate through enlightenment was affected. And, if something dangerous protected Wang Chen, he didn't want to trigger that either.

Making a mental note to observe how things developed and to continue their cultivation sessions every day, Lucian was about to resume his own cultivation when he remembered the pouch Wang Chen had brought earlier, as well as the scroll given by Silent Mountain Wei Zhang.

With a blur, he picked up the items and laid them before him.

Through his vampiric vision, he examined every detail, every tiny scratch, etching, and mark on the objects, yet he could not see what made them special. However, through his Qi perception, he knew that the chains, the black coin, the orange ring, and the crystal ring were all artifacts, each emanating Qi aligned with specific elements.

Because of how cultivation worked, Lucian had an innate understanding of how the Five Elemental Qis appeared. For example, he knew he had an affinity for Water Qi and a type of Wood Qi in his inverted cultivation, while his natural cultivation was attuned to Fire Qi, Metal Qi, and Earth Qi.

In the same way, he knew that Grandmaster Miao possessed affinities for Water and Wood Qi.

So, looking at the four artifacts, he perceived a type of Earth Qi infused within the chains, Fire Qi in the orange ring, and Water Qi in both the crystal ring and the black coin. He did not know, however, what effects those artifacts possessed, nor how these different types of Qi differed from the primary forms of the Five Elemental Qis.

In truth, Lucian did not even know why Qi could possess affinities at all. He only knew that the environment greatly influenced its composition. The scroll he read focused more on cultivation than on explaining the world's rules.

Leaving those matters for later, Lucian picked up the black coin first.

How do I use this? He wondered, observing the markings and runes engraved upon it. It can’t be as simple as pushing Qi into it, right?

Raising an eyebrow, he controlled his Qi through the Rune of Lust, using his inverted cultivation, and pushed Qi toward the coin. Then, as soon as his Qi touched the artifact, the black coin buzzed, shook slightly, and cracked along one side.

Stopping the flow of Qi immediately, Lucian frowned. Did I break it?

Wanting to discover what had gone wrong, he slowly sent more Qi into the coin while carefully observing how the engraved runes reacted. His enhanced vision and hearing allowed him to notice tiny cracks forming wherever his Qi passed.

He continued the experiment. As the black coin buzzed in his hand, Lucian noticed that while he pushed Qi forward, the runes attempted to force it back out, causing the coin to crack.

It was as if Lucian were pouring water into a well, only for the well to tremble and spit it up.

Having lived long enough and dealt with magical formations more times than he could remember, Lucian switched his cultivation to the natural path, which currently stood at the middle stage of the Qi Gathering realm.

This time, he did not send Qi into the black coin through intent, but through the Two-Leaf breathing technique. As the technique guided his Qi flow, he used the Bright Yang Meridian and Reverting Yin Meridian to externalize Qi.

Observing that most of it consisted of Metal Qi, Lucian focused on how the black coin would react. And, to his surprise, the Qi spread through the runes without resistance, causing the artifact to spin and float above his hand.

However, most of the runes were already damaged, and after four rotations, the coin fell without producing any further effect.

Grasping the artifact, Lucian smiled.

I see, he thought. My inverted Qi does not respect the natural flow, so it cannot work with runes designed according to that flow. In fact, it messed them up.

Having made such a discovery, he focused on Wang Chen’s scent and footsteps, keeping part of his attention constantly aware of the young man’s whereabouts.

Your importance only continues to grow, Wang Chen, Lucian thought, his eyes glowing a crimson hue. Without natural cultivation, I can't use artifacts!

Just as he was about to pick up the orange ring and test it, hurried footsteps approached his room. Suppressing his anger before it could leak out, he stood and walked to the door, looking at a sweating servant.

After bowing deeply, the servant offered a scroll with both hands, saying in a low voice, “Grandmaster Miao sent this to you.”

Expressionless, Lucian took the scroll and opened it on the spot. Reading its contents, he laughed in irritation and said, “Tell him I’ll do my part.”

After speaking, Lucian rushed out of the room and headed toward the warehouse exit.

Grandmaster Miao had sent someone to remind him that people throughout the city were still blaming the Bo Merchant Chamber for the Tidal Massacre, as it had come to be known.

In the letter, he strongly suggested that something should be done, or the Merchant Chamber would lose prestige and business opportunities, making it difficult for Young Master Bo Xian to gather influence and resources. Among those, the loss of war prisoners.

Lucian could, of course, look for commoners to drain their blood and dispose of their bodies. However, he wasn't powerful enough to ignore the cities' powerhouses, so it would always be better if he could devour unwanted people. He needed those war prisoners!

Understanding the implied threat if he failed to act, Lucian went outside to search for a suitable place to activate the Rune of Sloth and dispatch rats to influence the minds of commoners.

He would also keep several rats close to the warehouse, primarily to observe Wang Chen’s movements.

Although the task annoyed him for interrupting his cultivation, he could also use the opportunity to put a few pieces of his own plans into position and check on the Sailor School.

Now more than ever, he wanted to find Bai Xiaomeng and use her as a leash on Wang Chen!