Chapter 8.1 (2/2)

Yin Chen takes a deep breath in order to maintain his patience, he turns to look at the wall instead of Qi Ling, and his tone is calm yet his fists are clenched. He continues: “For example, our soul powers are water-based, which means we will require a region with a large amount of water in order to successfully form an array, this includes on the surface of an ocean or lake. The more powerful lords can create an array on a patch of wet ground after rain, but these arrays are more often than not very weak and cannot be maintained for a long period of time. Arrays also differ with each lord and the effect it has is often linked to their gift. For example, the ‘Lord to the Sixth Degree’, also known as the Immortal Lord Xiliuer, the array he creates will allow those located in his array to have the ability to resurrect and heal. Legend has it that Xiliuer on the ocean is indestructible, when he is within his own ‘Array of Resurrection’; his level of healing can only be described using the term horrifying. This is also the reason why he is known as the Immortal Lord.”

Qi Ling closes his eyes and wears a troubled look on his face as he places his chin against the tabletop again. Yin Chen ignores him and continues: “In terms of the four empires on Odin Mainland, the soul masters on our Aslan nation of the West, we are actually underprivileged in terms of using an array, as the nature of our soul powers is water, this means we are unable to create arrays as we please to support ourselves. Among the four empires, the weakest in terms of array creation is the fire source, the Foliaier Empire of the East. They are only able to create arrays in surroundings that are filled with fire, lava or other places with attributes of fire. The ones that are good at array formations is the wind source, the Indus Empire of the North and the earth source, Earth Empire of the South, they are able to create arrays in any place with a flow of air or ground.”

“Then aren’t the soul masters of the fire source, Indus, extremely pitiful! If they meet soul masters of other countries, all they can do is stare and be defeated! It’s not fair!”

Yin Chen shakes his head, “The soul masters of the fire source, Indus Empire, has unimaginable strength of return circuits and powers, so if you ever meet them, make your way around them. You cannot offend any lord or disciple from them because their method of usage of their soul powers is the most aggressive on the entire Odin Mainland.”

“Okay, but then again, even if they’re not from the fire source……it’s not like I can offend them……I’m just a small Seventh Disciple……any random disciple walking on the streets will be more powerful than I am. Sigh.” Qi Ling pouts as he blows at his fringe.

“Well I thank you, there are only six of these ‘random disciples’ who can walk on the streets of the entire Aslan Empire.” Yin Chen glares at him and clenches his teeth, resisting the urge to fill his mouth with shards of ice.

“Then again, Yin Chen, what are our gifts? How come I never felt like I had any?” Qi Ling wiggles closer to Yin Chen. Placing his chin on Yin Chen’s forearm, he lifts his head and stares at the frosty good looks of his lord.

“What are you doing?” Yin Chen’s face falls as he looks at Qi Ling rubbing his chin against his forearm, “Are you a little wolfhound? Trying to act cute in front of your owner?”

“Look at you, look at you, you’re ruining the friendly atmosphere with your words,” Qi Ling closes his eyes as he continues to rest his head on Yin Chen’s arm, an expression of content n his face, “The tabletop is too hard, my chin hurts resting on it.”

Yin Chen lifts his head and pushes Qi Ling up forcefully, “Then sit straight!”

“I’m going to lie down in bed. I really am so tired.” Qi Ling scrambles to the bed and flops down, burying his face in the blanket. “You continue, I’m still listening, so what is our gift?”

Yin Chen’s irises are paling. He takes in a deep breath and looks at the broken sword Qi Ling has placed in the corner of the room before speaking calmly: “Didn’t you realize that when you obtained your soul weapon, you didn’t have to absorb it into your body like Guishan Lianquan or Tianshu Youhua and let it gather strength in your lord’s seal before you could use it?”

“Huh? Huh! Yeah!” Qi Ling flips from the bed. Moving to the corner of the room to retrieve the large half sword, he examines it before injecting some soul powers onto it. Looking at the patterns light up on the sword, Qi Ling is astonished for a second before disappointment floods his system. He tosses the sword onto the ground with a crash, “What even! The gift of the Seventh Lord is being able to use the soul weapons without needing to absorb it? What sort of s.h.i.+tty gift is this!”

With two crisp snaps, as if two daggers pierced themselves into Qi Ling’s knees, they come cras.h.i.+ng down onto the ground with a dull thud. Yin Chen pulls his hand back, the light from the soul powers flowing on his fingertips fade away gradually. “If you speak so rudely again, I will break your legs.”

Qi Ling huffs angrily from his kneeling position on the ground, a layer of wronged tears covers his eyes. He clenches his teeth and holds his tears in despite his eyes r.i.m.m.i.n.g red. He turns his face away so he will not have to look at Yin Chen and instead focuses his gaze at a corner of the room.

“Are you not satisfied?” Yin Chen looks at Qi Ling

“I am not disrespecting you,” Qi Ling lifts his head and two large tear drops fall from his eyes, his handsome face looks even more heart wrenching when coupled with tears, “Since I was young, I was just a bellboy, I’ve always been looked down upon and bullied. My dad died when I was really young. A wolf killed him when he went into the mountains to hunt. My mom held me and cried for three days straight, on the fourth day, in the wee hours of the morning when I was still asleep, she went out and jumped into the river and died as well. I was only nine that year. I kept crying at home, and I had no food so I was hungry. I cried my way out the door and somehow made it to the entrance of the inn. I saw people eating inside so I walked in wanting to eat as well, but the boss shooed me out because I had no money. I sat at the door because I didn’t know where to go. People came and left, and then I fainted due to hunger. The boss brought me in and gave me food; after asking about my situation, he let me stay and be a bellboy in the inn. I helped out there until I grew up. I always wanted to be more powerful because if I was as powerful as I am now, my dad wouldn’t be killed by wolves and my mom wouldn’t have to die.”

Yin Chen’s heart clenches slightly in pain, he waves his hand and the two large chunks of ice on Qi Ling’s legs shatter, “You can stand now. Do not be rude to any lord from now on.”

Qi Ling does not move and remains kneeling on the ground. He lifts his hand to wipe away the tears on his face before continuing with eyes rimmed red: “From the moment you took me in, I made up my mind to follow you. Although you’re very mean to me and seems cold, I know that you’re good to me. I’m not dumb; I can feel it. You teach me everything and I can feel your high expectations. Other disciples grew up in this world of soul bending, but I understand nothing. I know that you must have looked down on me too in your heart, because if I were you, I’d also want a powerful disciple and not a person who doesn’t even know what soul beasts or gifts are. Yet you never looked down on me for this or abandoned me. Since I have nothing, all I can do is to be even better to the people who teat me well. So I want to become a powerful person so that you won’t have to feel ashamed of me. And if there are other lords who dare bully you or try to harm you with their soul beasts in the future, I’d be able to fend them off. If you’re in danger, it will be hard for me to protect you. I just don’t want to continue being a useless person. I really didn’t mean anything else.”

Looking at Qi Ling kneeling before him, despite still being a child in his eyes, his appearance is that of a man weathered by time. His gradually broadening shoulders and chest, his long legs, these are all signs of him becoming a man. A gush of sorrow spreads in Yin Chen’s heart – he realized that all this while he has been treating him like a child and has never once tried to understand him.

Yin Chen turns away as countless grey images appear in his vision, the memories that are turbulent in his mind are like sharp metal chains, tugging through his mind and hurting him, “You are not wrong, I am just a mere Seventh Lord, no matter which lord it is, they are ranked above me, same goes for their disciples, they are all above you. It’s quite a pity that you are to follow me.”

Qi Ling stands and walks over to Yin Chen before kneeling again. He places his face on Yin Chen’s legs. There are still remnants of tears in his eyes from when he had cried before. He speaks softly but seriously: “Yin Chen, I’ve never thought of it that way. To be able to meet you and to become your disciple, it’s luck that fell from the sky for me. I often woke up at night to see if you’re still there. I keep thinking that this is just a dream, and once I wake up, you will no longer be here. Since young, no one treated me well apart from my parents. In my heart, you’re family to me, like a brother or even my father. And so, I firmly believe in you. If it’s not for you, I’d know nothing. Even if it’s not lords and disciples, any random soul master or even a strong man might kill me easily. Which means that you give everything I have now to me. Even if you’re just the Seventh lord, I am willing to be the Seventh Disciple. Even if the Top Lord goes on his knees and begs me to become his disciple, I will not do it!”

Yin Chen stares at Qi Ling who is curled on his lap. His naïve face is still one of youth, in the end; he is still a child that won’t grow old. A rare smile graces Yin Chen’s face as he says: “You think about things much too simple. It’s not easy being a Top Disciple. Stand up. Stop kneeling.”

“Nah it’s fine, it’s comfortable like this.” Qi Ling stretches his legs out and sits on the floor with Yin Chen’s legs still pillowing his face, “Yin Chen, is that really out only gift?”

“Of course not. Aren’t you always very smart on usual days? Why are you so dumb now? Look closely.” After saying that, Yin Chen lifts his arm as countless golden patterns emerge on his skin, in the next instant, countless ribbons seem to explode in the air before shooting into the wall opposite them.

Qi Ling turns and his mouth falls open. Soul weapons are densely packed on the wall, from spears to large swords, from golden s.h.i.+elds to thin daggers……it is as if the wall of their room suddenly turned into a rock wall in the Grave of the Souls.

“These……these are all your soul weapons?” Qi Ling is so surprised that he begins to stutter.

“Yes, which means that our gift is not just wielding a soul weapon without the need to absorb it into our body. It is the exact opposite. We can absorb countless soul weapons into our body and we need not keep them in our lord’s seal to maintain their powers. We can even turn the soul weapons of other people into our own. A more precise description of our gift should be ‘Unlimited h.o.m.ology of Soul Weapons’.”

“h.o.m.ology of soul weapons?”

“Yes. It means we use our soul powers to affect soul weapons, letting us use them freely. This is like how when a piece of iron nears a magnet, this iron will become magnetic as well. We are like a magnet, we can turn any soul weapon into a weapon that can be controlled with our soul powers.”

“I knew it! Yin Chen you must be the most awesome one!” Qi Ling stands up quickly as he says brightly.

“Actually this isn’t the most amazing part……”

“Really? What else? What else?” Qi Ling asks in excitement.

Yin Chen looks at Qi Ling and says nothing. He shoots a gaze of inquisition at Qi Ling.

Qi Ling thinks about it for a moment before a mixture of surprise and joy fills his face: “Unless……unless it’s……”

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