Chapter 37 – Hidden Depths of the Inner Sect

Zhao Ren’s uncle was only 10 years older than him. Zhao Tao was the youngest of his generation and a good 11 years younger than his sister, Ren’s mother. He had never really known him well because he had already joined the sect since before Ren could remember but it was always fun whenever he visited. He had guided Ren through lots of stories and tips to survive in the world of cultivators. Even initiated him to the Heavenly Sword Sect and saved him from possible conflict.

So it was a shock to learn of his passing. It felt like a pillar that had been holding him up had been severed. Even though uncle Tao had only recently broken through to the foundation establishment realm, with Ren catching up at a blistering pace, and even though they barely interacted, it had given him some measure of peace to know he had family here. It reminded Ren once more of just how dangerous the world of cultivation truly was.

But as sad as he was, at the same time Ren found he felt a deep pride. Zhao Tao had lived life on his own terms and chosen to delve into strife on his own accord. Rewards or dangers, friends or enemies, luck or misfortune, every cultivator gambled with his life constantly to fish in troubled waters. So while he would mourn his passing, Ren didn’t feel lost.

Hua and Ling kept him company through the night. Hua even brought out some of his extra strong wine and got them properly drunk. They celebrated the lives of everyone who had fallen in this trial and wished them well on their journey to their next lives.

When Ren finally fell asleep that night, he did so looking up at the stars he had missed these past months.

The first thing Ren did after his morning cultivation was to head to the sect. There was a lot to do and very little to do it in. He couldn’t lay about moping, afraid to take the first step on a thousand mile journey. He headed to the Hall of Learning and to its rudimentary library.

He had already outgrown it but he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything. Even the mosquito leg was meat. The library had helped him greatly in his time here but it was limited to the qi gathering realm. Books and scriptures of a higher realm were restricted to the Hall of Scripture under the watchful eye of an elder. This was done mostly for security, to prevent valuable manuals and records from being stolen or misused.

“Well when that watchful eye isn’t busy with pervy books.” Ren sighed to himself.

After ruling out the Hall of Learning, where even this early younger disciples were moving about, Ren headed over to greet elder Yun Peng.

The elder was drinking a cup of tea and unexpectedly alert. He looked up at Ren and responded to his greetings by saying, “So you made it then brat? I thought you might, a cautious lad like you.”

So surprised was Ren that he failed to respond, his mouth hung open like a fish. The elder had been keeping an eye on him? But he had rarely shown interest in him before except for the one time he recommended a book. What did this mean?

Before his racing thoughts could get very far, Elder Yun Peng interrupted. “Everyone who did well in the trial is worthy of the sect’s attention lad. Don’t overthink it. I heard that you helped save lives by fixing formations? Not bad.”

“Th… Thank you Senior! I just did what anyone would.”

The elder just grunted and sipped his tea. “So, you must be here to access the upper floors?”

Ren was still completely off balance with how the elder was actively engaging in conversation that he just answered simply.

“I need to find information on the things I found within the inheritance trial.”