Chapter 15: Arc 1: Chapter 14

“No way,” Bianca’s reply was immediate, and for good reason.

She had no indication of what this Dominion’s Light was, at least not from the Demonic Tyrant panel, but she knew what the cultivation technique turned into. Most likely, the result will be just as demonic in the eyes of the people of the Planar Continents as her cultivation technique was, and using it in any kind of fight would simply provoke even more aggression towards her, especially if she attempted to convince her opponent that she was capable of using normal skills.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think Lin Shuming is around, and I’ll help you keep an eye out for him,” Song Ming insisted.

“That… isn’t the only reason I was concerned,” as she seemed to misunderstand her looking to the side, Bianca happily accepted that explanation and added on to it, “We know what my first technique turned into, and this one…”

“But if you’re attacked… I would hate to… hate to see you get hurt…” Song Ming’s voice lowered to a whisper, and her flushed cheeks became even more pronounced.

Her cute look made it impossible to refuse, even if it was probably the wiser choice. Then again, she couldn’t be sure that the skill would follow the same pattern as the technique, and since it was meant to be an attack of some kind, it was possible that improper use of it could injure herself just as much – or more – than it would an opponent. Avoiding self-harm was always a wise move, even if she was never forced to use the skill against someone else.

Obviously, Bianca hoped that things wouldn’t escalate to the point of conflict. Even with the person she hated most back on Orbis, the jerk from college, her fights were limited to a light punch or two, usually landing on her rather than him.

With no experience or strong desire for fighting, she would naturally prefer a peaceful and reasonable outcome.

“Alright, I’ll try using it… Stand back, just in case.”

“What for? You’re in the first realm, so you won’t be able to externalise energy no matter what skill you’ve… obtained? Remembered?”

“Obtained is probably the better word. Well, if you’re sure…” she took a few steps back anyway, to increase the distance between them just a little bit, and focused on the Demonic Tyrant panel, and more specifically, on the Dominion’s Light skill itself.

In that regard, it felt a little like a game that Roz might play. She wasn’t directly controlling her energy, nor did she need to understand anything about it – she could just figuratively press the button, and it would do the work for her. This aspect was one of the most insidious ones in preventing her from using her energy on her own, and she wasn’t even sure whether that was a bad thing. If anything, it gave her a great head start in a world she did not understand, ensuring that she wouldn’t fall behind those that had grown up within it and grasped certain concepts from a young age.

She hadn’t read the manual, so she wasn’t sure what the original technique was supposed to do, not to mention the skill she got from it. So, she stretched out one hand, keeping it open, and used the skill.

At once, the energy within her dantian surged out and into the meridians of her left hand, the one she had reached out with. The typical darkness was consumed by a violent crimson that shone vividly through her flesh and skin, crackling with seeming fury.

“That… doesn’t seem like the Fragmented Strike… It’s got the same intimidating aura as…” Song Ming muttered, her eyes wide as she stared at Bianca’s hand.

To an extent, Bianca could feel some kind of aura as well, but she was more interested in what the skill was supposed to do. If all it did was cause her body to light up, then she would be more than a little annoyed at it. At once, the skill would provide more reasons for the likes of Lin Shuming to fear and badmouth her and also completely waste her time and those slots in the Demonic Tyrant, provided that she could only access those six and no more.

Luckily, she was standing by a whole lot of trees and bushes, so she stepped over to one of the latter and mimicked the posture demonstrated by Liu Min when she was instructing the youths of Xi Village on the proper way to channel planar energy in a fight.

She was still unsure of the advantages of this particular posture over any other, but if the fourth realm cultivator did it, she would probably not suffer from copying her.

Bringing her left hand back, carefully clenching it into a fist – she wasn’t sure that the skill wouldn’t somehow injure her during such a motion, so she opted to take her time – Bianca took a deep breath in preparation. Then, she punched the bush with all her might, curious to see what kind of effect Dominion’s Light might have.

The punch itself felt about the same. It was empowered by her energy by the same amount, and so, based purely on her physical motion, it seemed as if there would be no difference at all. However, the outcome changed quite a bit, as a burst of power that couldn’t have possibly come from her body surged out and struck the bush, punching through it with ease – although it was admittedly unsurprising given the general frailty of bushes.

“This… is this not externalisation of energy?”

“N-No, Bianca, that would be… let me show you,” Song Ming seemed to be holding back some laughter, but it was a great improvement over the previous fearful look she had on her face.

She approached Bianca and copied her posture, also using her left hand to gather her energy.

There was an immediate difference in between their techniques. Where Bianca’s energy was concentrated within her hand and arm, existing purely within her body, Song Ming’s energy hovered around her hand and formed into the shape of a serpent, open jaws ready to consume her foes like a wild, monstrous beast.

When she punched, that serpent burst out and bit down on the remnants of the bush, destroying it completely, being far more devastating than Bianca’s attack.

“This is externalisation of energy… though your technique was better than most I’ve seen,” Song Ming said, relaxing her stance, “You’ve gotten fitter over the last few days, by the way. You look a lot nicer today…”

‘And she looks great as usual,’ Bianca turned and, letting her energy return to her core, embraced her, pulling her closer by her waist.

Although Song Ming likely would have been able to resist her easily, given her higher level of fitness and her actual skill in using planar energy, she let herself be pulled in. As her eyes shut, Bianca kissed her on the lips, the touch brief but unbelievably delightful, as if she had a taste of paradise and had to pull away.

“You know you don’t have to compliment me, right? I’m perfectly happy to spend some time with you even without that,” Bianca said, looking right into Song Ming’s beautiful eyes.

“I’m not… I was just being honest…” she barely managed to reply, too preoccupied with staring back.

For a long time, they simply remained silent, both undoubtedly considering whether it would be a good idea to sleep together for a second time – Bianca knew she was giving it a lot of thought, far more than she needed. It wasn’t an ideal place and time for this, and they would be far better served getting rid of the threats to Bianca’s life or at least waiting until they would choose to bathe normally before indulging themselves.

Needless to say, Bianca’s inner thoughts were a little less wordy or well thought-out, but the general notion was more or less the same.

“Song Ming, when this is sorted out, let’s get some time alone with one another. A day or two, maybe, where we aren’t bothered by anyone,” she suggested after a while, “It should let us relax after Lin Shuming finally stops bothering us.”

“But… okay, let’s do that…” Song Ming clearly wasn’t completely happy with that, but she relented quickly, “I don’t intend to be impolite, not at all, but… can you promise me that you’re telling me the truth? That you’re not going to do anything that Lin Shuming claims you’d do? I-I know that you’re not some kind of terrible person, but… Sorry, I-”

“No, it’s fine. I can understand being a little hesitant…” Bianca sighed, “I promise that I’m not a killer, or a villain, or anything… My worst problem is that I have the occasional urge to, uh, borrow something.”

“Borrow?”

“… Steal. Min Yu’s kitchen had a few things that had gone missing, if you might recall.”

“That was… why? Did you need those spoons and snacks?” Song Ming questioned, the concern and fear draining from her expression again.

“It’s involuntary. Sometimes I just want to take something, and when it’s something as simple as a bite of food, it’s hard to find the strength to resist… Sorry for not telling you earlier. If you’re cross with me, I’ll make it up to you one day, okay?” Bianca tried her best to sound genuine despite having to say something very similar to people on Orbis time and time again, ‘At least it’s not made me steal her underwear or anything like that. The last thing I need is to accidentally piss her off and come off as some random creep while I’m at it.’

“… But why?”

“Just the way it is, I’m afraid… If it was an easy problem to solve, I’m sure I would have fixed it before I lost my memory,” she mentally replaced the last part with ‘appeared in the Planar Continents’ and it was almost like she was telling the truth.

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If her kleptomania was an easy thing to treat, her parents would have made sure to bring her to the best specialist in the matter that they could afford – the Stormsden household wasn’t exactly the wealthiest in the world, even if they sometimes acted like it – and solve that little issue before it caused a lot of problems for her.

Now that she was in a world with seemingly no strong understanding of psychology, at least not in this small village, she didn’t expect them to have many reasonable solutions. Cultivation might offer her a solution of sorts, but so far, her attempts to cultivate were not ending too well.

“I see… You promise that’s it, right? You’re not a demonic cultivator?”

“I don’t know what that even means, but no, I’m not… unless just having this strange energy makes me one, in which case it’s not my fault,” Bianca replied, finally parting from the embrace they’d been in, “Really, I don’t have a clue what’s happening with my energy. If I could have used a normal cultivation technique and skill instead of… this, I would probably be doing it. However, as you saw, it’s not exactly deliberate.”

“It certainly came off as rather… sudden,” Song Ming agreed, “I trust you, so… I just want to be sure. It’s hard not to be concerned when Lin Shuming keeps going on and on about it…”

“No, I get that. Given how persistent he can be, I might start doubting myself eventually.”

“Never doubt yourself! He’s done enough damage to our village by spreading his nonsense to the others, so if you were to fall for it as well…” she suddenly got serious, clenching her fist and bringing it up to her chest, “We must stand up to him and let him know that there is a limit to what one can do out of pettiness!”

Bianca was stunned into silence by the display, though not for the reasons Song Ming might have hoped for. Instead, it was simultaneously cute, charming and a little childish, as if she was seeing a kid that was declaring their intentions to get some ice cream for their first crush.

Luckily, the comparison arose due to the actions of an old friend, or else she would have also been rather embarrassed.

In the end, she decided to just smile and say, “You’re cute.”

“I… I was trying to be serious, though.”

“And that’s cute. It’s not a bad thing, by the way, but it is true.”

Song Ming pouted for a moment, and Bianca found her smile widening, as the pout was rather cute as well. It was difficult not to find her cute most of the time, as she was rather beautiful regardless of what she was doing.

“Wait, couldn’t you learn the regular combat skill?”

“What? Oh, well… maybe? I’ve not tried that with the Glimpse of Sky yet, at least,” she shrugged, a little disappointed at the change of topic.

“You should try learning the Fragmented Strike now that you have obtained another one… somehow. It might be easier to learn now, and it might help you prove that you’re not faking your character,” Song Ming suggested, “In fact, I can try to teach you! I’ve used first realm skills for a long time, so I should be able to offer some suggestions.”

“Well… sure, I guess I can do that. Could you teach me right away?”

 

“Poor timing, Song Ming. We will be leaving in a day, so even if we could help you, we will likely not have the time,” Liu Min said disapprovingly, “Still, it is my duty to ensure that the village is safe while I’m here, so go ahead.”

“I wanted your advice on the same topic as before. You mentioned a few Hearts of Dao, so I wondered whether you might have heard of one with some properties I had witnessed.”

“Well, go on,” she impatiently gestured.

“It seems like Bianca obtained her techniques when she took a look at the manuals you’ve provided,” Song Ming said, “I saw her opening the Fragmented Strike manual, and then some kind of darkness emerged and flowed into her-”

“Similar to her planar energy?”

“Yes, quiet similar.”

“… There is such a thing as the Codex of All That There Is and Will Be, which is a Heart of Dao of the Information archetype. However, that Heart of Dao should not manufacture demonic energy, nor should it act without some control from the user. Furthermore, you say she has struggled to learn the Fragmented Strike?”

“Unfortunately. She’s only been learning it for a short while, relative to how long I had to practise ten years ago, but she’s been unable to perform the correct energy circulation at all.”

Liu Min’s brow furrowed, “That should not be an aspect of the Codex. Even if it could generate new techniques from manuals, it should also allow the cultivator to absorb the manual’s knowledge and cultivate it quickly. Then, there’s the matter of the last known appearance of the Heart of Dao being more than a million years ago. Some theorise that the Western Continent’s Master of Yi City possessed it, but with how little reliable information remains, such theories are not treated seriously by our elders, nor by the elders of other major sects.”

“So, unless it’s going out of control, Bianca’s likely to be affected by something other than the Codex of… whatever you’d said.”

“It is a bit of a mouthful, I admit, but that is an aspect of the Information archetype. Few that cultivate it have a dislike for lengthy sentences, paragraphs and so on, especially when it is information about their foes or that supports one of their goals,” Liu Min said, rising from her seat, “Is that all? I can’t do much to help you if it is.”

“I’m afraid it is… You’ve already helped us enough, Senior Liu, so thank you,” Song Ming bowed.

“Don’t thank me. I’ve done very little, regardless of what I was and wasn’t able to do,” she shook her head, heading around the desk she’d occupied to stand right in front of Song Ming, “I might request leave to exit the sect within a year or two to check on your situation. I hope to see you, Bianca and the village as a whole in a good state, healthy, prosperous and so on. I will also speak with Lin Shuming and insist to him that he does not take action unless there is a genuine threat to the village.”

“I… I’m grateful. Thank you again.”

Liu Min didn’t comment as she walked past her and emerged from the building, with Song Ming following her after an uncertain pause.

The Calm Skies Sect had been in Xi Village for only ten days, and they were already planning to leave. This was unlike the Sacred Rivers Sect, which had stuck around for a whole month before deciding on which individuals to take with them and which ones to leave behind with some additional techniques to study and keep within the village.

Apparently, the Calm Skies Sect made swifter decisions, and they had picked out a few disciples that they were willing to accept. Bianca was not one of them, due to a variety of reasons, and although Song Ming slightly regretted that fact, she would have been rather disappointed if she had been unable to see Bianca for ten, twenty, maybe even thirty years, depending on how long the Calm Skies Sect decided to keep and train her intensively.

Most of the people that had left for the Calm Skies Sect 30 years prior had still not returned, all of them attaining the third realm already.

Their inevitable departure was a troubling one, since the Calm Skies Sect’s presence was one of the primary reasons for Lin Shuming being unable to take action. With someone like Liu Min around, any attempts to attack an innocent person would not go unpunished, and perhaps more importantly for Lin Shuming’s interests prior to Bianca’s appearance, any chances of him being admitted into a sect to cultivate would essentially vanish. That would be utterly disastrous for him, and if he happened to do something especially egregious, he might get outright executed.

Even if the Calm Skies Sect wasn’t the ultimate authority in the land – the Blazing Skies and Sacred Rivers Sects were also in control of the region – few would bat an eye at them ending the life of a madman intent on killing some young woman.

‘I do hope it doesn’t come to that. Really, Bianca doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment. She clearly tries hard to learn when we’re together, and even if she doesn’t succeed, it’s obvious that she’s not the person that Lin Shuming thinks her to be…’ Song Ming sighed as she slowly headed over to the eastern part of the village, ‘I wonder if we could convince him if we did let him stick around and observe… not everything, of course, but just her diligent training should be enough.’

The situation made her sigh again, but she resolved to keep going and ensure that she and Bianca could have the time alone that they both wished for.

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