Chương 395: A Vow (VIII)

... wow. Of all the things the system gave me, this might legit be the most cheat-like one--at least as far as my strength is concerned. While Xi Zhao was prattling on about his understanding of the art, I literally understood nothing. Yet, as soon as he was finished, it was all... there. In my head. Fully understood and comprehended, as though I'd been sitting on my ass for years trying to figure it out.

"What do you think, Master?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think I'm on the right track?" Oh, right. The kid probably believes I'm 'examining' him. Wow. The guilt. Holy shit. Please don't look at me with those puppy-dog eyes... please...

"Ah, yes. You're further ahead than I thought you'd be; I'm truly impressed, Zhao'er."

"He he, thank you, Master! I will work even harder not to disappoint you!" Though it is flattering, my heart does crack a bit every time they profess it so proudly. I know they don't mean it that deeply, but on my end it does feel as though they're afraid of how I'd react if I ever got 'disappointed' in them.

"Hm." I merely nodded, though, as he scurried away, likely to brag to Dai Xiu that he got praised.... and what do you know, here she is, thirty-six seconds later on the dot, huffing and puffing through trying her best to maintain her composure.

"M-Master, I, I reached Perfected comprehension of Vast-Body Art!" Hm? That's actually good. It wasn't as though Vast Body Art was particularly 'high grade' since I made it ages ago, but from what I recall, it still had 'Prodigious' difficulty of comprehension, which is fairly high.

"P-please, listen! For me, the body is the Dantian; Qi sprawls out like spiderwebs..." Another lecture began, though this one lasted a good four hours as she broke down every aspect she comprehended down to its most basic. I couldn't slip up even once, as she was looking at me like a hawk, watching for my reaction.

"W-what do you think, Master?"

"Wonderful!" I said.

"That was amazing, Xiu'er! I'm really proud!"

"He~he," she giggled rather sweetly as she got up.

"I will work hard, Master!" and off she went, likely to brag back to him... Haah. To be young again. We spent about a full day in total within the massive chamber, mostly stripping it of the stones, with the remaining time being used by the kids to convert the lower-tier stones into higher-tier ones. By the end, I had in my possession a total of 200, 000 mid-grade stones and about 100 high-grade ones. For most cultivators, this was probably a massive amount of wealth that would last them for years. For me? Yeah.

I'll be lucky if it lasts us a month. The stronger the kids get, the hungrier they become. I'm simply lucky that they never voice it, happily cultivating just natural Qi despite it being many times slower. But... I really don't have an obvious solution to this. This was a Spirit Mine that lay untouched for tens of thousands of years, and this is what it produced. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

To be fair, there's a good chance that the number and strength of the Demonic Beasts atop this mountain is the result of them passively 'eating' some of those stones, but still. This 'measly' amount is nowhere near enough yet is the most a single Spirit Mine can produce. The climb up was far simpler, as there were no Yin Spirits harassing us all the way. The sound of laughter and kids' voices echoed against the walls, while Lao Shun paired off with Shuren and the other five, chattering.

Even Long Tao squeezed himself with the kids, participating for the first time in a while, which left me strangely alone.

"Master," ah, shit. I'm not alone. I'm never alone.

"Yes, Rayce?" I thought he'd lost his 'ghost' property, but here and there, it is resurrected, like a phoenix from the ashes.

"I think I'm ready to use Prismatic Lensing Art you've taught me," he said.

"Not merely in practice, but while fighting. It's... I need more precise practice, I think."

"... use it, as in... without inscribing it first?"

"Yes." Wow. Holy shit. That might actually be the most impressive one yet.

"Hm. Why didn't you use it while we were descending?"

"Uhm," he scratched his head rather awkwardly.

"It, uh, it obfuscates p-projectiles, and..."

"And none of your Brothers and Sisters used any."

"..." yep. I mean, Light, technically, is 'ranged' I suppose, but not necessarily a projectile-based ilk. Our party composition is heavily melee, but... would I be majorly selfish if I thought I'd rather Rayce not have anyone to practice with than me needing to recruit another kid that will chew up our spirit stones even faster?... yeah, probably.

"Well, we'll figure something out, don't worry. I just feel bad that there was nothing for you on our trip here," I said.

"Do you need anything? Just say a word and I will try and get it for you."

"Ah, no, no, not at all," he said.

"I've already got more than enough, Master. Between Lensing and Word of Shadows and the special ink you've given me, I'm likely the most prepared young shaman in the world right now. I first must perfect what you've already given me before I deserve to ask for any more."

"No, as far as I'm concerned," I said.

"You can always ask for more. Even abandon something I gave you if you think it's not worth your time. I'm rather unqualified for you, Rayce; despite my extensive heritage, I'm not a Shaman--clearly--and thus can't teach you anything. As such, I will always trust your judgment, no matter what. You're clever and far more talented than you give yourself credit for; don't let some sense of deference to me cloud your judgment."

"..." he didn't say anything, merely smiling as he looked away.

"What? Though I don't think I've said anything funny, it is indeed true that I've got the funny bone and unintendedly say funny things sometimes."

"No, not that," he said.

"Just... I, I never had anyone believe in me quite that much, Master. No, it's better to say that no young Shaman ever had anyone believe in them this much."

"Well," I said.

"You know old people. Stubborn fools who would rather burn in the inferno of their own mistakes than be saved by somebody they consider young and inferior," he chuckled.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Hm."

"Most of my life," I said.

"I... I never liked kids. I was terrified of becoming a father and failing my child in a way I've seen other parents fail theirs. But... you lot, you make it easy." They really were. Despite all my whining, and despite the fact that they all have parts to them that I should probably address at some point, they did make it easy.

"I'm still afraid of failing you, just as you all seem to be afraid of failing me. So, if you ever feel me slipping, tell me. Though I'm a stubborn old fool, too, I will listen. I promise."

"... thank you," he said.

"For everything. I would not be here without you, Master. You gave me a reason to live, even after I thought there was no purpose left for me. I promise you... you can never fail me. Or any of us, I can say. You are our heaven and our earth, and we will move both for you just as you have for us."

"... right." Fuck. The little shitter will seriously make me cry. Hold it in, hold it in.

"Well, it looks like Xiu is annoyed that I've been annoying you for so long," he chuckled and looked toward me, his lips beaming into a wide smile as he walked away.

"I'm off, Master!"

"Hm. Have fun."... dammit. Hold it in, just hold it in. Phew. These gremlins will be the death of me.