C2 Creation Jade Disc

Chapter Two: The Creation Jade Disc

In his unconscious state, Zhang Yu felt as though his soul had ascended to the fabled paradise, basking in the tender glow of the sun, his entire being suffused with a deep, soulful comfort.

"Ah," he groaned contentedly, a sound that inadvertently roused Qing Xinger from her slumber at his bedside, where she had been vigilantly attending to him for several days. "Hmm? Young Master, you're awake? Young Master?" she asked, gently shaking Zhang Yu's arm.

"Hmm? Is this... is this my room?" Zhang Yu's eyes fluttered open, heavy with sleep, as he murmured, "Wasn't I on the brink of death? How did I get home?" The fog of several days' unconsciousness still clouded his mind, leaving him disoriented.

"Young Master, it was the Master who saved you. You have no idea—when you were brought home, you were drenched in blood. It terrified me," Qing Xinger confessed, her voice breaking as she curled up beside Zhang Yu, her sobs spilling forth. Her tears were a mix of relief and the release of days' worth of pent-up worry and fear. Even with the knowledge of Doctor Zhou Tao's diagnosis, an unspoken anxiety had lingered in her heart, now finally given vent.

"There, there, Xinger, no need to cry. Look at me—I'm alive and well!" Zhang Yu reassured her, even as he felt a wave of emotion at the sight of his maid, Qing Xinger, weeping on him. Though their relationship was nominally that of master and servant, Zhang Yu had never truly seen Qing Xinger as just a servant; to him, she was more like family. And Qing Xinger, who had never once been on the receiving end of her master's anger, harbored a special affection for him, an affection that had surged forth upon witnessing the severity of his injuries.

"Goodness, Xinger, you've gotten snot all over me. You've become a little snot monster! That's not a good look!" Zhang Yu joked, hoping to coax a smile from Qing Xinger and lift her spirits.

Girls always want to look their best, especially in front of their young master. Upon hearing Zhang Yu's teasing, Qing Xinger quickly stifled her tears. "Young master, you're so mean. I am not ugly!" she protested, hastily drying her eyes.

"You've been out for the past few days, young master, surviving on just a bit of ginseng soup. You must be starving by now. I'll go prepare something for you to eat," Xinger offered.

Zhang Yu's stomach growled on cue. He hadn't felt hungry until the mention of food made his belly rumble in protest.

"Hehe, Xinger, you're the best," Zhang Yu said with a sheepish rub of his nose.

"Just give me a moment, young master. I'll go get everything ready and also update the master on your condition."

"No need for updates. The guard at the door informed me as soon as you woke up. Had it not been for the commotion you two were causing, I would have been here sooner," interjected Zhang Sen, Zhang Yu's father, as he entered the room.

"Oh, it's the master. I'll go prepare the young master's meal right away. Please excuse me," Xinger said, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she scurried off.

"This girl," Zhang Sen said with a shake of his head, "Yu, you're awake. Are you feeling alright? Is your wound still painful?"

A surge of warmth filled Zhang Yu's heart at his father's caring words. "Dad, I'm okay now. The wound is scabbing over, and I actually feel quite good," he assured his father quickly.

"People have been after your life with knives, and you still say you feel good, you rascal," Zhang Sen half-joked, half-scolded. "By the way, on the day you were attacked, did you get a look at those two assailants?" he asked, his brow furrowed and a hint of menace flickering in his eyes.

"I'm not kidding, Dad. I really do feel surprisingly good," Zhang Yu mused to himself.

"No, they were both masked, so I couldn't see their faces. But from their voices, one seemed to be a middle-aged man, and the other a young man about my age. The younger one, though, he's already reached the level of a martial artist," Zhang Yu reported.

"Oh, a martial artist around fifteen? That's a rare sight in Yishui Town. Must be from either the Wang or Liu families. Rest assured, we won't let this matter slide," Zhang Sen told his son, Zhang Yu.

"Understood."

"Yu, you should rest up. I've got clan matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." After checking on his son, Zhang Sen hurried off.

...

"Xinger, I'm full, thanks to you. You've been running yourself ragged these past few days, and I don't need looking after anymore. Go get some rest," Zhang Yu said with concern after enjoying the meal Qing Xinger had lovingly prepared.

"Okay, I'll head out then. But you take care of yourself, too," Xinger said sweetly, rubbing her forehead.

...

Once alone, Zhang Yu swiftly pulled out the only keepsake from his mother—the pendant. He had asked Xinger to leave because the pendant had started acting strangely. It wasn't that he distrusted Qing Xinger; he simply didn't understand what was happening and chose to remain silent.

Suddenly, the pendant shone with a soft light that enveloped Zhang Yu completely. Initially, it felt warm, but the warmth turned to searing heat. Then, in a flash of blinding light, the pendant was drawn into Zhang Yu's sea of consciousness.

"Ah!" Zhang Yu couldn't suppress a low growl. Anyone witnessing his expression would be shocked—gone was his usual composure, replaced by a face twisted with bulging veins, looking fierce and dreadful.

"The Great Dao numbers fifty, the Heaven's Birth forty-nine. To forsake one is to find a lifeline! My spirit seeks my form, to unite with the cosmos..."

"To cultivate Yin and Yang, to refine both essence and life, I shall uphold the one..."

Cryptic verses, accompanied by numerous runes and symbols, were forcibly infused into Zhang Yu's mind. Despite a lifetime of scorn and a resolute spirit, the pain was nearly unbearable. Yet, as the incantations flowed into his sea of consciousness, Zhang Yu knew these enigmatic verses were his key to the cultivation path. He vowed to endure, determined to shed the label of 'worthless' once and for all.

"I want to cultivate," Zhang Yu enunciated each word deliberately, his voice a sinister growl that only he could hear.

For Zhang Yu, time seemed to crawl unbearably slow. He had never imagined a day when he would yearn for time to hasten its pace.

"Just one more second, only a second left," he whispered to himself, mustering inner strength.

With a resounding "Bang!" the excruciating agony at last ceased, and Zhang Yu collapsed, drained, onto the ground.

He lay there, gasping for breath, his breaths coming in heavy, labored "hu, hu" sounds.

After roughly two hours of rest, Zhang Yu slowly picked himself up off the floor.

"Ugh, what's that stench?" He noticed his skin was coated in a black, sticky substance, and he felt significantly lighter.

"Could this be the fabled Marrow Cleansing?" He had never undergone cultivation before, but he knew that such a transformation was part of the breakthrough to becoming a martial cultivator. Zhang Yu had only ever heard tales of it, never expecting to experience it himself.

On the Vast Dragon Continent, cultivators could empower themselves and defy their destinies by absorbing the spiritual energy that permeated the world. Yet, this energy was volatile and could harm the meridians. Many martial artists would later realize this drawback. That's why the Qi Refinement stage, before one earnestly embarked on cultivation, was crucial for expanding meridians and solidifying one's foundation. Even though the meridians would continue to grow with advancing realms, the effects were not as pronounced as in one's youth. Hence, the great families would employ various treasures and Spirit Pills to aid their young in expanding their meridians, paving the way for a more profound cultivation journey in their future.

"Hahahaha, I can finally cultivate!" In that moment, Zhang Yu felt an overwhelming urge to bellow his joy to the heavens. No one could grasp the significance of cultivation for him. For fifteen long years, he had borne the brunt of scornful glances, and his father, Zhang Sen, had shouldered immense pressure alongside him. Now, he too could cultivate, and becoming a martial artist was just within reach. Surely, his father would be overjoyed, perhaps even more so than himself.

Gradually, Zhang Yu's initial euphoria subsided. He processed the information flooding his mind and discovered that the pendant his mother had left him was known as the Creation Jade Disc, and the associated technique was the Creation Divine Arts. Regarding the Creation Jade Disc, he understood it to be a Storage Space that would grow with his cultivation level. However, the specifics of the Creation Jade Disc and Creation Divine Arts' ranks remained a mystery to him.

"At the very least, it has to be an Earth Level cultivation technique," Zhang Yu mused. On the Vast Dragon Continent, cultivation techniques were categorized into four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow, each with three tiers: upper, middle, and lower. Even an Earth Grade technique was beyond the reach of a minor clan like his. Zhang Yu knew all too well the adage that 'a man's wealth can be his downfall.' Hence, he resolved to keep the secret of the Creation Jade Disc to himself until the day he might become a formidable martial cultivator with the power to match it! If his father inquired about his newfound ability to cultivate, playing dumb would be the best policy.

"Heh, a bath is definitely in order first. I'm covered in grime; anyone who sees me might mistake me for a vagrant." Shaking his head, Zhang Yu felt a surge of excitement at the transformation within him, hardly recognizing himself from before. His spirit soared with ambition, "Someday, I too will ascend to the pinnacle and command the world!"