Upon the reminder, Xia Yun quickly manifested his spirit ki into the form of a palm to grab the Spirit Marrow. Junior Brother Liu and Junior Sister Tantai quickly did the same too.
However, the Spirit Marrow unleashed an even brighter light, as if attempting to struggle free of their grasp.
“Is this the means of a cultivator?”
The Great Xia’s emperor watched on with envious eyes before turning his attention toward the Spirit Marrow. From their attitudes, he could tell that the Spirit Marrow was extremely valuable.
“This jade object has been passed down through our Xia Clan for many years. I’d have never known that it is something this important.”
The Great Xia’s emperor suddenly remembered a story he had heard from his grandfather.
It was said that their founding emperor was an ordinary cowherd in his younger years. One day, he saw two immortals playing chess in the forest, so he went over to take a look out of curiosity.
Time flew by hastily, and centuries passed before he knew it.
It was only when the immortals ended their game that the cowherd finally thought about returning home. Just as he was about to walk off, he noticed a jade object on the chess board. Thinking that it was something the immortals had left behind for him, he took it away with him.
To his dismay, his home was nowhere to be found when he returned. Everything had changed over the centuries. Even their country had changed multiple dynasties!
The cowherd cried for several days before taking his old cow, which had survived the centuries, headed off to venture the world. He went through a lot in his journey, and in the end, he founded Great Xia.
This story was passed down through the Xia Clan, but everyone thought that it was nothing more than a tale to embellish their history. Only a fool would believe it.
Yet, the jade object proved to be something exceptional. This made the Great Xia’s emperor wonder if there was credence to the story.
“Damn it! I can’t suppress it anymore!” Junior Brother Liu exclaimed indignantly.
The Spirit Marrow smothered by spirit ki hands furiously thrashed around. It took only a few moments for it to break free of their grasps. Before their eyes, it divided into thousands of light streams and whizzed into the sky.
Without any warning, it started to rain.
Junior Brother Liu looked deflated, and his eyes were filled with indignation.
How could this opportunity slip past my fingers just like that? With the Spirit Marrow turning into rain, its benefits will just go to the local populace here. Some of them will become extraordinarily talented cultivators!
Xia Yun heaved a sigh. Seeing the awful looks on Junior Brother Liu’s and Junior Sister Tantai’s faces, he asked, “Juniors, I have heard about the Spirit Marrow but not the specifics. Can you fill me in on the details?”
Junior Brother Liu looked at Xia Yun for a few seconds before replying, “Spirit Marrows are manifested from the convergence of a region’s spirit ki. These places either used to be rich in spirit ki, or that a powerful cultivator had passed away in the area. In any case, Spirit Marrows can’t possibly form in barren places. There might have been powerful cultivator clans here a thousand years ago or so.”
Xia Yun and the Great Xia’s emperor were surprised.
“It’s a pity our cultivation is too low to suppress the Spirit Marrow. With the emergence of the Spirit Marrow, spirit ki will be returned to its source. After this rain, you’ll find people possessing exceptional talent for cultivation appearing here,” Junior Brother Liu said.
“I heard from my grandfather that a Spirit Marrow around the size of an adult’s fist appeared in Infernoblaze 120 years ago. Its appearance caught the attention of many sects, and they quickly sent their people in to claim possession of it. However, none of them were able to suppress it, and it eventually morphed into a spirit rain.
“Many talented cultivators appeared afterward like bamboo shoots in the wake of a rain. That fellow from the Beast Spirit Valley is one. Our South Heaven Sect’s Big Senior is another,” Junior Sister Tantai said.
Xia Yun was surprised. Those two prodigies only reached their current level of accomplishment due to that spirit rain? Does it mean that similar prodigies will appear in Great Xia from this day onward?
“It’s good that we made it in time. We won’t be able to monopolize the Spirit Marrow’s essence, but as cultivators, we would still benefit greatly from this rain,” Junior Brother Liu said.
The rain became heavier.
The crowd could see a faint, white light enveloping Great Xia’s capital, and phenomena started to appear. Vaguely, a dragon’s cry or a tiger’s roar seemed to echo in the white sky.
This astonished Great Xia’s civilians. They quickly walked out of their houses to check the phenomena.
Some saw dragons soaring in the sky.
Some saw tigers leaping across the mountains.
Some saw a flock of immortal cranes.
Some saw fairies frolicking around in the clouds.
These mystical scenes left the crowd baffled. It felt almost as if they had been transported into an immortal realm.
“Do you see that? That’s a dragon?”
“What dragon? I saw a big tiger!”
“You’re all wrong. That’s a flock of immortal cranes!”
“What’s wrong with your eyes? I don’t see anything at all.”
“Dad, I see fairies smiling at me!”
From merchants and soldiers to officials and nobles, everyone raised their heads to look at the sky. The princes, princesses, eunuchs, maids, guards, and concubines residing in the imperial palace did the same.
Some saw the phenomena, but there were also those who couldn’t see a thing at all.
“Ahh…” Xia Yu stared at the sky with an agape mouth. He seemed to see the majestic sight of nine dragons playing with a pearl, and his face slowly warped in incredulity.
The spirit rain pattered through Fang Chen’s soul in the sky, and he didn’t feel a thing at all, but he could also see all kinds of phenomena in the sky.
“Could that be the reason I saw the fairy in the blazing sun back at the Three Realms Mountain? Was it just an illusion?” Fang Chen stared at the sky in a daze when melancholy gripped him.
The Great Xia’s emperor stared at the sky in a daze. Seconds later, he turned to Xia Yun and asked, “Ancestor, why can’t I see anything at all?”
Xia Yun fell silent. Junior Brother Liu and Junior Sister Tantai looked at the Great Xia’s emperor with mocking eyes.
“You’re not fated to be an immortal,” Xia Yun eventually said with a sigh.
“Oh…” The Great Xia’s emperor impassively nodded.
“The billowing of spirit ki, the manifestations of phenomena. You’re in luck, Senior Xia. It won’t be long before major sects in Infernoblaze send their elders down to take your people in as their disciples. Outstanding cultivators will rise from your Great Xia,” Junior Brother Liu said.
Xia Yun’s eyes gleamed with delight. This was good news. The main reason he had struggled so much in his pursuit of immortality was due to his lack of stalwart allies to fall back on.
If Great Xia had more cultivators, they would be able to huddle together and look after one another. If one of them reached the same height as Infernoblaze’s top talents, he could even benefit from their halo.
The eyes of the Great Xia’s emperor flickered. He suddenly thought of something and asked, “Ancestor, would my offspring have a chance to become cultivators?”
“Of course.” Xia Yu nodded. “The South Heaven Sect’s elders will gauge their aptitude when they arrive, and they’ll be able to join the South Heaven Sect if they are sufficiently talented. Otherwise, they can join other minor sects too.”
The Great Xia’s emperor was delighted to hear that. Doesn’t that mean that our Xia Clan can become a cultivator clan? “This is a fortuitous encounter for our Xia Clan! The Fang Clan won’t be able to benefit from this since they moved to the southern region!”
The Great Xia’s emperor smiled. He believed that soon enough, he wouldn’t have to fear that grandfather-grandson duo from the Fang Clan anymore!