Who was JiuLi? After everything I had seen and heard, I couldn’t help but have certain suspicions. They couldn’t possibly be correct, but if they were, what would that mean? Was the Earthly Dao meddling with my inner world, or was something more going on?

Before jumping to any conclusions, I needed information. I could try to get it from the System, but I had no desire to hear “the cost cannot be calculated at this time.” Thankfully, I had other options.

After dismissing the three youths with minor weapon talents, YuLong sent JiuLi off to make her preparations and say her goodbyes. Then, while he went to talk with the Patriarch, I pulled Meng LuYao back to the inn for a private conversation.

The Reverend Elder’s sudden disappearance would no doubt stir up some gossip within the Shi Clan, but such distractions were irrelevant. I had more pressing matters to address.

When Meng LuYao appeared, she froze at the sight of me pacing around the cramped room. “Fang, what’s wrong? Is there a problem with JiuLi?”

I shook my head, forcing my voice to remain steady. “Wait. No questions. Not yet. Just help me figure this out.”

She gave a quick, silent nod.

“JiuLi has several talents, right? And the only one you are certain about is beast taming?”

“Yes, and a minor talent for wood.”

“Good. Watch closely, and keep your blessing active.”

Focusing my mind, I reached out and pulled the room’s water qi into my right hand. After a few moments, I let it dissipate and shifted to earth qi. Then, metal.

“Did any of the symbols stay lit the entire time?”

Meng LuYao eyed me carefully. “Yes. The symbols for water, earth, and metal all lit up in sequence, but there was also one that remained illuminated the entire time—the symbol that I think represents a talent for cultivation.”

“The same one you saw in JiuLi?”

She gave a slow nod.

“That should be a general talent for qi. What about now?” I reached out and gathered up the room’s wu. First, for one element. Then, another.

“Again, a cycle of elements, with a second symbol staying lit the entire time. This one was different, though.”

I paused, swallowing hard. “Did you see that symbol in JiuLi?”

LuYao’s expression tightened, her eyes searching my face. “It was her greatest talent.”

“That… That should be a talent for wu. The talent of a body cultivator.”

This might be the answer to a question I had been wondering about for a while now. When I developed a novel technique, I received two things: an enlightenment and a discount. Others could gain enlightenments, but discounts? Without the System, those were meaningless. So, what did they get instead? A direct boost to the relevant talents, perhaps?

“It fits,” I muttered. “I bought boosts to her comprehension of beast taming and cultivation, and she gained several enlightenments from those body cultivation techniques. But… her lack of affinities. She should have started with affinities for both earth and water. Had those all come from absorbing environmental essence?”

LuYao stepped forward and placed a hand on my arm. “Fang, what’s going on?”

I closed my eyes and concentrated on my inner world. “Let’s find out.”

JiuLi was still running around her room, gathering up everything she wanted to take with her. With a small tug, I pulled her outside, forcing her to join us.

Shocked by this sudden teleportation, JiuLi stumbled backward, colliding with the wall of the cramped room. Reflexively, she whipped around, striking it with a sharp punch. Then, upon realizing what she had done, she spun back to face us as she dropped into a fighting crouch.

Only then did her eyes find Meng LuYao. “What… What’s going on?”

I placed a hand on LuYao’s shoulder and pulled her behind me.

“JiuLi, my name is Su Fang. I’m the leader of the group that you just joined. I need to ask you a few questions.” My voice cracked, barely able to contain my roiling emotions. “You said you’re destined to become a cultivator. Why?”

“Because… Because I know how to cultivate. It’s just… It doesn’t work.”

I motioned for her to sit. “Show me.”

After glancing at Meng LuYao and receiving a reassuring nod, JiuLi slowly knelt. Then, after taking a deep breath, she turned her concentration inward, pulled on the wispy strands of natural energy contained within her body, and used them to form a simple filter and vortex in her upper right arm. Without any affinities, drawing in qi from her surroundings was nearly impossible, but even this much was enough to make her eyes snap open in alarm.

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“What’s going on?”

“You’re using a water cultivation technique,” I said. “Water cultivation isn’t possible in Chang’an. That’s why it didn’t work.”

How did ‘JiuLi’ know how to cultivate? Was it, perhaps, because her soul still contained knowledge that she had absorbed from memory orbs?

I took a long, ragged breath. “There’s something I want to give you.”

Reaching into the temple that stood at the heart of Chang’an, I retrieved a small jade orb and held it out to her. “This is the Legacy of the woman who founded Chang’an. It contains valuable knowledge that’s intended to help guide future generations. I would like to pass this knowledge on to you. Do you… accept?”

JiuLi looked at the orb, fear flickering in her eyes. Then, she bowed and held out both hands. “I do.”

I placed the orb into JiuLi’s hands and activated my Memory Implantation ability. This was the real test. My ability only worked on Martial Disciples who were holding an orb that they themselves had created.

As the orb began pulling in environmental qi, using it to send a stream of information into JiuLi’s soul, my eyes clouded over, making it hard for me to continue watching.

When the process was over, I spoke to Meng LuYao, my eyes never leaving JiuLi. “I’m not sure what all that orb contained. Go with her. If she has any questions, you can answer them freely.”

With a wave of my hand, I sent both women back into my inner world. Then, I collapsed onto the room’s hard bed and spoke to the empty air. “System, the Earthly and Heavenly Daos aren’t supposed to be able to interfere with my inner world. Has something about this changed?”

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No. These entities are not capable of accessing host’s Small World.

“JiuLi. She is ShouLi. If this isn’t the Earthly Dao’s doing, then— Stop, don’t answer that.”

I had to think. What did I know?

During my life in the Palace of the Herb Sovereign, both Emperor Chen and Elder Yargui had believed that I was a ‘reincarnator,’ someone who possessed memories from a past life. Was that all this was? Was JiuLi simply ShouLi’s reincarnation? Possibly, but a couple of things didn’t add up.

First, it was incredibly suspicious that, the moment I started putting a team together, ShouLi’s reincarnation popped up and insisted on joining us. More than anything, this is what had made me feel like I was being played with by forces beyond my control.

“System, I can’t believe that the appearance of ShouLi’s reincarnation is a coincidence. Why is she here? What caused her to be reborn exactly when and where she needed to be to join us?”

The cost of this information is not possible to calculate at this time.

I let out a short, bitter snort, but any objections I had to this response would be futile.

“Fine, then tell me this. Why does she still remember the knowledge she learned from those memory orbs? Reincarnators who remember their past lives are nearly unheard of. If all it took was shoving your memories into an orb before pulling them into your soul, reincarnators should be everywhere, right? So, why aren’t they?”

The cost of this information is not possible to calculate at this time.

Note: We will discuss this once your Small World is ready to advance to Lower World.

I nodded sharply. “Very well.”

This left me with one last issue to address. If ShouLi had been reincarnated, then what about the others?

“System, where are RuLan, Mo, Liang, GuiAi, GuiMing, and NiangBa? Have they been reincarnated as well? That is to say, are their reincarnations currently alive in my inner world? If they are, where are they and what are their names?”

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“Purchase it.”

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Su Liang has been reincarnated into Suliang Kan. He currently resides within the enclave of the Su Clan’s Liang Branch, located along the outer wall of Chang’an’s middle tier.

I’d been hoping for more, but if only one of the kids had been reincarnated alongside ShouLi, it made sense that it would be Liang.

YuLong planned to spend some time getting the Shi Clan ready for when we would start recruiting people in larger numbers. So, while he, JiuLi, and Meng LuYao made a few final preparations, I turned my attention toward the center of Chang’an.

In a large apartment within Chang’an’s outer wall, located only a few floors from its very top, a young man danced before a large, picture window that overlooked the vast fields that surrounded the city. With each motion, he threw out punches and kicks with reckless abandon.

Like JiuLi, Kan was a mortal nearing the age of stagnation. Unlike her, however, this was by choice, not circumstance. It took me less than half an hour to uncover everything I needed to know about ‘Suliang Kan,’ and all of it verified what the System had already told me.

Unbeknownst to the Shi Clan’s Patriarch, Chang’an hadn’t entirely run out of essence. The five major clans maintained a small reserve for extraordinary circumstances.

Suliang Kan was the firstborn son of the head of the Su Clan’s Liang Branch. He was also the direct descendant of Suliang JueXin, the man who had overthrown the ancient Su Clan and saved Chang’an from the Cataclysm. As for his personal accomplishments, Kan had shown an astonishing talent for martial arts from an early age, winning several minor tournaments.

To all appearances, Kan was destined to be the Su Clan’s greatest prodigy in several generations. But, after having his qi awakened, it was discovered that Kan had zero affinities.

Since Kan was the exact kind of “extraordinary circumstance” that the essence reserve had been created to deal with, the clan’s elders unanimously agreed to grant him enough essence to gain a peak seven-star earth affinity. However, Kan declined this offer, instead choosing to seclude himself away and practice martial arts, forgoing the world of cultivation entirely.

This decision must have baffled the Su Clan’s elders, but staring at Kan as he picked up a sword and began practicing basic attack and defense maneuvers, I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew exactly why he declined the offer of earth essence, but what kind of memories were rattling around in his soul to make him think that it was even an option?

Since Suliang Kan was all alone in his apartment, the moment he set down his sword to take a short break, I reached out and pulled him into my inn room.

Like JiuLi, Kan’s first reaction was shock. Ignoring this, I grabbed Liang’s orb from the Su Clan’s temple, stuffed it into the boy’s hands, and activated my Implantation ability.

As soon as Kan awoke from his stupor, his face filled with excitement as he slammed his fists together and dropped into a deep bow. “Greetings, Ancestor Fang!”

I raised an eyebrow at this. “You know me?”

“Yes, Ancestor. Everyone in Chang’an knows of you, and Elder Liang’s Legacy showed me your true appearance.”

I couldn’t help the slight twitch of my cheek as I wondered what that kid had said about me. Kan only seemed excited, though, so it couldn’t have been anything too bad.

“Suliang Kan, your clan offered you access to earth essence, something that any number of people in Chang’an would kill for. Why did you turn them down? Why have you chosen the life of a mortal?”

Kan cupped his fists and bowed once more, this time, bending past his waist. “Ancestor, I wish to learn how to control lightning. Please, teach me.”