The Samsara Jade

Chapter 5

Thousands of words, symbols, and ancient images exploded inside his brain.

He saw visions of a time long before the Azure Sword Sect existed. He saw massive, terrifying beasts the size of planets opening their mouths and swallowing entire stars. 

He saw rivers of fire being sucked into empty black vortexes. He saw dark figures standing on top of mountains of bones, looking up at the sky and pulling the energy out of the clouds.

Every image burned a new piece of knowledge into his mind. Every ancient symbol was a lesson in how to control his starving body.

“Devour the light. Devour the dark. Let the body become a cage. Let the root become a black hole. Swallow the heavens, eat the earth, and make all power your own.” The mantra of the first technique echoed in his mind over and over again: Swallowing the Heavens' Breath.

It was a special way of breathing. It did not just take air into the lungs. It opened up every single pore on the skin. It turned the human body into a giant, forceful vacuum that sucked in every tiny drop of spiritual energy hidden in the area.

"Ahhhhh!" Li Chen continued to scream. The golden light burned hotter and hotter. His soul felt like it was melting and being forged again, like a piece of dirty iron being turned into a sharp steel sword.

"Hold on, boy!" Old Kui’s voice sounded very far away. "Do not let the darkness eat your mind! You are the master! Tell the energy to obey you!"

Li Chen bit his ghostly lip so hard it bled. He forced his eyes open. He looked at the endless void around him. He gathered every ounce of anger and willpower he possessed.

“I will not break!” Li Chen roared in his mind. “Obey me!”

Slowly, the terrible pain began to fade. The blinding golden light sank deep into his soul, hiding itself. The thousands of ancient words lined up neatly in his memory, ready to be used.

Li Chen fell forward, panting heavily. He felt incredibly tired, but his mind was sharper than ever before. He perfectly understood the first step of the Heavenly Void Devouring Art.

"You survived," Old Kui said softly. The giant dragon-turtle looked very tired now. His glowing body was much dimmer than before. The dark chains around him seemed tighter. "You have taken the first step. The art is yours."

"Old Kui... what is happening to you?" Li Chen asked, breathing hard. "Your light is fading."

"Giving you that knowledge used up almost all of my remaining soul power," the ancient creature explained. "I am only a broken piece of a spirit. I have lived inside your mother's jade for a long time. Now that the jade is broken, my spirit has moved into your body. But I must sleep. I must sleep for a long time to gather my strength."

"Wait," Li Chen said quickly. "What do I do now? How do I wake up?"

Old Kui slowly closed his giant sun-like eyes.

"Use the art, boy. When you open your eyes in the real world, you will be close to death. Your body is broken. Do not wait. Breathe. Devour the energy of the storm. Fix your vessel. We will... speak again... when I wake..."

The giant dragon-turtle’s voice faded away into a whisper. His massive, glowing body slowly turned into a dark mist and vanished into the empty space.

The void suddenly collapsed inward.

A powerful force grabbed Li Chen and pulled him down, down, down.

Splash. Cold water hit Li Chen's face. His eyes snapped open. He was no longer in the starry void. He was back in the muddy courtyard of the Outer Sect. 

The heavy storm was still raging. The rain was pouring down from the dark, ugly sky. The freezing wind was howling in his ears. And the pain was back.

It hit him like a heavy hammer. His shattered ribs screamed in agony. His chest felt tight and filled with hot blood. 

He choked, coughing violently. More dark blood spilled from his lips into the mud. He was still dying. The conversation with Old Kui had only taken a few seconds in the real world.

He was still lying at the bottom of the stone pillar. The broken pieces of the dark green jade were gone.

Li Chen slowly looked down at his chest. His clothes were torn open by Zhao Feng’s powerful kick. 

Right in the center of his chest, directly over his heart, there was a new mark. It was a beautiful, dark golden tattoo. 

It was shaped like the shell of a dragon-turtle, with a small, swirling black vortex right in the middle. It was not a dream. Old Kui was real. The art was real.

Li Chen knew he only had a few minutes left to live. His heart was beating very slowly. Thump... ... thump... …

He had to act now. Gritting his teeth, Li Chen placed his hands in the slippery mud. He pushed downward with all his remaining strength.

"Argh!" he groaned. The broken bones in his chest rubbed against each other. It was pure torture. White hot stars flashed in his vision. But he refused to stop. He pushed and pushed until he was sitting upright, leaning his back against the cold stone pillar.

He forced his numb legs to cross into a meditation pose. He rested his bloody hands on his knees.

He closed his eyes. He ignored the freezing rain. He ignored the terrible pain in his chest. He focused entirely on the ancient words burning in his memory. “Swallowing the Heavens' Breath.”

Li Chen opened his mouth slightly and took a deep, slow breath. He did not just pull air into his lungs. 

He used his mind to open the millions of tiny pores all over his skin. He imagined his body becoming an empty black hole, starved and hungry, calling out to the world.

Instantly, the air around him changed.