Chapter 12: Escape

Time flew. Another year slipped by. Pace Zorn turned four, yet he already stood as tall as a ten-year-old boy. He no longer had that doll-like, jade-carved cuteness of early childhood. His features had opened up, his frame had grown long and lean, and dressed in fine clothes with his hair tied up, he looked every bit the elegant young noble. More than a few girls blushed at the sight of him, hearts stirring with their first shy crushes. At four years old, Pace could finally touch martial arts again. Wade Juggins personally taught him a set of the Juggins family's ancestral swordsmanship: Spirit Star Sword Art. Spirit Star Sword Art moved with airy agility, yet carried a vicious edge. It matched the Wind Spirit Constitution Bloodline perfectly. Its power was formidable, a Superior Grade martial art. In front of Pace, Wade first performed the entire Spirit Star Sword Art from start to finish. Then he sheathed his sword and walked back, stopping before his grandson. "Spirit Star Sword Art requires True Energy while you're using it," Wade said. "You haven't started cultivating a Cultivation Technique yet, so you don't have any True Energy. For now, memorize the forms and structure of every move." He paused, clearly testing him. "Did you remember them all?" Wade had placed enormous expectations on Pace. That was why he had started him with Spirit Star Sword Art, even though it was a Superior Grade sword art meant for the Third Realm, the Refining Realm. "I remembered everything. Thank you, Grandpa," Pace said. Wade's smile deepened. "Run through it once for me." Pace stepped away, drew a real longsword, and performed Spirit Star Sword Art with meticulous focus. He did not use True Energy, of course. Even so, Wade nodded again and again, stroking his beard without realizing it. He could see it clearly. Though True Energy did not flow through the blade, Pace had already grasped the sword art's true flavor. Pace had watched it once. Once. And this was his first time performing it. When Pace finished, Wade burst into hearty laughter. "Good, good, good! You learned it well. You've already caught the essence of Spirit Star Sword Art. Once you cultivate True Energy, you'll be able to unleash its real power!" "It was because Grandpa taught me well," Pace said, sheathing his sword as he returned with a grin. Wade laughed again, too pleased to hold it in. "Then Grandpa will teach you another Juggins family inheritance, a movement art: Willow-Parting Body Art!" He demonstrated it immediately. His figure drifted like willow fluff carried by the wind, appearing and vanishing, impossible to pin down. "All attacks stir the wind," Wade explained as he moved. "Ride the wind, move with it. No matter how fast or strange an enemy's strikes are, they won't even brush our clothes…" Pace watched with rapt attention. Compared to Spirit Star Sword Art, he felt even more drawn to Willow-Parting Body Art. Spirit Star Sword Art was for killing. Willow-Parting Body Art was for staying alive, and staying alive mattered more than killing. When Wade finished, Pace lowered his eyelids and opened the panel in his mind. [techniques: Willow-Parting Body Art [Superior Grade] (0/1000), Spirit Star Sword Art [Superior Grade] (1000/1000), Arhat Demon-Subduing Fist [Medium Grade]…] With a casual thought, he filled Willow-Parting Body Art's proficiency to the brim. … Deep in the night, everything lay silent. Pace climbed out of bed, dressed, and slipped out the door into the courtyard. He and Luna Juggins slept in separate beds by then. He might have been only four, but his body was already like a ten-year-old's, and his mind had matured early. Luna had not wanted it, but Pace insisted until she finally agreed. With his own room, Pace could sit in meditation at night and absorb Primordial Energy to cultivate. By then, his speed at drawing in Primordial Energy had already surpassed that of adult Primal Sea Realm cultivators, and it still kept climbing. Congenital Complete Meridian Opening truly was extraordinary. The advantage was overwhelming. With daily, relentless absorption of Primordial Energy and the help of Spirit Elixir, his Congenital Primal Sea finally produced one-thousandth of True Energy. The proportion was tiny, but the amount of True Energy he held already exceeded everything a common Primal Sea Realm cultivator possessed. In the center of the courtyard, Pace closed his eyes, opened the panel, and pushed Spirit Star Sword Art's proficiency points to Hundredfold Proficiency Points. In an instant, a flood of profound insight poured into his mind. Old understanding broke apart and reformed into something new, something sharper, until a higher-tier Supreme Grade Sword Art took shape. "I'll call you Zephyr Star Sword Style," Pace murmured to himself. The next moment, he opened his eyes. His gaze cut like Sword Glow. "Clang!" He drew his sword and began to perform Zephyr Star Sword Style. Sword qi surged like a windstorm. The tip struck like a falling star, fierce and precise. Its might far surpassed what Wade had shown, stronger by an entire level. After finishing Zephyr Star Sword Style, Pace closed his eyes again, opened the panel, and poured Hundredfold Proficiency Points into Willow-Parting Body Art. Not long after, another, stronger movement art emerged in his understanding. Willow-Parting Body Art had originally been a purely evasive style, a passive art of slipping away. The new art Pace comprehended rose a step higher. It could use the wind to make both movement and attacks sharper, faster, and ghostlike, and it even allowed proactive offense. "Willow-Parting Body Art is a good name," Pace thought. "I'll keep it." Right then, a vast, piercing howl rolled in from the distance, like a dragon's cry shaking the heavens. Startled, Pace snapped his eyes open and looked toward the sound. From the city's central district, a colossal surge of True Energy erupted from the ground and speared into the sky. It tore through the clouds, scattering them with brute force. It looked like a hidden dragon bursting from the abyss, its presence vast enough to make the heart tremble. "So strong," Pace breathed. "Is this the legendary Dragon Transformation?" The howl continued, unbroken. In White Emperor City, countless people jolted awake, threw on their clothes, and rushed outside, staring up at that pillar of True Energy with awe, envy, and worship. "Pace." A gentle, melodious voice came from behind. Pace turned and called softly to the woman approaching. "Mother." Luna came to his side and lifted her gaze toward the towering True Energy. Speculation flickered in her eyes. "It's coming from the Southern Marquisate. Did he enter the Fifth Realm, the Dragon Transformation Realm?" At the Southern Marquisate, everyone had risen as well. They poured out of their rooms and hurried toward Roc Court, eyes fixed on the sky. Inside Roc Court, Gemma Scurr stood in the courtyard in white robes, a white cloth draped over her head. She looked up at her husband's dragonlike True Energy, a faint joy resting on her face. In her arms, she held her three-year-old son, Destin Zorn, whom she had just dragged out from the warmth of his blankets. Destin's eyes were bleary with sleep, yet it did nothing to diminish his delicate, carved beauty and the noble air he seemed born with. Behind Gemma stood Delia and the rest of Roc Court's maids, servants, and attendants. Their faces shone with wild delight. Some even dropped to their knees, tears streaming. Their master had entered the Fifth Realm, the Dragon Transformation Realm. That meant their own status and fate would change with him. When the master rose, even the dogs and chickens ascended. At last, the sky-piercing True Energy gradually receded. The door to the cultivation chamber opened, and Parker Zorn stepped out. "Congratulations, husband, on your Dragon Transformation," Gemma called, bowing with Destin in her arms. "From this day forward, you'll soar thirty thousand miles. Seeking immortals and questioning the Buddhas will be as easy as walking on level ground." Delia and the other servants knelt together and shouted in unison, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Congratulations, Your Highness!" "Hahahaha!" Parker threw his head back and laughed, brimming with vigor. He strode to Gemma, took Destin into his arms, and smiled at her. "You share in this merit as well." He adored Destin. Not long ago, when Destin turned three, his Spiritual Root had tested as a Top-Tier Ninth-Grade Spiritual Root. He also possessed two supreme bloodlines, the Divine River Constitution and the Wyrm Sovereign Vessel. The two supported each other, raising his potential to an even greater height. "I wouldn't dare claim it," Gemma said. Just then, the rest of the Southern Marquisate's people entered Roc Court. At the front came the Marquis of Southguard and his wife. Seeing them, Parker held Destin and approached with Gemma. "Greetings, father. Greetings, mother." Pleased, the Marquis of Southguard said, "Parker, you truly didn't disappoint me. The Southern Marquisate has an heir." Then he continued, "At dawn tomorrow, I'll submit a memorial to the Celestial Sovereign and have you established as the Southguard Heir!" In the Southern Marquisate, the position of heir had never been strictly about age. It was chosen by merit. Typically, whoever reached the Dragon Transformation Realm first would be named heir and become the next Marquis of Southguard. Among the Marquis's sons, Parker had been the first to enter the Dragon Transformation Realm. With no other issues to speak of, the Marquis named him heir without hesitation. The marquisate was hereditary. The petition to the Celestial Sovereign was merely a public formality, and the Celestial Sovereign had no right to interfere. Parker becoming the heir was a certainty. "Thank you, father!" Parker bowed deeply, unable to hide his excitement. The next day, news of Parker's breakthrough to the Dragon Transformation Realm and his impending appointment as the Southern Marquisate's heir spread through White Emperor City at a shocking pace, then rippled outward. The Southern Marquisate held immense importance on the southern frontier. The choice of heir would influence every corner of the region. The news reached Juggins Mansion as well. Pace and Luna both heard it. Neither of them felt any joy. If anything, Luna's unease thickened. As the days passed, that unease grew sharper, until Luna suffered nightmare after nightmare. More than ten days later, she finally could not bear it and sought out her father, Wade, for a private talk. "Father, I want to take Pace and leave White Emperor City," Luna said, her tone grave. "Far from the southern frontier." Wade startled. "Why? Did someone in the mansion treat you and the child poorly? Tell me, and I…" Back then, when Luna married into the Southern Marquisate, her dowry had indeed drained the Juggins family. But the scented soap secret formula Pace had handed to Juggins Mansion had made them a fortune over the past three years. Given time, the Juggins family would not only recover, they would rise higher than before. "No one treated us badly," Luna said, shaking her head. "I'm worried about the Southern Marquisate." Wade frowned. "Pace has a Mortal Constitution. That woman with the surname Su has no reason to go after him anymore. Pace has snuck out of the mansion to play plenty of times. Nothing ever happened." "I'm not worried about her," Luna said, anxiety tightening her voice. "I'm worried about Parker Zorn. He's about to be established as the Southern Marquisate's heir. I'm afraid he'll harm Pace." Wade fell silent, sinking into thought. He understood. The higher a man climbed, the more he cared about his face. Before, Parker had only been one of the Marquis's sons. But soon he would be the heir, the next Marquis of Southguard. His pride and reputation would matter even more. Wade let out a long sigh, helpless and bitter. His daughter had done nothing wrong, yet fate still refused to loosen its grip. "Alright," Wade said weakly. The vigor seemed to drain from him. "Spend the next two days preparing. Then take Pace and leave White Emperor City quietly." Luna broke into sobs, grief spilling out. "Your daughter is unfilial. I won't be able to serve you in your old age anymore." If she had a choice, she would never leave her father, her brothers, her family. "Silly girl. Why say that?" Wade comforted her, eyes wet. "The world is vast. Even if you never return to White Emperor City, do you think I can't go see you?" On the third morning, a carriage without the Juggins family crest quietly rolled out from Juggins Mansion and headed toward the North City Gate. Inside sat Luna and Pace. Pace felt a little unwilling. The Great Wilderness was dangerous, and he had not grown strong yet. Wandering around did not seem wise. Besides, he believed a father would not kill his own son. Even if Parker became the Southguard Heir, he would not go so far as to murder him. The carriage left White Emperor City smoothly and traveled north. Luna avoided stopping to rest, desperate to put distance between them and the city. Only when the afternoon sun turned brutal and the horses could no longer endure did they pull over at a roadside tea stall on the official road. Luna and Pace got down, sat at the stall, and drank water to catch their breath. "Amitabha. This old monk greets you." A chanting voice reached them. Pace turned and saw a plump old monk, round as a laughing Buddha, holding out an alms bowl beside him. Pace casually dropped a piece of broken silver into the bowl. "Many thanks, young benefactor," the fat old monk said, pressing his palms together in thanks. Pace waved it off and turned back to his tea. After two sips, he noticed the old monk still had not left. Pace turned again. The monk spoke. "This old monk is Void Mind of Mount Salvation. This old monk sees that young benefactor is entangled in karmic tribulations, yet your wisdom-root runs deep. You have affinity with the Buddha. Please come with this old monk to Mount Salvation to cultivate." "Old monk, that's repaying kindness with hostility," Pace said with a laugh, half-scolding. "I'm perfectly fine. Why would I become a monk?" "Amitabha. Sin, sin," old monk Void Mind said. "Your forehead is dark. Great calamity approaches, yet you do not know it. If you follow this old monk to Mount Salvation and cultivate, the boundless Buddha light will shine upon you, and all disasters can be dispelled." Luna abruptly stood, grabbed Pace's hand, and faced Void Mind with sharp vigilance. "Old monk, my son will never become a monk!" She pulled Pace toward the carriage at a quick pace, intent on getting away from him. She was extremely sensitive to Mount Salvation. But after only two steps, Void Mind moved like a phantom. In a blink, he appeared in front of them, his huge body blocking the road. "Lady Benefactor, you may go," Void Mind said, leaving no room for refusal, his voice carrying a domineering edge. "But young benefactor stays. He has affinity with the Buddha. He must go to Mount Salvation!"