When Yun Qiang woke up, he found himself in a small tent. A few blurry figures were surrounding him, whispering words that he couldn't hear.
His head was pulsating painfully, his lips were dry, and his throat was sore.
"Wat—"
Just as he was about to ask for water, pain flared in his head, making him lose consciousness.
Yun Qiang spent the next hours like this. His mind drifting from awake to asleep, letting him glimpse reality only for a few seconds before forcing him back into darkness. There, a series of strange dreams and visions assaulted him. Sometimes he saw his memories as a child, other times he saw his dream counterpart's life in the mountains; sometimes his visions made sense, while other times they were just nightmares brought over by his fever.
Until...
Snap.
The sound of something breaking resounded in Yun Qiang's head, his consciousness being forcefully transferred towards his dantian.
When he entered it, Yun Qiang looked at his surroundings, his eyes fixating on the small ball of light that represented his cultivation. The cracking sound had come from there.
Slowly, Yun Qiang got closer, his eyes squinting while staring at the glowing sphere. He couldn't find any anomaly with it; everything looked normal.
Maybe my cultivation base is unstable?
He nodded to himself. It wasn't uncommon for cultivators to lose one rank or two when gravely injured. Considering what had happened, it made sense for his cultivation base to be unstable.
Yun Qiang let out a long sigh. The only way to stabilize his cultivation was to absorb Qi using his spirit root. This was another disadvantage of low-level roots; they absorbed less Qi, making the process of stabilizing one's cultivation slower.
Resigned, Yun Qiang prepared himself to cultivate and absorb Qi. However, just when he was about to start, his sphere suddenly expanded, completing the second stage of the Soul element.
What?!
Yun Qiang watched dumbfounded as the sphere settled back into place, its size slightly bigger, its light slightly stronger.
What is going on with it...
He knew his soul was somewhat special and it could train itself; however, this was too much for him to understand. The soul was something that baffled even the strongest of cultivators. There was no way for him to understand what his soul was doing even if he wanted to.
Still, he got closer to his sphere. He wanted to examine it, searching for any kind of anomalies.
Suddenly, a strange white fog started forming on the ground, giving Yun Qiang an extreme sense of cold. Shivers ran down his spine as he felt something watching him.
"Who's there!"
He woke up.
His panicked voice sounded in the empty tent. Yun Qiang's back was completely drenched in sweat. He could swear it, he had seen a pair of eyes watching him inside his dantian.
He straightened up, his arms pushing against the end of the bed. Small pangs of pain traveled around his body; some of his injuries hadn't healed yet, making him hurt all over every time he moved.
Yun Qiang took a moment to let his breathing stabilize before slowly sinking into his dantian, wanting to confirm what he had just felt. However, when he returned to his dantian, he found nothing abnormal. Yes, he had completed the second level of the Soul element; however, everything else was the same. There was no fog, and no eyes were watching him. Only his sphere and the familiar darkness that had always been his dantian background.
He slowly opened his eyes again.
"Mmmm, it's just a vision. I need to rest more..."
He let out a long sigh. Tian Lao's fight had tired him completely; he even remembered getting stabbed in the heart.
"Ahahaha."
He let out a nervous laugh.
"That can't have happened, right?..."
His mind instantly returned to the day he fought Tian Lao. He remembered being at a complete disadvantage, then the barrier had formed, and then....
Tian Lao stabbed him in the heart.
However, his memories didn't end there. After getting stabbed, he had a moment of darkness, and after that, he had somehow killed Tian Lao and his subordinates. He remembered everything in precise detail; he even remembered the orders he had given to Sun!
"This can't be...."
He covered his face with his hands.
He remembered everything; however, he wasn't in control of himself. He didn't want to do those things, and neither did he know how to do them.
How is this possible....
He brought his hands down to his chest and started checking himself. Every move brought him pain, but he wanted to know if what he remembered was real.
"Yes, it's real.."
He could feel it; a scar had formed where Tian Lao had struck him. Everything that he remembered was real.
Slowly, he stood up and walked outside his tent. The air inside had become suffocating; he needed some fresh air.
Once he was out and felt the night's fresh air, he instantly felt better. He started calming himself while checking his surroundings. It was night outside; a full moon hung in the sky, illuminating the military camp where he found himself.
In the distance, he could see Sun's silhouette walking towards him.
"You woke up already?"
Yun Qiang smiled. Sun's voice still sounded as confident as ever.
"Yes —"
He interrupted himself mid-sentence. Now that Sun had gotten closer to him, he could see him clearly. A long cut ran across Sun's cheek, giving his young face a strange look, both lively and young at the same time.
"Surprised to see me?"
"No, it's just your face. I mean... I thought you would heal it."
Sun nodded, while keeping a smile on his face.
"I just thought it looked good. Besides, you haven't healed the scar on your chest either."
Yun Qiang was about to tell him that he didn't have time to heal it, but Sun continued.
"Anyway, let's talk inside. It's kind of cold here."
Yun Qiang let out a small yawn.
"Ok, but I just woke up. Just give me a few more minutes to clear my mind."
Sun entered the tent.
"No problem. Just come inside when you are ready."
Yun Qiang sighed while slowly moving his gaze towards the moon.
He didn't know what to tell Sun. He wasn't able to explain what had happened, neither could he invent an excuse for it.
The only thing he could do was tell the truth to Sun and hope he would believe him.
He let out another long sigh.
Then he entered the tent.
When he entered, Sun was already sitting on a small chair, patiently waiting for him.
Yun Qiang decided to sit on his bed with his leg crossed.
"So, what do you want to talk about? A lot of stuff has happened recently."
Sun looked at him in the eyes.
"Let's start with the obvious. What was that?"
Yun Qiang knew what that was referring to. It was referring to the him that had killed Tian Lao and the others.
"Would you believe me if I told you I don't know anything about it?"
There was silence for a few seconds.
"Sure... You have always been someone with many secrets." Disappointment flashed in Sun's eyes; he didn't sound convinced.
Yun Qiang closed his eyes, letting out a long breath.
"Sun, do you remember the fish we caught back at the sect? The one with spiritual properties."
"Yes, what about it?"
"I couldn't recognize it because I had read a book about it; the knowledge just came to me randomly. This had also happened in the past. A spiritual beast had wandered in the forest where I hunted with my family. At the time, I managed to recognize it, simply because knowledge appeared in my mind. The same happened when we were at the Shard, the first day when I almost lost consciousness. That's because the knowledge of every array in the Shard was beamed into my head."
Yun Qiang opened his eyes, meeting Sun's gaze. Sun had a confused expression on him, as if he didn't understand where Yun Qiang was going with this.
He continued, his speech becoming more frantic as he talked.
"You know how I acquired my cultivation method?"
"Wandering Cult—"
Yun Qiang cut him off mid-sentence.
"Dream. Sun, I got it from a dream I had three years ago."
"You know when I suddenly became a better fighter? That's because I was trapped in a dream, where I died three hundred times. I even received a palm technique after completing it. I can teach it to you if you want."
"Yun Qiang..."
"Also, my soul can cultivate b—"
"Yun Qiang!"
Yun Qiang stopped talking, his eyes were slightly wide and his mouth was half open, similar to a mad man having an episode.
Sun continued, his voice becoming increasingly serious.
"Qiang. We went through a lot. If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. However, don't take me for an idiot. I won't believe these stories."
Yun Qiang looked at Sun in the eyes. He could see a mixture of disappointment and betrayal in them.
"But it's true..."
Tears of frustration started flowing from his eyes.
"It's all true. I also thought it was some kind of sickness; however, it's all true. The cultivation method I obtained works, the technique I learned and used in my dreams also works in the real world."
A glint of hope flashed in his eyes.
"You also experienced it! Yes, when I wasn't myself and couldn't control my body, you also saw it. The sword technique that you acquired! It's real. I swear it is!"
Sun's face darkened. A few moments ago, he was about to get up and go away; however, Yun Qiang's last words convinced him to stay. He had tried practicing the sword technique Yun Qiang gave him, and it was definitely authentic.
Even if he didn't completely believe the part about Yun Qiang's dreams, he believed the last part. He had seen what an out-of-control Yun Qiang could do, and that wasn't a level of strength his friend could achieve.
"Ok, I believe you."
Hearing this, Yun Qiang's eyes shined with happiness. It was the first time he had told the truth to someone. He was happy his best friend hadn't taken him for a mad man.
"Besides, I wasn't completely honest either..:"
Sun looked down; he couldn't bear to look Yun Qiang in the eyes.
"Right..."
Yun Qiang recalled the second and sixth records of the Sacred Empire's black list. The second read Yun Qiang, while the sixth one...
"Liang Sun..."
Surprise still flashed in Yun Qiang's eyes as he said those words out loud. He thought Sun was a nobody like him; instead, he was a member of the renowned Liang family.
Silence hung in the tent as both of them didn't speak.
Yun Qiang let out a long sigh before letting himself go, laying on the bed instead of sitting on it.
"How did it happen? Someone like you shouldn't be in the dummy training class with us nobodies."
Sun sighed.
"It's a long story. It all started thirty years ago when Liang Wei and the rest of the golden generation weren't born. The Liang family was in dire need of talents, so they created a new rule. Basically, if any of the elders managed to produce a talented heir, then they would inherit the entire Liang family even if they weren't part of the main bloodline."
He leaned on the chair.
"Then, five years later, I was born. At the time, I had an eight-level root, making me a top-notch talent. Furthermore, my father was the first elder of the Skyward Pavilion, while my mother was an honorary elder of the sect, making me eligible to inherit the Liang family."
"Sure enough, a few years later, I was nominated heir of the family. At first, everything was going well. I showed good natural talent, and I received the best teaching and the most precious resources."
"Then Liang Wei was born. His spiritual root was a level higher than mine, and his upbringing was also better. In fact, he was the firstborn of the current matriarch of the Liang family."
"If the main bloodline hadn't passed that rule, then everything would have been fine. Liang Wei would inherit the family, and everyone would be happy. However, they had passed that law and had already nominated me as the heir. This divided the family into two factions: the one that supported me and the one that supported Wei."
Sun sighed, his eyes stared at the tent's roof as if his past was written on it.
"However, even if this was happening in the background, me and Liang Wei grew together, trained together, and even exchanged our notes about cultivation."
"The book where I read about the basics of arrays? That was actually his gift for my nineteenth birthday. I thought I could consider him a friend, until one day he poisoned me. Normally, you would kill your rivals; however, my father was too important and the clan situation was unstable, so he used a non-lethal poison."
"Instead of killing me, the poison degraded my root to a first-level root and destroyed my cultivation. Making me useless. Shortly after, I lost my title. Then Liang Wei cooked up a little plot to kick me out of the family and put me in the dummy training class."
Sun continued leaning on the chair, his head slumped on it, his eyes were staring at the ceiling.
"So, what do you think?"
Yun Qiang was also staring at the ceiling.
"It's a sad story, but couldn't he kill you after kicking you out of the Liang family? Considering how everyone treated us, I doubt someone would care if we died."
Sun slightly shook his head.
"No, Wei has to keep up his righteous appearance. If I died while staying at the sect, then my father could still cause some trouble for him and ruin his reputation. He is someone that likes to scheme, but you can't scheme if nobody is willing to trust you."
Sun closed his eyes.
"Actually, I'm probably the reason why they set us up for assaulting Wuji, and sent us here. I'm also the reason our team was assigned to scouting the river. I don't believe Wei didn't know about hunters coming this way."
Both of them sighed, letting the tent fall into silence once more.
After an undefined amount of time, Yun Qiang spoke, his voice sounding tired.
"You know, my description on the Black List said I am talented with a ninth-level root and that the only reason I'm weak is because an old injury is slowing my cultivation down."
"I think someone mistook me for my brother..."
Sun let out a low growl while stretching his muscles.
"It's more probable that you are being set up as bait while the sect hides your brother. You can stay here at the front, risking your life, being targeted by everybody, while your brother grows in strength back at the sect. Wei's family did something similar and kept him hidden from everyone. I got to know about his existence when he was already nine years old and was halfway through the Qi Gathering Realm."
Yun Qiang didn't respond, only letting out an annoyed umph.
Sun stopped stretching, slowly returning to his laid-back position, his eyes occasionally falling on Yun Qiang.
"You know, for someone being used, you seem pretty relaxed about it. Laying on a bed, slowly healing."
Yun Qiang let out a resigned chuckle.
"It's because I can't do anything about it. Besides, you aren't better. You are basically sleeping on that chair.."
Sun smiled, letting out a low laugh.
"I guess you are right..."
Time passed, and the duo stayed there relaxing together, resting. Sometimes their calm silence was interrupted by the noises of a patrol passing by; sometimes they interrupted it themselves, asking each other questions, doing some small talk.
"So, Qiang, what do you intend to do now?"
Sun's eyes wandered toward the outside of the tent. Dawn was coming; he could already see the first signs of light in the distance.
Yun Qiang sighed.
"What I always did, I will improve my cultivation while trying to survive. Even if this war is dangerous, I have to admit that it's a good way to accumulate resources."
He paused for a second.
"Now that I think about it, I should have enough points to exchange for a Golden Core pill. With it, I can finally complete the first stage of the Qi element."
Sun nodded.
"What about the loot you obtained from Tian Lao and his grunts? Did you find anything useful?"
An awkward expression formed on Yun Qiang's face.
"I haven't checked them yet. I was awake for just a few minutes before you arrived, so I didn't search them."
"Actually, I will do it now. It's still too early to report for duty."
With a smooth motion, he took out five space rings and started checking them, while Sun stared at him with a curious gaze.
After a few minutes, Sun looked at him expectantly.
"Well, excluding some pills and manuals, there isn't much in these rings..."
"Tian Lao's ring is the most disappointing one; it only has a manual inside of it."
Sun looked at him.
"Oh." Disappointment was clear in his voice.
"Did you find some Foundation pills? If you did, I can buy them from you."
Yun Qiang threw him a small pill.
"This is the only one I found. Take it as a gift from me."
Sun gazed at the pill. After consuming it, he would reach the Foundation Realm.
He hesitated for a moment.
"Qiang, I can pay you. I have enough contribution points; there is no need to do this."
Yun Qiang shook his head.
"No. It's a gift. Besides, you should really buy some healing pills. Liang Wei will attack the Avarian fortress soon. We will need them."
He paused for a second.
"I also found some sword manuals. If you are interested, I can give you a copy of them."
Sun smiled. It was a genuine smile, something that had become rarer and rarer since their forced recruitment.
"Thank you. One day I will pay you back, for both pills you gifted me."
Then he saluted him before going away.
Yun Qiang smiled. Even if Sun never paid back this favor to him, it didn't matter. Sun was his friend; there was no reason to be stingy with items that he didn't need.
He closed his eyes, intending to rest for a few minutes. As he started resting, his mind was at peace. He knew that the next time he would see Sun, his friend would have reached the Foundation Realm.