Chapter 0021

Contrary to the thoughts of the mercenary group, Aria Se Jivock and Xing Zhi Hui did not go ahead of the group to scout the surrounding area nor did they observe the group from a distance.

They went ahead of the group to confront the people tailing the mercenaries.

The Brilliant Yin Sect has conducted many tests to search for disciples at the border of the Magus Alliance for over thousands of years.

Through their experiences, they come into contact with cultivators from the Ethereal Depths and the Mysterious Wasteland looking for recruits. The cultivators from the Ethereal Depths claim they are tied by karma, therefore they wished to take the mortal as a disciple. Aria Se Jivock is an example of the lines of karma leading her to the Brilliant Yin Sect. Xing Zhi Hui hate the fate bullshit the cultivators from the Ethereal Depths spout when they wish to claim a talented mortal. The lines of karma does exist. This fact Xing Zhi Hui will never deny. She just hates it when they do it. Aria Se Jivock is an example of the lines of karma leading her to the Brilliant Yin Sect, to Xing Zhi Hui and all the subsequent trouble it entails. The leather clad cultivator wished they claim the lines of karma for Aria Se Jivock and take her sorry butt back to the east!

The cultivators from the Mysterious Wasteland are a different story altogether. For a domain that prides itself on mental powers and their ability to deduce the principal of the world through observation, they have the most varied reason to snatch a disciple. It ranges from the simple mortal has strong mental powers that the elders have sense it to something as ludicrous as a meeting during a jaunt through the astral planes. A meeting of mind on the astral planes might sound romantic until people realize a cultivator meets thousands of people when they walk through the astral plane and each encounter have no significant meaning whatsoever.

Then there was the ‘he/she is my spouse because we were intimate by joining our mind on the astral plane’ nonsense they spout because they are attracted to the person.

Whatever the reasons, Xing Zhi Hui have no intention of yielding to them. Assessing the new recruits was her assignment and she was going to see it through until the end.

Xing Zhi Hui never realized her stubborn personality and linear way of thinking worried her master that she accepted the clever but very loyal Aria Se Jivock as a disciple and assigned them together.

Xing Zhi Hui would have protested loudly had she known, yet she can’t argue with the results. Aria Se Jivock never did anything to harm her or the sect. She even helped Xing Zhi Hui with her cultivation and the tacit understanding and trust between the two is bone deep, as if they had been through hell and back together.

“You can come out now.”

Three people emerged from the forest, two males one female.

The red haired man dress elaborately in expensive white tunic spun from the cocoon of the Glowing Moon Worm, covered with a fur coat made from a level 6 ferocious beast the Jaded Wolf spoke in the abrupt manner of the Mysterious Wasteland cultivator, “From your behavior, you can already guess the reasons why we are here, so I’ll skip the pleasantries. I want the leather clad caramel skin young woman.”

“She came here to take the entrance test for the Brilliant Yin Sect of her own accord. Why should we give her to you?” Xing Zhi Hui responded in a belligerent manner. In order to continue their existence, all sects want talented disciples to train. Xing Zhi Hui was assigned the task of assessing the current recruits. Although she took the assignment with resentment, she took her responsibility seriously.

The smack on the head coming from Aria Se Jivock was a surprise.

“Pardon my stupid partner. She understands nothing.” Aria Se Jivock smile to the handsome cultivator from the Mysterious Wasteland. Red hair, green eyes, ghostly pale skin no amount of time spent under the sun can darken coupled with expensive clothing and massive amount of talisman worn casually as jewelry displayed the man's intent.

The red haired man returns the smile in understanding. He likes to deal with intelligent people, and unlike her partner, this woman understand the overall picture.

“I am Aria Se Jivock. The stupid woman beside me is Xing Zhi Hui. We are the one conducting the disciple test for the Brilliant Yin Sect. I understand you interest in grooming talent individuals for your corporation, however, forcible abducting someone will gain you nothing but their enmity.”

The two other cultivators showed surprise when Aria Se Jivock revealed her name. They knew the Se clan produce high level Soul Linkers and it was reputed that Aria Se Jivock had the potential to be the next clan master of the Se clan. To see her here training in the Brilliant Yin Sect surprise the duo.

“My name is Base Avon-Ying. I’ve travelled with the caramel skinned woman, Emery Avant when she made her way towards the Central Domain for this test. I can tell you now, the one conducting her immortal potential test lied to her. She has strong mental powers couple with her temperament and determination, it is worth grooming. I want to rope her into the Syendel Corporation.” Base Avon-Ying shows his determination towards Emery.

Aria Se Jivock knew there was something the young man before was not revealing, though anyone aware of the custom of the Mysterious Wasteland can deduce Base’s interest in Emery, however the decision shouldn’t be forced.

“Emery is an intelligent woman. I’ve already hinted at her mental power capacity. I’m sure she figured out what happened and will make the right decision for her.” Aria Se Jivock smiles her mysterious-know-it-all smile. “It’s best if you coincidentally encounter her after the test. Given her personality, she will see the test to the end.”

“Aria Se Jivock!”

“What Xing Zhi Hui! You already sense it. That girl isn’t meant to train in the Brilliant Yin Sect. It’ll be a waste of time and resources for her to stay here.”

“But her potential…”

“Does not align with our method of cultivation.” Aria glared at her partner. She wonders if Xing Zhi Hui in the past life was as muddle headed as she is in this life and if she was, how did the ‘her’ in the past handle it.

“But…”

“No but. It’ll be a waste of time, resources and her potential if she were to join the Brilliant Yin Sect. It’s better to build karma with her here and point her in the right direction than chain her to a sect that will limit her potential.”

“I thank you for your understanding.” Base Avon-Ying did love to work with smart people. They saw the bigger picture and knew when to cut their losses.

Aria turned towards Base Avon-Ying, still smiling her mysterious-know-it-all smile. “Your thanks are a bit premature. The girl has to choose her own road to walk. I just point her towards the right direction. It doesn’t mean that direction has you as her dao companion.”

Base Avon-Ying stiffens at the warning in Aria’s statement. Base Avon-Ying is interested in Emery because of her mental power as well as her potential as his life companion.

All cultivators have their own method of determining their life companion as it is called in the Mysterious Wasteland, while the Heavenly Mountains call them dao companions and the Ethereal Depths call them soul mates.

Cultivators in the Mysterious Wasteland place a strong emphasis on their life companion as they can only have one in their lifetime where as the Ethereal Depths believe soulmates have a strong bond that they will meet each other once in their life time and if one dies, they can wait for the soul to reincarnate to meet each other again. Of course, no cultivator is willing to lose their companion through death. So when they meet their companion, they do everything in their power to bond.

The Heavenly Mountains follows a patriarchal lineage mentality where having wives and concubines is common, thus a male cultivator having multiple female dao companion is acceptable.

Aria reminded Base that Emery hailed from the Magus Alliance, whose reputation as flighty flibbertigibbet with the attention span of a gnat and falling into and out of love in a blink of an eye is common, acceptable and a part of growing up as those who cultivate the heart have to experience love as well as heartbreak.

Convincing these emotional airheads to commit to one person is a daunting task.

Actually, the cultivators from the Magus Alliance believe in being faithful to their ‘true love’ when they meet each other, however it is harder for the cultivators from the Magus Alliance to meet their true love because they have only one way of confirming whether their partner is their true love or not, kissing.

How easy is it to go up to a stranger and kiss them? Not very easy, even in the Magus Alliance where everyone knows cultivators are testing for their true love. It is harder to find a permanent partner as a mage than all the other cultivators combined.

“I will keep your advice in mind.” Base Avon-Ying smiled was filled with determination. He was lucky to sense his life companion early. His great great great paternal grandmother had to wait twenty thousand years before she found her life companion; she was the only one within the family history since its founding three million years ago to have a life companion. Base was determined to have his life companion.