Chapter Six: Souls Laid Bare
After the Patriarch's heartfelt words, he sat in his chair. What could be said in the wake of such a revelation? To praise the Grand Elder's brutal calculus felt wrong. To condemn it felt ungrateful. And so, an uncomfortable silence crept in.
"Oh!" The surprised sound attracted everyone's attention. It was Long Tian, looking at the table, and they did the same. The cracks that were there were gone.
"A pity the table is from the space. It would be a good one to put in the main mansion," he said, disappointed.
"Thank you, son," his father said with a smile. "But we need to proceed now."
"Yeah. It's time for the fun part." He snapped his fingers, and eleven pure Soul Crystals appeared in front of each elder capable of cultivation.
"What is this?" asked Long Hui. "To test our soul force?"
"Not just soul force, Aunt Hui. Remember what Mom explained? These pure crystals are needed to reveal your Soul Form and Attribute. That's what we're doing now," he explained.
"Oh? What should we do then, Young Master?" asked Long Hai.
"It's simple. Just put your soul force into it, and we will start." He looked to the Grand Elder and, with a mischievous smile, asked, "Would you do us the honor, Grandmother?"
She rolled her eyes and said, "No need to provoke me, brat. I will do it, but first," she took the book Long Tian had given her and asked, "are the things in this introduction true?"
"I'm not certain. We are still in the process of discovery. Father and mother are training in accordance with the book's instructions. They can say it better than I can," he said, looking to his parents.
"I feel my Soul Form is about to reach the Soul Forming stage, but I only started training with the appropriate cultivation technique recently, so I'm not certain," Long Qingxiao said.
"And I don't have an appropriate cultivation technique; mine is a basic one from my days at the Institute. So I can't really tell if it's useful," Zi Rou added.
"What does this book say, Grand Elder?" asked Long Shan before anyone else did.
"It's about Soul Forming and how to train to attain it and use it in battle," she explained.
"What? That should be impossible. From all accounts, it's just a sign of soul purity and talent," Long Tao said.
"This is what we want to discover. But you can see that the first book isn't exactly new, and I'm not even talking about its language. The material is very strange," Zi Rou said to her best friend's husband.
"Can I see it? The other book, I mean," Long Min asked, and the book appeared in her lap. She picked it up and said, "Yes, I see what you mean now, Matriarch. The feeling in the hand is strange, and the language even more so."
"We will not reach a conclusion on what the book says today. Can we go to the Soul Testing? I'm curious," said Long Xun, a little embarrassed.
"Since you are curious, you start, brat," the Grand Elder said.
"Oh, okay. I just put my soul force in the crystal, right?" Seeing Long Tian nod, he did so, and his soul was laid bare.
The color was Yellow, and then came the form of a swirling, chaotic Tempest Drake, and then the Soul Attribute, which made Long Tian groan.
"Is it bad, Young Master?" Long Xun asked, concerned.
"It's not bad at all. Your Soul Form, the Tempest Drake, is quite powerful. The issue is your Soul Attribute; it deviates way too much from the clan's original elemental lines. That explains why you're still at the Peak of the Bronze Rank. By the way, what technique do you cultivate?" Long Tian asked.
"Oh, the same as the Patriarch did. It's one of the five we have," he said with an embarrassed smile.
Long Tian's eyes opened wide. "Five? That's a surprise. I thought we might have lost more due to the family's loss of knowledge about itself. What are the elements?" he said.
"Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth," Long Qingxiao answered.
He gave a relieved sigh. "Even better. That might explain the number of Gold Rank cultivators the clan produced if the others are as incomplete as the Wood one apparently is. At least we didn't get stuck with just the Yin-Yang one." He then turned to Long Xun. "You have a Tempest attribute. There's no technique perfect for you, but Fire is the best option. With it, you surely would have broken through to the Silver Rank by now."
"Is matching the attribute to the technique that important?" Long Hai asked.
"And why would being 'stuck' with the Yin-Yang technique be a bad thing? As the foundation of all elements, shouldn't it be the most versatile?" added Long Yun.
"For the first question: it is. Like Mom said in her explanation, a matching technique can raise a Red Soul Realm to Legend Rank. She wasn't being figurative," he answered the other twin, then proceeded. "Okay. One last explanation before we proceed with the tests."
He paused to organize his thoughts. "Historically, there were six centers of power—the elemental branches we know: Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Yin-Yang. The seventh was the one my mother's research uncovered: the branch of the ring's creator. We will call them the 'Element-less' branch, as that was their unique attribute. And before it becomes a point of confusion, let me be clear: an 'Element-less' or 'Neutral' attribute is not a sign of weakness." He waited for their nods of understanding.
"Now, back to your question, Elder Yun. The Yin-Yang technique is exclusive. Only someone born with both of those elements can practice it. It's powerful, yes—very powerful. It's even possible to use two Demon Spirits." That made everyone's eyes widen. "It sounds unreal, I know. But it's only possible if the beasts also share those twin attributes."
"So, we have such a powerful technique and nobody can use it?" inquired the Head of the Disciplinary Branch.
"If a person doesn't have those elements, it's impossible," Long Tian stated. "Now, who is next?"
Everyone was in silence, looking at each other until Long Hai said, "I will, since my brother has gone before."
Long Tian nodded to his father's friend, who then poured his soul force into the crystal. His color was also Yellow, so his form started showing as a Silversteel Wyrm, and then came the Attribute.
"One is a storm and the other steel. You two couldn't be more different unless they were water and fire," Long Tian said with an amused smile. "Your Soul Form is the Silversteel Wyrm, a very good one, and your attribute is Tempered Steel. Seeing that you're a 2-star Silver Rank, you are probably cultivating the metal technique, right?" Long Hai nodded. "Yeah, I thought so. If your brother had used the adequate one, he also would be at this level. That reminds me," he snapped his fingers, and the red parchment appeared in front of Long Xun. "Start practicing it. Maybe you can have a breakthrough."
"We will have to make copies," Long Tao pointed out.
"Yes, we will. So, you're next, Uncle?" Long Tian then paused. "You know what? Let's try one more test."
"What is it?" Long Feng asked, curious. The last test made his mother have a breakthrough; this one could also be interesting.
"When I tested my parents' Soul Realms, I knew what they were the exact moment they were shown. I believe it has something to do with knowing all the books and seeing them appear. I want to test if I need to see each one exclusively or if I will know just by it being done in this space," he proposed.
"Oh, please do it. I'm bored here with all you cultivators doing your things. I'm interested in what we will do with the farm out there," Long An said, and everyone rolled their eyes, except the Resources pair, who were already inserting their souls into their crystals.
"Oh! That's interesting. I really can feel it," Long Tian said, his eyes closed. "Long Min has a Green Soul Realm, her Soul Form is a Tidal Dragon, and her attribute is Azure Stream." He then turned his focus to Long Yun. "You have a Yellow Soul Realm, your Soul Form is a Coin-Scale Drake, and your attribute is Gilded Earth."
"Well, since it's possible, it would be better if everyone did it. We still have a lot to talk about," Long Qingxiao suggested.
Everyone nodded and followed suit.
"Oh, I think we really lucked out, Dad. No one here has a pure attribute like yours, but everyone is compatible with at least one of the family's techniques," he commented to his father.
"So, brat? What are my Soul Form and attribute? No need to tell me the color; everyone here knows their own," the Grand Elder asked.
"Sure. But can you answer a question for me first? I'm actually curious about something." Long Tian was pondering this. His father's eyes and attribute matched. Almost everyone else's didn't, yet some of their eye colors could be classified by the old family's distribution system. So, why?
"Oh? You're curious? That's interesting. Ask away, brat," she said, interested.
"What were the colors of my grandfather's and great-grandfather's eyes?" he asked.
"That's it?" she said, now confused, but answered anyway. "Green. My husband had deep, forest-green eyes, and my son had a lighter tone than your father."
"Oh. They probably had a Wood attribute. What a strange occurrence," he said to himself.
"What is it?" his mother asked.
"Nothing. The eye thing. It doesn't really matter, just strange. That's it." He then looked to the Grand Elder and said, "Your Soul Form is a very powerful one; it's an Ashsteel Wyrm. And the attribute is equally powerful and rare; it's Ashen Steel."
"What was that? The eye thing you said," the Grand Elder asked. "Oh, and they sure seem powerful," she smiled.
"It doesn't really matter. But as you already know, the ancient clan had six elemental branches in accordance with their attributes." He said, and everyone nodded. "Physically, they could be distinguished from one another by the color of their eyes: Green for Wood—like Father. Red for Fire. Blue for Water. Brown for Earth. Grey for Metal. And black with white irises for the Yin-Yang branch." He explained to everyone's understanding. "But as you can see, Great-uncle Jian has yellow eyes and Great-aunt Hui has light purple eyes. Most of those here have matching colors but not pure elements. It was not like I was hoping for matching ones, but it's curious that one branch keeps its consistency and others do not."
"Maybe it's because Wood is usually tied with vitality?" Long An pointed out.
"Could be," Long Tian said, pausing. "That's a very good explanation, actually. Thank you, Grandpa Long An." The old man just shrugged at the boy with a smile while Long Tian proceeded. "And before anyone thinks this is a bad thing, don't. Everyone here has an attribute that partially matches at least one of the techniques we have. It isn't perfect, but I assure you it's way better than what most of the city uses."
The elders smiled at the boy and nodded.
"With this out of the way, let's proceed. And I must say, it's a very interesting bunch of Soul Forms and attributes." He then turned to Long Hui and her husband. "And here we have the council's true study in opposites," he announced with a grin. "Congratulations." The comment drew a ripple of laughter, much to the couple's shared embarrassment. "Aunt Hui has a River-Dream Dragon as a Soul Form, and the attribute is a Tranquil Pool. And Uncle Tao, a Hearth-Drake and Smoldering Embers, respectively."
Long Tian looked to his oldest uncle and said, "Great-uncle Jian, you have a Thunder-Roar Wyvern as a Soul Form, and your Soul Attribute is Gilded Lightning." He then proceeded to his other uncle. "You, on the other hand, have a Silver-Clad Wyrm and Sterling Silver as your attribute."
"And finally, the Disciplinary Branch. Head Elder Wei has a Bedrock Wyrm as a Soul Form and Adamantine Earth as an attribute. The Vice-Head has a Glacial Shard Wyrm as the form, and his attribute is Terminal Frost." He then looked at each before saying, "I know some of you may think your forms aren't traditionally draconic or can't really understand the meaning of all this. In the pile of books, there are a lot of bestiaries about dragons. They are old but good compilations, and the same goes for Soul Attributes. But one thing I can say for certain: you are all very talented."
He let his words settle in before continuing. "And I meant it. With the complete cultivation techniques of the family back, I'm sure some of you will be at the Gold Rank by the next year." Their eyes opened wide, and smiles formed on their faces. "I don't mean it just because of the cultivation technique. This space can raise you to the Black-Gold Rank by my tenth birthday. So, can we get our justice from the Sacred Family? Sure." He paused, hating to do it with the hope in their eyes. "But I must offer a sobering truth. By the time this space can raise you all to the Black-Gold Rank, Shen Hong will likely have already become a Legend."
The somber silence was broken by the voice of Long An. "So we need time? I can wait. I mourned my son for ten years in silence. And with what the water did to me, I feel I can wait twenty more." The man then adjusted himself in his chair, looked into Long Qingxiao's eyes, and respectfully asked, "What is the plan, Patriarch?"