Sai Hu and the Mountain Sage

  Huang Di awoke to something licking his face and realized it was Umbra. Gently pushing him away, he rose, noticing that both his body and Umbra’s were miraculously healed of all wounds. This left him thoughtful, but at that moment, Sai Hu spoke:

  “Boy, you cause me trouble. No need to thank me; I just did my job. But that doesn’t mean you can count on me to clean up your mess every time. You really take after your father... uff.”

  Understanding the situation, Huang Di thanked the spirited and hyperactive guardian. Looking around, he saw the corpse of the Black Widow and said to Umbra:

  “Looks like we won, friend. Now it’s time to prepare so you can advance.”

  He began preparations, taking out his last four perfect stones and another five hundred large stones, with only two thousand large stones remaining in his dimensional bag. He set up an energy restoration formation for Umbra and asked:

  “My friend, are you ready? How long do you think it will take for you to advance?”

  Umbra, thoughtful, responded telepathically that it would take about a month. They had less than five weeks to finish the trial, and Huang Di didn’t know exactly what the challenge would be or how long it would take to complete. Still, he believed a week would be enough, although he felt it might be too short. Even so, he encouraged his partner:

  “Then, friend, I won’t be able to stay here to protect you while you advance, but I believe there’s nothing here that can threaten you. I’ll place that guard at the door to scare off anyone trying to enter. I’ll also leave the concealment formation to seal the entrance and prevent anything from leaking out about what’s happening here. That way, you’ll be safer to do what you need. Meanwhile, I have to face other dangers. Stay safe.”

  Umbra nodded in agreement. Huang Di then summoned the captured Spider-Man, who, upon being called forth, surveyed the destruction around. With his joints injured, he could barely stand fighting and only blamed himself for his incapacity.

  Huang Di approached him and cast his Secret Mind Control Skill on the beast, who initially resisted but eventually succumbed over time. Then, he performed a healing technique from the Spiritual Summoning Art, aimed at sharing the master’s vitality with his summons, restoring them.

  He assigned the Spider-Man to guard the cave entrance, and the creature obeyed, remaining alert. Huang Di sealed the entrance and bid farewell to Umbra, who was already positioned within the formation, beginning his preparation to advance to the next rank.

  Setting off swiftly, Huang Di arrived in the city, it was already eight in the morning, as he had spent the entire night and early dawn organizing the formation for Umbra. He decided to visit Escarlate to clear up some doubts and seek guidance. Upon arrival, he saw her having tea with the Mountain Sage.

  “Did I arrive at a bad time?” he asked, noticing the two were talking.

  Escarlate laughed and replied:

  “No, dear, actually, you came at the right time. I was just talking to this old man about you. Apparently, your deeds have caught the attention of many here, awakening certain long-dormant emotions.”

  The Mountain Sage interrupted:

  “Hmm... actually, I have to agree with this witch. She truly has a keen eye for talent. Seeing you now, it’s impressive how, in such a short time, you’ve reached the Earth rank. Truly commendable achievements.”

  “You flatter me too much. There are many better than me out there. I’m just beginning now. They say the real path starts only after reaching the Earth rank,” Huang Di responded.

  The Mountain Elder commented:

  “Humble and upright, just and sincere. Truly, the attributes of a hero.”

  Escarlate added:

  “But let’s stop here. The important thing is that this elder wanted to talk to you privately and asked for my help to make that happen. So, what do you think? Are you willing to follow this old man and leave a beautiful flower waiting?”

  Huang Di, stunned by so much verbosity and small talk but understanding the situation, decided to go with the flow:

  “Of course, as long as it doesn’t take too long, because my time is getting tighter with these new changes. I believe you already know what I’m talking about.”

  Escarlate and the Mountain Sage nodded, and Huang Di said goodbye to Escarlate, then followed the old Mountain Sage.

  They walked eastward, toward a hill at the city’s edge, from where the Black Iron Mountains could be seen. Under a tree, there was a bench with a beautiful view. They sat down and observed the landscape.

  Knowledge about Souls

  The Mountain Sage began the conversation as they both observed the landscape:

  “It seems you have made good progress. I’m not being sarcastic but rather making a comparison. The best evidence of this was the display you gave us with the statues. Speaking of them, are they well-guarded?”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  He cast a meaningful glance at Huang Di, as if harboring a hidden agenda.

  Huang Di did not want to delve into that matter, for he had few answers himself. Like everyone else, he was surprised by what had happened. He decided to simplify the explanation and quickly change the subject:

  “Yes, they are safe. Apparently, they chose to enter my grimorium voluntarily. Perhaps because you know Escarlate... you know what I’m talking about.”

  The Sage replied:

  “Yes. Good, that seems fine. Besides being capable, you are a lucky young man to have accomplished such a feat.”

  Wanting to steer the conversation elsewhere, Huang Di interjected:

  “But what exactly was the reason you wanted to talk to me? My time is scarce, and I have other matters to attend to now. Forgive my haste.”

  The Sage laughed:

  “Hahaha, don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. I’ve observed those statues for many years, and now they are no longer there to be admired. But returning to the main topic: the reason I wished to speak privately was to impart some knowledge about souls. Apparently, Merlin mentioned that you have good potential in this area. Between us old folks, I can say I’m the best in this regard. So, so that the knowledge is not lost, I would like to pass it to you. The only thing I ask is to see those statues one last time, which were my obsession for many years. What do you think? Not a bad deal, right?”

  Huang Di, hearing this, felt a bit apprehensive. He only had a basic idea about soul cultivation, an extremely difficult art, and until now possessed only superficial knowledge of its concepts and fundamentals. However, he understood that the sooner he cultivated such techniques, the faster he could advance in the future.

  As for summoning the statues, he would also like to do so, but that was still beyond his capabilities. Even after reaching the Earth rank, nothing had changed regarding that.

  Just as he was about to reply, the Sage interrupted him:

  “Rest assured, it doesn’t have to be now. I believe, given the level of power they showed that day, you will have difficulty summoning them at the moment. But one promise from you will suffice: when you succeed, I’d like you to show me all of them in their true glory.”

  Huang Di looked at the Elder with a new gaze while he observed the beautiful mountain scenery. Then he said:

  “Very well. You will be the first person I show them to when I can bring them forth from within the grimorium.”

  The Sage laughed heartily and nodded.

  “Now come. You don’t have much time to analyze this knowledge.”

  Without giving Huang Di time to prepare, the Mountain Sage pointed a finger at his forehead and sent forth a strong energy containing information about practical techniques and concepts related to soul cultivation. To his surprise, the process was smoother than with other elders, except for the pills he still needed to absorb, and faster. Within seconds, Huang Di received information equivalent to years of training in the Dao of the Soul Art, a technique developed by the Sage himself, born from his understanding of a simple and direct method of training the soul.

  With this new knowledge, Huang Di better understood the fundamentals but still did not meet the minimum requirement: possessing a large soul or having reached the King rank. The concept of a larger soul explained that some were born with small, medium, large, or perfect souls, and other terms only cultivators of higher realms knew.

  Mortals, in general, had small souls. Cultivators, along their path, developed medium souls. The technique taught by the Sage showed a method to elevate a medium soul to a large one upon reaching the King rank, thus allowing the soul to materialize into various forms, useful both in combat and other fields.

  Huang Di became thoughtful, assimilating what he had learned while the Mountain Sage rose and took his leave. After organizing his thoughts, Huang Di set out to visit Escarlate. It was already one in the afternoon, a perfect time for lunch.

  At Scarlet’s House

  Upon arriving at Scarlet’s house, Huang Di entered without hesitation. He already had a certain level of intimacy with her that allowed such freedom. However, he was met with an unexpected scene: Escarlate was changing clothes, and at that moment, she was wearing only lingerie. The atmosphere shifted rapidly, from calm to tense in an instant. A deafening silence filled the room until Huang Di, embarrassed, turned around and began to leave.

  Before he could exit, Escarlate, now properly dressed, appeared before him. With a mischievous smile, she said:

  “Cutie, you really are bold. You already want a piece of me, don’t you?”

  Knowing Scarlet’s humor well, Huang Di decided to play along:

  “Actually, I’ve been in for quite some time, haven’t I?”

  Escarlate laughed:

  “Zizizi… Naughty! If you keep this up, I won’t let you leave.”

  But, like all jokes, this one eventually came to an end.

  Changing her tone, she asked:

  “But, after all, what brings you here? I believe I’ve already taught you everything I could.”

  Huang Di seized the opportunity to explain:

  “Actually, I have a question about the ‘Beast Fusion Skill.’ I have two beasts with similar yet different attributes, and I want to fuse them. However, the cost is high, as it requires a massive amount of perfect stones as a catalyst. I don’t know how long it will take to obtain them. My question is whether I can substitute them with another more accessible catalyst.”

  Escarlate considered before replying:

  “Ah, so that’s what this is about! Yes, it’s possible to substitute, but it can also take quite some time. What you need is energy. The stones are sources of energy in the form of crystallized pure Qi. The process demands a large amount of energy. Also, depending on the fusion rank, you need to be at least one rank above the expected result. For example: if you fuse two rank 5 beasts, the result could be a rank 6 beast. So, you would need to be at least a King Rank to perform the fusion using stones. However, if you are an Emperor Rank, you can bypass this requirement and use your own energy as a catalyst.

  She continued:

  “Unfortunately, due to certain rules and the type of energy we use, which is different from Qi, I cannot help directly. The other option would be if you were in my world and used the fusion devices available there. It would just be a commercial operation. That is; by providing the appropriate fee, you could get assistance in the fusion process. But I can’t help with that either... my world is far away, and I can’t send you there.”

  Understanding the situation, Huang Di responded:

  “I see. Then it seems I’ll have to wait.”

  He then asked if there was a suitable place to cultivate inside Scarlet’s house or if she knew any place in the city where he could have privacy. Escarlate thought for a moment and replied:

  “I believe the best place would be the library. There are many spaces that could serve that purpose. But since you are not an official member yet, you might not have access to many areas of that relic. They remain hidden until you meet the requirements. Still, there is a place I use for my research. However, it’s a bit, well… very intimate and feminine. Are you willing?”

  Sensing the double meaning in her words, Huang Di quickly excused himself with a trivial excuse and practically ran out. He left Escarlate behind, who just licked her lips, thinking suspicious thoughts.

  Now, without his concealment formation, which he had left with Umbra to ensure privacy, Huang Di did not know how to create another. He then remembered Merlin, a master of formation, and decided to seek him out at his house. Upon arriving, he knocked on the door, having learned his lesson from the previous incident: even ghosts have their eccentricities... and need privacy.