Cattaleya’s words carried confidence, and for a mont the room seed lighter, less oppressive. But then the silence returned.
Lin Mu studied her carefully.
She spoke with the ease of soone who had not only studied such matters but had lived among them. He exchanged a brief look with Daoist Chu, who had also raised an eyebrow.
Both of them were thinking the sa thing: Cattaleya clearly knew far more about blood arts than she let on.
Daoist Chu broke the silence. "Cattaleya... how exactly do you know this? This is not common knowledge, even among immortal sects."
Cattaleya tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a faint smile. "My clan has its own thods. Nothing sinister, before you wonder. But I was raised among teachings that dealt with blood as a dium, not as a taboo.
We have libraries filled with assimilation techniques, purification thods, and alternatives. The only difference is that ours are not drenched in resentnt. They are tools, not curses."
Her voice was calm, but she added softly, "I cannot say much more. Clan secrets must remain so. But rest assured, I know enough to recognize the flaws of this so-called ’Rise of the Drowned Crescent.’"
ng Bai’s eyes widened a little, curiosity flashing across his face. But Grand Elder Huo’s reaction was subtler.
His gaze lingered on Cattaleya with a depth of scrutiny that few could withstand, though there was no open hostility in it.
Internally, however, his thoughts turned. ’This woman... she carries no aura of malice, no stench of resentnt. And yet her knowledge is better than that of an average cultivator of the unorthodox path. Could she truly co from such a lineage? Or perhaps sothing more complex?’
For a mont, his long years of experience weighed heavily.
He had seen many who cloaked darkness under the guise of civility, but sothing about her was different. Her aura was steady, clean.
If she had truly dabbled in the forbidden, it would have left traces that even the most careful disguise could not erase. He chose not to voice these thoughts, only stroking his beard with a low hum.
ng Bai leaned forward, his youthful curiosity pushing him past hesitation. "Senior... then if soone were skilled enough, could they really... rewrite it? Make it work without killing anyone?"
Cattaleya’s lips curved into a faint smirk. "Yes. But it would take great patience. Think of it like reshaping a blade. The core of the tal remains, but the edges, the balance, the forging... all must be reworked. Most would find it easier to abandon the weapon altogether and start anew.
But if one is determined, then yes, it can be re-shaped."
Lin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind already moving through possibilities. He knew well enough the dangers of tampering with such things. But he also recognized the value of what she said.
If the Hidden Cave Sect relied on such techniques to bolster their numbers, then finding a counterasure, or even a safer derivative could be invaluable. Perhaps not for them, but for himself and his allies.
Daoist Chu finally exhaled, his tone resigned. "Either way, this much is clear. The Hidden Cave Sect has chosen to embrace corruption as a shortcut. Even if the foundation of the art is salvageable, their version of it will only consu them in the end."
Grand Elder Huo gave a slow nod. "Agreed. But it still makes them dangerous. Desperation makes n reckless, and reckless n can burn cities before they fall."
The chamber grew quiet again, but this ti the silence was thoughtful, heavy with possibilities. They had learned more than they had expected. Not only about their enemy, but about one another.
And Lin Mu, though outwardly calm, could not help but reflect inwardly. He had seen the mories of the cult leader.
He had glimpsed the way their foundations rotted under the weight of their own techniques. He had seen how alluring shortcuts could be. And he knew, all too well, that if he ever strayed from his own path, he too could beco just another shadow consud by resentnt.
Yet, for now, he had allies who saw the truth with him. Allies who could speak plainly, even of blood and secrets.
The eting was far from over.
But ng Bai couldn’t help but stop thinking about the technique. It wasn’t because he was tempted by its ability to raise one’s cultivation base rapidly... No, that would be foolish. Besides, he had no urge to boost his cultivation in that manner, when he had the steady guidance of his master.
No, his focus was more on the open ended modification of the technique. He didn’t need it to boost his Qi cultivation, that would happen naturally as he cultivated. Rather, it was the potential to boost the strength of his body.
Having seen Lin Mu all this ti and his raw strength granted by his body cultivation, ng Bai would be lying if he didn’t say that he was a bit envious of it. While qi cultivation was no inferior to body cultivation, having both was still great.
Plus, ng Bai had the youthful desire of being able to use one’s fists to move the world. There was sothing raw and untad about it, that the youthful boy’s heart could not let go of.
He had asked his master to teach him body cultivation too, but he was not suited to it. It wasn’t that he couldn’t practice it at all, it was just that he couldn’t dual cultivate qi and body like Lin Mu did.
Even if Lin Mu helped him for now, ng Bai would eventually face a devastating bottleneck in the future, which would co at the cost of his progress in both paths. As such, it was better for him to focus on one.
But ng Bai hadn’t entirely given up on it.
Even if they didn’t have a thod now, who’s to say they won’t find one in the future. And even if this didn’t happen, ng Bai still held onto the hope that he might be able to create a thod on his own.
Carve a new path, like his master had done.
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