"Shang Biao... 7 years old, dual spiritual roots of Fire and Metal... Not bad. Assign him as an Outer Disciple first to test his behavior and develop his loyalty to the Sect before elevating his status further to become an Inner Disciple."
He always remembered that time when the Disciples of the Blood Sect abducted him and several other children from the small island villages in the vast Oceanland.
The name "Oceanland" refers to the extensive, yet complicated lake and river-filled area in the southern region of the Copper Cloud Continent. There are numerous small islands, some of which are occupied by villages scattered throughout the area, lacking any ruling faction to safeguard or regulate them.
Shang Biao was one of the children from those villages whom the Blood Sect's Disciples abducted to become the next generation of disciples.
Even now, the images of how the Blood Sect's disciples attacked his village—killing many while capturing others—haunt him every single night.
—GET OFF!! DON'T TOUCH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN!!
—BROTHER! FATHER! MOTHER!
—XIAO BIAO! JIJI'ER!
Their wails, their tears, their sorrow, all engulfed in fire and crushed by blades, left only bloodied limp bodies on the burning ground as the only traces of their lives.
Shang Biao woke up from his dream with a start, his eyes abruptly opening while his body was soaked in cold sweat.
"Ha... Ha... Ha..."
For a while, he lay there on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his cave abode in silence, feeling the old hatred and sadness seeping into his very being, refreshing itself.
A line of tears made its way down his cheek, which he immediately wiped away once he calmed his mind.
His eyes gradually turned cold. There was a vengeful soul hidden within those brown pupils, suppressed and waiting for the right moment to erupt.
He blinked once, erasing the burning desire from his eyes.
He stood up from his creaking bed and began putting on the Outer Disciple uniform he had scattered across the floor yesterday. His eyes lingered on the clothes for a moment, unable to hide the dark emotions he felt towards those who wore them.
"10 years..." Shang Biao muttered through gritted teeth.
Shang Biao's eyes darted towards the Inner area of the Sect as he stepped out of his cave abode.
Ten years had passed, yet he still couldn't manage to become an Inner Disciple and reunite with his younger sister, who had been assigned as an Inner Disciple shortly after they were brought here.
They said his comprehension was lacking, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
Shang Biao's face darkened as he stared at the abnormally bulging and pulsating veins in his right hand.
Among the Blood Sect's disciples who had abducted Shang Biao, his younger sister, and other children ten years ago, there was a spy from the Gu Clan. This spy recognized Shang Biao's talent and implanted a parasite Gu into his right hand that occasionally absorbed his cultivation for its own growth. This was the reason his cultivation progressed so slowly despite having Dual Spiritual Roots, which is considered quite talented in the broader cultivation world.
After the war between the Seven Southern Claws and the Tian Clan, the Blood Sect was forced to retreat into their hidden realm as their last stronghold. This led to internal conflicts among the upper-class members of the Blood Sect. In one such conflict, the Gu Clan spy was killed by the current Sect Master.
However, even though the master of the Gu had long since died, the Gu in Shang Biao's hand never stopped absorbing his cultivation, not even for a second. In fact, it had begun to reproduce and was nearly taking over his entire body. If the master of the Gu were still alive today, Shang Biao was sure he would have become the spy's puppet in no time.
Everything seemed so despairing for Shang Biao. What had he done to deserve such a fate, oh heavens?
Today, he felt extremely gloomy, as if the weight of the world was suffocating him.
Then, he discovered the cause of his dread.
A sound of metal scraping suddenly caught his attention.
Shang Biao raised his head as he walked slowly down the paved stone road towards the training field.
There, two hundred meters ahead, he saw a girl in her eights, standing with a sword in her right hand, scraping the paving stones as she approached him.
She was smiling, yet her eyes did not reflect that joy.
...
—Three days ago.
"Mao Xuelian... right?"
Mao Xuelian retracted her gaze from a particular young man and turned to face a Servant disciple who approached her.
"Yes," she replied, scanning the girl from head to toe with calculating eyes.
Fourteen years old, Mao Xuelian noted in her mind.
The girl looked a bit overwhelmed under Mao Xuelian's scrutinizing gaze, but she encouraged herself to say what she had to.
"M-My name is Chu Mu. I-I was told to explain what a Servant disciple should and shouldn't do by D-Dean Bao…" The girl's eyes darted around anxiously, revealing her nervousness.
Mao Xuelian regarded her strangely at her comment. She had been assigned the task of explaining the responsibilities of a Servant disciple, yet this girl hadn't come to her until today. It was well past due.
Chu Mu seemed to sense the weight of Mao Xuelian's gaze and immediately lowered her head.
"I-I'm sorry... I-I was so n-nervous... I couldn't br-bring myself to g-greet you until t-today..." She stammered, appearing genuinely distressed.
Mao Xuelian silently observed the girl until she understood: Chu Mu was a shy individual with very low self-confidence and poor communication skills.
For someone like her, it was important to listen patiently until she finished speaking, to avoid staring too much, and to bring up topics one after another to ease any awkwardness that might arise.
Nodding inwardly, while leaning on a stick for support, Mao Xuelian smiled faintly at the girl.
"I see. It's okay. So, what is the job of a Servant disciple, actually?"
Mao Xuelian's gentle tone seemed to have an effect; the tension in Chu Mu's face eased as she began to explain the responsibilities of a Servant disciple. However, as Chu Mu continued, a frown formed on Mao Xuelian's face.
"What?" she exclaimed. "Serve them in bed and provide a cup of blood per week?"
Chu Mu nodded to confirm her question.
"Y-Yes. Y-You're still young... so maybe Dean Bao or other disciples won't take you to their bedroom. B-but the blood is... f-for cultivation purposes, so they should ask you for it soon..." Chu Mu explained, slightly blushing, perhaps feeling embarrassed.
Mao Xuelian shifted her gaze to Chu Mu's hands, marred with new and old scars. She squinted, deciphering the unspoken rules at play.
This was only Mao Xuelian's ninth day in the outer area, so according to Chu Mu, she wouldn't be assigned any tasks related to those responsibilities until at least the end of her first month. For now, she focused on volunteering in the training field and caring for Huai's cave abode.
After two days of volunteer work, Huai returned from her mission.
Upon spotting Mao Xuelian sweeping the yard of the cave abode, Huai raised her right hand in greeting. "Mao'er…"
Mao Xuelian turned to look at her, her eyes widening at the sight.
Huai was covered in bruises. Her cheeks were swollen, her hair a mess, and her entire body was stained with blood and some sticky substance.
She looked miserable, yet her smile remained bright and cheerful.
When she reached Mao Xuelian, Huai set down a large bag from her back onto the ground with a wide grin. She opened the bag and showed Mao Xuelian the contents piled inside.
"Look here, Mao'er! I got a lot of meat and low-level spirit stones from this mission. So much more than I've gotten before!"
Despite her appearance, the joyous laughter that erupted from Huai was the most genuine and happiest sound Mao Xuelian had ever heard. Huai was sincerely thrilled with her reward, almost overwhelmed with joy.
Somehow, this moment reminded Mao Xuelian of something Isabella had once said to her.
At that time, they had sat on the ground together, looking at a golden field of wheat where a farmer was tending to his crops.
—Tairyn, don't you think being happy is so simple and easy?
—You just need someone, or even just yourself, and stop worrying about everything else. You can sit and observe nature, or train with your sword and improve. In the end, the future, dreams, hopes, expectations, stress, worry—none of those things matter compared to what you are doing or what you have right now. That's happiness.
Snapped back to reality, Mao Xuelian blinked and noticed that Huai was already gone. She turned around to find that the cave abode door was open. She entered the cave, moving toward the bedroom.
True enough, she found Huai there, sleeping on the bed with a broad smile. Mao Xuelian noticed that she was still holding a large bag in her hands.
Feeling speechless, Mao Xuelian couldn't find the words to express her thoughts.
It was then that she spotted a sword lying on the floor. It was Huai's sword, which must have been tossed aside when she jumped onto the bed.
Mao Xuelian approached and looked down at the sword. She picked it up and brought it in front of her eyes.
With a steady hand, she pulled the blade slightly out of the scabbard, allowing the white, thin, one-sided blade to see the world outside its confines.
Determination surged within her, sharpening her gaze as she felt a powerful resolve rising from something deep inside.
Her body had already recovered considerably.
So... it was time.