Pitter Patter.
Pitter Patter.
The sound heavy rain was deafening as it fall to the earth, like it was on a mission to cause a great flood.
Li Shen was unlucky to be caught in this torrential downpour.
“God damn it!!”
He cursed as he walked.
He wasn’t soaked by the rain this time though as he decided to spread his Divine Will, that was disguised as a Soul Sense two meters around him.
He just found the rain bothersome.
After rushing here at full speed he chose to stop and walk. That was because immediately as he entered this area, he felt tens of Divine Wills spread out for miles on end.
‘Aren't these the active Elders of our clan? I can’t believe are they're so many of them!’
Li Shen had never been to this restricted area in the clan, so finding out there were so many Nascent Realm cultivators cooped up here shocked him immensely.
But now he was wondering, how many were inside the Ancestral Grounds he had visited?
The Li Clan’s restricted cultivation grounds for Elders weren’t filled with fancy buildings or anything form the outside world. The only thing that could be found here in the clan was mountains and forest trees that stretch for miles. Just nature itself.
In this restricted area, an Elder would carve out a cave on a mountain and seal it, completely shutting off the outside world.
They wanted to fully focus on cultivation after living a life filled with political agendas, scheming, and competition with the talents of their generations.
Li Shen had no idea how many Elders were here. Though he speculated that some of them were old monsters from a time well in past.
As he walked deeper he felt that the Divine Wills were all focusing on him. It wasn’t every day they saw someone from the younger generation here.
And as Li Shen thought, he stuck out like a thumb. They found his presence here weird, enough for them to pause their cultivation to shoo I’m away
‘‘Huh? Why is there a brat here? Hey brat, did you take a wrong turn somewhere? This isn’t a place to get lost, hurry up and leave before you cause trouble.’’
Li Shen immediately paused and then bowed with cupped fists as he said.
“Respected Ancestor, I was given permission to be here.”
Despite his voice being drowned out by the rain somewhat, the Divine Wills around him still picked it up.
“Huh?! You little brat!! Who are you calling an Ancestor?! What disrespect! Are you saying I’m old?!”
“I-”
Li Shen was completely taken aback by that, but he wasn’t given any time to speak.
“It was only a thousand years since I was active, I’m still in shape to keep up with you younglings. Bah! To call me an Ancestor, brat do you know who I am?! Have you ever heard of the name Ghost Blade?!”
Hearing this person screaming at him, Li Shen put on a weird expression, he wasn’t expecting this type of interaction.
But before he could respond, the other Divine Wills spoke up.
“Seventh you shameless old fart, leave the kid alone. You know full well that there’s a formation that prevents anyone from wandering in here, you just want to boast about your so-called glory days to him.”
“That’s right old Seventh, what the hell are you trying to do? Just eave the poor kid alone, he doesn't want to hear your boring stories.”
“Yeah, that’s right Seventh….”
“Yeah…”
“Seventh you…”
“Leave the kid…”
More than a few Divine Wills spoke one after another criticizing the speaker from before, and Li Shen’s head rattled because of so many people speaking all at once.
In response, Li Shen heard the Elder called Seventh grumpily barked out.
“What are all you bastards ganging up on me for?! So what if I want to give this little brat some lessons in the Clan's history?! You old bastards want me to come over there with my saber and show you why I’m called the Ghost Saber Li Bao?!!”
Hearing the name Li Bao, a surprise light flickered in Li Shen’s eyes.
“Seventh do you think none of us didn’t gain a moniker back in our primes? Do you think you're anything special here? Stop tutting your horn you shameless bag of bones.”
Li Shen listened as these people who were supposed to be dignified Elders quarreled like little children. Quickly, the topic had somehow fallen on who was more famous back in their generation.
“Alright, you fogies, let’s ask this brat from the younger generation!”
“Hey kid, you’ve heard of the Ghost Saber, right?”
Li Shen nodded and said.
“Respect Elder was once called the Ghost Saber because the Blade Arts you developed gave your saber an illusory presence. Our enemies of the Demonic Cult would die before they could even catch a glimpse of the real thing.”
Hearing that, Seventh burst out laughing.
“You see that you old bastards! Even this brat knows this old man’s supreme Ghost Blade Arts! Hahahaha!!”
“Bah! He must have glimpsed it in a book and happened to recall it. There's no way such outdated Saber Skill is still being used in his generation, right kid?”
Li Shen nodded.
He never heard anyone talking about some Ghost Blade in the Li Clan or anywhere before, but on his trips to the Clan Library, there was a catalog of past talented Li Clan members that had made waves on the continent.
“Who cares if he just read it in a book? Unlike that other brat who came here a few years back, this one knows the importance of knowing past generations of the clan. You know brat, they called me the Ghost Saber after I was the first person to wipe out a top-tier secret base of the Poison Demonic Sect.”
“Yes, and you were also given a lesser known title after dedicating your life to battling the Poison Demonic Sect, the Undertaker. I’m sure if this name is mentioned to a disciple of the Poison Demonic Sect even now, they would quake in their boots. And I just wanted to say from someone of the younger generation, I’m grateful for what seniors like yourself have done. If not for seniors like you, the Demonic Cult would have been more rampant in my generation.”
Li Shen meant what he said.
Li Bao was a name that was attached to selfless sacrifice. He was very pivotal in the ongoing war against the Demonic Cult, and was one of the reasons why the Li Clan continue to have the reputation of being the spearhead of the Righteous Faction in any war.
“Hoho, look at this brat. You really know how to make this old man feel good.”
It was good to have his efforts acknowledged by someone from the younger generation. No one could blame him for wanting to have his deeds validated. It gave him a sense of joy he hadn’t felt in a long while.
Seeing this, the others became jealous and began bombarding Li Shen with questions.
“Hey kid, have you ever heard of the One Arm Saint?”
Li Shen smiled and said.
“Of Course! After having your arm taken by an Aqua Demonic Beast, Elder had lost the ability to circulate Qi. However, Elder created an astonishing unique cultivation method that made it possible for you to cultivate despite your incomplete meridian channels. You then went on the stunned the whole continent by massacring thousands of Aqua Demonic Beats at the border, during one of the biggest beast waves in the Maple Continents history.”
“Hahahaha!! Good good good! Hearing you recall those times is making this old man nostalgic.”
After that, more and more Elders began asking if Li Shen if he knew a their famous moniker, and he would state the time in history that marked the point at which they gained that title.
Hearing him speak so enthusiastic about their accomplishments and even thanked them, made these old men who have always been cooped up here feel a sort of renewed feeling.
Li Shen didn’t mind the hold-up. He himself got something out of this interaction. Meeting all of these past Ancestors who accomplished greatness after only reading about them in books, was like meeting a celebrity he had admired.
“Hey brat, let this old man get in on this. Our Li Clan isn’t that well known for producing members that specialized in runes, and I’m sure you're the same. I didn’t have a famous moniker, but I was the one who invented the Transmutation Runes.”
“W-wait, could Elder possible be Li Songhai?!!”
Li Shen's eyes widen to their limits.
“Oh? I guess you have read about me too.”
Li Shen was excited and his voice even trembled as he said.
“R-read about you Elder? I didn’t just read about your work, I idolize and admire what you have accomplished in the field of rune inscriptions?!”
“Well, looks like you found an extreme admirer old Eighth.”
“Yeah, who would have thought?”
Seeing Li Shen’s fanboy reaction, the other Elders all made joking comments.
Li Shen wasn’t finished and he saw this as a major opportunity!
“Respected Elder, would you please oblige this young one by answering a few of my questions? Please Elder, I’ll be eternally grateful!”
Li Shen forgot what he came here for as he begged with a deep ninety-degree angle bow.
“Of course, seeing as I’m not going anywhere.”
Li Songhai chuckled after saying that.
Hearing his request being accepted, Li Shen couldn’t describe how excited he was right now.
The form of runes Li Songhai created was revolutionary in the Rune and Formation World. The jade slip that Fang Chen had shown him before that was given to selected Chosens to enter the Hidden Fragmented Realm, was created using his invented Rune Principles as a basis.
He had wanted to meet that person before, but now, he had the real deal in front of him.
“Elder Songhai, your theory about Transmutation creation is governed by the Five Principles of Transmutation. Analyze, Deconstruct, Manipulate, Change, and Reconstruct. However, the third Principle, Manipulate, even till now, no one was ever able to grasp its core concept, thus cutting off the chance of creating a true Transmutation Rune or Formation. Could Elder Song elaborate on the third Principle?”
“Hmm, I see. I guess my explanation I put out in the world before I enter seclusion was too complex.”
“Uh..."
Li Shen suddenly wore an awkward smile.
"No Elder that wasn’t really the case.”
Hearing that, Elder Song’s Divine Will transmission held confusion as he asked.
“Huh? If that’s not it why was it hard to grasp?”
Li Shen’s expression became hesitant as he thought of a way to phrase his answer.
“You see Elder Songhai, your... uhm….handwriting, it wasn’t the best per se.”
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