Chapter 9 - New Friend

As Xin Yang and Ye Meng walked down the road, Xin Yang was deep in thought, trying to comprehend the "Realm Creation" technique. He couldn't help but ponder the techniques in the book, which seemed to surpass any grade he knew of. "None of the techniques in this book is in any grade I know of, all of them must be above Heaven Grade, but I don't know by how much," Xin Yang thought, his hand resting on his chin as he tried his best to make sense of it all. Even with his knowledge of Auxiliary techniques, he had only managed to comprehend a mere 0.1% of it.

As they walked, Ye Meng suddenly asked, "Brother Xin, how can I start cultivating?" Xin Yang stopped abruptly and looked back at Ye Meng, his gaze complicated. "We have to find a compatible cultivation technique for you, which one have you been using?" he said, his mind racing.

Ye Meng hesitated before revealing the cultivation technique he had stolen from his Clan's Sacred Library, called "Ruined Blood Mantra." It was a Spirit Grade cultivation technique that had been through a lot, and time was visible on it. The only reason Ye Meng had been able to steal it was that it was known for blowing up its user's blood vessels, so no one dared to use it. "You've been using this?" Xin Yang asked, surprised.

"No, the one I used to use was a basic cultivation technique called 'Basic Mantra,'" Ye Meng replied. "I only took this because that's the only thing I could've taken with me, other than this spatial ring," he added, holding up his right hand to show the ring on his pinky finger.

Xin Yang suddenly realized something and started to laugh sheepishly. "Brother Ye, this technique is 100% suitable for you. Even though it isn't that high, only being a Spirit Grade mantra, with your compatibility with it you can say it's a Heaven Grade mantra for you," he said, feeling enlightened.

As a Chosen One of this world, Xin Yang believed that fate was playing its game with him. "Really!?" Ye Meng exclaimed, a mix of excitement and apprehension in his voice.

"I swear by the soul that was born in this world, I'm 100% sure," Xin Yang declared, his voice echoing with conviction. Suddenly, a golden light shone on him, and he knew that Heaven had borne witness to his oath. Breaking the oath would result in soul destruction, and he wouldn't get a chance to reincarnate. But Xin Yang wasn't worried; he wasn't born in this world at all, so he believed that the oath, while taken, was also invalid at the same time.

"We should take a break. During this time, you can cultivate using the Ruined Blood Mantra. As its name suggests, this technique can ruin your blood vessels and potentially blow them up. It requires a painful process called Ruination, which transforms your blood into Ruined Blood and grants you a massive boost in strength," Xin Yang said to Ye Meng.

After a few minutes of cultivation, Ye Meng stood up with tears in his eyes. Xin Yang asked if he couldn't bear the pain or if nothing had happened. Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and Xin Yang jumped back in surprise. Ye Meng was kowtowing to him, expressing his gratitude for helping him cultivate again.

Xin Yang helped Ye Meng up and continued to observe his progress. Ye Meng then revealed that he was able to cultivate again with a fiery voice. After warning Ye Meng not to ask about his physique, Xin Yang sat on the grass and watched him cultivate. He wondered if Ye Meng would find out he was lying and engage in a life-and-death battle with him if he became a peerless expert.

After a few hours of cultivation, Ye Meng broke through the first stage and reached the second stage. Xin Yang remained calm and collected throughout the process.

Xin Yang had a tough time trying to keep Ye Meng from losing his mind with happiness. Ye Meng was experiencing the pinnacle of bliss and was making multiple oaths, which were completely unnecessary.

Suddenly, Xin Yang heard a shout from afar, he got curious and decided to check what's going on. Increasing his pace, he walked towards the source of the sound. As he approached, he saw a young girl cornered by a group of guys who seemed to be up to no good.

The leader of the group stepped forward to grab the girl, but his action was interrupted by a sound of rustling behind him. Xin Yang and Ye Meng rushed forward and stood facing the group. An awkward silence ensued before Xin Yang spoke up.

"Brother Ye, it seems like something indecent is happening here," he said wryly.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," replied Ye Meng, confused.

Xin Yang then asked the group what was happening, but they didn't take kindly to his intrusion and started yelling insults at him. Recognizing the situation for what it was, Xin Yang decided to take matters into his own hands. He used his qi to employ the "Void Shattering Fists," and Ye Meng followed suit, using an earth technique he learned from his clan. Together, they quickly dispatched the group of attackers.

The attackers were no pushovers, ranging from Qi Gathering stage 3 to stage 5, but they were no match for Xin Yang and Ye Meng. Xin Yang had cultivated his body using a dual technique that tempered his body and gathered qi in his dantian, making him stronger than an average Qi Gathering stage 3 cultivator. He could even go toe to toe with a Qi Gathering stage 6 cultivator if he used all his strength.

With the attackers defeated, Xin Yang and Ye Meng continued on their way, leaving behind a trail of defeated enemies.

Xin Yang, being a novice in battling cultivators, couldn't control his strength and ended up killing most of them. On the other hand, Ye Meng, who had the Ruined Blood flowing in his veins, finished off the remaining enemies. Ye Meng was used to killing people, and he knew that as a cultivator, one needed to be ruthless and have a strong heart. However, this was Xin Yang's first time taking a life, and typically, a person's emotional state would be unstable after their first killing. Still, Xin Yang's emotional state couldn't be measured by conventional means. He stood there calmly, looking at the lifeless bodies without letting their deaths affect him. Rather than being proud of his accomplishment or lamenting, he was busy comparing his strength to that of a typical cultivator. He concluded that he was as strong as a real stage 5 cultivator, unlike the fools he had just defeated, who were only a little pleasure.

After shaking off his daze, Xin Yang noticed Ye Meng and a girl, Bai Lihua, talking. Bai Lihua tensed up and put her guard up, but Ye Meng assured her that Xin Yang was his sworn brother, and they were on their way together to the Red Gem City. Even though she relaxed a bit, Bai Lihua remained cautious. Ye Meng recounted their previous conversation to Xin Yang, and he became just as surprised as Ye Meng was. Bai Lihua possessed a unique talent that the Spirit Jade Illusions sect, a 5th ranked sect, wanted to give to one of its disciples. Upon discovering this, she ran away, and while she had no real relations, she had to be careful. She noticed she was being pursued, so she ran into a nearby forest, hoping to mislead her pursuers. Unfortunately, they found her, and she screamed for help, hoping someone would hear her. Fortunately, Xin Yang and Ye Meng were nearby and came to her rescue.

Xin Yang couldn't understand why Bai Lihua had revealed her special talent to Ye Meng. Unknowingly, he had been staring at her, and she was feeling uncomfortable under his gaze. When she had called out for help, she had not expected much, and upon seeing Xin Yang and Ye Meng, she had been disappointed, but as she saw Xin Yang's incredible strength, she felt guilty that they would risk their lives for her.

After Ye Meng introduced himself to her, she couldn't resist his charming smile and charismatic aura, and eventually, she revealed the truth about her special talent. She had bewitched a Foundation Establishment cultivator and was discovered by an Elder, who made her an outer sect disciple. When she discovered that the Elder had seen her using her powers, she ran away in the night.

Apologizing for staring at her, Xin Yang asked her about her special talent. Initially cautious, Bai Lihua was about to lie, but Ye Meng reassured her that Xin Yang was not malicious. Bai Lihua then revealed that she possessed the Illusionism Bewitching Eyes, which allowed her to create illusions and bewitch people. She could only bewitch Nascent Soul Cultivators for now, and peak Nascent Soul Cultivators could see through her illusions.

Although Xin Yang was not as shocked as Ye Meng, Bai Lihua still felt that he did not believe her. To prove her abilities, she bewitched Xin Yang into thinking he was a supreme expert. She then receded her aura, and her eyes returned to normal.

A couple of minutes later as the bewitchment wore off, Xin Yang was stunned, not because he had temporarily become a supreme expert, which secretly pleased him, but because he had a sudden realization. Overcome with shock, he blurted out his thoughts.

"Sharingan," he exclaimed, leaving Ye Meng and Bai Lihua perplexed. Ye Meng, who knew that Xin Yang had extensive knowledge about special talents and physiques, patiently waited for an explanation. Meanwhile, Bai Lihua was completely in the dark about what Sharingan even meant.

Xin Yang noticed their confusion and proceeded to explain. "Sharingan was the eyes of a powerful tribe from a forgotten era in ancient times. The eyes turned red after using their powers, but they did more than just bewitch and create illusions. However, the tribe was destroyed, so there's no use in knowing more. Your eyes seem like a defective product of the Sharingan, possessing only its bewitching and illusion-making abilities."

Bai Lihua was shocked by this revelation, while Ye Meng wasn't surprised as he was already aware of Xin Yang's vast knowledge. Though suspicious of him, Ye Meng trusted his brother. Bai Lihua, on the other hand, was completely in the dark about these two individuals, wondering about their backgrounds and how they came to possess such knowledge.