Chapter 138 (Patreon)

Standing next to Pan Gong made Chen Haoran feel small, and it wasn’t just because of his superior cultivation. If there were ever a case to be made about cultivators being greater than normal men, then Pan Gong would be the visual proof of it. Eight feet tall in height with muscles fit for a Greek statue and a voice that boomed like his words echoed in his chest before leaving his mouth. That his poor uniform wasn’t torn to shreds from the obvious strain it was under was surely a miraculous working of qi. Draped across his shoulders was a gray bearskin. The head of the which rested on Pan Gong’s shoulder like the world’s angriest-looking pauldron. A large and well-combed beard framed a surprisingly kind and jolly-looking face, given how intimidating the rest of him was. It was like Santa Klaus was crossed with a big game hunter.

Pan Gong fell into step with Chen Haoran on his left. Xie Jin and Bao Si immediately placed themselves on Chen Haoran’s right and followed a step behind them. Pan Gong didn’t glance twice at them. A fact that Chen Haoran was grateful for, although he mentally added a demerit to his impression of Pan Gong for it. People who ignored his people weren’t his type of people.

“May I ask what brings you to the South, Friend Lan?” Pan Gong asked.

“For peace and fortune,” Chen Haoran blithely replied.

“Those are often mutually exclusive,” Pan Gong pointed out.

“I aware,” Chen Haoran dryly replied. “I haven’t been able to find any peace, so I came to try my hand at fortune instead. How about you, Friend Pan? I’ve heard about the prestigious Palace School graduates. Forgive me for saying this but I can’t say I expected to meet someone like you here of all places.”

Bao Si softly coughed behind him, but before Chen Haoran could parse her meaning, Pan Gong chuckled. “No, thankfully, I am only here for experience before I have to return to the school. If I ended up a petty Garrison officer after working myself to death for so many years, I would save myself the shame and end it early.”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Chen Haoran said. “I’ve heard that the Palace School only takes the most talented to train into high-level officials for the Empire. Is it true you can get a Heaven-Rank technique from there?”

It was a bit nerve-wracking, admittedly, to be speaking with such a high-ranking Liquid Meridian. There was still the threat he would be recognized. That being said he was curious about the Palace School. His current situation was terrible anyway. A few questions wouldn’t make it worse. The worst that could happen is that he’d die.

Pan Gong wistfully smiled. “You heard correctly. Should you prove yourself worthy, then Heaven-Rank techniques of all sorts are within easy reach. Resources, knowledge, mentors, anything and everything the ambitious would want is there for the taking. The Palace School is a place where dragons go to swim, however. It’s not easy to prove yourself when you have the collective talent of the Empire trying to do the same.” Pan Gong glanced at Chen Haoran. “Are you interested in joining? You would have a bigger advantage than most.”

Chen Haoran shook his head. “I’m just lucky, is all. I have a much more talented…. friend who wants to join the Palace School. I was just curious what she’d find there.” As it turned out, everything she could have hoped for and then some. “Best of luck with your studies. I’m sure there’s a high-up position waiting for a strong cultivator with a Machu River cultivation like you.”

Pan Gong smiled helplessly and rubbed his head. “Those are auspicious words from a River Blessed, but I’m afraid I’ll need more than luck. Posts along the Machu River are prestigious, and there are so many Yellow River cultivators competing for them. I’d be lucky to be within a hundred miles of the river.” He peered at Chen Haoran and reached out with a cursory brush of his sense. The Yellow Dragon grumbled and gently pushed the sense back. Pan Gong blinked. “Are you affiliated with the Ministry of Rites at all, Friend Lan?”

“No,” Chen Haoran said. If he were, then he’d probably get yanked around less. Surely being the Machu River’s PR person would bring him some respect. “It hasn’t been long since I got….well,” he waved a hand over himself, “….this.”

They arrived at the base of the pyramid. They didn’t have much of a chance to admire it, however, as Pan Gong ascended the steps without pause, and they were forced to hurry up to keep pace. Well… Chen Haoran was, at least. He was pretty sure Xie Jin and Bao Si wouldn’t have minded an excuse to separate from Pan Gong. Actually, stepping on the pyramid reminded Chen Haoran of the absolute unknown they were walking toward.

“Has there been anything discovered about this trial?” Chen Haoran asked.

“Maybe,” Pan Gong said with an air of idle musing. “I’m not much one for theory, unfortunately.”

Without missing a beat, Chen Haoran reached into his storage bag and summoned a flask to his hand. He handed it to a suddenly bemused Pan Gong. “I haven’t thanked you yet for helping us back there. It’s not much, but I hope you like it.”

Pan Gong accepted the flash and raised an eyebrow when he felt its quality. Not quite Mortal-Rank, but way better than just a regular drinking flask, the Gifting Power’s improvement striking again. One eyebrow was soon followed by the other when he popped open the cork and got a whiff of high-grade Machu River water.

“A good drink.” Pan Gong drank deeply from the flask and then wiped his mouth with a satisfied sigh. “To think I would be able to drink Machu Dragon water in the South. Today is a good day.” He looked at Chen Haoran with a much more appreciative look. “I underestimated how much the Machu River values you.”

“I just caught it on a good day,” Chen Haoran denied. “If it really liked me, I wouldn’t be down here looking for riches, would I?”

“Perhaps you might yet find some,” Pan Gong mused. “The Ministry of Culture employs some terribly bright minds. From what they’ve told me, this pyramid focuses the ambient energy into a connected Secret Realm. The power that built this place used it to temper their younger generation and harvest resources while they were at it. Initial estimates say it’s been abandoned for at least two thousand years.”

“There must be quite the harvest built up,” Chen Haoran faintly said. Or at least there might be. Two thousand years was long enough for things to go wrong after all.

They crested over the top of the stairs in no time at all, turning something that would have been a 20-minute walk back on earth into less than five minutes. The top of the pyramid was a building or perhaps an altar. After walking past the guarding snake statues, they entered a room filled with cultivators. The red-clothed Garrison soldiers were in the majority and clustered near a wall with a series of runes carved in a circle on its surface. Half of them glowed bright silver, and before Chen Haoran could blink, another rune lit up with the same light. The unaffiliated cultivators hung near the entrance, not daring to cross the invisible divide between both groups.

Pan Gong pointed toward the rune circle. “Once the activation requirements are met, that circle will create a gate for us to pass through into the secret realm. The Garrison will go in first, and the rest will be coming after us.”

“Is the Garrison that confident?” Chen Haoran asked him.

Pan Gong laughed. “Our culture and Formation experts have been working nonstop to identify any potential issues. I won’t dare say we know everything going on inside, but we’re fairly sure of its danger level.” He patted Chen Haoran on the shoulder, almost sending him stumbling with the force. “Being able to meet a River Blessed makes this a lucky day for me. Once you’re inside, you can follow me. Perhaps we might find some real treasure together.”

“I’ll thank you in advance then,” Chen Haoran said.

Pan Gong casually waved the water flash. “Don’t mention it.” Just before he walked away, however, he stopped and turned to Chen Haoran with a serious look. “A word of advice from one man of the river to another. Don’t return to the Machu River without meeting the Ministry of Rites. For all that it lives and thinks, the Machu River isn’t human, nor is the pieces of itself that it gives away. If you’re not careful, then they’ll do as water does and merge together.”

Well. That wasn’t ominous at all.

“Thank you, Friend Pan,” Chen Haoran said, bowing his hands.

Pan Gong waved his hand and walked into the crowd without another word. Chen Haoran watched the sea of cultivators part for him. Even with so many people here, it was impossible for Pan Gong to be anything but noticeable.

“What did I do wrong?” Chen Haoran suddenly asked.

“You were too casual,” Bao Si immediately replied. “He is your superior in cultivation and thus your social superior. You have to speak to him more formally. Being as casual as you were implies either thoughtlessness, arrogance, or background.”

Ah. Right. That could be a bit of a problem in the future, especially when he was interacting with strangers. On the other hand, he really didn’t want to treat every random cultivator he met like they were his retail customers.

“Forget that,” Xie Jin, the other person who spoke to stronger cultivators way too casually, interrupted.  “Have you noticed it?”

Bao Si gravely nodded. “There’s too many Liquid Meridians.”

Chen Haoran was briefly confused. He figured that was largely the point of the trial? It was only when he cast his sense out did he realize what they meant. It wasn’t that there were no Qi Realms. There were plenty among the unaffiliated cultivators. There were none among the Garrison. A brief head count brought the total number of cultivators in the room to a thousand, of which the Empire made up six hundred. The ratio of the groups didn’t stay consistent either. The Garrison’s side grew larger while the unaffiliated side grew smaller as more Liquid Meridians came in and threw out the weaker cultivators to ensure the total number in the room remained a thousand. There was a bit of surprise on their side when Li Mou walked in. He was clutching his chest and wincing, but the fact it wasn’t caved in anymore and that he was walking again after accidentally running into Pan Gong’s fist was a miracle. The Garrison had some good healers on staff.

Li Mou glared in their direction a bit before stalking off to join the Garrison’s side. There were a few rogue cultivators who had some designs on Xie Jin and Bao Si given they were a part of the quickly shrinking group of Qi Realms, but Chen Haoran only had to fold one Liquid Meridian across his knee for them to take a hint. Not long after Li Mou walked in, there was a sudden upsurge in yelling and commotion outside. From the sound of it word had spread to the cultivators still outside about the time limit approaching. Just as the noise reached a crescendo, there was a sudden surge of power outside that could be felt even ensconced within the pyramid as they were. All conversation, both Garrison and non, died as a Crystal Transformation Realm flexed their strength.

“There is no need for any more participants,” an unfamiliar voice spoke, each word a booming thunderclap. “Leave now or be left here forever.”

Chen Haoran offered a prayer of pity to those poor souls outside. He’d had quite enough of Crystal Transformation Realms himself these days. He felt Phelps tighten his grip around him, and Chen Haoran rubbed his arm through the cloak. In the silence that fell in the wake of higher powers, the rune circle lit up completely with silver. There was a ripple of tense thrill that passed through the gathered crowd. Perhaps they thought about riches or danger. Chen Haoran thought about Pan Gong telling him the rune circle would open a gate in the wall.

So when the circle dimmed, and bright silver lines opened up beneath everyone’s feet, Chen Haoran immediately had a sinking feeling that something was not right.

“Brace!” Pan Gong roared from the front.

Bao Si shot toward Xie Jin. Xie Jin shot toward Chen Haoran. Phelps’s grip became crushing. Chen Haoran tried to gather up all three in his arms.

Silver light bloomed, and Chen Haoran grabbed nothing as he disappeared.