37 The Vein Of Hell Fire (1/2)
The Gold Tyrant Flying Sword came out of her bag of holding with no prompt coming from its master.
Shin Sumi was flabbergasted. ”What the..?” was the only thing that escaped her lips.
”The sheer quality of the Shinsoo in this place is already burning, I don't want to have to deal with that sword! What's happening?”
She followed the last afterimages left by the sword as it escaped her view by plunging down towards an invisible abyss behind a small rock formation.
As she crept closer to where the Gold Tyrant Flying Sword disappeared, a large pool of red light slowly came into view.
Its light wasn't intense, but it burned her retinas with every pulse.
”It's a source of Shinsoo!! I can't even look straight at it! And the light pulsating that even the Copper Bell can't tone it down, it has reached the point where Shinsoo becomes visible... To think that such a place would be accessible to us disciples!”
It was a known fact that dimensional pockets of space had a finite level of energy contained within them. Depending on the size of the space, the number and quality of sources could change drastically.
At her level, of course, Shin Sumi didn't know much about all that. But even she could tell that an insane amount of Shinsoo had to be used, and that an insane amount of it came from this very place.
”So when the source dries up, the whole dimension will collapse and disappear, right?” she asked the little nut, who remained silent and motionless.
Shielding her eyes with her fingers as much as she could, she stole another glance at the magical red lake of pure Shinsoo, ”but now, where is my sword?!”
After a few attempts that left bright spots on her eyes even when closed for a long time, she finally spotted a golden line in the middle of the surface of the pool.
It was strange because with the intensity of the light, the sword handle that had been forged out of a Stone Leaf Tortoise's spine should have appeared black or at least very dim. But it was bright as well, or rather it looked like it was absorbing the light of the lake.
Upon seeing the blade of the weapon completely submerged beneath the glowing substance, Shin Sumi instantly gave up on climbing down closer to retrieve it.
Her skin was burning with a pain she had never felt before, she could barely even open her eyes. She couldn't even imagine what would happen if she were to directly touch the source.
Instead she retreated back a couple steps, at least until the rock formation kept the glow hidden from direct view. She sat down where it was only slightly uncomfortable and started cultivating, absorbing some of the glow with each breath.
Soon, non-corporeal tendrils of red pulsation could be seen entering her nostrils and her mouth, deep in a trance state.
***
The Elders had given up on trying to peek at the lone green dot on the map. Regularly someone would try, but they would only get a regurgitation of blood in the process, trying to hide it and give up on scanning Shin Sumi's location.
After all, the green dot hadn't moved for almost a month. Many other colored dots had grown closer to the center of the map, with a single yellow one even reaching as far as the second circle.
”Jun Qian is the number one disciple under the Liquid Realm, as predicted. With that green kid out of the way, it becomes obvious from anyone to see.”
”Elder Xang is right. He will probably be the one to reach the exit first. I heard that he was already really close to crossing the threshold into the Liquid Realm. When he does, nothing in the trial will keep him from success.”
Jun Qian was the talk of all the Elders. Him, Tai Bu, and Sui Lin were commonly known as the big three, but even then Jun Qian was far above the other two.
Tai Bu had managed to catch up with most of the yellow dots a couple weeks prior, earning the satisfaction of his master, Elder Peng who was glad his personal disciple wasn't out of the game.
Tai Bu had seemingly learned from his past mistake, as he left alone most of the disciples he crossed path with. Instead he concentrated on getting used to the pressure on the surface of the floating continent fast.
***
A few hundred meters from Tai Bu, Xiao Yue was sitting cross legged, with one eye opened in the direction of the yellow robe in the distance.
Kan Xi, unaware of the possible danger, was doing her best to adapt quickly to the environment.
Because of the color of their robes, the two girls had easily avoided unnecessary fights. After all, what red talented disciple in their right mind would attack two girls with a better talent than them?
The same way, no other orange robes had approached them. Another dissuading fact was Xiao Yue herself. She was well known across the lower valley and her name was on the Quest Pavilion's Ranking list almost every months since she had joined the Dark Sky Starry Sect.
She was wildly considered as the closest one could get from yellow robes. What she lacked in natural talent with Shinsoo she made up for with experience, resourcefulness and a smart mind.
With a small flash of light, she took out a normal looking flying sword and put it on her lap.
It was just a simple act, but she hoped that Tai Bu would sense it. It was basically saying ”if you come closer, you might defeat us but we won't go down without a fight!”
She knew all too well about Tai Bu's master's gifts. The boy was already strong by himself but the Flaming Whip always left a big impression on the other disciple's mind.
Xiao Yue had no idea how to even go about dealing with the frightening whip.
Luckily Tai Bu kept quiet and on his side of the hill. As soon as he was used to the pressure enough, he left as swift as the wind in the direction of the giant pillar of light marking the exit of the trial.
Xiao Yue relaxed and sighed in relief. She put away her sword and turned to look at Kan Xi.
”Are you good now?” she asked, referencing the ambient pressure.
”Yea.. Yeah I think I am good enough to go.”
”Great,” said Xiao Yue, ”listen Kan Xi, I think it's best for us to split. The whole point of this Rising Star Tournament is to make us Honorary Disciples breakthrough to the Liquid Realm. But more than just that it is an incomparable opportunity to get first hand experience.”
A sad look flitted briefly through the eyes of the girl but was soon replaced by understanding and resolve.
Xiao Yue continued ”This entire place is filled with premium grade Shinsoo, so even just standing here will help you greatly assimilate more energy. According to the techniques I passed on to you, you should be able to breakthrough easily once you open your Shinsoo Openings.”
”I will do my best. I promise I won't deceive you, Big Sister Xiao!”
”If you run into trouble, you know how to contact me. If I'm close-by I'll come and help but don't rely on it. In this dimension the Divine Sense messages don't reach as far as outside.”
To that, Kan Xi's reply surprised Xiao Yue greatly.
”Have you not been able to contact the person you are seeking?”
Her voice was soft and contained confidence. She had noticed the way Xiao Yue would look into the distance, searching for something but without success.
Xiao Yue's eyes turned warmer than before, and she answered in a whisper.
”Indeed. I will introduce her to you once this is all over. You are a good person Kan Xi, stay safe.”
Kan Xi bowed down low as a way of thanking her for her help since the beginning of the trial. Xiao Yue bowed her head rapidly in response and finally left.
As soon as she was out of Kan Xi's field of vision, her expression changed.
Xiao Yue took a red colored pill from her bag of holding and put it in her mouth. It dissolved quickly and left a salty taste on her pink tongue and lips. She licked them while smiling.
She felt the surge of energy almost instantly. After a few flashes of light, she was now wearing a thin silvery necklace, and wielded a sword in each hand. After having to slow down for so long to ensure Kan Xi followed her, now she could finally use her full power to do what she loved.
Exploring and fighting.
***
The yellow robed young man who had seen the cloud of Moss Vampires escaping the tunnel was named Bai Xuengen. He was twenty three years old, which made him the current oldest yellow talented Honorary Disciple of the sect.
Because of how old he was when he was found by one of the Liquid Realm disciples patrolling around the sect, he hadn't found an Elder that was willing to make him his direct disciple.
After all, the younger the newcomer, the easier they were to shape into a promising cultivator.