Blue and Micro listened attentively as Feng continued to speak, though Micro was unable to chew his carrots quietly enough not to annoy Blue.

  “Kang managed to cultivate an amber core before he dared speak to another cultivator, learning by watching, reading whatever texts he could acquire,” Feng went on.

  “He joined the Tiger Moon Sect as an outer disciple during a regional tournament, where his origins were of less concern. It was a simpler time in the sect’ history,” Feng said with a smile. “He confronted the arrogance of our kind with skill, and the rest is history…”

  “Such a story…” Lena marvelled. “I never guessed—”

  “He didn’t leave the sect in disgrace. He left because it no longer served the path he chose,” Feng said. Feng’s voice suddenly filled with energy and passion which shook the room. “But was he any less the master you knew when he left?”

  “No one would deny his place at the top of our—” Lena insisted, but Feng was unhappy with her response.

  “He was Master Kang, not some glorified figurehead of a corrupt sect!” Feng shouted. “Nor will I be used to prop up the remains of a hopeless group of whining children who lack the will to find their own path to walk!”

  “Then the sect…!” Lena cried.

  “If your only obligation is to repair the honour of a sect, why bother cultivating? Just go pick a fight with every enemy you can find, and then die a death so overflowing with honour that onlookers will write stories about you,” Feng said, his tone sarcastic but calm. “I don’t recall the child called Lena being so easily distracted from her path. I have no memory of you ever hesitating to leave the group when you sought a greater challenge. You weren’t even fully grown before you sought out the wandering Amber Water Tiger Art Dungeon!”

  “You’re not suggesting…” Lena whispered. “Are you saying that I should leave the sect…?”

  “I’m saying that I’m surprised you’ve let it hold you back for so long,” Feng replied with a look of pity. “Your strength was never of the sect’s making, nor was your honour.”

  “My sect was holding me back?” The strength seemed to leave Lena’s body as she looked down at the table in silent contemplation. Feng looked at her with a kind smile, but offered no words of comfort. Micro continued to fill himself with the carrots from Feng’s garden, and Blue nodded slowly as she observed Feng and Lena.

  “Cultivators sure do waste a lot of time thinking, given how short a life you live.” Blue sighed, disturbing the heavy silence at the table.

  “Pixies don’t think much?” Micro asked.

  “I don’t know what to say to that.” Blue frowned.

  “I’ve been thinking a lot recently, but I still don’t really enjoy it…” Micro added. “I don’t think so, at least…”

  Lena ignored their remarks as she quietly considered Feng’s words, and Feng turned to smile at the odd pair to his left.

  “You both make a good point,” Feng said. “And I see you’ve both come a long way in a short time.”

  “Don’t bother trying to comprehend the potential of a pixie,” Blue scoffed. “It would only upset you.”

  “Indeed,” Feng replied with a warm smile. “A cultivating pixie is difficult to fathom, even with one in front of me. And you, boy?”

  “Me?” Micro asked.

  “Yes, you,” Fend repeated. “To think a farm tool’s soul in an artificial human vessel could come so close to cultivating an amber core in so little time.”

  “I had lots of help, but I still have a lot of Core Cards left to master,” Micro replied, smiling widely at Feng’s praise. “I’m in the Jade Fire Mountain Turtle Sect right now, though I still need to find an amber level sect that knows about the Serpent Art. Ray said they would be helpful.”

  “Indeed, the oath that binds your core is beginning to react to its progress.” Feng nodded while inspecting Micro’s core with glowing eyes. “The Amber Water Serpent Moon Sect may be worth a visit in the near future. The cards you currently hold should suffice as a means to enter their temple and seek their counsel.”

  “Didn’t they poison your friends?” Blue asked with a suspicious glare.

  “You will find friends and enemies wherever you go,” Feng replied. “One of life’s pleasures is learning to tell which is which.”

  “Are there signs?” Micro asked. “How do you tell them apart?”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “I’m afraid that is something one must learn the hard way,” Feng replied.

  “There are many lessons that can be learned but not taught, and not every friend you make will have the same enemies.”

  “Just avoid people who want you dead,” Blue suggested. “That’s a start.”

  “That’s a lot of people…” Micro sighed.

  “Master Kang really would have enjoyed your company,” Feng said.

  “He seemed indifferent last time we met,” Blue quipped, but she was surprised to see Feng smile at her dark joke.

  “He was often bored by the tedium of life in the sect,” Feng added. “It’s an honour to witness a genuine adventure unfolding before two young cultivators. There is much to learn from those in your position.”

  “Thanks, Feng,” Micro replied happily, while Blue rolled her eyes at Feng’s kind tone.

  “I’ve been meaning to ask, why is it that you seem to possess twice the number of souls as before?” Feng asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “A lot has happened!” Micro laughed. “The Fire Mountain Turtle Sect was very kind, and they invited me to fight in a tournament in the Imperial City. There were more obstacles than roads on the way there, but I made it eventually. The tournament was interesting, but it turned out to be a trap, and we were all sacrifices for another hero summoning.”

  “I see…” Feng looked to Lena with a surprised look, but she only nodded silently to affirm what Micro had said. “Another summoning…”

  “I managed to catch the soul intended for the hero, and it’s sleeping under my own soul right now,” Micro said while tapping his chest lightly. “I’m a little worried though, because it ate a big piece of chaos energy recently. I hope it doesn’t get a stomach ache…”

  “In so little time, you made a core grand enough to host two souls in harmony,” Feng whispered in awe. “It’s suddenly easier to believe in your quest to transcend the boundaries of reality.”

  “There’s always a road home,” Micro replied. “There are usually several, in fact.”

  “That path may cost you your life,” Feng warned, but his tone didn’t sound discouraging.

  “If it’s a toll road, I’ll pay the toll.”

  “You’ll—” Feng blinked, unsure how to reply.

  “You lasted loner than most in a conversation with this farm tool,” Blue laughed. “Not sure what that says about you though.”

  “Indeed, I have met my match.” Feng smiled and reached for his cup of tea. After a long sip, he sighed with concern. “I have no right to doubt your ability, though your eye needs the attention of a skilled healer…”

  “I looked too closely at chaos the other day,” Micro replied, bringing his hand to his reddened left eye. “It doesn’t hurt anymore, but walking without depth perception has been difficult.”

  “Oh!” Feng gasped at Micro’s statement, then turned to Lena once more with an enthusiastic smile. “I have an idea!

  “An idea…?”

  “Accompany young Micro to the Amber Water Serpent Moon Sect!”

  “What would that—”

  “It’s time for you to see your sect from the outside,” Feng explained. “When Micro’s business there has concluded, I expect you will have discerned your own path.”

  “If it is your will, I shall make it so,” Lena replied earnestly.

  “Please, don’t treat me like the leader of a sect,” Feng said, waving his hand in front of his face in displeasure. “I only wish the best for little Lena, and I have a feeling the trip will be illuminating to you.”

  “Master Feng…” Lena said, tears forming in her eyes. However, they were interrupted by the sound of an explosion not far from the cabin that caused their ears to ring. Splinters sprang out of the wooden floor as the small building buckled in the shock wave. Micro, Blue, and Lena flinched as the cabin settled, but Feng turned slowly to face the door which had swung open.

  “You sense the same thing?” Feng asked with a sharp tone.

  “There are two of them,” Lena said, standing up and releasing a defensive aura. “They’re like nothing I’ve ever seen in this land.”

  “And they aren’t something you can handle in your current state,” Feng added, standing up with a weary sigh. “Not that I’m one to talk…”

  “They definitely aren’t from around here,” Blue said, climbing onto Micro’s head and closing her eyes to concentrate. “They smell like blood… and that chaos stuff…”

  “Do you think they’ll leave us alone?” Micro asked, but Feng had no time to answer. The roof of the wooden cabin was immediately swept away, faster than Micro could see. Even with his skin hardened by the Armour Trait, the wave of dust and splinters that pelted Micro made him flinch in pain. Blue was already in his pocket by the time Micro had raised his hands to deflect the debris, while Feng and Lena had already braced themselves with energy.

  “Oh, wow.” Micro opened his eyes and immediately understood how the roof was swept away with such ease. Towering above the roofless cabin were two creatures much larger than the dragon he had met in the cave where he was summoned, but they resembled no creature in particular. He looked to Lena for an answer. “What are those called?”

  Lena had no answer to offer Micro. They all stared in dismay at the large creatures. With coarse black fur and large claws, they almost resembled bears, but their necks were long, and twisted horns adorned their wolf-like heads. Micro lost his balance as every movement of their massive wings created a storm of wind and debris.

  “Into the woods!” Feng shouted, grabbing Micro by the arm and dragging him to the door with more strength than Micro expected of the old man. Lena followed close behind as another of the giant monsters’ hands swept away the rest of the house. Micro had no time to look behind him as he began to run quickly enough to keep up with Feng and Lena, sprinting straight into the dense woods, but he knew the monsters were close behind by the sound of trees being crushed beneath their weight as they chased after them.

  “Can you defeat them?” Micro asked Lena as they ran.

  “Ten of me would not suffice!” she shouted back.

  “Blue! Can you get us far away from here?” Micro then shouted down to the pixie in his pocket.

  “Carrying three humans? No chance!” Blue replied.

  “Do not lose hope! They’re strong, but they’re only beasts,” Feng called out. “I didn’t live this long to be done in by a couple of wild animals!”