Battle Qi Inheritance

Du Chen had already shed his mask. His appearance at the base of Blade of Heaven Peak was immediately recognized by Old Foye, who inwardly gasped, "Francis! Indeed! Just how many secrets does this boy keep that remain hidden from me?"

The mountain's face shed all its rock, as Steve, in a frenzy, clawed his way into the white jade mountain's core. Though Old Foye and Deboning, working in concert, surely outmatched Flaying in power, their reluctance to inflict harm left them merely struggling to contain him. Inch by arduous inch, Steve relentlessly advanced deeper into the sacred jade mass.

Du Chen didn't dare tarry. The wick of the Fire Lotus Lantern, coiled about his fingertip, elongated with a sudden snap, forming a rope that ensnared Steve! "Eldest Brother," he cried, "It's me, Francis! Answer me!"

Steve merely faltered for a moment, then twisted his lips into a ghastly grin, his expression growing even more sinister. Upon realizing he was bound by the rope and confronted by two experts no less formidable than himself, he suddenly brought his blade behind his back. Dragging the taut rope, he advanced towards the mountain wall, directly into the path of Old Foye and Deboning's poised weapons. "Heh heh, you think to bar my way?!"

He pressed his blade horizontally against his own throat. "Stand aside," he snarled, "or I end myself!"

Du Chen, Old Foye, and Deboning simultaneously furrowed their brows.

What arcane secret could this lifeline conceal? What profound mystery would drive Steve to wager his very life just to breach its depths!?

Steve's blade advanced another half-inch, and immediately, blood began to well up from his throat. He bellowed with sharp intensity, "Yield the path!"

Old Foye gritted his teeth and commanded, "Do not corner Steve! His mind is currently a maelstrom of dual consciousness. Francis, use that rope in your hand to tether Steve. Brook, we shall follow him inside! For Steve’s sake, we must delve into this mountain to discover what compels him so desperately!"

Du Chen nodded gravely. "You two, hold fast to this rope for me! We enter! Eldest Brother, we grant you passage, but you shall not impede our pursuit!"

Steve offered no reply. Seeing the two before him yield the path, he permitted himself to remain bound by the rope, striding resolutely towards the white jade mountain. The jade mass, appearing almost illusory, allowed Steve to simply walk through it.

The remaining three exchanged glances, then followed him in.

The moment the four vanished into the mountain, the very rocks upon its face seemed to awaken with life, spreading and growing like verdant flora. In mere moments, they reverted to their original state, shrouding the white jade mass once more...

Du Chen felt, in a daze, as if he had stepped into an entirely different dimension. Before him stretched a tunnel, reminiscent of a long gallery within a noble estate, yet its walls were crafted from gnarled, grotesque timber. Within the fissures of the wood, specks of dim yellow, starlight-like grease shimmered, casting an eerie, somber glow that illuminated the passage. As he advanced through this environment, a profound sense of the mysterious and the uncanny permeated his very being.

The tunnel stretched on, seemingly without end. After trailing Steve for several hundred paces, Du Chen glanced back at Old Foye. "Your Excellency recognizes both Brook and myself, and ventures into peril for my Eldest Brother," he began, "so you are clearly no stranger. Is it not time, then, to shed your mask?"

Old Foye offered a wry, bitter smile, then reached up and removed the cloth obscuring his face!

"Uncle Ben?"

Du Chen and Deboning were both dumbfounded.

Old Foye gave a pained, wry smile. "Keep a close eye on Steve! Alas, I am Ben, Aliza's father!"

The tunnel instantly fell into a profound silence, broken only by the rhythmic 'thump-thump' of their footsteps and Steve's ragged, hissing breaths.

After a lengthy pause...

Du Chen finally broke the silence, "What, precisely, is the meaning of all this?"

Old Foye sighed deeply. "First, tell me everything you already know; otherwise, I wouldn't even know where to begin!"

Du Chen nodded, then laid bare his entire story, though he subtly altered the narrative concerning the Precious Lotus Scripture. He merely stated that during his time assisting with disaster relief by the Newin River, he had rescued an elder who, in turn, bestowed upon him the Heaven-Bestowed Hydro-Body, granting him various unique capabilities. Beyond that, he held nothing back.

Old Foye stared intently at Steve ahead, a mix of exasperation and amusement on his face. "Ah, you boy, you actually dare to plot against even the Pontiff and the Dragon God! Very well, I now know where to begin… Eighteen years ago, I infiltrated Reno's Death Row Cells under the cloak of night, rescuing Arthur and his mother. However, while escaping to Saint John City, we were discovered by Margaret. Yet, to my surprise, Margaret encountered two other formidable adversaries in Saint John City: none other than your mother, Phil, and Glynn, the Spectral Blade!"

Old Foye gazed with a somber expression at Steve ahead. "In that fateful battle, Phil and I united our strengths, yet we were still no match for Margaret. Both Phil and Arthur's mother were apprehended. Glynn and I, beaten within an inch of our lives, were dragged back to Water's Embrace Lake along with the two ladies. However, the strictures of Water's Embrace Lake forbade men from entering, so Glynn and I were simply cast outside its gates… Margaret's original intention must have been to interrogate us, then have the guardian beast of the lake devour us. But to her astonishment, after exchanging a few words with Glynn, that very guardian beast not only refused to consume us but actively helped us conceal our presence from Margaret, thereby temporarily sparing our lives!"

"The Guardian Beast of the Lake!" Du Chen mentally filed away this entity he had never encountered.

Old Foye continued, "Then one day, the Guardian Beast informed Glynn and me that both you and Arthur had been born, yet tragically, both were 'idiots,' and Arthur's mother had already been executed. Madam Phil, however, proved cunning, managing to escape with her life and even being promised the right to take her child with her. The Guardian Beast covertly advised us that Margaret believed he had already devoured us. Thus, to avoid arousing Margaret's suspicion, he instructed us to remain hidden with him for an extended period, rather than departing alongside Phil—he would seek an opportune moment to spirit us away!"

Old Foye shook his head, a gesture that seemed to mock the cruel whims of fate from yesteryear!

"But who could have foreseen," Old Foye lamented, "that on the very next day after Phil’s departure, Sherine, the Sixth Disciple of Water's Embrace Lake, believing Glynn to be dead, openly defied Margaret on his behalf? Margaret, in her fury, moved to execute Sherine, forcing Glynn to reveal his hidden presence… Alas, the ultimate outcome was that Glynn exchanged his own life to secure Sherine's banishment from Water's Embrace Lake and her eventual settlement on Battle God Isle!"

He guiltily slapped his forehead. "With Glynn gone, I naturally fared no better. Even the Guardian Beast that had aided us was implicated, suffering a grievous beating from Margaret that left it battered and bruised. In the end, Margaret coerced it into devouring us!"

Du Chen involuntarily gasped, "What?!"

Old Foye offered a wry smile. "However, the Guardian Beast's immense power not only surpassed my wildest expectations, but perhaps even Margaret herself underestimated it. It concealed Glynn's corpse and me within its belly. After half a month, it successfully eluded Margaret's detection and transported us back to the Three Continents!"

He let out several long sighs. "Though at the time I wasn't entirely certain why that Guardian Beast had risked its life to save me, I understood that its willingness to brave such peril stemmed from its conversation with Glynn. It was only by association with Glynn's good fortune that I managed to escape with my life! Therefore, I absolutely could not stand idly by and watch my benefactor's corpse be abandoned in the wilderness. Moreover, with the concurrent news of Alonso establishing Arthur as the Crown Prince, I found myself free from all lingering concerns. Thus, cradling Glynn's lifeless form, I dragged my own half-dead body all the way to Saint John City!"

"Madam Philia was ecstatic beyond measure upon seeing Glynn's corpse. While I, bewildered, pondered why she wept tears of overwhelming joy at the sight of a lifeless body, Madam Philia performed a profound bow of gratitude, declaring that if I had been but three days later in returning Glynn's body, he would have been truly beyond salvation!"

This revelation not only astonished Du Chen but also prompted Deboning, wide-eyed with shock, to hastily inquire, "Does Saintess Phil possess the legendary ability to raise the dead?"

Old Foye replied, "This I only came to know later. Madam Philia possesses a Secret Technique called Battle Qi Inheritance! And the pinnacle of this Battle Qi Inheritance lies in soul indwelling, spirit transmission, and the battle qi never fading!"

Du Chen cast a quick glance at his Eldest Brother ahead, as if a profound realization had dawned upon him! Indeed, the Battle Qi Inheritance was a Secret Technique pioneered by Philip, that peerless genius. It was hardly surprising, then, that Phil, his most exceptional student and the Alchemy Grandmaster of the Three Continents, second only to Philip himself, would possess mastery over the Battle Qi Inheritance.

Old Foye continued, "Upon the demise of a Battle God, the potent natural elements within their physical form gradually dissipate. Given Glynn's formidable power, his battle qi would typically take a full month to completely vanish. And it so happened that I delivered his corpse into Madam Philia's presence precisely on the twenty-seventh day…"

He gestured towards Steve ahead. "Now, the Battle Qi Inheritance has two primary methods. One involves entrusting one's soul and battle qi to their Sacred Artifact, thereby reverting to an ordinary human state, only to retrieve them when the battle qi is required once more… Madam Philia, in gratitude for my recovery of Glynn's corpse, sealed my battle qi—a mere shadow of my former power—within half of a Blade of Heaven!"

Du Chen exclaimed in wonder, "So, Uncle, when you wield your Sacred Artifact, you embody the Blade of Heaven, but without it, you are…?"

Old Foye nodded. "Indeed, when this blade is not clutched in my hand, I am but an ordinary old man! Otherwise, how could I be continually succumbing to the ravages of age, and how could I have failed to perceive the many transformations in a cunning youth such as yourself?"

Old Foye continued, "The first method, however, carries a significant drawback: while the battle qi resides within the Sacred Artifact, the artifact itself cannot cultivate. Consequently, practitioners of this method are destined to stagnate for the remainder of their lives—which explains why your Uncle now possesses only eighty percent of his former might! The second method of Battle Qi Inheritance, conversely, involves lodging a portion, or even the entirety, of one's soul within another living entity! As this living entity is capable of cultivation, the host will gradually regain its former power!"

"So Glynn utilized the second method, and he now resides within my Eldest Brother's very being?"

"Yes, and no!" Old Foye clarified. "The conditions for soul indwelling within a living entity are exceedingly stringent, one of which is the compatibility of elemental attributes! Time was critically short then, and the only nearby individuals whose attributes aligned with Glynn's were Steve and Charles. However, true soul indwelling necessitates the complete obliteration of the host's original soul… We could hardly ask Phil to sacrifice a child's life to reclaim Glynn's! Thus, Madam Philia initially favored using a Sacred Artifact as the soul's vessel, and indeed, that is what transpired! Yet, as I mentioned, Glynn's battle qi had already been dissipating for twenty-seven days, and Sacred Artifacts are incapable of cultivation. Consequently, upon Glynn's awakening, he possessed only the strength of a freshly-achieved Level Six, and was destined to make no further progress in his cultivation for the remainder of his life!"

At that very instant, Steve's body ahead visibly trembled, as if he, too, felt the profound weight of those words.

Old Foye continued, "Glynn declared that a mere Level Six was tantamount to being a cripple in his eyes… If he were doomed to remain such a cripple for the rest of his days, he would rather devote himself to empowering one of the two young masters!"

Du Chen, taken aback, inquired, "Empowering them how?"

Old Foye let out a sorrowful sigh. "Glynn, threatening death, compelled Madam Philia to bestow a portion of his soul and the entirety of his battle qi upon Steve. In doing so, Steve would gain fragments of Glynn's memories and swiftly ascend to the realm of a Titled Battle God! However, Steve was far too young at the time, and Glynn's soul proved exceedingly potent. The fusion process could not be accomplished in a single stroke, but rather necessitated an extended period. During this interim, Steve would manifest a dual personality!"

Du Chen now grasped the entire convoluted narrative, yet a profound sense of heaviness settled in his heart, rendering him silently speechless.

Even the footsteps echoing in the dim yellow tunnel seemed imbued with a certain dullness. Only Old Foye continued to slowly narrate the remainder of the tale—his gratitude towards Phil had led him to willingly become a servant, living as an ordinary old man day-to-day, unconcerned with anything, questioning nothing, solely devoted to caring for Francis! And Glynn, residing within Steve's body, rarely communicated with him, not even bothering to inform him of Deboning's involvement…

After a significant pause, Du Chen offered a wry smile. "Glynn could have simply resided temporarily within a Sacred Artifact, then sought a suitable host at a later time…"

Old Foye shook his head. "That is not feasible. Every single inheritance inflicts irreparable damage upon the soul. Glynn could not have endured a third, let alone further, transfers…"

Deboning suddenly interjected, "Where is Glynn's corpse buried now?"

"Unknown!" Old Foye replied. "After the inheritance ritual that day, a dying Glynn struggled to his feet and declared, 'I, Glynn, a hero throughout my entire life, refuse to perish ignobly in a sickbed! If I am to meet my end, let it be in a blaze of glory!' With those words, he used the threat of his own death to forbid Madam Philia and me from pursuing him, then stumbled away. No one ever discovered where he finally met his demise…"

He gestured towards Steve ahead. "Now, they must be at the most critical juncture of their fusion. I have no idea what Glynn intends to do!"

Du Chen pondered in silence. "Does my Eldest Brother possess knowledge of these revelations?"

"Most likely not," Old Foye replied. "Steve was far too young during the inheritance. Madam Philia feared he wouldn't be able to bear the immense psychological strain of harboring another personality within his own body, potentially leading to a complete mental collapse. Thus, she entrusted the full authority of the fusion process to Glynn, allowing him to control it entirely and gradually disclose the truth to Steve!' Gazing at the fleeting figure ahead, Old Foye gave a wry smile. 'But who could have known what mishap occurred, transforming them into their current state!"

Old Foye called out, unwilling to give up, "Glynn, whatever your intentions, Steve is innocent!"

Old Foye had cried out these very words countless times before, yet he had never received a response. This time, however, whether Flaying was truly shaken by Old Foye's recounting of the past, or for some other inscrutable reason, he actually spoke in reply.

"Damn it, I'm finally coming to my senses," a voice, unmistakably Steve's yet tinged with a deeper resonance, growled. "The aura within this passage actually possesses the power to steady one's spirit, truly worthy of… the Blade of Heaven. Steve himself wishes to journey to Celestial Capital; what business is that of mine!?"