Ni Yang (Part Two)

Ni Yang (Part Two)

 "Tell me, my dear wife, An'er. How much did his skills improve?"

 Ni Yang's mother was called Ni Yuan.

 Her mother dropped her fork and dried her mouth too.

 "My husband, this child today seems to have reached the first steps of the deep path.  Who knows, he may soon be able to exercise some beginner gear, but his deep veins are becoming more stable than before. "

 "I heard that two weeks ago.  In other words, there was no improvement, am I wrong?  Yang, what do you think? Feel stronger than before? "

 Yang swallowed the food, then set the fork on the table and dried his mouth like his mother.  During that time, he thought about how to respond to his father, but the truth was that he didn't feel much different between now and two weeks ago, the only thing he realized was that his speed of comprehension seemed to have improved, but that  It seemed to be quite common, most cultivators tended to have a specific inclination to a particular element, but Ni Yang seemed to feel all these inclinations but he didn't know if that was bad or not so he chose not to say anything to his father.  But he could not see a significant difference over this period of time, it was as if wondering how many millimeters someone had grown in his weeks.

 In fact, he felt something strange when he became able to utilize deep energy.  It was like connecting a driving force to gears within your body. However, there have been no signs of this since.

 Therefore, he could only answer honestly:

 "I'm not sure."

 "I understand.  Honesty is a good policy, but that alone doesn't solve it.  You are my firstborn. In the future, your younger brothers and sisters are born and you will have to be an example to them. "

 "Honey ... he's still very young—"

 "-I know."

 His father coldly interrupted his mother's impending criticism.

 "As young as he is, he is still my son."

 The King's gaze was sharp as he turned to him.  Startled, Yang looked imploringly at her mother.

 "He is a child—"

 "Even though he is a child, he is my firstborn and royal.  At the moment there is no need to beat everyone else, but being overshadowed will be problematic.  After all, you're a much better cultivator than me. "

 His father turned to look at a place with no one and then coughed.  "That's why we got married, isn't it?" He murmured. Then he looked at Yang again with his eyes steady as steel.

 "That's why I left you in your care to teach it, but you have been very negligent in education, I think.  Live combat is the best form of training. I know he is a child and not yet fully grown, but surely he should start training weapons too, no?  It's important to see if he's talented in this field too. "

 It was true that Ni Yang's father was inferior to his mother as a cultivator.  However, given that he was called by others on the battlefield as, Blade Maniac, they showed that he was obsessed with fights and battles.

 "I object to that.  From everything I've seen so far, I don't think our child is like you - talented for armed combat.  Until he creates a good foundation for his cultivation, we should continue training him as a cultivator and future Emperor of Alchemy.  More importantly, she is prohibited from participating in anything as dangerous as live combat. "

 "In my time-"

 "Things were different.  Instead of learning to write with both hands— "

 "It's faster to learn to do this with just one, I know what you mean.  However, we don't know where his talents are. Don't you think it would be better to let him try everything?  I feel it would be better to help this child prepare for the future. "

 "I agree.  But you see, I feel I should wait until he at least reaches the initial phase of the Deep Celestial Kingdom.  If you want him to take part in martial instruction, then you must at least wait until his body is fully developed first. "

 They stared at each other steadily, neither of them weakened.

 A while later, his father looked away.

 "I understand.  I'll let him be in your care right now. "

 "I am deeply grateful, My King."

 "—Yang."

 Yang jumped when he heard his father's steel voice.  His father noticed, but ignored and began to speak.

 "As the royal family of the Kingdom of Nine Celestials, we enjoy the luxurious lives and loyalty of many people.  And all this because we have done our duty as kingdom royalty. Therefore, you must learn and absorb everything and make good use of it.  It is true that our kingdom is peaceful now. But who knows, we might be attacked someday. So we need a rich kingdom and a strong army. "

 "... I don't want to hurt others."

 His father's face twisted slightly.

 Was he angry, laughing or sad?  It was a nuanced expression that was hard to understand.  However, there was no harshness in what he said soon after.

 "There is no need to invade others.  A strong army is a deterrent. However, unthinking intimidation leads to conflict.  It is the duty of a leader to gain information about other nations, to find a balance, and to seek to grow the strength of his kingdom.  Do you think military might is unnecessary? "

 "Not."

 Yang shook his head.

 Among the many races that were part of the great existence - a kingdom of over one hundred and fifty million people was considered neither too large nor too small.  However, because the neighboring kingdoms were about the same size as a balance could be achieved, however they were weaker than the Kingdom of the Nine Celestials, and in the last two hundred and fifty thousand years there have been no large-scale wars in the neighboring kingdoms either.  But that only shows that there were no wars of conquest. When a monster with great individual power came face to face, that was when the fate of a kingdom would be decided - and depending on the circumstances, an alliance might need to be formed.

 For example, there were over five hundred million casualties when a World Eater appeared, and ended many kingdoms at once, and his memory was still fresh in the hearts of many.  Yang knew very well how important it was to bring together powerful groups to deal with such opponents.

 "You don't have to do everything yourself.  Gather the people you trust and borrow their strength.  I'm not the only strong king among the many kings in history, but even I have people I trust. "

 Even looking at the royal family story, it would probably only be possible to find people comparable to his father - who were hailed as true emperors in the realm of Primordial Ascension - during the Desolate Era.

 "So gathering the strong and seeking the strength that is in a different direction from yours may be the right way. But what does that mean? Maybe learning deep arts that make everyone happy is one way to do it. However  "Listen to your father's suggestion. You can't neglect your own strength. People feel comfortable under the protection of the strong. Being a member of the royal family is a form of force that draws the masses to you." strength implies possessing charm, wealth, and authority, but if you take it to the extreme, then a king's personal power is the most easily understood force of all - and can best guarantee your safety.  authority may fail to ensure everyone's safety. "

 "Yes father."

 Yang answered.

 "Great," the King replied when he picked up his fork again.  In other words, it meant he would keep eating. His mother also rushed to follow him and Yang began to eat again as well.

 After they finished, the maids poured three light purple drinks.  This was the purple tea with drops of milk. It was accompanied by lightly sugary cookies.

 The three looked at their rings and then began to sip their tea.

 Yang - who had a sensitive tongue - sipped the tea that had cooled.  It was only then that she realized that two people were looking at her.

 Did he violate any form of etiquette?  Ni Yang had no idea what was going on. However, this kind of thing happened from time to time.  Yang ate in silence, but they still stared at her. It happened more often with his father, whom he could rarely find.

 He tried to unveil something in his gaze, but he didn't look angry.  So what was going on? Yang tilted his head - or at least he did it in his heart - and drank his purple tea.  He let the tea wash away the sweet cookie taste that lingered in his mouth. However, drinking too much would be gluttony.  He could not misjudge the balance of flavors between tea and cookies.

 Yang focused on eating cookies and drinking tea in sequence, and his father's gaze left him.

 "So what else did you plan for Yang today?"

 "After this meal, we will learn about deep space arts in my quarters until lunch time.  After that, Master Balen will instruct you as usual. "

 "I understand.  In that case, let me join you today and see how you teach it.  I'm very interested to know how Yang takes his lessons. "

 Yang couldn't help but be surprised.

 This may be the first time your dad really wants to see him learning.

 "... hehe."

 Her mother smiled and the wrinkles between her father's eyebrows deepened.

 "What's so funny about it?"

 "I was wondering why you would say something like that all of a sudden.  Heh ... "

 "It was something that crossed my mind.  There is no other reason. "

 "Okay, okay.  Hehe ... then I will calmly await your arrival, My King. "

 "No need to wait for me.  I don't want to disturb Yang's education. "

 "I know.  Still, I think it's time to select a suitor for Yang'er.  Later and he will be too old as a prince ... even for a noble heir.  I remember I was eight at that time. "

 "Not.  You were nine years old. "

 "Ara, really?  I can't believe you still remember. "

 Her mother smiled as her father frowned.

 "Ghrum!  I know what you are trying to say.  However, Yang is our only son. We cannot be sloppy about it.  Wouldn't it be better to wait longer? "

 "If we don't start thinking about it from the start, all good candidates will have found spouses by then.  Our son will become a bachelor that no one will be willing to buy. "

 "Don't talk about buying like leftovers that nobody wants… Being a few years younger shouldn't be a problem, right?  I will carefully consider this matter. Understood? Let's change the subject."

 "Yes Yes Yes..."

 "You have to work hard at it," he heard his mother whisper.  His father frowned, looked at the maids, and then took the desserts.

 After dessert was over, Yang returned to her own room, where she grabbed several textbooks before heading to her mother's room.

 He knocked on his mother's bedroom door, and the person who answered was his mother's personal maid, who was the assistant chief maid, the second in command of the castle.

 He entered the room and started today's class with his mother.

 Regardless of which deep arts tradition was being studied, the important thing when starting to be proficient in the deep arts was to have affinity.  Most people who learned to use deep energy had done so through the perception of making contact with the world. Anyone without this experience would be unable to manipulate spiritual energy.  However, there were no teachers who could teach this to the students by explaining all the details, so many people got stuck in this part.

 However, Yang had already crossed this obstacle.  Now he was learning what he would need to know for future professions in the cultivation world.

 Yang's mother was a cultivator of the sacred attribute, fire and wind, and so she focused on improving her proficiency in deep arts that were geared to purification and all sorts of sacred techniques and purity, because Yang had a talent for everyone.  In attributes, their lessons were focused on improving their ability to interact with the heavens and the earth.

 Compared to ordinary cultivators, those with affinity for two or more attributes focused more on improving and perceiving the world around them.  Therefore, Yang's training was focused on closing his eyes and using his heart to feel the waves his mother emanated from using his deep arts.

 He didn't know how long it had been since class started.

 "Suddenly Yang felt something.

 It was hard to describe this feeling in words.  However, it was more powerful than its mother, like a big wave, something that defied description.

 This was a sensation he had never experienced before, and Yang couldn't help but open his eyes.