After the laughter finally died down, Tianyi looked at Daoyi. There was a question Tianyi really wanted to ask Daoyi. It was also the reason he first noticed her and resulted in the debacle that made her his junior sister. Tianyi opened his mouth but no words came out. He realized that he didn’t dare to, he was afraid that they would ask what his former identity was. Compared to his current identity, his former identity was heavens apart. It was like a shameful secret he didn’t want to expose.
Tianyi didn’t touch upon the subject, neither did Daoyi or Xi Ri.
“Something wrong? You’re staring at me again? Or did you discover some other secret?” Daoyi jokingly asked.
Tianyi blinked as he realized he was staring in a daze again. He coughed into his fist as he tried to think of a topic to talk about. “What do you guys plan to do in the Demon Cage Realm?”
“I did some research, trying to find the rate of death occurring within in the Demon Slaying Expedition, but I only got vague results even as a member of Appointment Hall. There was no clear answer, so either the death rate was insanely high, or the sect is hiding it for some reason.” Xi Ri said.
“I think that the reason is because there were no deaths at all,” Daoyi said, causing both Xi Ri and Tianyi to look at her. “Think about it, if the Demon Slaying Expedition was so dangerous, the sect would have never agreed to send so many disciples to their deaths. I know that life and death situations can help us break through, but the sect would never agree to such a situation if the ratio of deaths was too high. They don’t publicize it so that we are mistaken that the death rate will be high, so we are under pressure.”
Tianyi and Xi Ri both thought about it and thought it made some sense. “Daoyi, did you deduced all this from Xi Ri’s words?”
Daoyi shook her head. “There’s actually another point, I didn’t bring up.”
“What point?” Tianyi asked and saw Daoyi point a finger at him. “Me?”
Daoyi nodded. “Yep. Master specifically signed you up for the Demon Slaying Expedition. According to Master’s personality, she would never sign you up for something with such a high fatality rate.”
Tianyi had no words at all for Daoyi’s point. Thinking back, it was only recently that Mengfei entered seclusion and stopped hovering around him protectively. He coughed and changed the subject. “Since we are talking about life and death situations, have you two experienced them?”
“The only time I went is with you to the Earthsea Lands. In the sect, although there are many training grounds, there were no real threats to our lives.” Daoyi said.
“I just entered the Core Formation Realm not too long ago either, so I’ve only been to the training grounds as well.” Xi Ri.
“So I’m the only one who has experienced near-death!?” Tianyi said, shocked coloring his voice. This was illogical, as the one with the highest status was why was he the one who faced the most life and death situations? “Seriously? I’ll have you know that my first life and death situation is when Immortal Emperor Soulfish ambushed me and-“
Tianyi stopped as he recalled the strange words the then Monarch Soulfish said.
She placed her hand on Tianyi’s shoulder and before Tianyi’s vision could even blur, he noticed himself across from the four-story pagoda once more. Monarch Soulfish had his eyes closed but it wasn’t long before he opened them once more. There was a trace of sullenness in his eyes as he stared at Tianyi and Grand Elder Zhang.
“Zhang Cuiying, you should know the boy is an outsider. Why do you protect him so?”
Grand Elder Zhang’s eyes became cold.
“Monarch Soulfish, I do not recall ever being so close to you. If I do not protect him what else would I do? Collaborate against my sect member with you?” A brush appeared in Grand Elder Zhang’s hand. It had a splendid handle that emphasized the grain of the wood and the brush was made of what seemed to strands of silver.
Upon seeing the brush in Grand Elder Zhang’s hand, Monarch Soulfish immediately began to retreat, but it was already too late.
Outsider, thinking back, Tianyi only suspected that Emperor Soulfish thought of him as a Dragon Emperor clone at most, he couldn’t think of any other reason. What if the reason Emperor Soulfish called him an outsider was because he knew that Tianyi was a reincarnator?
“Is something wrong?” Daoyi asked seeing Tianyi fall into silence.
“There might be some people who are hunting reincarnators down.” Tianyi finally said and decided to share his experience.
After hearing of Tianyi’s experience with Emperor Soulfish, both Daoyi and Xi Ri fell silent. Finally, Xi Ri asked. “Could you be mistaken?”
“I could be,” Tianyi said, unsure. “But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people who aren’t aware of our existence. So whatever you do, do not mention any explicit mentioning our origins or our circumstances, starting now.”
What Tianyi didn’t say was that there was a possibility of some within the Buzhou Immortal Sect already knowing. He had his suspicions but now proof, and Daoyi and Xi Ri didn’t have the status nor the power to help him. So he didn’t mention it at all so as to not cause them further worry. Tianyi even asked them whether they were missing any memories, but Daoyi and Xi Ri notice anyone particular, given Tianyi even more things to think about. After giving them a few more advice, everyone returned to their homes to muse on what they just learned.
It was a day full of ups and downs.
The following week when Xi Ri ascended Jade Peak, Tianyi and Daoyi were already waiting for him in the garden with snacks and drinks. Xi Ri sat down on the stone chair with a relaxed expression. “Hey.”
Tianyi just waved at him while Daoyi simply smiled. Compared to the hierarchical interaction of the three from before, it was obvious that they were more intimate now. Perhaps it was brought upon by their shared origins or the unspeakable secret between them. Whatever the reason was, the invisible distance between the three shrunk.
“So about the factory, there are several suitable spots. Which do you prefer?” Tianyi asked as he handed a map of Jade Peak and its surroundings with several marked spots. There was an invisible agreement of not mention Immortal Soulfish and others that might know of their origins.
“Already?” Xi Ri said, surprised, as he studied the map. “Aren’t the marked locations too big? We only have one factory right now.”
“After we split up, I discussed it with Tianyi. We both feel that it’s better to prepare for the future. Right now, we’re only selling formations cards, but what about in the future when we release the Xiyi Talisman?” Daoyi said.
“I”m sure it will explode in popularity. When I thought of it back then, I only saw it as something I could create to generate some income for my project.” Xi Ri said, still unsure of the idea. “Would cellphones really become popular with everyone that we would need this much land?”
Tianyi and Daoyi shared a look before laughing. Tianyi then looked towards Xi Ri, “Xi Ri, it’s like you never had a smartphone before. Just the base Xiyi Talismans might not attract them too much, but what about apps? Apps are incredibly useful. I can even make a formation card app, so as long as they have it, they can use any formation cards instead of having individual cards. It’s like you’ve never had a smartphone before. Not to mention having everyone on one network would facilitate an digital network.”
After a while, Xi Ri spoke again. “I just don’t see the appeal of it. With how focused everyone is on cultivating, will they spend so much time on the Xiyi Talisman?”
“Xi Ri, you seem to be mistaking something. Although it’s true that cultivators focus on the Dao, but it’s not like they don’t entertain themselves. I like to play music with my friends, and Tianyi likes to read novels. Don’t you have any hobbies or interests?” Daoyi asked.
“What? I spend most of my time at Assignment Hall. Aside from doing my duties, I cultivate.” Xi Ri said, causing Tianyi and Daoyi to look at him in shock.
“Workaholic,” Tianyi muttered under his breath. Compared to the average cultivator, Xi Ri was a damn workaholic. No wonder he wouldn’t understand the attractiveness of a smartphone.
“Anyways, just trust us on this, okay?” Tianyi said.
Xi Ri nodded. Since both of them agreed on the same point, perhaps he was the strange one. Even back on Earth, he only bought the most basic of phones because he didn’t feel attracted to the other features, among other reasons.
“But speaking of the app feature. I plan to create that formation card app as one of the core features. First of all, it might be as you say that cultivators won’t be as interested. So I plan to advertise a Xiyi Talisman as something you can store formation cards on with a side of telephone and texting features. I still haven’t figured out how to create the internet yet. Or rather, I need more people than me, ugh.” Tianyi rubbed his temples as he imagined the colossal amount of work. “But I have created a prototype for the signal and communication.”
“Really?” Xi Ri said. Even Daoyi was surprised as Tianyi didn’t mention it to her.
Tianyi pointed at the Temporal Void Tower. “I plan to use that as a signal tower. Using spacetime as the foundation, that is how the Xiyi Talisman can connect to one another. The Temporal Void Tower is a temporal artifact. But since spacetime are both sides of the same coin, I can use it to make a sort of signal.”
“Then, how soon can we put it into production?” Xi Ri asked.
“At most a year. I got some inspiration after yesterday’s talk, so I think I should be able to make a prototype soon.” Tianyi said but paused as if he had just recalled something. “Also, after you finish building the new factory, dismantle the old one. And make sure the new factory’s outer appearance fits in with the aesthetics of the Huang Realm.”
“Why?” Xi Ri asked. “Adding those extra embellishments is just an unnecessary expense.”
Tianyi glared at him, hating that iron couldn’t become steel. “Did you forget what we talked about yesterday? We have to keep our existence as reincarnators a secret. If mother hadn’t entered secluded meditation, I wouldn’t have chosen to speak about this matter here either. The factory’s appearance is just too conspicuous. There’s a great possibility that we aren’t the only reincarnators in the Buzhou Immortal Sect.”
Xi Ri opened his mouth, “What about the Xiyi Talisman? Many people would see it as a cellphone if they knew about them.”
“The talking and texting feature is just a side feature. Most people will think of it as a formation card talisman before thinking of it as a cellphone.” Tianyi argued back.
“Tianyi, that’s just wishful thinking. Plus, I have already built the factory there for years. I have not seen a hint of reincarnators or anyone probing for it.” Xi Ri continued, not wanting to lose the argument.
“That’s because it’s built at such a remote place. Unless they had some ulterior motives or worked there, no one would pay attention to it.” Tianyi argued back.
Just as the argument was going to escalate, Daoyi chose this moment to step in. “Both of you have your point. Tianyi wants to hide our identities to minimize the risk, while Xi Ri wants to gather reincarnators since you discovered that we are not alone in this wide world.”
Both Tianyi and Xi Ri nodded. Daoyi continued to speak. “Truthfully, I agree with Tianyi’s thinking. If the fact that we were outsiders were discovered, it would be unknown what would happen. Since coming here, we have not heard a word of a situation similar to ours. At most, it would be possession from a higher realm cultivator.” Like Immortal Soulfish, went unsaid.
Tianyi gave Xi Ri a triumphant smirk. But Daoyi continued to speak. “But it’s not like I don’t understand Xi Ri’s feelings on the matter. Finding out that there are comrades who are in a similar situation make you feel that you are not alone, and perhaps we might receive relevant information on why the world ended. But, as Tianyi mentioned before, not everyone who comes from Earth is an ally. So how about a compromise?”
“Compromise?” Tianyi and Xi Ri both asked.
Daoyi nodded. “Xi Ri, become bait.”
“Huh?” Xi Ri blinked, not understanding Daoyi’s intention.
“Not too obviously. I mean, continue to do as you were doing before. Although you won’t outwardly shout that you are a reincarnator, but continue to live as if you’re the only reincarnator. Tianyi and I will continue to act as natives and secretly gather information if we see anyone who might be a reincarnator.”
“So act as we have before,” Xi Ri said.
“Then what about if we do find one?” Tianyi asked.
“We have Xi Ri contact him. After we ascertain the new reincarnator’s character and background, we can reveal ourselves to him. The reason Tianyi revealed himself to us is that he already discovered enough evidence. In addition to that, we already have over ten years of friendship, and you have already ascertained our backgrounds, isn’t that right?”
“Y-yeah,” Tianyi said. He trusted them, of course. Last week, he had impulsively revealed himself because of all the pent-up stress concerning Daoyi and Xi Ri’s possible status as reincarnator. So when Xi Ri did something so obvious, he exploded. It was not a planned action at all.
Thinking back, he had a habit of emotionally driven impulses.
Both Tianyi and Xi Ri agreed. Although Tianyi felt the risks were a bit too great, but since Xi Ri offered himself as bait, Tianyi accepted in consideration of Xi Ri’s courage or foolhardiness. Tianyi still wasn’t sure which one it was. The three of them hammered out the exact details, something Tianyi hated. Daoyi must have read or have taken the time to understand the legally binding contracts used on Earth because it was like reading from a textbook or the actual contract. Tianyi then took out four artifacts and several talismans.
“These are something I prepared for you two. Now that I know you two are reincarnators, I have to give you something to protect yourselves. Especially you, Xi Ri.”
Tianyi wasn’t trying to point out how far the difference Xi Ri’s status was compared to himself and Daoyi, but Tianyi knew that the number of treasures he had far surpassed Xi Ri’s master. Daoyi might not need it because his mother probably gave her some life-protecting means, but Xi Ri definitely did. And if he was going to give Xi Ri something, he didn’t want to exclude Daoyi.
On the stone table were two bladeless hilts, two feathers, and several talismans. Xi Ri picked up the bladeless hilt while Daoyi picked up the feather.
“Try inserting your true qi into it,” Tianyi said to Xi Ri, expectation filling his eyes. “W-wait! point away from us or rather, point it at empty space.”
Tianyi released a breath of relief when Xi Ri did. He had created the two feather-shaped artifacts and bladeless hilts during the week. So when he saw Xi Ri point it at the table, he panicked.
“WOAH!!!” Xi Ri found himself letting out a sound of surprise as a white light erupted from the hilt and formed into a cylindrical blade.
Now Daoyi was interested. She picked up another bladeless hilt and inserted her to true qi into it. Like Xi Ri’s, a blade of light emerged from it, only hers was a ghostly blue compared to Xi Ri’s silver-white. She tried swinging it a few times. The sword of light was practically weightless, although she was disappointed at how silent it was.
“You made a lightsab**?” Daoyi asked as she stopped inserting her qi into the artifact. Xi Ri had also stopped and looked at Tianyi as well.
“Not exactly,” Tianyi said. “The laser sword I made doesn’t have substance. Recently due to comprehending some concepts of lighting, I managed to understand the nature of magnetic fields. I used a magnetic field to shape the energy of the artifact into a sword. It can’t block anything. But in return, most of your opponents won’t be able to block it either.”
“I thought about what if you met an opponent you can’t escape from. If you can’t escape, you’d have to kill them first before they could kill you, so I created something almost unblockable with devastating attack power.” Tianyi said.
“Then the feathers?” Daoyi asked.
“Right, that. I thought it about awhile, but in the end, I decided to create a healing artifact. It can only be used once, though. If you were to become fatally injured, it would completely heal you once. But I must warn you that it won’t work if your soul is destroyed.” Tianyi explained. “As for these talismans, there all sorts, and all of them are for you to preserve your life.”
“Tianyi, you didn’t really need to.” Xi Ri said. It didn’t take an expert to know that all of them were treasures that many people might even fight to the death for.
“Don’t worry and just take them. Not to brag, but these aren’t really worth anything to me, so you can take them without a heavy heart. Don’t forget who my mother is.” Tianyi joked.
“Then I will engrave this debt in my heart and repay you in the future, Senior Brother Xi.” Xi Ri heavily said.
Tianyi waved his hand. “Didn’t I say that it means nothing to me? You don’t have to engrave it into your heart or anything like that. And what happened to calling me Tianyi?”
“Alright, Tianyi,” Xi Ri said, but the intent behind his words was even heavier than when he called Tianyi Senior Brother.
Tianyi naturally felt this, but there was nothing he could do about it. Since they were all reincarnators, he wanted them to treat him like a regular friend back on Earth, but he knew there would always be a hierarchy in relationships with one side on the higher point and the other side on the lower point. At the very least, Tianyi felt that Xi Ri wouldn’t betray him. If he was already this grateful over these minor matters, then Xi Ri shouldn’t be someone who repaid gratitude with enmity.
“So this is basically a Phoenix Down from that popular video game?” Daoyi said as she picked up the feather again. Its size wasn’t large, but there was a sort of bestial beauty to it akin to a peacock tailfeather. The enchanting design was only highlighted by the glowing light it exuded. “Did you use a phoenix feather to create this? I can sense a large amount of vitality just from it laying on my hand.”
“I got inspired.” Tianyi shrugged. He hadn’t intended to create them like that but he recalled watching a certain movie and playing some iconic video games thanks to interacting with people like himself. So it inevitably influenced him. “It’s not a phoenix feather that I used but a distilled blood of a phoenix.”
“Tianyi, isn’t that incredibly valuable? I heard phoenixes are extinct in this day and age.” Xi Ri’s voice was slightly shaky as he said this. “And for the matter, what did you make the laser sword with?”
Tianyi paused and avoided Xi Ri’s gaze. “Don’t worry about it. Just don’t bring the artifacts unless you have to…even in front of your master…”
Didn’t that mean it was valuable enough that an earth immortal would covet it? Xi Ri felt as if the object in his possession had become a hundred times heavier. At the same time, he felt touched. He had friends back on Earth as well, but everyone became selfish after experiencing the apocalypse. The apocalypse brought out the greatest kindness from humans and the most savage darkness as well.
Within a year, the new factory was constructed, and Xi Ri officially began to manufacture the formation cards at Jade Peak. With the invisible protection of Jade Peak, the suspicious probings all but disappeared. Simultaneously, Tianyi produced the first generation of Xiyi Talismans. Along with it was a manufacturing process designed to use as many unskilled laborers as possible.
The Xiyi Talisman was at least thrice as thick compared to the formation cards. This was due to it being composed of numerous parts created using molds and two shells carved from a special jade that covered it. All in all, it really resembled a modern smartphone.
The cost was several times that of a formation card, but that was offset but the lowered cost of the downloadable formation programs on the Xiyi Talisman. It would be better to purchase a Xiyi Talisman than to purchase numerous formation cards in the long run. Not only was the amount of energy stored in the Xiyi Talisman several-fold greater than the formation cards, but you were also able to link them up in a sequence and unleash them automatically after preparing beforehand.
After this feature was known, it became surprisingly popular with many buyers of the formation cards. However, a new problem occurred. It was an ideological clash of those who preferred having a deck of formation cards, the old school, versus the convenience of the new style, the new school.
There was also a minor defect that couldn’t be called a defect. In order to protect the privacy of certain organizations and factions within the sect, the Xiyi Talismans could only receive reception in what was considered a public location.
