Chapter 2 - I am Long Wan! (pt 2.)

After class we departed a bit on our separate ways, with the promise to meet within the hour at the library. Nie Li took Lu Piao with him on an errand and myself together with the rest went to the dorms to wash and get changed. Personally I took the time to work on getting that damn cultivation technique for Xiao Ning'er. If push comes to shove I will just ask for it directly and vouch for her. Nie Li already knows she is a good girl and an enemy of the Sacred Family. The hour passed fast and most of us found ourselves gathered at a table in a secluded corner of the library. The only missing parties were Nie Li and Lu Piao. It didn't take long for them to join us though.

"Long Wan, catch!" Lu Piao smiled as he threw something at me.

It was a primary soul crystal. My gaze rapidly shifted towards Lu Piao who was smiling like a nut job. "Lu Piao, this is too expensive. Thank you but I can't accept this!" My words came out as I moved to return it. A primary demon spirit crystal was a thousand coins, it would easily be enough to feed a family of four for a month or two from it and still have change to spare.

However Lu Piao pushed my hand away "A gift once given to a friend cannot be returned." He admonished "Besides it was Nie Li's idea."

Nie Li smiled as I turned to him "It was Lu Piao who bought it though. Take it and use it well. And don't worry about the money, your talents if proven true have just saved us a lot more. It also wouldn't be fair to be the only one with no inkling of your soul realm. Besides, I have plans for the near future that will save us the worry of funding."

I nodded with a smile and pulled the crystal up close while scouring my brain on how to use it. Once again Long Wan's memories surged forward and the foreign feeling of using soul force invaded my mind. It was a funny feeling, like that one when you never know that you needed something until you got it. Inner energies are a metaphysical concept back on Earth, but now I couldn't believe that I managed to exist without them.

Tightening my grip on the demon crystal I willed my soul force into it. It was like breathing energy through my skin, and the feeling of having and controlling that energy was better than any coffee I ever had times a thousand.

The crystal shone a bit before it became darker and darker forming an aura of boiling shadows and eleven lobes of orange mist around it. Finally I took to see that the center of the crystal was occupied by eleven wisps of different sizes, each darker than a moonless sky and writhing with tendrils. The light from the surrounding orange mist seemed to spiral in towards the center of the tendrils like it was going down eleven miniature black holes.

Nie Li peeked over my shoulder to look at the crystal and gasped "Void attribute..."

I turned around with a raised eyebrow that said go on. He coughed slightly and continued "It looks like your soul is also formless like mine, but to think that you would have a void attribute. That's even rarer than Lu Piao's Chaos attribute. Forget one in a million people, you would be lucky to find one in ten thousand generations."

That was shocking. Did Long Wan always possess this talent or were we to thank our merger? Void attribute eh.. Then maybe that cultivation technique could work.

Nie Li cupped his chin in thought "This attribute is so rare that I can't think of a suitable cultivation technique. Most that I have were created to help stabilize merging with Void attribute demon spirits and not to increase strength."

"Then what options are there?" I asked hopefully. This was Nie Li, there was no way he didn't have a cheat for me.

The said ginger rested his elbows on the table and thought for a while before answering "I know three cultivation techniques which are more neutral than any others. They fit formless soul realms very well but are not really designed for Void attribute." he sighed. Three cultivation techniques for formless soul realms? He couldn't be thinking about what I think he was thinking…Could he? "They are War God, Void God and Heavenly God."

My ears caught something that I can't believe I missed before "Void God?" I asked. The name was kind of obvious there…

Nie Li shook his head and waved his hand in front of me, motioning me to stop "A pretentious name for the technique. It doesn't mean it's linked to Void element." he laughed

"Ah, it's no problem at all!" he waved his hands in front of me as if he had offended me "We are all good brothers and they're just cultivation techniques. There is no point to their existence if nobody is practicing them. Listen close!"

Willing my soul force to my ears and brain I set up myself for memorizing the technique "Ready!"

Nie Li nodded and said "First is the War God technique. It is the most overbearing and easy to fail at but also the one with the quickest progress of the three"

He started the technique and as soon as soon as I contemplated on the words the surrounding energies surged towards me like a torrent. It was almost like rivers were converging on me filling me with power. However just like rivers can feed lakes, they can also drown. This new soul force was too violent. It twisted and churned my soul ocean and, although very strong, they felt wild and uncomfortable. This wasn't the technique I could enjoy practicing.

"This technique is very powerful but it feels like my soul force is rebelling against me. Please share with me the next one." came my reply as I wiped the sweat from my brow.

"Knowing your limits is written on the staircase to progress. The next one is the Void God cultivation technique. It is the most secretive of the three. While a quite a bit slower than the War God technique but it is calmer. However, nobody ever managed to cultivate it, not even it's creator. Even I don't know the true limits of it's capabilities."

Words of power flowed through Nie Li and just like before, meditating on them caused my soul force to surge and accept the energies as my own. It was like darkness was enveloping me, it didn't do so menacingly but more like it was protecting me. I could sense untapped abilities that would be unlocked, hidden in the dark and would be revealed to me should I continue to practice it. This technique was a lot more fitting for me who liked to fight more with my smarts than my fists but unfortunately, there was a lingering feeling that something was missing."

I huffed a bit after releasing the technique "This one is also incredible." came my review as I turned to Nie Li who nodded " Still, it feels incomplete. It's like someone served me a very delicious meal that just didn't fill me up no matter how much I ate."

"It's indeed a symptom of incomplete compatibility. Perhaps Heavenly God cultivation will suit you the best."

Light and dark energies began flowing towards me as if the heavens and the earth were connecting through me. It felt very comfortable and, although not nearly as fast as the previous two, power was still filling me up, energizing my soul ocean and strengthening me overall. But this was painfully slow and I could see that much more dark energies were being swallowed up by my Dantian than light. Sadly it would seem that even this third attempt would be for naught.

As I chanted the words that Nie Li had shared with me my mind flew towards the Void God chant and a reaction occurred. My inner self suddenly found itself surrounded by darkness. All of a sudden golden words appeared within the dark and with them came a cultivation technique that looked like a mix of the Void God and Heavenly God. However, unlike each separate part felt incomplete, this new technique seemed to be tailor made for me. Dark energies surged towards me and mixed with the void in my soul realm. Just like a large black hole my Void attributed soul force absorbed this new energy without any protest, growing larger by the moment.

At the same time two new abilities that could be willingly used came to my mind like distant memories long forgotten and then remembered again. Both were something to attempt later and gauge their capabilities.

"Long Wan!" came a shout and my consciousness returned to reality and I opened my eyes "Are you okay?" asked Lu Piao.

Why did he seem so scared? "I never felt better. Why do you ask?" my answer came together with my smile.

Du Ze took the chance to answer "After meditating on the last technique your soul force began to explode outwards violently, the intensity increasing and decreasing periodically." he answered and you could see that even Nie Li was slightly worried an puzzled.

My right hand moved to my temple and I sighed "Something weird did indeed happen…" I said pausing to think the best way to explain this "I think the Heavenly God technique and the Void God technique merged within my mind to form a new cultivation technique."

From across the table Nie Li suddenly moved forwards towards me, slamming his hands lightly on the table looking like a kid in a candy store "Really? How?"

Although taken aback by the suddenness of his actions I shrugged "No idea." The Heavenly God cultivation technique definitely didn't cause something like this in the original novel "Perhaps it's a side affect of the Void God technique. When I chanted it I felt like there were many secrets inside. Or maybe it has something to do with my Void affinity. For all we know it could be a combination of all these factors…"

"I feel great. This technique seems to be a perfect match. When chanting it I could feel that my soul force turned into an all-consuming darkness that grew as I cultivated and with it so did my strength." taking the soul crystal my energies flowed into it and soon the my soul realm started being reflected in the image in its core. Unlike before however there were no more wispy shadows, but one writhing blob of slowly spiraling darkness with four tendrils reaching out as if pointing to the cardinal directions. What was strange was that, indifferent of how you looked at it or from where the blob always seemed to meet you with the same appearance .

"Interesting." Hummed Nie Li. Meeting my curious expression he continued "Formless soul realms are indeed more likely to change. Whatever happened with your cultivation technique also mutated your soul realm into an entirely new form. I don't know what its new limits are, but just by looking at it I can tell that it has near limitless potential. I am curious about how it matches your new technique."

Focusing on the technique I began chanting the words that once had illuminated the darkness my mind had found itself in. Nie Li immediately closed his eyes and turned to his vast knowledge to analyze it "This technique is amazing. The chants are a mix of both parent cultivations, with characteristics from both but with a variation that I don't recognize to fill in the gaps. Let's see..." Explained Nie Li before sinking deeper into thought "From the Heavenly God technique it gained the ability to commune with the Heavens and Earth, the ability to refine the breath and then use it to refine the body as well as integrate with more than one demon spirit, with the limit being four. However, due to your Void attribute, those demon spirits must be either Yin or dark aligned. As for the Void God part, it increases your mental fortitude allowing you to have a high resistance to mental attacks as well as increasing your focus. You also gained the ability to use surrounding Yin energy to alleviate mental fatigue, very useful when aiming for higher levels of cultivation. "

Forget amazing, this technique is incredible. While it had the limitation of dark aligned spirits, I really didn't mind it. If I remember correctly from the novel, dark aligned demon spirits have some of the coolest abilities. Take for example the… what was that called? … Ah yes, the Shadow Devil. Or that spirit that prevented Shen Hong's escape, the Nether Phantom (I think that's what it was called) which had the ability to seal space-time.

"As for the parts that elude me, only time will tell…" finished Nie Li. There was more?! Holy hell what kind of monster did my mind give birth to. Talk about cheats and being overpowered, I feel more like the main character than Nie Lie. But I don't wanna be a main character. I wanna be a side one. Side characters generally stay out of trouble since troubles are like MC seeking missiles.

Lu Piao immediately perked up and said "Let me try it too!" He sat cross-legged and started chanting but nothing happened. "This technique is garbage. I had more increase in power from the institute's techniques!" he cried out after failing to cultivate after a few seconds but was struck on the back of his head by Nie Li.

The look Nie Li gave him was incredulous "That technique is not suited for you that is why it's useless in your hands. It transforms the many kind of energies it absorbs into Void attributed one with nearly perfect efficiency. Your soul realm has a different attribute so it will reject that soul force and only absorb scraps." he chastised Lu Piao who looked sheepish. Then Nie Li turned to me "Long Wan, what will you call this technique?"

"Me?" I asked taken off guard.

The carrottop nodded "It owes it's birth to you. You are its parent so you get naming rights."

"Very fitting . The technique shall be known as that " Nie Li approved and the rest nodded.

There was a real need to shift the attention from me. "What about the rest? Do you have some techniques for them?" I asked Nie Li.

He snapped back to reality and looked towards Du Ze "Du Ze's soul realm was Lightning Fire attributed with the Heavenly Thundercloud form. You'll practice Heavenly Qilin technique, one of the three strongest Lightning Flame cultivation techniques. I will impart you with the chants for the technique and I'll also make a copy of the various martial arts for it in the future!" Nie Li soon imparted the chant for the technique to Du Ze. Heavenly Qilin technique's chant isn't too cryptic, so Du Ze remembered it very quickly.

Softly contemplating the chant inwards, Du Ze was extremely shocked by it. The Heavenly Qilin technique is definitely stronger than any other cultivation technique that he had seen in the past, save for the three… uh four God techniques he saw before ! But this technique fitted him the most. Just by chanting, Du Ze already felt his soul realm frantically surging; his soul force also had obvious signs of strengthening. He has yet to begin training and his soul force already began to expand and increase! It's foreseeable that after practicing this Heavenly Qilin cultivation technique, Du Ze will have all kinds of leaps and bounds with his soul force!

All this time, Du Ze has been struggling with the bleak fate of his family. His dream is to change the fate of his parents and family, but he clearly knew that this goal was too far away. But at this moment, Du Ze probably felt that by diligently practicing the Heavenly Qilin cultivation technique, all of this wouldn't pose a problem! All of this is given to him by Nie Li!

"Seems we were correct in determining Brother Ze's soul realm capabilities." I patted myself on the back. My plans would've been thrown down the latrine if something had changed…

"Yes, that is correct. I will also record for you all the details of the cultivation technique in a few days!" Nie Li said as he faintly smiled.

Du Ze is filled with gratitude for both myself and Nie Li. His eye redden, solemnly saying, "The kindness of imparting Heavenly Qilin technique to me, the help you gave me in determining my talents, I appreciate it all! If you have anything I could be of help to you in the future, even if it's to hike the jagged mountains or to swim the flaming sea, if I, Du Ze were to event consider hesitating, then let me suffer Heaven's retribution!"

"Don't put it this way, we're good brothers! It's just a cultivation technique!" Nie Li slightly smiled as he patted on Du Ze's back. I also squeezed Du Ze's shoulder firmly in reassurance.

I was beginning to understand my merger with Long Wan. It would seem that when we merged he became a sort of subconscious. His instincts, memories and sentiments became my own while I became the conscious and the logic. On that part Long Wan was similar to Du Ze. Being an orphan he… I… damn reincarnation, anyway 'we' had a hard life with no people to even call friends, much less brothers. Due to this, it didn't matter how many schemes and plans I had, his existence wouldn't let me betray anyone I declared close.

At this moment, Lu Piao already couldn't wait anymore from the excitement, saying at the side "You guys talk too mushy, as brothers we should share the blessings and the misfortune together! Nie Li, I'm just a red soul realm, am I also suitable to train soul force?"

"Of course, everyone can train in soul force, even if it's red soul realm, except there's a difference in the cultivation technique that is suited for red soul realm!" Nie Li said, smiling "And as mentioned during class you will practice the Holy Primal Chaos technique.

"Is it stronger than Du Ze's ?" Lu Piao asked excitedly, causing Wei Nan to facepalm. Du Ze didn't seem to take it to heart though. That was just Lu Piao being Lu Piao…

"Holy Primal Chaos technique isn't in any way inferior to Heavenly Qilin technique and again, it suits your lazy personality best since it doesn't require much practice." Nie Li said laughing, "It depends on your luck but it will allow you to step on the road to reach the highest level."

Nie Li also began to test Wei Nan, Zhu Xiangjun, Zhang Ming and gift them each with a set of powerful cultivation techniques. One after one, my words were proven true and those techniques fit their aptitudes perfectly. With each match I noticed how the last remaining doubts in Nie Li's minds slowly evaporated into non-existence. Although it can't be compare with Holy Primal Chaos, Heavenly Qilin technique or my Heavenly Void Dragon God technique, they are still cultivation techniques that no other technique in Glory City can be compared to.

Nie Li then spoke "As for myself…"

"Heavenly God?" I asked or more like predicted with a smirk.

"Heavenly God." Nie Li nodded and began cultivating with us joining him a moment later.

***The Heavenly Dao shines and the Dao of the Void consumes. Heaven shrouds and the Void contains. The Great Dao envelops but cannot contest the path you chose. To know all is impossible for such is nature.***

I continued mentally chanting over and over, contemplating the meaning behind the words. Then I remembered something from Earth. Astronomy was a small amateurish passion of mine, as were all the natural sciences so my mind flew to stars and black holes ( Heavenly Dao shines and the Dao of the Void consumes), to galaxies and voids ( Heaven shrouds and the Void contains.). To the nature of reality, a universe that exists because we acknowledge it (Great Dao envelops but cannot contest the path you chose). Finally to the uncertainty principle of the very small ( To know all is impossible for such is nature)

Energies began pouring rapidly within the center of my soul realm until... Boom! My soul force exploded with green color and it felt unbelievable. It was like I could take over the world, like my fate was mine alone.

"Long Wan you..." I heard Du Ze begin as I opened my eyes "1-star bronze rank. Congratulations!"

"Congratulations!" This time it came from Zhu Xiangjun.

"Wah! Brother Wan you are amazing! How did you do it?" Lu Piao asked me as he slung his arm over my shoulder.

My mind was beginning to reset "I think... I ... managed to contemplate some of the true meaning behind the first chapter of the Heavenly Void Dragon God."

"You truly are an amazing person." Came Nie Li's stunned reply "Understanding true meaning behind a cultivation technique means making that technique truly your own. From now on your progress should be even faster than before. Achieving such understanding within the first hour is unheard of even in the most seasoned cultivator."

Nie Li had never known Long Wan in his previous life. If my alter ego from that timeline was also Void attributed and had a formless soul realm then, with Glory City's horrible techniques and his own lack of suitable talent then it would be safe to say that Long Wan would never had had the chance to stand out and thus no chance to remain in Nie Li's direct memories. For f.u.c.ks sake he was an unknown even for me when I read the novel back on Earth. Now, I felt so cheaty I almost wanted to be nerfed.

Du Ze and Wei Nan also approved what Nie Li said with Lu Piao and the resy looking at my like I grew a second head.

I gently waved them off "Thank you for your kind praise but I am still very inexperienced. There is still a lot more I need to understand about both this technique as well as life in general."

"As am I." Du Ze acknowledged.

Suddenly Nie Li got up and stretched. "This is enough for one evening. We had a good head start so there is no point in pushing ourselves too much." He twisted around to get the kinks out of his muscles.

"Ehh? I can still keep going!" Declared Lu Piao while puffing his c.h.e.s.t.

Smirking I replied with " Don't you mean you can keep snoring? You've been asleep since we started meditating." Of course I was lost in my own cultivation then so I wasn't paying him any mind to know for sure. However, the dejected look on his face told me I hit the nail square on the head.

"That's just how my cultivation works. You guys are just jealous of my innate talent." He retorted causing all of us to erupt in laughter.

"Nie Li.." came my call "Earlier you said you will show me the Daoyin technique." I wanted to meet Ning'er tonight so this couldn't wait.

My new brother from another mother smiled and nodded "Alright, it's a really simple technique that involves using your soul force to grab hold of or redirect elements within yourself or another person so it shouldn't take more than an hour so let me show you. First you need to memorize the meridian points and how to feel the person's chi paths..." There were many more words and instructions after this and I used my soul force in my brain to memorize them all. A surprise came in the form of Du Ze also taking a liking to this technique and learning how to do it. Lu Piao however was far too impatient and the trio had neither the aptitude for it nor the ambition to learn.

A short while later I was in the hunting grounds on my knees gasping for air while in front of me lay the body of a horned sheep demon beast. While searching for Ning'er's cultivation spot I stumbled upon it and it charged at me as per its territorial nature. Although I made a tactical retreat (ran like I motherf.u.c.k.i.n.g stole something), the dammed horny mutton chop managed to corner me so in the end I had no choice but to fight. However, demon beasts are generally a half-level level stronger than practitioners so a one star bronze rank fighter/demon spiritualist was at a disadvantage when facing a one-star bronze rank demon beast. Coupled with my absolute lack of combat experience it meant that I was fodder for the beast. It almost trampled me to death until my instinct activated and called out all my soul force in my fist before throwing it forward right into its face. The next thing I saw were tendrils of obsidian dark that would make Shub-Niggurath itself jealous extended from my fist and pierced the skull of the beast killing it instantly.

This must be one of the secret techniques of the Heavenly Void Dragon God cultivation, the ability to manipulate internal energies to produce these… Void tendrils. After recovering my breath I moved to a nearby tree and summoned a single tendril from my palm. Getting more inventive I tried summoning it from other places and realized that any part of my body could be used to generate it. Also, it could split into any number of smaller tendrils, stretch to increase range or shape it into any shape I could imagine. The only limit was that it had a limited amount of… what should I call it? Energy? Soul Force? Void mass? I kind of like that last one. Anyway, the Void mass was limited so each time I split or stretched the tendrils they would become thinner. The mass limit was equal to my own body but I had a feeling this would grow as my strength did. This means I could produce a kind of pure black copy of my body from this Void mass.

Setting my target I summoned a tendril as thick as my arm and shaped it into a blade. My arm moved like a whip and I intended to chop down the tree with one fluid motion. The blade met absolutely no resistance up to a quarter of the tree's thickness when it suddenly collapsed and crumbled like wet sand, taking a good bite out of my stamina as well. This got me curious and I made a smaller blade and moved to cut a boulder with it. Like before, there was absolutely no resistance up to a few centimeters when it also crumbled.

Looking at the cuts I could see something strange. There was no crushing on the area. Even leaves that barely stuck to the surfaces of the rocks and tree seemed to be missing part of it but otherwise undisturbed. I sat down and began contemplating my own soul force and this new information. The only conclusion to be drawn was that this Void mass actually swallowed everything I wanted to pierce or cut, and when it had reached its limits it would crumble apart. However, doesn't this mean I have a virtually unstoppable blade? I would need to experiment further.

Stretching a string made from this energy my focused moved to a small rock. I wanted to get more information on how much this mass could 'devour' . Seeing it wrap around like a net, I couldn't help but think how cool it would be if I could reel in in. What the f.u.c.k?! I ducked fast as the rock came flying towards my head at blinding speed. I tried again and the same result. The next thing I wanted the rock to be brought gently into my hand and the tendril just fished it up and set it with the utmost care into my palm. Ok. So the mass followed my intention. It would devour things I wanted destroyed, otherwise it would act as an extension of my body. Also, using it without it consuming anything also didn't affect my stamina.

Nodding and feeling the exhaustion beginning to set, my thoughts moved towards Ning'er. As I was preparing to set out I remembered something important. There was a dead horned sheep near me and it was full of valuable items. The horns and fur were too bulky for me to carry, but the demon crystal was not. Forming a Void blade (corny name I know. It seems corny-ness will be a theme) I split it's skull and a small light temporarily blinded me. It had a demon spirit! These demon spirits are rare, one in several thousand demon beasts have one. The spirit felt strangely solid in my hand so I took it and the crystal and stuffed them both into my pocket. This spirit was mostly useless but it could be used for inscriptions so it sold for at least a few thousand.

Moving on, I took to jumping from tree to tree in order to avoid any more sheep along the way until I saw a green-ish light in the distance. Reaching it in the following moments I stayed up on the branch as I peeked at the source of it.

The moonlight allowed me to see a slender and slim figure standing in the middle of the moonlight . She had shoulder length hair, was wearing a leather jacket, and was exuding a faint blue light. This is the light of soul force! Although she hadn't step into Bronze rank, she should be entering Bronze rank soon. Using the light from the soul force, my eyes landed on her face . Her eyes were shut, her long eyelashes slightly trembled, and delicate eyebrows were slightly tightened in discomfort. She had flawless, white skin glowing a healthy pink, and

rich, delicate lips .

"Ning'er…" I whispered to myself but apparently it was louder than I intended. With her soul force her senses were probably a lot more advanced than ordinary people.

"Who's there!?" Xiao Ning'er suddenly opens her eyes, and frailly shouted, while retrieving a short dagger from her interspatial ring. Her facial expression was chilling cold as she scanned the area for me. Through the moonlight, those deeply alert eyes had an indescribable charm in them. Although she was only thirteen years old, the current her can definitely be considered beautiful. The leather jacket's front c.h.e.s.t area was slightly budding. At this age, she can definitely be proud of it.

Jumping down a good distance from her I waved in greeting "Good evening classmate Xiao Ning'er!" Although neither the past Long Wan nor myself have ever talked with Xiao Ning'er, we can still be considered classmates and thus somewhat familiar with each other.

Xiao Ning'er lowered her short dagger, but still kept her guard up as she looked at me and said, "Long Wan? What are you doing here?"

She knew who I was? Maybe se remembered me as I was one of the two weirdos who stood up to Shen Xiu. Crossing my arms in front of my c.h.e.s.t and tilting my head I answered with a kind smile "Looking for you." but then I winced as moving my head had unintentionally crushed a bruise I received as a gift from that damn sheep "Ouch. But it seems I found only trouble at first."

Ning'er's face showed a small trace of concern but her features were still icy "What?"

My right hand moved to my neck as my left waved her concern off "It's nothing. I just danced with a horned sheep earlier." That's the first time I ever danced the Judo too.

Her face twisted with mild annoyance "I did't ask that. Why are you looking for me?" she raised her knife again.

Sighing, my features turned serious "During class I noticed you were suffering some discomfort…" my gaze then fell to the bruise on her foot before she pulled it back. A slender hand moved to her mouth to hide her surprise but before she could voice anything I continued "As night falls doesn't your body begin to feel colder and colder, getting absolutely unbearable near the peak of the night? " a gasp told me I was right "Besides that, your feet begin to burn as if they were boiling on the inside." each word made her eyes widen more and more "Finally, your body should've developed very painful bruises." I said confidently, "Thankfully you still haven't reached Bronze rank yet. However, once your soul force breaks through, your affliction will advance at a rapid pace. Best case you'll be bedridden for months. Worse case your soul realm will freeze and you will die. "

Xiao Ning'er was momentarily dazed . Both of her fists were clenched tightly, and her eyes reddened. Despair flashed across her face and tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. Even wrought with misery she was still insanely beautiful. My previous self wouldn't consider her more than a good kid, but this self of mine had Long Wan's thirteen year old heart and body. Not to mention my own fanboy… fanman love for her. I remembered that ever since she was young, her family had been wanting for her to marry into the Sacred Family by marrying Shen Fei . As she grew up, she gradually learned what kind of person Shen Fei was . Because she didn't want to get married to that waste of space, she started practicing very hard with hopes of avoiding this cruel fate . Unfortunately, the

heavens seemed to work against her, since she who would soon reach 1-star Bronze rank, suddenly got to hear from me such news .

"Long Wan, since you know what kind of illness I have, you should know how to treat it, right?" Xiao Ning'er asked me. She was definitely frightened by my words since she unknowingly dropped her strong guard and pleaded "Can you help me?"

Xiao Ning'er had a strong personality and rarely asked others for help . Crouching down and resting my hands on my knees I said with a smile "This affliction can be treated. You can look it up in the Holy Orchid Institute's library . The affliction is called: Arctic affliction. It's actually relatively easy and inexpensive to cure."

"Really?" replied Xiao Ning'er . Her eyes shined with hope "How can it be treated?"

"Every day you must drink an infusion made from combining Golden Striped Grass with Imperial Sky Grass, once in the morning and once before night falls. I would suspect that the chills and other sensations you feel will disappear within the month." came my reply and I could see the despair washing from her expression. "However, your bruises are a different story. They will need a long time to pass, perhaps years."

"Is that so…?" she whispered dejected. They were painful. I remember in the novel it said she cried herself to sleep at night.

My head moved side to side in denial "There is a way to dissipate them. It is called the Daoyin redirecting technique."

"Daoyin technique?" repeated Xiao Ning'er . She knitted her brows. She had never heard of any Daoyin technique before.

"Those bruises are from an acc.u.mulation of strong Yin energy. You have been practicing in the night so cold moon Yin seeped in." I had half the idea what I was talking about but she didn't need to know that "Though there are exception to this rule, a woman's soul force normally has more Yin energy whilst a man's is full of Yang. Before reaching Bronze rank that extra moon energy couldn't be contained by your soul realm so it moved to acc.u.mulate in other areas. The Daoyin technique can disperse that energy allowing the medicine to neutralize it. This is also why you must stop practicing when midnight comes." I explained "There is also a chance your cultivation technique is strongly Yin aligned. May I see it?"

Xiao Ning'er hesitated for a moment. Cultivation techniques were closely guarded family secrets but I knew she would come around. She retrieved her cultivation technique from her interspatial ring and handed it to me. It was a piece of slightly aged parchment, with a bunch of densely packed words written on it .

I couldn't understand jack shit from it. It wasn't me who had centuries worth of experience on it however trying to move my soul force according to it left me with a slimy feeing in my soul realm considering that I was comparing it to the supreme techniques that Nie Li imparted us as well as my own "Urgh, this technique is too poor." I rolled it up and moved to give it back to her and as she picked it up her fingers touched mine. They were indeed soft and even though she was a hard worker I couldn't feel a trace of calluses on them. Looking up, the moonlight revealed to me her boiling red face. Girls in this world are so cute and pure! Letting out a breath of air I didn't know I was holding in my next words followed "I will try to find a suitable cultivation technique for you in the next following days. Until then I suggest you practice using a more neutral one. At least until your affliction cures." I said and she nodded "Do you have a piece of soul crystal with you? If not bring one over tomorrow night. Just one will be enough and it must be unused before. I will test your innate talents with it."

"I have one now…" she answered with a strained voice. Demons and Gods she was cute! A crystal appeared in her hand and she moved to give it to me.

"Ah, you don't need to hand it to me. Just channel your soul force into it and after we will take a look." I pushed it back without touching her

"Okay," Xiao Ning'er nodded her head and injected her soul force into the crystal, the crystal released a dazzling light . Inside the light was slowly forming into a Jiao Dragon with large wings, and it was flying though a lightning storm.

"Soul force of 83, Winged Dragon soul form with the Wind-Lightning attribute. "

"Wind Lightning Attribute, Winged Dragon shaped soul form, what are they?" Xiao Ning'er couldn't understand what I just said . Doubt filled her beautiful pupils .

I smiled. Nie Li never explained this properly to her in the novel either "Reusing soul crystals causes a reaction with the lingering soul force in them that makes them cloudy. This is why only the color and the amount of soul force is shown in them. Using a fresh one reveals not only that but also the shape and attribute which are the actual things that influence cultivation." I could see more questions forming inside her mind but I didn't allow her to continue "The attributes are the ones you should focus when cultivating. For example your attribute is wind lightning, which means that with a cultivation technique attuned to either or both elements of wind or lightning your cultivation will increase exponentially." pausing to let it sink in before continuing "However if for example you practiced earth or fire cultivation your progress would be negatively affected and you would need to put many more times the effort to obtain even a crumb of results."

Her hand moved to her mouth in realization and surprise "Oh!" she whispered

"As for demon spirits, a compatible demon spirit of good quality will increase your talents even further while an opposing one will decrease it. In some cases it is even impossible to merge with demon spirits due to opposing natures. Soul forms on the other hand are special traits that each person possesses. And just like attributes, some are extraordinarily rare, others not so much."

You could see the look of understanding slowly being built in her head "Your soul form…" she tensed "…grants you exceptional cultivation efficiency. Practicing any kind of cultivation technique will produce more for you than nearly any other. It is a top tier legendary soul form. If I possessed such frightening talent, I would've already been scratching at the door to Silver Rank. This is why you nearly reached bronze rank with your low quality cultivation technique. But with a top wind lightning technique you would be unmatched. "

Finishing my explanation before she could retort on her family's cultivation technique, I stood up straight and stretched "I think this will be enough for the night. We should head home. Don't forget to drink your medicine and take it easy.." I said as I made my way towards the direction that I came from.

"Long Wan!" she called out. "Do you know the Daoyin technique?" she asked meekly.

Turning around slightly I replied "The Daoyin technique is a massage so it requires contact with the bruised area. I know it but it wouldn't be appropriate for a man to do it."

She lowered her head, blush forming on her face and said, "I don't mind . Isn't it you just treating me? I don't want to turn into a useless person . "

"Very well, I'll help you. Where are your bruises?" foot and her side, I already knew but she didn't knew I knew…

Xiao Ning'er's cold cheeks slightly blushed and pointed to the back of her foot "There's one here . "

I crouched down, and sat on the grass patch .She then placed her foot on my legs and a light flashed across her eyes . She seemed to be thinking of something . Gripping onto Xiao Ning'er's creamy marble white foot made my heart run miles. I could clearly see that Xiao Ning'er's smooth tight calves were simply perfect "I'll state once more just to avoid any misunderstandings, I'm only treating your affliction. It's also a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to meet you . I hope that we can be friends in the future," I explained as I looked at Xiao Ning'er's charming face . Hearing my words, Xiao Ning'er's shoulders slightly shook . She nodded her head and faintly muttered, "En . "

My hand gripped Xiao Ning'er's foot, thumb at the bruised area and, gently, I started to massage it.

"Ah" Xiao Ning'er couldn't help to let out a pained sound .

Pursing my lips I stated "The first time will hurt a little so b.a.r.e with it." I really wanted to say that "And yes, I do understand how that sounded but try to keep your head on the situation at hand."

While my face was slightly rosy , Ning'er's was a repository for blood. After all, some of the girls her age are already married with kids so she would be taught about intimacy by her handmaidens. After a while, under my massage Xiao Ning'er couldn't help letting out a little 'ah', which made her endlessly timid. The pain that clouded her eyes was slowly washing away as relief came with her breaths.

"Done," I said a few minutes later as I finished the massage. The Yin energy was now dissipated but it would partially recollect again requiring the area to be massaged again until fully cured.

"In the next few day, there will still be traces of pain, you will be fine with some rest. "

"En," said Xiao Ning'er, nodding her head . Suddenly, her cheeks flushing red and I knew what she was going to say, "I still have another bruise, could you massage it, too?"

"Another bruise?" my c.h.e.s.t started pounding but I swallowed the feeling back. "Where is it?" I asked. Here it comes… Xiao Ning'er hesitated for a long time, her face shyly blushing red. "If it's not appropriate… . " I continued remembering the scene from the novel.

"Long Wan, do you have someone you like?" she asked meekly.

Tough I was expecting it, anxiety still started gripping me and it made me feel light-headed "Yes." I stated without hesitation.

"Who is she?" she asked, slowly moving her hand to the top of her jacket.

I smiled and looked directly in her eyes "She's amazing. Strong, gentle, intelligent and unwavering. Regardless of hardsh.i.p.s she always pushed forward and was always someone to be admired. And to me she is definitely the brightest and most beautiful gem in existence." my words came out as I described the girl in front of me. It was so easy to point out each one of the things that attracted a person when the said target of affection is in front of you.

Xiao Ning'er's eyes flashed with a sentiment that I couldn't quite decrypt. It also seems she didn't understand that it was her and asked, "Then, does she like you back?"

I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, not saying a word more. Ning'er looked puzzled for a moment before she giggled. It seems she will not push this matter further. Grinding her teeth, she began to undo the buttons on her shirt . "Ning'er." her name exited firmly out of my mouth and it caused her to stop at the second button "I suspect your bruise is on the side. You avoid leaning in that direction." she looked like a deer in the headlights and nodded not knowing what to do anymore. It wasn't easy for her to undress in front of me and now I surprised the resolve out of her. I got up and moved behind her "I can treat the bruise from here."

Xiao Ning'er actually began to look somewhat dejected.

Sighing hard I snapped her out of that melancholy "Don't misunderstand, there isn't any man alive that's not family that wouldn't want to see. It's just that a good woman's modesty is too precious to her." I said with a flat voice to cover my excitement. I'm probably the only male her age that wouldn't end up castrated by her for saying something like that to her face… uh to her back.

"Ah! En." She nodded in appreciation of my consideration for her. Even though she was now facing her back towards me I could feel that she was smiling.

I watched as Xiao Ning'er slowly removed her shirt . Her cold back had an unspeakable charm to it . The first button, then the second button . Xiao Ning'er's fat-less smooth white skin was already

visible, glowing under the moonlight . After the fifth button was undone, Xiao Ning'er's perfect curves were revealed and she was absolutely divine. Her c.h.e.s.t area was wrapped in a pink silk bandage and I couldn't help swallowing down the drool that rained in my mouth. Her figure can be described as extremely hot . With only a glance, she would drive many men crazy .

"Amazing…" I whispered but she must have heard it because I saw her flinch. Pushing the naughty thoughts away I calmed his mind bit and my eyes fell on Xiao Ning'er's side. Near her lower rib sat an extremely dark bruise . Although it is only the size of a thumb, the color was very deep. "Poor girl…" I cooed softly "Even the strongest warriors would cry themselves to sleep when the moon was high. You did very surviving up to now. It's something to take pride in, but you've suffered enough."

Muffled heaves hit my ears and Xiao Ning'er's body began trembling. A strange feeling welled up from the center of my Dantian. Fueled by pure rage the Daoyin energy changed from a silvery-blue to impossibly black. Rage towards the Sacred Family for putting her through such torture, rage towards the Winged Dragon Family that dared allow such torture, rage towards her friends who abandoned her and finally the purest rage towards the damn cold Yin energy that gave her many sleepless nights. Since my mind was brimming with such rage I failed to notice the change in my Daoyin technique. The Void energy rapidly seeped inside her, and like a pack of starving wolves on a hunt it barreled down towards the cold Yin destroying any trace of it that it came across and fully clearing it out in mere moments. All that Yin energy went straight into my soul realm enlarging it and pushing me closer to 2 star bronze. This happened before I realized that it did.

The feeling of pain must have washed away instantly as a loud m.o.a.n escaped her voice. It wasn't a calm one at that. It was a full on roar. "Ahaa!" she let out together with all the air in her lungs, sweat wetting her skin and the cloth on her c.h.e.s.t. She slumped forward, using her arms to avoid falling on the ground.

Unconsciously my hands met her b.a.r.e waist to protect her and prevent her face from meeting the cold grass as I leaned forward to see her face "Ning'er, are you alright!"

She shook out of my grasp and pushed me away "Ah! I'm alright!" She crossed her arms in front of her c.h.e.s.t to cover it.

"My bad!" I turned away from her "It seems I lost control of my power and ended up removing all invading Yin energy too fast. Ahem, you should have no more problems but you should take tomorrow off from school to rest." Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject…

Ning'er was silent as she put her clothes back. I needed a way to dispel this atmosphere "Let's meet here tomorrow night as well. I will try to find a wind lightning attribute cultivation technique for you till then…" I said before jumping away. I couldn't face her now. Had I turned back I would've heard Ning'er calling out my name …

The following day was pretty much the same until after class. It seemed that Ning'er took my advice and didn't show up. This time I was fully prepared to get that technique from Nie Li. Yesterday I had scribbled something before meeting in the library with the gang. What I had written down was the Lightning Dragon cultivation technique. A bastardized, crude, almost inhumane version of the technique written from my memories of the novel as well as Long Wan's memories on cultivation. Comparing it to the Heavenly Void Dragon God was painful to me. I had used very dilute ink , spilled some oil and dirt on the parchment and left it in the sun to bleach. I tried to make it look as scribbly and garbage as I could.

You might ask why not just ask the technique from Nie Li. Well, how would it sound 'Give me a legendary technique that you found in some lost ruins in another realm that I wasn't supposed to know about."? Yeah. You can see how that would work and stating that it was for Ning'er could backfire. Nope, this needed a stealth approach...

Following my plan I was also the first in the library, and taking out the parchment I pretended to start studying it with gusto as soon as Nie Li's voice registered in my ears.

"Long Wan!" the group greeted and I nodded back.

Lu Piao swung his arm over my shoulder "What are you doing?" he asked as he was the first to see the parchment.

I chuckled and pointed at the paper "I once found this paper that had been thrown away and when I looked at it there was a cultivation technique written on it. It sounded powerful so I tried to study it but it didn't work. Its become some sort of hobby for me to try and work out why."

"A cultivation technique? Can you tell me what it is about, perhaps I can help." Nie Li interrupted as his interest peaked.

"It's supposed to be a cultivation technique called Lightning Dragon." I answered with a smile.

"What?" a surprised Nie Li got up and moved to my side. Taking a few quick glances at the technique I could tell he could tell that it stinks. It was as if the paper was insulting him "Brother Wan should put it back in the trash where you found it. This is not the Lightning Dragon cultivation technique. Actually I don't know what this can be called. A child's scribbles at best." he almost vomited on the paper.

"Oh" I answered dejected. All according to plan "Wait!" I turned to Nie Li in surprise, anxiety evident in my voice. "You said that this is not the Lighting Dragon technique. Does brother Li know the real one?" I used the anxiety I had from my plan as a cover for my hobby.

Nie LI smiled and nodded "Actually I do. But Long Wan, that is not a suitable technique for you." he said as he took his seat back.

I expected this but still pretended to be surprised "Ah, I don't want to practice it." I want to give it to Ning'er "It's just that, after so long…" my hand waved over the scribbled parchment as I started staring hard at the paper.

The expression on Nie Li turned slightly softer "You want closure. That obsession is something I can understand... Listen close, this is the true Lightning Dragon technique."

My mind filled in with the new technique and I finally had the last piece of the puzzle. I knew that Nie Li couldn't resist. That hubris he had due to his knowledge was an exploitable weakness, of which I now suspect he also knew about which is why he always kept a tight lid on his mouth in the novel. But he always let his guard down around those he considered friends. It was also strange for me to have a virtual stranger trust me so much. That wasn't something I had in any lifetime. Feelings I never knew I could have welled up from inside my stomach. It honestly made me want to give my life for Nie Li.

Suddenly Nie Li beamed "Ah, don't wait for me tomorrow, I have some plans and won't be coming."

Nie Li had plans for tomorrow? But he didn't diss Shen Xiu in front of the experts so it couldn't be Zyiun. Ah, of course. I looked towards Nie Li and said "Good luck and watch out for director Yang Xin. Roumor has it that s he has a thing for smart young boys."

With that I scrammed before Nie Li started explain the reason for his .

Moving through the forest at a rapid pace I landed at the spot where I left yesterday to find Xiao Ning'er waiting for me. Today she was wearing a checker laced dress . Her ink black hair was scattered around on her back and she wore a bracelet on her marble white wrist, becoming extraordinarily beautiful and charming. Usually she would wear a tight fitting jacket as it was convenient to train in.

However, she seemed to have meticulously dressed herself up today . She was even more beautiful compared to how she usually dressed . This was how she would've dressed for Nie Li in another timeline. Now it just made it harder for me to keep my composure.

She didn't say anything, just shily looked away, a blush adorning her marble white cheeks. I approached slowly and said "I have a cultivation technique for you. This cultivation technique is much stronger than the one you're practicing!"

She nodded and started paying attention as I shared the Lightning Dragon technique with her, shyness rapidly being replaced by shock.

"This cultivation technique is called Lightning Dragon!" I said when finished sharing the technique.

Xiao Ning'er continued to stay silent and it pained me highly. Did I do something yesterday to upset her? Why would she doll up if I did? Sigh women, what an enigmatic species… "Long Wan…" she finally called out, strain evident in her voice but still not looking at me "Yesterday…" she paused again "I acted disgracefully and even pushed you away when you were concerned for me."

Huh? Is that what she was worried about? No way! I could hug her so hard right now it would split her in two.

Before I could voice anything she continued "Now you even shared a such a powerful cultivation technique with me." She bit her lip "I don't know how to repay you . But no matter what you want me to do, I am willing to do it. "

I knew it would work. I had all the information and tools at my disposal. My plan was flawless. But actually hearing the girl I like say that, I couldn't be more happy.

Slowly, I made my way in front of her until we were less than an arm's length apart. She started to tremble but put on a brave front and didn't retreat "You should be careful with what you say. Anyone else other than me might abuse that privilege and take advantage of you."

She nodded as tears started forming in her eyes "Yes." her voice trembled "You have someone you like…"

'Silly girl' I thought as my hand moved a strand of her hair to her side. Once again she jumped a bit but didn't move. My voice strained but in the end it came out as soothing as possible.

"I never said that person wasn't you…"