16 Want to be a Monk? (1/2)
”I read a few books about Diviners, and they are ever so as mysterious as they seem,” Xue Wei began as they were walking, and for once all of the young men and women held their breaths while listening to him.
Everyone knew that Xue Wei had read books about almost anything he could get his hands on, and as a result of this, his knowledge far outstripped theirs.
”On the continent of Chang'an, all the kingdoms have temples, and the monks control these temples. Every monk on our continent belong to one single faction, but within it, there are different paths that one can take.”
”Some become discipline priests or monks, and fight against fierce and primordial beasts; others become monks and priests to heal and help others, and others become Diviners.”
”Becoming a Diviner is the most mysterious but also the most restricted path amongst all the vocations that a monk and priest can pick.”
”Not much is known about what happens when one becomes a Diviner, but the only ones eligible are kids below the age of five years old.”
”They undergo some sort of baptism that allows for them to tame beasts, but no Diviner has ever told any outsider about this baptism before, so we don't know much about it.”
”Diviners are not allowed to join any factions. They can work for people if they get a high enough amount of money in return, but they always claim the right to reject working with someone.”
”If a Diviner breaks the code of conduct, they will be chased down by other Diviners and monks. Every priest and monk will hunt said traitor and kill them at whatever possible chance.”
”A Diviner is capable of defeating a beast at their own strength and maybe a bit stronger if the intellect of the beast is lower. If the Diviner is strong enough, he is capable of taming Primordial Beasts even.”
”They are called Diviners because they figure out where and when they can tame beasts by making Divinations. Another reason is that they are Divine fighters when they have fierce beasts under their control.”
”I know you want to know about the baptism, but I don't know about it,” Xue Wei shook his head as he saw that Luo Zhirou was about to ask a question, and she quickly went quiet again.
”Also, I am not sure how their Divination works, but I do know that when a Diviner gives a beast a command, the beast will follow it unconditionally. Even if the beast already has a new owner, any Diviner will be able to turn the beast against their owner, a reason that many people fear Diviners.”
”Is that true?” Song Niu, another friend of Shen Mu, asked breathlessly. ”Every esteemed expert above the Earth Warrior rank wishes to have a beast companion, but only a few are capable of getting them,” Xue Wei said.
”Every command from a Diviner is a heaven-sent law for the tamed beasts. Even if it means to kill their owner.”
”There are around a thousand to two thousand Diviners on the entire continent according to my books, and these Diviners are nomads that travel for a job. It is incredibly lucky that we will get to see them.”
”Although Tiankong City is one of the major cities of Heping Kingdom, our kingdom is rather small, and it also is quite weak compared to the outside world. We might be considered geniuses in the Kingdom of Heping, but we are truly frogs at the bottom of the well.”
Xue Wei sighed and thought of all the things he had read about the rest of the world, but the others did not seem to understand what he meant.
They had already reached the center of the marketplace, and Xue Wei stopped speaking, but the way all of the young men and women looked at him changed entirely from the few words he had said.
The marketplace was bustling with sounds, and even more people had appeared than usually. The stalls were all strangely quiet, and not many merchants were yelling out their prices; all of them were busy trying to squeeze their way closer and closer to a podium that had been erected in the center square.
Although these people wished to have more space, none of them dared block Shen Mu and his entourage, and a lot of them gave Xue Wei an in-depth look of contempt mixed with fear and a few even reverence.
At the very front of the podium were Li Jian and his henchmen. They were gloating and enjoying themselves as they joked amongst one another, yet suddenly one of them noticed Shen Mu and the group got quiet, all of them staring daggers at Xue Wei.
”So you finally arrived,” Li Jian sneered, and Shen Mu was about to respond when he saw that Xue Wei was completely ignoring Li Jian, and he had sudden enlightenment.
Usually, Shen Mu would be riled up by Li Jian quickly, but he wanted to try and see how annoyed the other would be if he completely ignored him. He knew from experience how frustrating it was to be ignored, and Xue Wei had honestly ignored him many a time.
”So these are the beasts?” Shen Mu asked his friends, who were all at a loss for words. They were ready for the usual war of words between Li Jian and Shen Mu, but they saw him saying absolutely nothing to the other. It was quite clear that he was ignoring him, and watching how Li Jian's face turned red, it was clear that it was an even more successful taunt.
”Who do you think you are to ignore me? My father is also a Heavenly Warrior!” Li Jian almost spat out the words, and the audience who had come to see the Diviners and the beasts were filled with excitement. They loved to see the younger generation fight amongst themselves.
”I don't need to worry about a brat who can't even defeat a fourth layer Ordinary Warrior when he is a ninth layered cultivator himself.” Shen Mu laughed and shook his head magnanimously as if he was taking pity on Li Jian, and this made Li Jian feel incredibly uncomfortable.