Chapter 139: Incompatible Visions

Chapter 139: Incompatible Visions

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The Technique Hall is full of rows upon rows of shelves. Some are so tall they touch the ceiling. Others do not even reach Lu Meis waist. They are all full of books, pamphlets, and scrolls, all piled on top of each other and covered in dust. There is not even the slightest semblance of order in this place.

No order. No cleanliness. No elegance.

Only power.

The entire building drips with it. The things stored here are not plain paper and ink. They are the results of over a thousand years of exploration, innovation, and experimentation. Certainly, the more mundane techniques are fairly innocuous, but others...

Others yearn to be used, and their presence fills the rooms of the Technique Hall.

The path to Master Xun should be fairly obvious.

That is what Mud told them, and he had not lied. A long red carpet stretches without end. It curves left and right. It goes up a set of stairs, then comes back down and up again. It is the only path there is to follow. Dim flames float at its sides while the rest of the Technique Hall is left in the darkness.

It is a test.

It has to be.

No one watches over them. However, if they were to try to take even a single technique without permission, theyd surely be expelled from the Technique Hall without ever laying eyes on Elder Xun. They both realize that.

And yet, knowing does not make the task easy.

Liu Jin and Lu Mei hold hands, drawing strength from each other and ensuring neither steps away from the path. Much like the entrance exam, this test is one of endurance. The path to Elder Xun is long and sinuous, but that is not a problem. Distance cannot tire them. Darkness cannot impede them.

The whispers, however, cannot go ignored.

The echo of thousands of whispers follows their every step. At first, they are quiet enough to be dismissed as their minds playing tricks on them, but they grow in volume as the Technique Hall grows darker and full of cobwebs.

Eventually, some voices start prevailing over the others. It is no longer a matter of volume but of authority.

I am what you need, they say.

The solution. The answer. The key.

Take me and know glory.

They cannot be ignored. They will not be ignored. They have lain in wait for hundreds of years and yearn to be used. To be tools of glory and conquest.

Lu Mei stops.

It happens gradually. Her eyes begin darting to the left, then her whole head. Her pace is no longer as brisk as before, slowing down until both her legs stop moving.

Lu Mei?

His voice seems to bring her back. She blinks and shakes her head. Her free hand moving towards her face.

I am sorry, she says, turning away from the bookshelves. I was caught by surprise Its just It told me it knew how to control the Eternal Flame.

Oh.

I know, she interrupts before Liu Jin can say anything. There is no point in taking it since I wont be able to keep it. I know that

But knowing is not enough.

Lets Lu Mei forces herself to take a step forward. Lets just keep going.

Of course, he says without any judgment in his thoughts or voice. Lets go.

The two keep walking, pulling each other along as they continue on the red road, leaving countless ancient techniques behind in the darkness.

~~~

Elder Xuns chamber is not full of various projects like Elder Xues office, nor does it brim with opulence like Lady Lings room or Ruan Goutins throne room.

It is empty.

The room is the size of a house, with only a single door leading to it. There are no tapestries on the walls or carpets on the floor. No furniture or ornaments of any kind. The walls are not even painted. Only two orbs of fire float just below the ceiling, casting the room in dim light.

However, Elder Xun is a cultivator in the Ninth Level of the Emperor Realm. His presence gives the room all the grandeur it needs. He sits on the floor at the far end of the room with a pipe in his hand. During the trial, Elder Xun had looked stern and dignified.

Now, he just looks... bored.

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Without waiting for them to introduce themselves. Without asking why they are there, Elder Xun fires a question whose answer they have no reason to know. It is not their job to keep the Technique Hall clean and ordered. They are visitors, not disciples affiliated with the Technique Hall.

Yet, Liu Jin and Lu Mei both feel that if they chose to answer like that, they will be thrown out.

To test the disciples who come here looking for power, Liu Jin replies. Only those who push their senses to the limit will be able to discern the technique that best suits them, honored Elder.

A partial answer, one that misses the most important criteria. Elder Xun locks Liu Jin in place with a simple glance. A cultivator is one that goes against the Will of Heaven. Things die. That is the natural order. We who cultivate struggle against that fate. Thus, the most valuable attribute for a cultivator is not the quality of their meridians, the depth of their knowledge, or the ambient Qi available to them. Rather, a cultivator is someone who can repeatedly and continuously overturn providence. The Technique Hall is a disordered place because only those who can prevail over its randomness have any right to call themselves cultivators.

Elder Xun takes a drag from his pipe and blows a ring of purple smoke into the air. It neither expands nor loses its shape. The smoke keeps going until it reaches the flames in the ceiling and joins them, casting the room in purple light.

You came neither bearing gifts nor seeking shelter. What purpose drives you?

Lu Mei and Liu Jin trade another look. In the end, there is no need for them to deliberate. It is Liu Jins idea that has brought them here. What point is there if he does not speak now?

I came here to seek Elder Xuns wisdom.

Incomplete? Try as he might, Liu Jin cannot keep the disbelief from his face.

That terrifying fire that made every instinct in him scream is incomplete?

When a deity dies, they can leave a shadow of their power behind. This shadow possesses not just power but a mind that will judge who is worthy to receive the Inheritance. However, the Eternal Flame is broken. There is no mind in it, merely a well of power which anyone can link with. This link can even be passed down through ones bloodline. You could say this is the key to the Eternal Flame Clans rise to power. Even Elders can be chosen to link with the Flame. In that way, we all become kin.

He frowns.

However, it is still an incomplete power. That is why some within the Eternal Flame Clan seek to rejoin the Flame and thus mend what is broken.

Some? Lu Mei echoes. Not all, honored Elder?

Elder Xun scoffs. Hardly. There are many who think rejoining the Flame is a foolish endeavor. Due to its state, the Eternal Flame has not truly chosen anyone to bear its Inheritance. If it were to be rejoined, it might decide to take its power away from those it sees as unworthy.

And in doing so, deprive many of the top cultivators of the Eternal Flame Clan of a valuable resource.

Those in favor of joining the flame argue that even if that were the case, the ensuing boon of a complete Inheritance would be worth the trouble.

Elder Xun opens his left hand and rests it atop his knee.

Little Shang has no desire to rejoin the Flame.

He opens his right hand and rests it atop his other knee.

Little Gui does.

To make the flame whole again or not. So that is the main difference.

Well, there is more to their choices than that, but it does help explain the fundamental reasoning behind their actions.

So Lord Feng Gui seeks to find the other half of the flame? Lu Mei asks.

Find? Elder Xun laughs. You misunderstand, young girl. We know exactly where the other half of the Eternal Flame is. We have known for a long while. It lies with the Imperial Family.

The Imperial Family.

Just like the Storm Dragon Empire, the Crimson Cloud Empire has an Emperor. It is not something Liu Jin has thought much about, but that is only because not many talk of him. People often talk about the capital and the Four Great Sects.

However, Liu Jin has never heard anyone talk of the might of the Emperor.

While the Emperor and the Imperial family are not as mighty as the Four Great Sects, itd be foolish to mistake them as mere figureheads. It is they who hold half of the Eternal Flame. For that reason, we of the Eternal Flame Clan have kept a cordial relationship with them throughout the ages. This, however, has changed in recent decades. Little Shangs influence has seen our position in the Imperial Court diminished.

If Lord Feng Shang has no interest in rejoining the Eternal Flame, why should he maintain any closeness with the Imperial Family? In fact, why should he make it easy for his brother to join the two powers?

That is probably his reasoning for it.

Little Shang values stability. The way we have done things has always worked. Why hurry up to change it for something uncertain? However, Little Gui desperately seeks innovation. Some might say he does so recklessly.

Elder Xun takes another drag of his pipe. The light turns yellow.

Well, that is simply a broad way of summing up their conflict. There is far more to it than that. Little Shang, in particular, has many reasons to avoid the Divine Frozen Palace. Though if it were not for that complex relationship, one of you might not be here today.

Lu Mei almost jumps in place as he tosses something at her.

It is a scroll.

That should teach you the basics. Elder Xun tells her. It should be Little Shangs duty, but he is unlikely to know you exist. His little pilgrimages were bound to end like this someday.

I thank you, honored Elder!

If that is all, you are free to leave.

It is a clear dismissal.

There is one more thing, honored Elder, Liu Jin says. Your grandson-

Do. Not.

Liu Jins body is slammed against the ground by Elder Xuns presence.

Talk.

He doesnt. Even if he wanted to, Liu Jin doesnt think hed be capable of it.

He uses his Qi instead.

I understand this is not a matter Elder Xun wishes to talk about However, I believe Elder Xun should be notified that he is to be released.

Foolish child, I already know he is to be released. Do you think you can curry favor with me that way?

No... I simply believed someone had to inform you. I also did so because Elder Xun is the only one who can do anything about his grandson.

The pressure fades.

Leave.

This time Liu Jin dares not disobey.

One more thing, Elder Xun calls out to them as they reach the door. My grandson was sealed away because his Dao is dangerous. Child, you may not have realized this yet, but the Dao you are honing is not one that will earn you better treatment. Be wary. Great tribulation awaits your path.

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