The group finally returned to the sect and, without wasting any time, reported their gains to the Elders. They handed over the herbs they collected in exchange for significant contribution points. The Elders noticed the abundant harvest and nodded in approval.
That trip was an extraordinary experience for everyone, so each disciple was visibly excited. Finally, Heril told the seniors about her decision to save the dying man they found.
One of the Elders examined him and shook his head: "There’s barely any soul power in him, not even a core with laws. His cultivation seems to have been destroyed, and he can’t be saved. He’ll be like a vegetable for the rest of his life."
The group accepted this as a fact. The Elder had considerable cultivation but saw no chance of recovery in the man’s condition. Some still tried to convince Heril to give up the idea, but she remained stubborn.
"The mantra of our sect is compassion and connection with nature. You’ll need to take good care of him, or this will be a stain on our reputation," the Elder warned, without stopping her or demanding she abandon the incapacitated man.
Most didn’t understand her decision, but they respected it. So, she took him to her residence.
The sect was called the Sacred Jewel sect. It dominated a third of the planet, with vast territories under its control. Most of the planet was covered by untamed wilderness, with few cities and only three giant sects.
Many disciples had their own regions to live in, where they constantly faced attacks from wild beasts while cultivating. The place where Heril lived wasn’t anything special, but she still enjoyed freedom there.
The first thing she did was clean him. Observing that body shaped by laws, she noticed many imperfections, like it was a broken and almost destroyed body. She sighed, pitying whatever that man might have gone through.
In truth, the situation was the opposite. The body was being slowly rebuilt, which explained its incomplete state. Alm and Bruno hadn’t yet fully recovered their core runes, but years ago, they had started slowly reconstructing themselves.
They had spent countless years absorbing the seven laws with the tattoos, storing them in the inventory. It was their attraction of the seven laws to that region that turned the desert into a forest. Now, they were using the laws stored in the inventory to regenerate.
The process was slow and meticulous. Even though they were partially unconscious, they could regain consciousness if they sensed any external threat.
They obviously weren’t wearing clothes, but their body had no external organs or gender features; still, it was clear at first glance that it was a man. Heril, with some hesitation, cleaned him from top to bottom before finding appropriate clothes.
When she finished, she looked at him more closely and noticed that he had a fairly common and simple appearance. Yet, for reasons even she couldn’t explain, she found him oddly pleasant. It was an instinctive feeling of admiration, nothing more.
The more she observed him, the stronger the sense of familiarity and connection grew. There was no logical reason, but she felt she should take care of him, despite her own responsibilities and training. She even built a wheelchair to take him outside so he could enjoy the fresh air.
Alm and Bruno were aware of what was happening, but they chose to ignore it. All their focus was on recovery. They had lost their previous body and cultivation, and with the rune damaged, they couldn’t start over.
They still had the power of the laws stored in the inventory, giving them near-supreme power. However, one of the mission’s objectives was to master this new cultivation, so they had to rebuild from scratch.
Days went by...
"I failed five times today... the senior brothers and sisters succeeded, even the younger ones. I must really be stupid..." Heril muttered, sitting next to him under the sun. Who could say if it was her keeping him company or the other way around?
She often told him about the events of her life, both good and bad, since she had few friends there. A man in a vegetative state was, perhaps, the best listener.
Heril had grown used to the lack of responses, as he hadn’t blinked since the moment he was brought back. What she didn’t know was that Alm and Bruno were listening to every word. They just didn’t have time to worry about it right now.
After almost a year, Heril spoke about absolutely everything openly. Alm completely ignored her, but Bruno paid attention when she spoke, collecting relevant information.
This girl had been in the sect for a short time and was still learning about the world and the planet, which made things easier for them. Sometimes, inside the house, she’d read books out loud, trying to memorize the information. With her conversations and readings, the planet’s situation slowly became clearer to him.
The planet they were on was called Three Perks. The entire territory was ruled by just three legendary sects: Sovereign Blade, Sacred Jewel, and Celestial Mirror.
These three sects, imposing and mysterious, rose around three colossal mountains on this planet. Each cultivated their own methods to form the infamous Divine Inquisitors. The competition to enter them was fierce, and their recruitment methods remained a mystery.
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The strangest part was that the planet was barely populated. Very few people were born there; somehow, couples rarely had children. The three empires didn’t have this problem, so it wasn’t something with the races.
The Sacred Jewel sect, where Heril lived, was currently the weakest of the three sects. It was built around one of the three colossal mountains, whose peak disappeared into the clouds. The area around the center was a vast mountainous region.
Despite being the weakest, the sect attracted those who wanted to live in harmony with the laws of the world. While the other sects competed and their disciples fought among themselves, the Sacred Jewel sect offered a more peaceful and safe environment.
They used to say that the central mountain held an ancient power, capable of revealing the secrets of each disciple’s soul. But the sect’s glory was a thing of the distant past, and it had since fallen into decline.
The reason for this was that the entire planet Three Perks had been in a dark era ever since a tragic event millennia ago. An unexplainable calamity had wiped out... everyone... all the most respected and influential Divine Inquisitors from the three sects.
They were the backbone of the planet, legendary figures whose wisdom and strength shaped generations of cultivators. With their deaths, the cultivation level on the planet dropped drastically. Even after millennia, the scars from that loss were still deeply felt.
Alm and Bruno killed them and destroyed their souls. Looking at the situation with so few births in this place, the outcome was clear.
Masters, experienced teachers, weapons, and vast knowledge were all lost. Today, even after all this time, only a few hundred Divine Inquisitors have emerged. Meanwhile, the sects are desperately fighting to rebuild their lost legacy.
Among the three sects, the Sacred Jewel Sect was hit the hardest. Its more philosophical legacy was passed down primarily through the teachings of experienced cultivators.
In this situation, both the Sovereign Blade Sect and Celestial Mirror face their own challenges but are in slightly better positions. The Sovereign Blade still holds its reputation for fierce discipline and relentless warriors, while the Celestial Mirror remains a bastion of wisdom and knowledge.
***
Five years passed quickly.
The small and delicate Chromaraic was now 16 years old, but her appearance was peculiar. She was slim and delicate, but also beautiful. Despite her multicolored hair, she resembled a classic elf.
At the moment, she stood beside that unknown man, her eyes wet, softly crying.
"I... I don’t know what’s wrong with me... A friend, who I find interesting, came close to me, but when he got near, I felt this inexplicable panic. Then, I felt hatred, this urge to kill him... I ended up punching him pretty hard..."
"With girls, I can get close and feel fine, but I don’t feel anything for them... But with guys, it’s weird. I even want to get close, but this always happens. Do you think something’s wrong with me? Why do I feel so much anger?"
Heril poured her heart out without expecting a response, staying by the figure, confused and in tears. Alm was internally grumbling with disinterest, while Bruno, deep in thought, analyzed the situation. Anger only towards men? But she still feels attracted to them? If nothing strange happened in her current life, this was really disturbing.
She had already shared about her childhood. Heril grew up with her mom and dad until she was nine. She was well cared for and was sure nothing bad had happened. After that, she joined the sect, where Alm and Bruno saw her grow up. There was no logical explanation for this... at least, not in this life.
The days kept passing. Her decision to care for a cripple all this time left everyone in the sect perplexed.
Some gossiped and criticized her, while most saw her as too kind, wasting her precious time in the process. Cultivators value their time immensely; no one wants to waste even a second, let alone on a crippled mortal.
Heril’s talents weren’t exceptional, so she should have been pushing herself harder and dedicating more time to cultivation. Otherwise, her peers would surpass her, even the juniors who joined the sect after her. If that happened, she’d be left behind by the sect.
Some tried to convince her to forget about the man and take him out of the mountain, paying a maid to care for him... or maybe, something "unfortunate" could happen, and he’d die.
Unfortunately, she stuck to her stubborn path. At first, it was just a strange feeling that drove her, but now she slowly began to see him as family.
Heril had few friends... actually, just one single friend. As for the boys of her race, they found her quite attractive and had tried to approach her in the past. She was interested too, but her issue ruined everything.
In the end, rumors spread that she "played for the other team," and the boys stopped making moves on her.
Despite everything, her mood and state of mind improved when that unknown man was around. He was the only person she could open up to, without having to hide anything.
Although he had never responded or even opened his eyes to look at her, she was more than willing to talk to him about her daily life.
She thought about healing his condition. The sect had many medical masters and talented alchemists, so she tried asking for their help.
"Impossible. His body is destroyed, and his soul is nearly the same. He’ll be bedridden forever." An alchemist took a quick look and gave that dry verdict.
"Is there no other way?" She clung to hope.
"Try using your laws to massage him every day. You’re talented in Yang, so that might, miraculously, help." The alchemist said uncertainly, before adding, "But don’t waste your time. You should focus on your own cultivation."
The veteran left after saying that, thinking it wasn’t worth doing more for a mortal.
From then on, Heril took up a new task. Every day, she massaged him, pouring all her Yang energy into him. Unfortunately, it proved useless. Worse, it was harming the development of her own internal laws.
Yet, that didn’t stop her. She kept persevering, waiting for a miracle. This absolute determination showed how much she saw him as part of her family.
All of this didn’t go unnoticed by Alm and Bruno. Over time, even Alm started to soften toward her determination.
One day, during a sunbathing session, she lamented: "I can’t develop my internal law properly. Even my master scolded me for being stupid... Maybe it’s true, maybe I really don’t belong in cultivation..."
"You’re not the only stupid one. Your master is dumber than any help could fix." A weak voice interrupted her reflection.
"Ah!" She jumped in shock, looking around, thinking she had heard a ghost.
But only that unknown man was with her in the courtyard.
"Who... who’s there?!" She shouted, unable to find anyone. Fear filled her mind.
"Right next to you." The figure finally opened his eyes to look at her.
"You... you’re awake!" She was surprised, as it was the first time he reacted beyond moving his eyes since they found him.
She looked into his eyes and saw disdain, as if he thought he was superior to her and everyone else. But why would a crippled man have that kind of look?
After saying that, he closed his eyes again, seemingly going back to sleep. Heril calmed down... then realized she had told him everything before, feeling embarrassed, like she wanted to dig a hole and hide in it.
"I... I’ll go prepare something for you to eat." She made an excuse to run away.
"No, your food is terrible." Alm said flatly. Yes, she cooked for both of them every day, feeding him directly.
Heril didn’t know how to react, awkwardly moving her arms. The man had woken up, but instead of thanking her, he just criticized her cooking.
"You tried to create Yang laws incorrectly and were foolish enough to blindly follow your master’s teachings instead of figuring things out on your own. But again, your idiot master made something simple into something complicated." Bruno spoke slowly, while she listened in shock.
"How can you be so rude?!" She snapped upon hearing this insult toward her master.
Her master never mistreated or punished her, despite her mediocrity. She didn’t get mad when he called her stupid, but insulting her master was a different matter.
Bruno snorted, raised his arm, and with a movement too fast for her to react, he touched her forehead. A small law entered her mind.
She froze. Suddenly, a vast understanding of immortal Yang laws flooded her brain. Bruno had inserted a simple yet incredibly deep explanation.
That difficult law suddenly seemed incredibly easy to her. She immediately grasped its mysteries.
More importantly, she realized that her previous cultivation was full of errors and flaws. Her heart raced. For the first time, she caught a glimpse of the beautiful and vast path opening up in front of her. It wasn’t as barren and confusing as she had thought.
"Now do you understand why your master is an idiot?" Bruno said calmly.
She didn’t answer, still in shock. He snorted and added, "As for the boys, don’t feel bad. At this age, both genders are childish and shallow. The boys only approach you because of physical attraction; that leads nowhere. One day, you’ll meet someone who genuinely likes you. When that day comes, your little problem won’t be an obstacle, because he’ll feel what’s inside you and fight to overcome it."
"I..." she murmured, trembling.
"But, if that doesn’t happen, nothing’s stopping you from being happy. Live your life seeking your own path. The outside world and people can’t be controlled. Relying on something outside yourself for happiness will only lead to suffering." Bruno finished softly. "Now, I’m busy. Goodbye."
And with that, he fell silent, returning to his usual quietness, leaving her mind buzzing with thoughts.