The question seemed to have arrived out of nowhere.

  Cade was still very much on guard, concerned that one wrong word could spell his end. He didn’t want to say or do anything without prior consideration. In order to mask his nervousness, he took a hesitant sip of the liquid in front of him. Almost instantly his complexion turned red, and he went into a coughing fit, while Lao Ren chuckled quietly.

  ”Think about it for now. There’s no rush. How do you find my thousand year wine?”

  He felt a sensation of intense burning, not just in the throat and stomach, but in every part of his body. Suddenly, his partially manifested qi sphere turned fully opaque, then materialized. It was complete. Two years of effort were defeated by a single sip of some old wine.

  “What?!” Cade exclaimed, forgetting his polite restraint.

  Lao Ren laughed heartily.

  “Good! Actually, if your talent was decent, you’d have reached the fourth or even fifth stage of Qi Condensation with just this small amount. Alas, you are simply not made for cultivating spiritual qi. Otherwise I wouldn’t have given it to you, and with good reason.” Lao Ren’s expression turned serious. “Spiritual ineptitude doesn’t mean you can’t cultivate. In fact, it could be a good thing.”

  “But I…” Cade wanted to explain the miracle he just experienced, but Lao Ren raised his hand, stopping him mid sentence.

  “You probably know that spiritual qi, when incorporated into the body through cultivation generates a specific type of pressure, a fluctuating aura. In your case, these fluctuations are greatly below the level of an average cultivator, suggesting there’s a big problem with your pre-core, probably a birth defect. With the best pills you might be able to reach the level of Skeletal Reinforcement following a path of body refining, however that’d be the end of your journey.”

  This actually didn’t come to Cade as too much of a shock. In fact, he had thought about this being a distinct possibility. While many people were born without pre-cores, birth defects were much rarer. Still, for both these groups the mortal path was the only one available.

  No wonder I couldn’t condense a single sphere.

  Still, Lao Ren said he could forcefully raise his cultivation with pills!

  Body cultivators went through Qi Saturation, while qi cultivators went through Qi Condensation. Both groups could then advance to Skeletal Reinforcement and Foundation Establishment realms respectively. This was already considered an advanced rank by the standards of big sects.

  “Let me explain what I meant by this problem being a good thing.” Lao Ren continued. “I mentioned that I turned out to be a true inheritor for my Master. Most accomplished Asura hope to gain a true inheritor one day, an individual chosen by fate to carry on their legacy. A disciple who will take their life’s work to entirely new heights. A progeny.”

  The golden-eyed Asura spread his hands wide.

  “This is my inheritance hall. Six thousand years ago I decided to ask fate regarding my true inheritor. You see, I have reached the end of my path, and I am unlikely to progress further. Though my aptitude is sadly limited, all that I have learned can still benefit my disciple. Thanks to powerful divinations, I have found the exact location to begin construction of this hall. It’s not incorrect to say that all of this was built for the first person who could find their way here.”

  Cade was already suspecting this whole situation was way more complex than it appeared, still the explanation left him stupefied.

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  “According to fate, you are the best candidate to become my inheritor. Even our origins share similarities. Both of us are orphans, and we both have survived against the odds. Just imagine the chances for two people like us to meet in these circumstances. It borders on impossibility - unless it was preordained.”

  Silence befell the hall and Cade gradually calmed down, though his palms were still covered in sweat.

  “Senior, are you saying I can become an Asura too… and cultivate?” Cade asked hesitantly, a flicker of hope in his voice.

  Lao Ren nodded solemnly.

  “Due to racial regression, golden essence has become the primary means of reproduction for our species. After accepting the essence into your body you will be remade into an Asura. There won’t be a single particle of human flesh left inside you. However, to be reborn as another species is not easy. It’s a long and torturous process.”

  Cade's complexion paled. 'Long and torturous' was not something anyone wanted to hear, but he was willing to walk through hell to take revenge on his mother's killer.

  “Your lack of pre-core is perfect for the golden essence to do its job. You’re like a blank canvas, which opens up many possibilities for your future growth.” Lao Ren smiled, then took a sip of wine from his nearly empty cup, his facial expression turning into one of delight. Cade wasn't sure how he could taste anything without a body. The Asura gently placed the cup back on the table, pushing it towards Cade, then sat back and clasped his hands.

  "If this meager amount of wine contained pure life qi instead of spiritual qi, a powerful Asura could use it to boil the blood of all living things inhabiting this continent. Sentient life, wild beasts, cultivators, doesn’t matter. Nothing would survive. This is one of the reasons why out of the myriad races found throughout the universe, ours is the most feared.”

  Lao Ren carefully observed the youth, who sat with a stunned expression.

  “Asura’s existence is centered around consuming the energy of life itself, which is why we are often considered the bane of all that lives. Each of us will encounter many powerful enemies on their path of cultivation. If you decide to accept the golden essence, you will acquire potential to cultivate life, however if your identity is revealed, you will be forced to put your own existence on the line countless times. Many Asura die before reaching Chthon.”

  Lao Ren’s words finished resounding through the hall, and for a while there was only silence. Cade struggled to find words, while his host continued to stare blankly at some point in space, still as a stone statue.

  “So I’ll… I’ll be hunted?” He stammered out.

  Suddenly, Lao Ren’s body flickered like candlelight. He turned his head to Cade, smiling faintly.

  “Apologies. The wisp sometimes gets overwhelmed by the memories. I’ll answer your question with another: does a dragon concern himself with a pack of rabid dogs? If you take risks and work hard to acquire strength, your enemies will become nothing more than stepping stones. Their lives - a fuel for your cultivation.”

  A sudden thought flashed through Cade’s mind.

  “Senior, is it possible for life cultivators to resurrect the dead?”

  Two golden irises gave him a complicated look.

  “Some knowledge cannot be easily shared. Secrets touching on the subject of reincarnation are among them. I’m sorry. There are certain things I can tell you, and many more that I can’t. It would entangle you in karma the likes of which you wouldn’t be able to bear.”

  “Oh. I see,” Cade’s shoulders slumped slightly.

  After a short moment of silence, his face tightened into a mask of determination.

  "Senior… Due to my weakness I have failed to protect my mother, and this is something I cannot accept. As I am now, I won’t be able to take revenge on the man who killed her. I have nothing to offer, other than my loyalty. If you’re willing to accept me, then I’d be honored to inherit your teachings. I know my promises aren’t worth much, but I will do everything in my power to return your goodwill in the future!”

  He needed strength, and the chance before him was something he could not resist, regardless of future risks. He stood up, bowing officially in front of his host. He then attempted to get down on his knees in order to properly kowtow, but unexpectedly an unknown force restrained him.

  "Since fate brought you here, this is already enough. I can only accept a single kowtow from you after you’ve been reborn. By granting you boons, and with you kowtowing, we can equalize the karma between us. Let me show you the conversion chamber. Before we begin, I have to explain a few things. Some details you might find a little… unsettling.” Lao Ren smiled apologetically.