Chapter 90 - A Last Tour (2/2)

She felt bad for using Fen Wudao in order to get entrance to the lower valley, but Fen Wudao understood.

”If everything is settled here I will leave first. I trust that you will reach the second step soon, Brother Sezhuan, here's something that might help you” said Fen Wudao while tossing him a medium grade spirit stone.

The boy immediately forgot that a Liquid Realm disciple had entered the lower valley, failing to notify Yan Yan's presence, simply happy to have met a beautiful girl, Fen Wudao and even getting a nice spirit stone in the process.

Fen Wudao's silver arrow flew away in a few seconds and when Sezhuan Mon's eyes returned to the ground, Yan Yan was gone too. Silently, he returned to his post and proceeded to sit down and meditate with the medium grade spirit stone.

Now successfully in the lower valley, Shin Sumi walked around, purposefully reigning in her cultivation base to not intimidate the Honorary Disciples she crossed paths with.

She remembered the first time she had felt Fen Wudao's full presence in the marketplace, when he let all of his divine sense and aura out in front of a bunch of Shinsoo Gathering cultivators.

Quite naturally, her feet soon took her to the market of the lower valley, where Yan Yan had spent most of her time acc.u.mulating quite the amount of spirit stones. She then had Nuan refine them into high grade ones.

In front of the spot she once used to occupy herself, she met a few people she recognized as previous customers.

”Sister Yan!” a few of the male disciples immediately got close to her even though they hadn't met in a few years.

”Brother Yuo, Brother Sun!” she smiled at them, chatting peacefully.

Unlike before when she was living in the lower valley, none of the disciples tried to flirt with her. Although her old acquaintances feigned nonchalance, they were now obviously filled with a sense of respect and intimidation due to the fact that she was a Liquid Realm cultivator.

One of the male disciples had told her about seeing Little Azu in the Affairs Pavilion, which became her current destination.

With a troubled mind, Shin Sumi walked slowly towards Elder Zhu's Pavilion. Ever since the Rising Star Tournament, she had not heard from the Elder, and she hoped it stayed that way forever.

Many times she had wanted to do something about the old man's dark actions towards the disciples of the sect but with his status, Elder Zhu was untouchable.

Stopping once on the way to the Affairs Pavilion, Shin Sumi abandoned Yan Yan's features. She wanted to meet Little Azu as herself. She also used a hiding profound formation to make her presence as discreet as possible and change her divine sense quite a bit. She hoped the little trick would be sufficient in avoiding Elder Zhu seeing her, should he be at the Affairs Pavilion at the same time as Little Azu.

What troubled Shin Sumi the most was the fact that Patriarch Sen seemed to trust the Elder completely. Since becoming part of the Ghost Pavilion, she had learned that it was the Patriarch who had asked Elder Zhu to deliver her a Liquid Pellet and tell her to wait until the Rising Star Tournament to break through to the second Realm of cultivation.

Naturally she didn't think Patriarch Sen knew about Elder Zhu's tampering with the Liquid Pellet.

Only Lan Hui and herself knew exactly what kind of experiments Elder Zhu was conducting on his disciples. Because of his network of acquaintances in the lower valley, Lan Hui was charged with keeping track of his actions from afar. However as far as they knew, since the Rising Star Tournament, none of the Honorary Disciples had met the same fate as the desiccated corpses hidden in the lower valley training grounds.

”When I leave the sect, maybe I'll send a message to Fen Wudao and explain to him everything I know. He can then contact Lan Hui and make sure Elder Zhu doesn't do anything bad ever again” she thought as she entered the grand building.

A ball immediately formed in her stomach, for as soon as she put down her foot inside the doorframe a strong divine sense washed over her. The divine sense was stronger than hers by a lot, definitely from the Liquid Realm's seventh and last step.

”Ooooh! Green talented girl! It's been a while, what brings you here?” Little Azu was full of joy and energy like always, insisting on calling her 'green talented girl' even though the two had met and talked a few times, with Shin Sumi telling him to call her by her name each time.

”Good evening Brother Azu-” Shin Sumi started answering, her nervousness reaching a peak before she was interrupted by a powerful but old voice coming from deep into the building.

”Disciple Shin, what a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to have you here. May I formally invite you to join me for a cup of fragrant tea?” said Elder Zhu, following his words with a strong divine sense assault.

Little Azu heard the booming voice, confused as to why Shin Sumi instantly turned pale and clenched her teeth, even closing one eye in the process of withstanding Elder Zhu's divine sense.

”Are you alright?” the Liquid Realm first step boy asked.

Shin Sumi considered turning on her heels and escaping but the divine sense wouldn't let her. It was actually a relief when she drew closer to the door leading to the insides of the Affairs Pavilion.

”Yes Brother Azu, I just remembered something but it's fine. I have to pay my respects to Elder Zhu first. How can I refuse such an honor?” she tried her best not to sound pained and sarcastic.

After the first corridor, the door to the small garden was already open. At the far end, behind heaps of beautiful flowers and plants, a tall figure dressed in light green robes stood with their back to her.

”Elder Zhu” Shin Sumi acknowledged the person, nodding her head in the smallest bow as per the etiquette engrained in her. Had she thought about it, she would never have bowed to a man like him.

The man in green robes turned slowly, his face full of smiles. Wrinkles circled his eyes and his forehead, under his long white hair. Only his beard still had traces of black mixed within the dominantly white hair.

”What happened to him?” Shin Sumi asked herself, a bit shocked at the Elder's appearance.

Without a doubt, the man at the other side of the garden was Elder Zhu, and yet he looked dozens of years older than when she had last seen him. He used to look like a middle aged man with black hair but now he was nothing more than an old man.

For most cultivators, after reaching a certain age, the body didn't represent one's ability or power. Because the physical body grew old but the cultivation base only grew stronger, a lot of Immortals preferred to hold back their appearance, instead endorsing the traits of somebody half their age or even more.

While Shin Sumi didn't know Elder Zhu's age precisely, she knew that he was way past his forties like he used to seem. This was also obviously the case for Patriarch Sen who had been alive for centuries and yet seemed barely over seventy. Had he chosen to, Patriarch Sen surely would be able to take on the features of a middle-aged man, or even a teenager twenty times younger than he really was.

But for Elder Zhu the process seemed different. He even confirmed it as he spoke in an old voice.

”Disciple Shin. Liquid Realm second step. It is a great feat of cultivation that you have accomplished in the short few years you've been in the Dark Sky Starry Sect. You are definitely worthy of your talent and the sect couldn't hope for a better generation, in the face of such predicaments like the upcoming war. Ah, to be young again. Sit down with me.”

Elder Zhu motioned a seat while he himself sat down on the opposite side of the tea table. Shin Sumi sat down carefully, her muscles taunt and on high alert. She didn't know what Elder Zhu wanted but she had no choice for now.

”As you can see I am way past my prime. In fact I celebrated my hundred and thirtieth birthday last week. You don't need to congratulate me, this number only brings me closer to death.”

To Shin Sumi, Elder Zhu's speech about his own mortality felt strange. In her ears it resembled a call for help, while being incredibly cold and realistically objective. Her instincts knew exactly what type of man Elder Zhu was despite never having encountered someone like him.

The old man in front of him knew of his own mortality. He was ready to do anything. As if his actions wouldn't matter anymore, nothing was stopping him from reaching his goals.

”You must be wondering why I'm rambling like that. Or maybe, judging from how your eyes look at me, you already have an idea?”

Shin Sumi breathed out and in again, slowly. Like the old man she was facing, she decided to let all pretenses go and speak her mind. There was no changing what was going to happen very soon.

As she put down the cup of tea she had left untouched, she said ”You've been keenly aware of your past prime for a long time. I guess that is the reason you've been searching for ways to extend your lifetime. Liquid Realm practitioners can only live up to a hundred and fifty years at the most and in the best condition, while Core-Development cultivators can easily reach five hundred years of age. Being stuck half a step before Core Development must be enraging.”

Elder Zhu smiled sincerely. It seemed he expected Shin Sumi to already reach that conclusion. Curious, he motioned her to continue.