Morning arrived quickly, making Ji Tianwei feel excited. He woke up from his sleep and walked toward the bronze mirror in his room.
Hmm… I'll leave secretly. But if Father and Mother find out what I'm doing, it will interfere with my plan. Okay, I have to convince them, Ji Tianwei muttered to himself, thinking hard.
After that, Ji Tianwei changed his clothes and brought some cloth to cover his face later. He crept out of his room, checking the surroundings. Just as he was about to leave the house, he noticed his parents were talking in the front yard, their voices a faint murmur.
Ji Tianwei hid the cloth beneath his clothes and put on the locket around his neck, concealing it with a black inner shirt. He walked outside and greeted his parents.
"Father, Mother, good morning. I want to go watch the match alone. Is that okay?" Ji Tianwei asked, putting on a pleading face.
Xiao Chao, who heard and saw his demeanor, thought that it was time for Ji Tianwei to walk on his own. He was sure that Ji Tianwei was no ordinary child; he had high intelligence. If Xiao Chao kept accompanying him, it might hinder his growth.
Yue Chan said, "Son, it's not that you can't. But what if something happens to you? However, if that is what you want, Mother won't stand in your way. Just don't come home as late as yesterday. When it's getting late, come home immediately, and take some food with you. Mother will prepare it, so wait a moment."
"Okay, Mother. I'll wait here with Father," Ji Tianwei said. He sat in front of Xiao Chao, under a tree in the front yard.
Yue Chan nodded and then went to the kitchen to prepare the lunch.
The morning breeze rustled the leaves as the morning sun began to peek through. Ji Tianwei watched Xiao Chao, who looked calm, sipping warm tea and enjoying the morning.
"Father, when I turn eight, I won't be able to stay here anymore. I want to find my true self. If you allow it, I would be very happy," Ji Tianwei said.
Xiao Chao, hearing this, was so surprised that he spat out the warm tea he was enjoying. He quickly composed himself, wiping the water from his mouth.
"Son, are you sure? Is there something wrong with this family? Don't you want to stay longer? If that is what you want, Father will not object. But isn't it too soon?" Xiao Chao murmured, still shocked.
"Father, I have my own path. If I linger here, I might fall behind. I wouldn't mind staying longer, but I have a purpose," Ji Tianwei said with a firm voice, hitting the table.
Xiao Chao, hearing the explanation, had a sudden realization. An intelligent person does not like to be constrained; they prefer to walk their own path. However, Ji Tianwei was still just a child. If this was the path he chose, it would be difficult for him to explore this vast world. Xiao Chao realized that Ji Tianwei had no cultivation, so his lifespan would be different from cultivators who could live for hundreds of years.
With a hint of reluctance in his heart, Xiao Chao said, "Son, I know that if this is the path you choose, Father will no longer stand in your way. However, once you reach the age of eight, Father will give you a gift that can help you on your adventure later. Tonight, Father will give you a world map that you might find interesting, so you don't get lost when you travel."
"Okay, Father. But don't tell Mother; I'll tell her myself. And I promise, when I'm an adult, I'll visit this family," Ji Tianwei said with a smile, holding out his pinky finger.
Xiao Chao agreed and clasped his small pinky. Seeing Ji Tianwei's satisfied smile, the reluctance in his heart melted away.
A few minutes later, Yue Chan came out of the house carrying a lunch box wrapped in a white cloth, walking toward Ji Tianwei, who was waiting cheerfully.
"Son, this is your lunch. Eat it later, okay? Don't be mischievous outside, and don't accept anything from strangers," Yue Chan said, playfully poking his nose.
"Okay, Mother. Thank you, I'll be going now. My regards to you and Father," Ji Tianwei said. He took the lunch box in his right hand. Before leaving, he kissed his mother and father's cheeks, then walked out of the gate.
After passing the gate, his lips curled into a frightening sneer. He said in his heart, Hahaha, time to have some fun! With this, there's nothing to stop me from getting what I want.
...
After walking through the crowd, he looked around until he reached the village center, as if searching for something. Ji Tianwei saw a dark, empty alley and walked toward it.
He took out the cloth he had brought from home and put it on, covering his face. He wrapped the cloth around his head so only his eyes were visible. He then took off his robe, leaving only a black inner shirt.
"I'm going to take action today," a faint voice came from Ji Tianwei's mouth in the dark alley.
That night, after I had escorted my sister, I went back to my room. At that time, Nirvana trembled inside my body, as if giving me a signal. I then meditated, focusing my seven meridian points to enter the sea of consciousness.
At that moment, Nirvana was waiting for me and told me that if I kept taking it easy, heaven would find out and curse anyone near it.
That was when I decided to leave this peaceful family. I felt content, even though it was only for a short while. I asked it if I couldn't wait until I was eight years old, because at my current age of six, it would be suspicious if I traveled alone.
I also asked if there were any techniques I could learn, as I had now reached Linghun Qi level two. It told me about one technique, Shadow Step, a technique for running and hiding in the darkness. This technique consumes souls.
Currently, I only have a few souls in my body, which I obtained from absorbing the corpses. Although I managed to take Su Chanqing's soul before.
This was the perfect technique for me. And this was the time to find Yi Feng. I will walk in every darkness to get his artifact.
After changing my clothes, I used the Shadow Step technique. I appeared in every shadow of someone who was walking. Wush! Wush!
After searching for a long time, I found Yi Feng by a river near some trees. This place was not far from the disciple recruitment area near the mountain slopes. I watched him from the shadows. He was speaking softly while holding something that looked like a small square jade stone. His voice was too low for me to hear him clearly.
I approached through the shadows. At that moment, I entered the bushes and materialized from a shadow. Then, I walked closer. It seemed he couldn't sense my presence. Was this a result of having no cultivation and no soul pure in my body?
Kreak! I stepped on a twig, which made him turn his head. But I kept walking closer.
"Who are you? What is your purpose?" Yi Feng said, his eyes narrowing, a hint of arrogance coming from his mouth.
"Me? I am just a shadow like you. Do you want to play with me for a bit, Yi Feng?" I said, looking down at him, which made him appear wary.
"Hmph! Arrogant!" Yi Feng said. He also said to himself, Who is this? Why was I discovered so quickly? But before this, I had already sent information to my friends that Ji Tianwei would be watching the match. The reason I'm here for this trivial event is just to get the artifacts in the Blue Lotus Sect and get closer to one of his family members, Xiao Qing. He thought hard.
"I know your intentions, Yi Feng. If you don't attack me, I will attack you first. Show me the power you have, and I will gladly devour it," I said.
Yi Feng looked at me, then flew using his sword. Perhaps he was looking for a quieter place. I chased him using the Shadow Step technique, running through the shadows.
Not far from the previous spot, maybe the same distance as the village center to my house, he landed. He then changed his appearance. What was previously a youth was now an adult. He also wore a similar outfit, covering his face just like me.
"With this, are you ready to die, you copycat?" Yi Feng said.
Indeed, I had changed my body shape using shadows, so now I looked like an adult.
"Haha, show me your two spiritual roots first! I'm not copying you; it's you who is copying me," I said, trying to provoke him.
Yi Feng looked annoyed. He then muttered something and moved his hands as if casting a spell. Then, a fire and water aura enveloped him. He shouted, "Fire and Water Dragon Technique!" After he said that, a dragon made of fire and water emerged from his body.
The two dragons were huge, the size of the trees in his yard. Then the dragons roared and intertwined, flying toward me.
Sweat beaded on my forehead, but the fire in my chest did not subside, as if wanting to possess his power. I used the Shadow Step technique, but the dragons kept following me wherever I ran.
"Is this all the ability you have? Just running around like a hunted prey?" Yi Feng shouted from a distance.
I said in my heart that the Shadow Step technique wouldn't last long. I had to finish this quickly. It was draining the souls that I had collected at that time.
I focused on my hand, gripping it, then a flame enveloped my right hand. This came from the artifact my sister gave me. Then, I swallowed the pill given by Bing Ying that I had kept under my tongue before the fight.
The dragons crashed into the trees I passed. While waiting for the effect of the pill, I ran in circles, thinking. This Yi Feng seemed to know that I had a Life Devouring Technique; that's why he was keeping me away from his real body.
Ahh, I'm sure now that Su Chanqing is still alive and that he is her subordinate. But at that time, was it just a fragment of her soul? Why did it have a form? Was it because of an artifact too? Hmm... Maybe, I thought.
After the effect of the pill took hold, my body felt light, and I shot in a zigzag toward Yi Feng, who was controlling the dragons.
He realized what was happening and jumped back. He stretched out his hands and moved his fingers again. He shouted, "Fireball Technique!" A fireball came out of his fingers and flew toward me. I was now trapped between the two attacks, from the front and back.
I dodged to the side. Since he jumped high, I couldn't enter his body's shadow. I used the fire in my hand, focusing on mimicking his fireball technique. That's when the Fire Fist technique was born. I punched him from below while avoiding the dragons and the fireballs that he was continuously releasing.
"Fire Fist, haaa!" I shouted. The fiery fist enlarged to the size of my fist and went toward him. I aimed for his head because he would probably dodge by coming down. That's when his shadow appeared.
He dodged in the way I expected, and I entered his shadow. He looked confused, and at that moment, I emerged from behind his body. He smiled and said, "Self-Destruction Technique!" Duarr! He exploded. I was thrown back to the ground, creating a crater.
Many of my bones seemed to be broken, but I managed to grab the artifact on his waist. The artifact was a face mask, but it looked familiar to me. I coughed up a lot of blood and held my stomach, which had suffered from burn wounds.
It turned out this Yi Feng was also one of her souls or a clone, I thought. Because the mission had failed, I stood up, walked to a tree, and rested for a bit.
My fight with him created a horrific scene. Many trees and the ground were torn apart. A lot of fire burned the trees, and the crater was filled with water.