Chapter 26 Divine Vessel (1/2)

”Me?” The little girl asked with disbelief, pointing to herself. She shook her hand hurriedly, saying, ”No... I cannot...” She looked to Xiao Chen beside her and said, ”Why not you, Senior Brother Xiao? I don't know how. Neither can I use psychokinesis nor do I know how to manipulate Energies...”

However, Xiao Chen only smiled gently to her and said, ”Have no fear. Go ahead.”

With no other choice left, the girl walked reluctantly up the hall, her head hanging from her shoulders but still, she dared not look down. Elder Liu giggled gently, ”There is no need for such tenseness. I have some Fire Manipulation Talismans. You will not have to use any Energy.” He flicked his wrist and conjured a stack of red talisman strips in his hand.

”Oh... Okay...” The girl kept her head down as she observed the heaps of items clumped together, feeling nauseous and dizzy for not knowing how to proceed.

”Four grams of mica, two grams of sulfur, two grams of liquefied mithril...” Xiao Chen recited the names of the materials that he recognized and their quantities. Both Elders Song and Liu raised their head and stared at him.

By his instructions, the little girl placed the items one by one into the cauldron. She then slapped a Fire Manipulation Talisman unto the surface of the cauldron. It burst into flames swiftly and a fire began burning underneath.

All seemed well at first until crackling sounds rose from in the cauldron. The girl started to fidget fearfully, afraid that the cauldron might explode. She started to creep farther and farther away from it.

”Calm yourself. Lower the three-tenths of the flames and add two grams of Flame-dousing Ore with four grams of silver flakes,” said Xiao Chen from below.

The girl immediately did as she was told and deposited the items into the cauldron. However, in her rushed hastiness, she made a mistake. Xiao Chen calmly commanded, ”Add another eight grams of Eriocaulon Herb and four grams of quartz.”

The little girl tried her best to follow his instructions. Within seconds, the cauldron returned to normal. But in her panic, she made even more mistakes and wrongly pasted the talismans. Xiao Chen shook his head and said, ”It is ruined. There is no need to carry on anymore.”

”Ah...” The girl dejectedly placed down a talisman in her hand.

With his psychokinesis ability, Elder Liu lifted the lid of the cauldron. Ribbons of jet-black fumes escaped from the cauldron. A robust and putrid stench began to fill the entire hall, making many to avert themselves away with their noses pinched.

The girl peered into the cauldron and found only blackened soot in its bottom. On the verge of tears, she mumbled, ”I-I am sorry, Elders... I'm too stupid for this...”

Elder Liu placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, saying, ”It is all right. I'm sure you've done the best you could. Down you go.” He gave Xiao Chen a fleeting glance.

The young girl returned to her seat, her eyes moist and red. She looked at Xiao Chen and muttered, ”Thank you, Senior Brother Xiao. My name is Wang Yue. I saw you during the test...”

Xiao Chen nodded and smiled encouragingly to her although he did not say anything.

Elder Liu then instructed two acolytes to clear the table. He then spoke to those below, ”One must never be hasty when it comes to refining elixirs. Do you have any questions?”

The students looked at each other. Not knowing what had happened at all, none knew enough to ask any questions.

Xiao Chen's voice broke the silence, ”I have one, Elder.”

”You have a question?” Elder Liu asked with some surprise. He remained calm again and coughed once, saying, ”Ask away then. May your question be instructive and informative to everyone.”

Xiao Chen asked, ”I would like to know, Elder, from where did you conjure the items?”

Curious prattles and whisper rose from the crowd. The way that the Elder had conjured the items out of thin air was astounding indeed; a quaint method used without the help of any magical artifacts or tools.

Elder Liu smiled pleasantly and replied, ”I see. Very well. This was supposed to be tomorrow's subject. But since you've asked, I suppose I can tell you a little about it. Cultivators can create a pocket dimension within their bodies. It is called the Divine Vessel.”

He fell into another two hour-long oratories about the complexities of the technique. By the time he ended, it was already afternoon, and everyone was still bewildered and befuddled by his explanation.

All in all, the Divine Vessel was a dimensional space created by Cultivators in their own bodies to store items. The technique was slightly different to the Violet Manor Nascent Soul, where living organisms could also be stored within.

Storage of items within one's Divine Vessel would also continually consume one's True Qi. With more things one stored within himself, the higher the strain he would bear. Hence, Cultivators would sometimes toss pieces of things away when they were running for their lives from enemies. This was to reduce the stress on his True Qi so that he could concentrate his powers on fleeing.

Xiao Chen had been listening closely, nodding as he reflected upon the intrinsic differences of cultivation methods after more than thousands of years since his past incarnation. The technique of the Divine Vessel was unheard of in those days. Cultivators of that age had to painstakingly reach the Nascent Soul Realm to attain the ability to store items at will; otherwise, they would have to depend on magical artifacts or tools.

Seeing that noon had passed, Elder Song raised a hand and announced, ”So ends the morning session today. You will attend the evening session after your meal at the mess hall. The evening session will begin after an hour. Do not be late.”

”An hour is hardly enough for me... I want to go back to have a nap...” Prince Zhao grumbled.

Elder Song scowled at him, ”It is always you and your petty businesses!”

Prince Zhao waved a hand dismissively, ”All right... All right...”

Xiao Chen gazed up into the sky. There was not enough time for him to return from his courtyard. He could only proceed straight to the mess hall. He thought of the deep-fried loquats they had yesterday, feeling a sudden dread.