Silver Clan, Bluecloud City.
The clan’s prestige reached a new level. Everything went well since it orchestrated the Bright Clan’s demise, morale and finances improved with territory and industries gained from the ploy. it received land and resources while the spirit garden and Bluecloud City’s stores went to the Sunflower Pavilion. Part of the land and minor industries split between the White and Cloud clans. Everyone received a share.
“Did they send our share of the profits?” The silver-haired elder seating in the most prominent position in the room, the patriarch of the Silver Clan, asked. The Sunflower Pavilion now monopolized the market of Bluecloud and the surrounding cities.
One elder shook the head, “They’re late again.”
“Those greedy bastards, do they want to turn their backs on our deal?” The patriarch looked furious, “I’d have razed them to the ground long ago!” His aura gushed forth, Spirit Gate Realm, first layer.
“Hehehe, Father, why are you so anxious? It’s only a matter of time before the entire Soaring Country is ours,” a beautiful lady walked in, wearing silver attire, and long hair tied at the back in a ponytail.
“Shi’er, you came! Where is my son-in-law?” The patriarch looked happy as she was his greatest joy.
“He’s still at the academy, this time I came back with a gift,” she handed over a showy box. The patriarch found a pill brimming with spiritual energy inside.
“This is Gate Breaching pill, an initial stage third-step Spirit Gate breakthrough pill! Heavens! An earth rank Pill! How did you get this?” The pill helped the cultivator achieve a breakthrough in a small realm. An initial stage third-step earth rank pill belonged to a tier scarce even to the royal family of the Soaring Country. Only a grandmaster alchemist could create it.
“Hehehe, your son-in-law loves me very much!” The silver lady grinned.
Envy took over the elders. The patriarch frowned, “Even the Sunflower Pavilion and that influence would have a hard time getting their hands on this, how did son-in-law…?”
“Father, you look down on the Brave Clan too much! It came from up there,” the woman pointed to the Heavens, “Not only that, it’s a matter of time before they can make them.”
The information stunned the patriarch. The Brave Clan got their hands on a recipe of this level and alchemists capable of producing them? Seems the decision to give his daughter to that young master was right, even if it brought some shame. He said “son-in-law”, but they were still unmarried.
“Father, take that pill, I’ll try to bring more next time,” she smiled with a natural air of pride.
The patriarch shook the head, “Not me, ancestor reached the third layer, once he breaks through the other clans of Bluecloud City will never threaten us.”
The elders praised the patriarch in their hearts. He had ambition and determination, but all for the sake of the Silver Clan. Who could resist the enticement of taking such a pill? The talentless younger generation caused worry, but the greatest patriarch of Bluecloud City gave them hope.
Before his daughter objected, an elder walked in with a report. He bowed, approached the patriarch, and handed him a sealed letter. The patriarch broke the seal using Qi and frowned as he read, “That boy from the Bright Clan woke up unexpectedly!”
Yin Shi eyes gleamed with a cold light, “The boy that detestable Yun Shufen likes? Wasn’t he dead already?”
“Call Ming Zan in,” the patriarch commanded. A few minutes later the traitorous elder of the Bright Clan, Ming Zan, walked in and kowtowed.
The patriarch tossed the letter at his face and cursed, “Didn’t you tell me that boy was good as dead? What is this? Not only he woke up but also severely injured Yun Lin Xue and walked out the Cloud Clan from the front door! What kind of joke is this!”
“T-this…” Ming Zan turned pale. Woke up? Injured Yun Lin Xue who’s at least third layer of the Spirit Sea Realm? Walked out of the Cloud Clan? That forever stuck on the fourth layer, Ming Ren? Impossible!
“Speak, before your head rolls down the floor,” Yin Shi threatened him without the same graceful behavior as before.
“T-this is impossible! The patri- I mean, the bright clan’s patriarch told us no one ever woke up from that state before, and that it was hopeless. He would be dead in a few years for sure! It’s true, please believe me!” Ming Zan said everything he knew, this lady scared him a lot more than the patriarch.
He knew the rumors about her, a ruthless and charming schemer, untalented in Cultivation. Displease her, and death would be a relief.
“Patriarch, is this report… accurate? Nevermind him waking up, but from what I remember that trash was only at the fourth layer of the Body Tempering Realm, how did he injure that Yun Lin Xue? Not even o-” he was going to say “our talented young mistress”, but refrained from doing so.
Yin Shi was one of the most talented of the Silver Clan but paled compared to Bai Xun, Ming Qiu, Ming Bo, Ming Lan, and especially Yun Shufen. She only reached the ninth layer of The Body Tempering Realm at twenty-four years old, even after consuming many resources over the years. Yet her beauty surpassed even Yun Shuqing, and the young lord of the Brave Clan became interested in her.
“The report has to be accurate!” The patriarch didn’t reveal the source to prevent leaks, “Not only that, he defeated Yun Lin Xue in a mental battle and took control of his body.”
What the hell?!
All the elders were slack-jawed.
“Using Yun Lin Xue, he activated a powerful illusionary array called the Purple Cloud Dreamland, and even Yun Jie fell into it.” The patriarch continued, and it was a good thing there was a floor their jaws could rest on.
“T-that… how? The Bright Clan had such a fearful talent?” Even Yin Shi was aghast. Her eyes landed on Ming Zan.
“N-no, that boy’s comprehension was good, but he was stuck in the fourth layer for four years! How can he be a talent? Besides, he’s good friends with the young miss of the Cloud Clan, someone definitely helped him!” Ming Zan’s explanation made sense, but the patriarch knew his report was accurate. It even included the possibility of this matter be related to the treasure of the Bright Clan.
“Find and bring him alive,” the patriarch pointed to Ming Zan, who bowed several times and ran out of the room as fast as possible.
“Third elder, you help him. We can’t trust that trash to do anything on his own,” another elder nodded and went out.
Yin Shi’s eyes sparkled, “Father, I’ll talk to the clan when I get back and help you catch that rat.”
The patriarch nodded satisfied, “Good, but don’t tell them unnecessary things, just bring him back to me.”
“Hehe, I know!”
*
After mastering the first movement of the sword art, Ming Ren went through the other techniques of the clan: Bright Sword art, Bright Step Movement art, Bright Fist and Palm arts, Bright Kick art, and Bright Eyes Technique. The Bright Sword art had three movements: flash, burst, and blaze. Flash focused on speed, burst on instantaneous power, and blaze on reach. Ming Ren practiced the last two, mastering them in little time. Body Tempering Realm arts no longer stumbled him.
He did the same with fist, palm, and kick arts. Only a few hours passed when he reached the perfection stage in each. Movement arts were important to cover distances or instantaneous movement. The Bright Step Movement art was a human tier Body Tempering Realm burst speed technique, allowing the user to reach a higher realm of speed for an instant, disappearing like a flash in combat.
After mastering the Bright Step Movement art, Ming Ren moved on to the Bright Eyes technique, meditating to comprehend the mysteries of the technique. As expected, it had a common origin with the Divine Bright Eyes. This one was the most mysterious and difficult to understand.
Mystic arts that didn’t directly damage could change along the accomplishment stages. On small accomplishment, the Bright Eyes technique only boosted sight, without other characteristics. Few inside the Bright Clan cultivated this art. Only the most talented of the new generation, Ming Qiu, Ming Ren, and the patriarch reached small accomplishment stage.
Ming Ren never told anyone about it. Activating the technique to practice many times, his eyes sparkled with bright light. At large accomplishment, the light in his eyes diminished, and he saw spiritual energy flow inside his own body!
This level allowed the cultivator to see the spirit flow inside living things, a power most medicine masters would kill for. At great accomplishment, the light dimmed further, and it was as if he could see through illusions. The truth of the world bared itself in front of his eyes.
His curiosity reached peak. He cultivated until the perfection stage, and his eyes looked normal again. At this stage, the activation had no flaws, it would be difficult for anyone to notice it. He could see many other things aside from spiritual energy flow, such as true elements. What a fearsome technique!
Only peak geniuses could advance in its comprehension, and it would take them hundreds of years. Was this truly a human tier art?
“This is a hidden heaven tier art!”
A heaven tier art hidden in a human tier shell. The cultivator couldn’t find it out until the perfection stage. Even Ming Ren couldn’t, and it was only a Body Tempering Realm art.
Ming Ren brimmed with happiness but still wasn’t done. The Bright Clan arts had an innate connection to the True Element of Light. At that realm, he couldn’t sense or use it, making them less effective. If he sensed the element, the Bright Clan techniques would become fearful. To become stronger, aside from gathering different techniques, Ming Ren had one more route open to him.
Creating his own style!