Destiny in Cinders

An Jing met up with Nian Quan fifteen minutes later. The youth at the Qi Refinement Realm was clad in ebony robes with a crimson-gold trim, illuminated faintly by the dim lights of the spirit-vein seclusion room, wearing a sword at his waist. As for his sword-wielding hand, it had been wrapped in talisman-covered bandages, but it didn’t stop the tendrils of black and green from spreading across his skin, turning its supple texture into that of stiff, withering bark. His countenance didn’t look well; even his lips looked anemically pale. He forced himself to smile at the sight of An Jing and tried to greet him. ”Long time no—”

”Is your hand hurt?” An Jing dropped the pleasantries when he saw the bandaged right hand. ”What happened? Can’t any special city doctors treat the injuries you suffered in the arena?”

”This is turbid stiffwood lethal qi,” Huo Qing said, recognizing the affliction Nian Quan was suffering from. ”When used offensively, it can cause the target’s body part to wither and rot. When used defensively, it can strengthen one’s own body. It’s among the more common types of lethal qi used by wood-aspect cultivators, and it’s not easy to treat.”

At that point, Huo Qing seemed rather puzzled. ”Looks like your enemy used a stream of vital-origin lethal qi of that type to strike you in your right hand, but how’s that possible? This type of lethal qi is powerful, no doubt, but it’s better for defense than for attacks. Before reaching the late stages of the Qi Refinement Realm, it shouldn’t be possible for the qi to leave the body. Even body refinement cultivators would only use it to reinforce their own bodies rather than project it for offense. Not to mention, this lethal qi comes from the vital-origin source. Using it is akin to harming yourself and your enemy. Nian Quan, what kind of madman did you run into? Why would they fight you with these self-destructive tactics?”

Nian Quan didn’t know what to say and merely stood there blankly. An Jing tapped him on the shoulder and said, ”Aren’t you gonna invite us in?”

”Ah, come in.” He sighed and opened the door wide.

An Jing and Huo Qing entered the simple seclusion room. It wasn’t too different from the one An Jing rented during his first trip to the black market, fitted with a simple glass qi-collection platform as well as a wooden test dummy. Nian Quan must’ve lived a simple lifestyle; there was no sign of other activities apart from cultivating and studying.

”There’s quite a lot of wood-aspect cultivators in Deepnight City, yet somehow there are so few wood-aspect spirit items,” An Jing said when he came in. He recalled the fiendspawn in the caverns he had explored when he first arrived. It had formed from the skull of a wood-aspect cultivator who had manifested the Jade Marrow wonder. Metalhand was also a wood-aspect cultivator, and Huo Qing also had affinity for the wood aspect. Not to mention, the soldier of the Fengdu Guard had been one as well. And this time, the cultivator who injured Nian Qian was also one, giving An Jing the impression that the rarest aspects in Skysource weren’t water and wood, but rather metal and earth.

”The reason is simple. What heaven and earth lacks, mankind makes up for,” Nian Quan said in a soft, embarrassed voice. ”The state of our world is such that wood and water are dysregulated while yin and yang are receding. On the flip side, fire, earth and metal thrive. If not for the diligent efforts of the wood-aspect cultivators, we wouldn’t even be able to feed ourselves. And at the end of the day, the most common type of fiendspawn you’ll encounter in the badlands are also of the wood aspect, which benefits wood-aspect cultivators too.”

”I see,” An Jing said, nodding as he got Nian Quan to sit down. ”Doesn’t that just mean that you fell for the most common trick in the book? The wood-aspect cultivator caught you off guard!”

”Hey, I wasn’t caught off guard!” Nian Quan’s face flushed red from agitation. He struggled to find the words and stammered, ”Wood-aspect cultivators... I already figured that they’d have wood qi or wood lethal qi... B-but how could I have known that someone who was losing and acting like he was about to surrender w-would attack me all of a sudden?!”

”Oh...” Huo Qing immediately knew what had happened, being someone who had witnessed many gang fights. ”So it’s one of those guys who stubbornly refuse to yield and still try to take you down even if they’ll die trying, huh? Aren’t the students of First Middle School all geniuses to some extent, no matter how weak they are? They’re descendants of powerful immortals. Why would they stoop so low?”

”It is pretty low indeed.” An Jing figured that this was the classic move of losing the battle but winning the war; the loser had done his best to hurt the winner so that others from his school would have an easier time dealing with him. Nian Quan was more powerful than his peers, having a stable foundation at the Qi Refinement Realm and possessing sword intent. Essentially, nobody on the same level was his match. Even if there was some genius who could defeat him, he wouldn’t have lost and suffered a debilitating injury like that.

It was clear that those of First Middle School wanted to take him down even if it meant resorting to dirty tricks. His combat experience is too little. Even in sanctioned duels, one should never hold back until the enemy properly yields and the umpire calls the match. Considering the fact that Nian Quan didn’t have past memories like he did, however, An Jing couldn’t fault him for it.

”How unethical.” Huo Qing seemed even angrier than An Jing, who wasn’t above using such tactics for fights that really mattered, though he would prefer not to have to do so. It was just that he hadn’t yet encountered a foe that made him need to use such a method.

Huo Qing, however, was someone who would never resort to dirty tricks nor expect others to do so. As such, seeing someone fall for it made him feel like he himself had fallen for it!

An Jing circulated True Spirit Eyes and Ocular Blaze to assess Nian Quan’s injuries. He shook his head and said, ”These injuries are grave. The stiffwood lethal qi has hardened your flesh, preventing you from using your sword normally. Even if we can remove it, you’ll be in a weakened state for some time. You’ll need at least ten days or so to recover, and there’ll still be lingering damage that’ll take up to a full month to heal. You’ve made it to the top eight and the elimination round, but you won’t be able to recover quickly enough for the match the day after. There’s no way you can keep fighting in this tournament.”

Nian Quan hung his head low, not saying a thing. He hugged his sword with a blank expression.

An Jing, however, laughed and said, ”Nian Quan, I know that you’re mad that your perfect win streak got ruined by this underhanded tactic, forcing you to retire from the tournament. The fact that you’re still willing to meet me instead of closing yourself off means that you have at least three things to say.”

Nian Quan looked at his hand silently. ”This is a lesson. I have to internalize this experience so that I won’t be so careless again.”

An Jing shook his head. ”No, that’s not what you want to say.”

Nian Quan took a deep breath, forcing himself to be calm by hugging his sword even tighter to the point that the veins on his unharmed left hand were visible. ”First Middle School seems dedicated in this tournament to the point that they’d fight tooth and nail to get it. The fact that I made it to the top eight is already something. If I keep pushing, I might suffer huge losses.”

”That’s not it either.”

Nian Quan snapped to An Jing angrily. The latter met his gaze firmly and could see a trace of shame in his eyes. It was as if he was frustrated that he was forced to stop there even though he had already received so much help. There was another trace of deep-seated wrath within him that caused his blood to boil and surge.

”What in the world are you holding back for?” The corner of An Jing’s lips curved upward when he saw the look in those eyes. ”Nian Quan, why are you holding back in front of your friends? I don’t believe that you don’t cuss on your lonesome.”

”Those fucking bastards!” Nian Quan couldn’t hold it in any longer, rising with grit teeth and slamming his left fist into the wooden dummy nearby, causing it to shudder uncontrollably. He vented the deep-seated rage within him. ”He backstabbed me when I offered him a hand to help him up! I want to crush all these dogs from First Middle School that only know how to scheme and pull shameless tricks! I will show them the might of my sword!”

His face was flushed red, this time from a completely different emotion than before. His ice-blue True Spirit Eyes turned deep and sinister like powerful whirlpools in a stormy ocean. He didn’t look the least bit like the calm, refined swordsman in the adverts. However, An Jing and Huo Qing nodded their approval. This was the real Nian Quan, voicing his true thoughts and showing his genuine rage and indignation.

”Good! That’s how it should be!” An Jing smiled and took out a fluorescent emerald-colored seed from his void artifact. This was the spirit fruit formed from the vitality of Climbing Snowfang. Its presence tugged at the wood lethal qi in Nian Quan’s right arm. Nian Quan watched as An Jing handed it to him, their arms crossing.

”These longevity sprouts can heal your injury, but I have an idea. Let me teach you a trick or two. The first is called ’Armorpierce Impetus.’ The second is called ’Ailment Swordfinger.’”