Whoosh!
The memories surged through Chu Feng's mind like a stormy tide, yet it seemed to have no clear beginning.
He only saw an old man seated on a stone platform who seemed to have forgotten himself in deep meditation.
The old man seemed to have been in seclusion for many years, his body still without the slightest of movement from him.
He could not see the life the old man had once lived prior to when he was seated still on the stone platform.
So any details about the man, even what might have been his cultivation eluded him.
It could be said that he was only able to access the later part of the old man's memory.
He did not think much about it because he knew the memory should have been from one of the orbs that had once been in his mind, but due to the venom incident that had occured, half of it had gone while he had unknowingly merged with the other half.
As he kept watching the man just seated still on the platform,
Boom! Inside his mind he suddenly jolted from shock.
Chu Feng's eyes snapped open. His chest clenched, and his hand flew to his heart.
"Did… did the old man's heart just explode?" he whispered, shaken.
It felt like the old man was practicing some weird kind of cultivation technique and in the process where his heart could not take it, it exploded.
What kind of evil cultivation can that be?
Chu Feng closed his eyes again and focused. He returned to the memory.
"Heart-root technique," he muttered as the name appeared in his mind like whispers.
> Heartroot technique:
Transform the heart into heartroot becoming the medium to absorb and circulate Qi of Heaven and Earth to nourish the body.
The heart no longer only pumps blood to the body, it will also pump Qi energy. Flowing through the body through the bloodstream.
Chu Feng's eyes snapped open as he thought,
Isn't this too much of a coincidence? As if something had known that he had no spirit root, then etched these memories into his mind.
Chu Feng wondered, and his heartbeat grew louder in his ears.
"A technique that allows cultivation without the natural spirit root."
He breathed heavily.
If that were true—if this method truly allowed one without proper spirit root to cultivate—it might be the miracle he needed.
But then… he remembered the old man's fate.
The old man's heart had exploded while he cultivated it.
Chu Feng shivered. The danger that comes with it seems like something he could not afford.
Could he take that risk?
"There must have been something the old man overlooked which might have caused the explosion of his heart," he reasoned.
Once again, he accessed the memory.
> When there is heartroot, it becomes a channel—pumping pure Qi throughout the body.
It thus bears a rare advantage. The heartroot is able to sense the purest Heaven and Earth Qi. It absorbs and pumps the Qi energy to the body faster than a natural spirit root.
But to attempt the technique, one must temper the heart a hundred times both physically and mentally.
When tempering the heart physically, the mental faculty must have the readiness and will to endure the heart wrenching torment that comes in the process.
Without this process, the heart being so fragile cannot withstand the fierce torrents of Qi energy, which may result in its explosion.
Chu Feng drew a long, solemn breath.
Even reading those words scared him.
If the condition wasn't met before he dared attempt the technique recklessly, he would follow the same fate as the old man.
He looked up at the sky, his heart heavy.
"Even if I wanted to try and temper my heart… how to do it?"
The half memory he had of the old man gave no method on how to do so. He could not tell whether the old man had also attempted the heart tempering before cultivating the technique.
He clutched his chest.
Even though he was somehow disoriented about cultivation when he thought of how precarious its journey was, he still wanted more than anything to be able to cultivate.
But this requirement…
Suddenly, he had a dangerous thought, 'the serpent venom.'
Hadn't he felt a slight change to his heart after surviving the venom attack? He remembered he had felt his heart became more toughened and more resilient.
Can there be such an absurd coincidence? If that was also a tempering method, doesn't it seem like a hand is playing him and stirring things up in his direction?
"No! Never!"
Furiously shaking his head, Chu Feng leapt from the water, his eyes filled with dread.
If that was also a method of tempering the heart and if all the process of the heart tempering is as heart wrenching as he had felt when his body was being invaded by the venom, he would never try to cultivate the technique.
He had barely survived once and he didn't even know how he had survived.
The thought alone turned the technique into a nightmare.
He wasn't willing to rush to his death. If he can't cultivate, then so be it.
He quickly dressed, pulling his clothes over his damp body.
"I don't have that kind of will," he mocked. "That will… is a will of death."
He clenched his fists.
"I'm not destined to cultivate, fine. As long as Ling'er can… then that is enough."
Without looking back, Chu Feng dashed toward the cave.
—-----------
Ye Family Hall
At the center of the vast ancestral hall, Ye Jian sat high upon the patriarch's seat. His gaze swept over the gathered elders below, each of whom bore a different air—some solemn, others speculative.
"Patriarch," Elder Chen, a plump man with a wispy goatee, broke the silence. "It has been confirmed. The energy ripple from last night originated from the mountain range."
"The mountain range?" several elders echoed in surprise, stirring a low murmur of discussion.
When the explosion occurred the previous night, Chu Feng might have been present at the scene but he could only gauge the extent of the power from the sound, the shattered trees and the scarred gully.
But from the Ye family's residence, they had heard no sound, however, they had felt the energy ripples which seemed to have traveled further than the explosion's physical damage.
"Ahem!" Ye Jian cleared his throat, bringing order to the murmuring crowd.
Elder Wei, a slender man with sharp features, rubbed his chin in thought. "Though the mountain range lies behind and slightly beyond our clan grounds, it isn't necessarily ours. Such a forceful energy ripple… the Ning family must've sensed it as well."
"Exactly what I was thinking," Elder Chen nodded.
Ye Jian's voice, hoarse but authoritative, rang out. "I care not for the Ning family. What I wish to know is—what caused such a ripple? Could it be… a treasure?"
"A treasure?" The word spread through the room like wildfire. Even seasoned elders could not suppress their awe.
If it was truly a treasure, then what kind of grade would it be?
Unconsciously, a lot of them gulped in, eyes flickering with restrained greed.
Suddenly, Elder Wei turned to the man beside him. "Old Hai—wasn't that region near where your grandson Ye Feng was exiled?"
Ye Hai's expression stiffened. He looked to the floor, his voice heavy with shame. "Yes. The ruin is where the boy was banished. I… feel disgraced to think my son fathered such a child."
Elder Chen placed a hand on Ye Hai's shoulder. "Don't be too harsh on yourself. Don't you have another grandchild excelling beyond her peers? Besides, it's been over two years since Ye Feng was sent there. The ruins lie even closer to the mountain than our clan. It's unlikely he's still alive."
"That's true," Elder Wei added, nodding. "That region is never safe. Beasts from the mountain top sometimes roam down. If he's still alive… it would be a miracle."
Ye Hai gave a bitter smile but said nothing more.
"We're not here to speak of Ye Feng," came a cold interjection from a sharp-eyed elder with a stern face.
"Right, of course."
Ye Hai and Elder Chen both straightened, falling silent.
Ye Jian turned toward a woman seated at the far end—Elder Mei. Though already in her fifties, her posture remained graceful, her eyes deep as though they contained ancient wisdom.
"What insight does Elder Mei offer?"
Elder Mei folded her arms and met Ye Jian's gaze. "I'm unsure what the Patriarch expects from me, but I will speak plainly. The mountain is beyond our clan's authority and given the danger that lurks around it, and the strength of that ripple—if it were truly a treasure, I dare say it cannot be simple."
"You suggest we do nothing?" Ye Jian asked, voice calm but firm.
Elder Mei merely shrugged in silence.
Around the hall, the elders exchanged glances. Elder Mei was right but could they really let something like that go?
Strangely, Ye Jian did not seem displeased.
"Very well."
"Patriarch," Elder Chen leaned forward slightly, voice eager. "Why not send the younger ones over? We elders are long past the age of fieldwork. It is time our children learn to carry burdens. Let them venture into the mountains."
"Agreed," several elders quickly echoed.
But Elder Mei's face darkened. Her voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Have you all lost your minds? Do you realize what you are saying? You will send the younger ones into such danger for the chance at a treasure?"
Elder Chen chuckled and waved a hand. "Elder Mei, you make it sound as though we intend to sacrifice them. That is not my intention. But let's face the truth. Aside from Old Hai's granddaughter—who was talented enough to be taken by a sect—the rest of our youths are average at best.
Our family has continued living in the mountains because of our ranks at annual gathering competition, we have no chance of integrating into the city. Is this not the time for a change? Isn't it time to harden and train the spirits of the younger generation?"
He paused, then added, "We can offer them incentive. If they manage to slay a beast at the third or fourth level of Qi Refiner, they earn the right to follow along to witness the annual gathering competition. If any of them can defeat a beast at the fifth or even sixth level, they can represent the family in the competition."
Elder Wei nodded and chimed in, "Elder Chen did say right. The search for treasure can just be a side assignment which won't be imposed on them. Besides, most of them have ventured to the mountains before to gather herbs, have they not?"
Elder Mei scoffed. "That's just the periphery of the mountain. You want them to enter deeper into the range."
"W-well…"
"It's fine." Ye Jian raised a hand, silencing further bickering. "I approve of Elder Chen's proposal. It is time our young ones learn. Six months remain before the Annual Gathering. That is enough time for them to grow."
He turned to Ye Hai. "Old Hai, can I entrust this task to you?"
Ye Hai straightened and patted his chest. "You can count on me, Patriarch. I will gather the promising youths and pass along the instructions."
"Good," Ye Jian said with a satisfied nod.