Chapter 136 - Paper Tiger (Final) (Patreon)

While trying to cultivate, Lucian was unable to focus, his mind wandering over the information Zhi Jian had inadvertently given him.

The Sword Vein is connected to figures like the Resonant Sea Ancestor, he thought, his eyes closed. I should have known. They are all at the Supreme tier.

From Xu Hua’s memories and what he had learned about the regions of this world, there were a total of nine sects, each one backed by a mysterious figure. They were known as the Nine Sects.

The figures behind the Nine Sects are all called Ancestors, it seems, Lucian analyzed. I should be more careful when investigating the Sword Vein, given this situation. I won't survive a clash against one of these beings.

As he considered this, another matter crossed his mind.

The split soul of the Resonant Sea Ancestor is still with me, he thought, narrowing his eyes. Was she responsible for the previous attack, or is it a trait of the Sword Vein itself? Oh, now that I recall, she should be digesting my memories. This should take a while.

Thinking about how she had used a technique to read the memories buried deep within his soul and then took refuge inside him, he could not help but sneer.

Such an unlucky person. Still, I cannot underestimate her. It would be best to find an artifact or technique that allows me to inspect my soul and Sea of Consciousness. Once I confirm she's locked in place, I can be at ease to plan how to best benefit from this.

Previously, Lucian had not placed much hope in cultivation helping him examine his own soul. After all, while cultivation strengthened the soul, no one he had met used soul techniques, and most relied on their natural resistance to withstand the Rune of Lust.

That perception had changed after unlocking the sixth meridian.

Knowing that the Greater Yin Metal Meridian granted cultivators knowledge of the Sea of Consciousness, even if they referred to it by another name, was enough to make Lucian hopeful that certain artifacts could affect the soul.

Combined with the fact that the noble children had been cleansed of the mental seeds implanted within them, and Zhi Jian’s ability to externalize his bloodlust, or fighting spirit, Lucian now believed he could inspect his soul much earlier than expected.

Asking Grandmaster Miao for help is not out of the question, but I should not put all my eggs in one basket, he thought with a faint smile. It seems I have another topic to discuss with Vice-Lord Verdant Creek.

He had no intention of meeting Zhi Jian again so soon. First, he would improve his strength. At present, his only countermeasure against the Sailor School was the network of mental seeds he had implanted in the mortal students inside the underground building, which meant nothing.

And those seeds were placed there because of Wang Chen and Bai Xiaomeng, Lucian recalled. Thinking about Wang Chen, I have to control his impulses somehow.

Lucian did not want to endanger Wang Chen’s life, as the young man represented a shortcut to his cultivation. Also, he could not simply lock Wang Chen away. Lucian had a feeling that doing so would backfire badly.

Amidst his thoughts, Lucian heard Hao Bang groan. The previous smuggler recovered from the pressure that had overwhelmed his mind and woke up in a daze.

“Boss... Ugh... What happened?!” Hao Bang said. He couldn't help but check his arms and legs before sighing in relief. For a moment, he had feared he had somehow reverted to being Little Crab.

“It does not matter,” Lucian answered, waving a hand dismissively. “Leave.”

Nodding, Hao Bang thought his mission report about the circumstances that led Prince Xuan to discover Lucian’s slumbering site was over. Meanwhile, Lucian, whose thoughts remained sluggish due to the Sword Vein’s effects and the flood of new information, neither remembered nor cared about the unfinished report.

Through that strange coincidence, the matter was quietly set aside.

Wei Zhang should return today or tomorrow, Lucian thought. With the Head Whore’s assistance, the Military Faction of the City Council under Verdant Creek should have harvested most of the benefits left behind by the Shadow Alliance.

Because of the information he gathered at the Whore's pagoda, Lucian had implanted several tasks within the minds of people located near the places where he had heard the Shadow Alliance intended to act.

Tonight, he would learn whether those efforts yielded anything useful. Be it information, artifacts, money, Spirit Stones, or anything else of value.

If I had not passed out, I could have observed a few battles and learned more about the Shadow Alliance and the City Council's true capabilities, he thought. 

The idea was more of a mental note than a regret, as he already had too much on his plate. That's why he manipulated people to observe the battle for him, because he knew he would be busy last night.

Settling most of his inner turmoil, Lucian returned to cultivation, drawing Qi into his body through the Two-Leaf breathing technique.

Wang Chen said the seventh meridian is connected to overcoming the frustration and repressed anger of a failed ascendant and to finding a new path forward, he recalled while sitting motionless with his eyes closed.

He also remembered the parts about Heavenly Tribulations cleansing the mortal shell and the need for courage. However, he could not understand the deeper meaning behind them.

Should I focus on my deepest frustration and anger? He wondered, remembering Giuliana and Glenda’s deaths and their final conversation. That cannot be the same as my deepest regret. Besides, I do not even know what a failed ascendant truly is.

Lucian was bothered by how difficult it was to grasp the true meaning of each meridian, and part of him could not help but wonder whether this was truly only the first realm of a cultivator’s journey.

I can’t force it, he decided. I’ll keep contemplating the seventh meridian, and once I reach an interpretation I’m confident in, I’ll immerse myself in a suitable memory.

Relaxing his body, Lucian felt that his cultivation would not grow through the Two-Leaf breathing technique alone, because his talent for it was simply too poor.

So he switched to his inverted cultivation.

His stage and realm rose, stabilizing at the early stage of the Qi Refining Realm, with the Root Chakra and Sacral Chakra open.

Conjuring the Rune of Lust, Lucian spread his intent into the surroundings and commanded the ambient Qi to flow through his meridians. Then, he tried to open the third chakra at his upper abdomen, the Solar Plexus Chakra.

The process felt like trying to break through a stone wall with a basket of water.

At least Lucian had plenty of water, and he could throw it with enough force. Even dripping water wore away stone given enough time.

After an hour, he felt his Blood Essence reserves dwindling.  Then, standing up, he went to order someone to bring him more war prisoners.

When he encountered a servant, however, her response surprised him.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Bo Xian,” the simply dressed woman said with a bow. “All war prisoners are currently being used for construction and transportation. The shortage of manpower makes it impossible to allocate them elsewhere.”

Despite denying his request, the woman showed no fear.

Looking at the Qi line connected to her, Lucian immediately understood where her confidence came from.

Not wasting time, he said, “Then bring me people to kill. They do not need to be prisoners.”

The woman nodded and bowed again, indicating that she would comply.

Lucian watched her leave before returning to his room.

This is a problem, he thought. Grandmaster Miao must be testing how important killing people truly is for me. He likely wants to observe the aftereffects, whether on my temperament, cultivation, Qi deviation, or overall strength. This was always another reason for me not to kill random people. With time, the deaths pile up and are bound to be discovered.

His thoughts raced as he spread several maps across the floor. These maps were ones he kept and collected from various sources, all depicting the Three Feathers City and the southern region of the Golden Peng Empire.

Just as I remembered, he thought, while he examined the surrounding villages. There are no settlements beyond the Azure Magpie Forest aside from Three Feathers City.

His gaze shifted toward the blue-painted section representing the sea.

There is the Great Sea, but if I go hunting there, I may lose opportunities connected to Wang Chen, Bai Xiaomeng, the sewage project, and the Sword Vein, he analyzed, shaking his head. Not worth it.

Lucian knew he needed to solve this issue. He was not like Hao Bang, who could kill one person per week and consider the matter settled. Much less like Wang Chen, who reluctantly killed a rapist, murderer, or bandit once a month.

He wasn’t a ghoul or jianshi. He was a vampire who constantly relied on Blood Essence. Lucian needed to consume dozens of people every day whenever he was not occupied with something else.

If he hunted within Three Feathers City, killing a few people per day would not be a problem. But after a few days, hundreds of mummified corpses would begin appearing throughout the city, and that would be far too much for the City Council to suppress. Even if he disposed of the bodies, that would amount to far too many disappearances!

Worse, Lucian was convinced Grandmaster Miao was probing him. He couldn't kill more people to show his dependence on this. If he reacted too aggressively or went on a killing spree, Grandmaster Miao would gain valuable clues about how blood was important to him.

While Lucian sat deep in thought, trying to determine his next action, he remained completely unaware that the war prisoners truly were being sent to construction sites, transporting goods, and carrying out their usual labor.

Grandmaster Miao had no desire to clash with him. In fact, the Bo Merchant Chamber had acted on the City Council's orders. Because of Lucian’s appetite, the Merchant Chamber had been purchasing more war prisoners than any other organization in the city, as if to show how rich they were.

And such prisoners did not grow on trees.

They were tribal warriors captured during conflicts across the Great Sea, men and women accused of committing atrocities during wartime.

Exactly what crimes they had committed, and how those wars produced thousands upon thousands of prisoners every week, was a mystery that most powers did not care to investigate.

They accepted the arrangement and moved on.

In the end, because of his own habit of devouring war prisoners, Lucian now found himself facing a dilemma every vampire eventually encountered.

He needed to find a hunting ground.