Stellar Transformations

A lone young man known as Liu Han Shu was lamenting his pitiful life at the lakeside near a large city – Feng Liu city. The man was suffering continuous humiliation from his peers as a poorly gifted Xiuzhenists who was at Jindan stage, while his peers were at least at the Yuanying stage. On that fateful day, he met a wandering expert. Unbeknownst to him, the expert was Qin Yu, a recent ascendant from the mortal plane...

...

A piece of middle grade holy elemental stone?

Something like that wasn’t even worth much to Qin Yu. In his Nine Swords Immortal Mansion, the entire structure was made of one whole holy elemental stone. And within the allotted warehouses within the mansion, these stones are piled high like small mountains, even high grade stones were a common place. Aside from holy elemental stones, other treasures piled high are all ores used to refining immortal weapons, the downside is that there aren’t any top grade elemental stone anywhere.

“Middle grade holy elemental stone? For being a...guide?” Liu Han Shu couldn’t believe what his ears were telling him. For normal immortal stage expert, something like a middle grade elemental stone was to be cherished, while poorer ones hold to them like their own precious children, and wealthy ones may gift them rarely.

But providing guidance....?

Guidance in exchange for a piece of middle grade holy elemental rock? Seriously???

Han Shu stared at the stone in the fellow’s hands and felt the whole world burst with life. Gone was the decrepit world in gray-scale of humiliation and neglect, and come the new vibrant world – full of valour, life and colour, of hopes and dreams.

“Unless, you do not want to?” Qin Yu raised his brows questioningly.

“I do, I do. Junior is honoured to do so.” He was excited. In the last twenty years, he hadn’t been as excited as he was now. He wasn’t as foolish to pretend it was good enough a reward. “Senior, a little thing as guiding you isn’t worth a holy elemental stone. Junior does not deserve such exuberant reward.”

Qin Yu smiled at the fellow’s generosity, “If I say you can have it, then take it. This is the first time I’ve come to Amber Moon planet, I am not familiar with much of the situation here, which you will have to inform me. Come, take me to a place where I can stay.” He tossed the middle grade elemental stone to the young man.

Liu Han Shu jumped to catch the stone, and bowed immediately after. “Senior, please follow me.” The moment he took the stone, he grasped it firmly, suddenly forgotten to store it. He was too excited at his luck. By turning towards the city’s direction, he stored away his treasure. “Thankfully, I have a storage bracelet...” With the stone stored, he finally regained his posture and felt relieved.

Once the exchange was done deal, Liu Han Shu leaped onto his flying sword and starting flying towards the destination, alongside him was Qin Yu – matching his speed.

Qin Yu was already aware there was a city in the distance, but he knew little about the immortal plane and its realms. He had decided to get a guide and live in this city for the time being. He knew this Liu Han Shu fellow grew up in Amber Moon, and having a native help out would save him a lot of worry.

Well.........he also was determined to help change Liu Han Shu for the better.

Close to the city boundaries.

To this day, Qin Yu had never seen such an expansive city, whose population was at least ten million.

Han Shu started to give the expert a detailed tour. “Senior, this is Liu Feng city, one of three major cities of Amber Moon. The other two are Wan Lian city and Yan Shan city.” Qin Yu nodded, and answered with a question. “Han Shu, how strong are the experts of on Amber Moon?”

Han Shu paused for a short while, and thought out loud, “Hmmm, experts....on Amber Moon, that would at least be at the immortal stage. In the entire planet there are about ten thousand, while golden immortals are few in number. They could be counted in one hand.”

A handful?

A smile surfaced on Qin Yu’s face. Was that all? That was the pinnacle of the experts on Amber Moon? Qin Yu could tread wherever he likes without fear. Let alone the golden immortal sword puppet, he – himself was a force to be reckoned with. Coupled with his Blazing Ice Ring and his divine weapon – Sky Piercer, and divine armour – Black Snow, his strength would be supreme. But nevertheless, he wanted to be on the safe side, “There aren’t any Mystic Immortals – immortal emperors?”

“Immortal Emperors?” Han Shu’s lips quivered, he swallowed aloud, “Senior, those figures are...... truly reign supreme. They are too distant from us. Even the main branch of my clan had not ever met an immortal emperor.” Qin Yu felt much relieved, but it seems that mystic immortal emperors were far and few between.

Qin Yu lifted his head from quietly musing and absorbed the sights and sounds of the bristling city. Liu Feng city gates were wide and tens of metres tall, as he follow Han Shu into the city. From the gate, Qin Yu was stunned by the width and size of the streets, and the amount of pedestrians. With a casual sweep of his immortal sense, he noted the weakest was at Jindan stage, most of all he was awestruck by the infants. The infants, still in arms of their mothers’, were at the Xiantian stage!

Seeing was believing. The fantastical scene amazed Qin Yu. The immortal plane was really a different place, even infants was Xiantian practitioners. Roadside shops had various and wide range of ores, arms and clothes. He did not hesitate, and allowed Han Shu continue to show and tell him about everything. “Senior, look, this weapon shop is renowned as the top three arms shops in the city, but the price is also exuberant. Oh, that pub’s wine is superb. I’ve also frequented there once.” Han Shu felt somewhat proud to have drank the wine from that pub. “Ah, Senior, see that store....”

...

After walking around for an hour, Qin Yu had gained a reasonable understanding of Xiuzhenists’ cities in the immortal plane. He also bought a few bottles of high class wine to quench his thirst on the way. The true experts of Amber Moon may be far and few between, but the wine was undeniably better than the wine from his home world.

“Senior, the city is governed by the Liu Clan – one of the three great clans of the city. Myself, am a son of the Liu Clan.” Han Shu whispered softly, he did not want others to hear this.

Qin Yu face broke into a wistful smile, “Hoh, I didn’t expect that you were a son of the governing clan.” Han Shu replied by shaking his head with a bitter smile, “Senior, please don’t make fun of junior. The Liu clan had existed for many generations, there are over tens of thousands disciples, so what make me? Though I am a son of main family, but when raising disciples or successors, the clan favours the strong, it has little to do with being in the main family or not.” This was the world where the strong ruled; strength was respected, nobody cared if you were a direct descendent or not.

“Don’t be discouraged. The strong also started from being the weak.” Qin Yu reassured, he saw much of himself from this fellow – Han Shu. Back then, he had no aptitude at all and had to forcibly practice external techniques. Compared to Han Shu, he had worse aptitude, but even so, he persevered to the present level. “Your right.” Han Shu lightened up hearing Qin Yu’s encouragement.

“Senior, today I’m very fortunate. I mean, how often, do I get the chance to walk with head held up in the middle of the road? Normally, I would’ve already be kicked aside by some passer byer.” Han Shu laughed at his own joke as to elevate his pain. Qin Yu could only give Han Shu a reassuring pat on the fellow’s back.

Qin Yu had already pick up those condescending looks the passer byers directed at Han Shu. When they noticed him beside Han Shu, they did not dare to stare any longer.

“Senior, this is my home. Amber Moon may not have much else, but land is plentiful. Another good thing is that as the descendent of the main family, I am assigned a small town house.” Han Shu led Qin Yu to the gate in front of a town house with a small courtyard. He opened the gate and let Qin Yu enter first. “Ho, not bad. It’s pretty comfortable. I shall live here for now, do you mind?” Qin Yu uttered a short laugh. Han Shu hastily gestured, “Not at all, feel free to pretend it were your own home.” He whooped to himself, at his luck. For a master like Qin Yu to stay with him only had benefits rather than inconveniences.

“I found you have some problems with your meridians, come here and let me see...” Qin Yu sat down on a nearby stone bench, and gestured at Han Shu, but the fellow shook his head and sighed, “Senior, I’m sorry, but this is something I was born with. Without reaching the immortal stage, it would be impossible to widen the meridian channels.”

In the mortal plane, it may be possible for Dongxu stage practitioners to open up another’s meridians. But in the immortal plane, the mortals from infancy absorbed elemental energy. They were physically different from the mortals of the mortal plane.

“Just come here and give me a look.” Qin Yu had his hands stretched forward, Han Shu was dragged to his side by an invisible force. With his open palms, he gripped the fellow’s wrist like vice, then injected a strand of power from his dark star and a trace of his life force into the latter’s body. The life force came from within the meteor tears. And with the offensive power of his dark star, Qin Yu break down the fellow’s meridians directly, since it was much harder to widen the narrow channels. After breaking them down, he would use the extended life force to rebuild another, since it was the life restoring force from his meteoric tear, he did not doubt its capability to such a task.

“Ah!” Tearing apart Meridians was incredibly painful. The pain racked Han Shu’s body, and cause him to convulse involuntarily, but despite so, he tried to suppress the pain.

“Good. You have perseverance.” Qin Yu smiled and encouraged, like a good doctor using something else to distract the patient from the pain. He began to manipulate the life force energy to build the meridians anew.

Under the continuous application of the energy, the meridians reformed. The newly formed meridians was several times wider and more resilient than the average man in the immortal planes. As the meridians grew with the life force energy, the toughness increased to the level of Kongming stage experts.

Whereas, previously Han Shu convulsed with pain, now his body felt serene and relaxed.

“Alright.” Qin Yu let go and nodded at Han Shu, “Liu Han Shu, I will go ahead and rest in the house. In a moment, when I tell you, you must come in as well.” As soon as he had informed Han Shu, he walked into the empty house.

Han Shu barely registered what Qin Yu said, as he was too busy dumbstruck by the status of his meridians. Suddenly his face flushed and his body vibrated with unnatural frenzy, the facial muscles tensed and wild tears streamed down his taut cheeks. ‘Smack’, both his knees hit the courtyard ground. He knelt in unknowing worship of the changes to his body, and exclaimed, “Mother, I’ve finally, finally have the chance to stand up. I can finally walk down the street without worrying who my next aggressor would be, or who might insult and spit on me. I can finally stand up proud!” Tears rained on the region of the ground directly from his face while he kowtowed. Those tears moisten the dry ground like merciful life droplets.

Liu Han Shu was so excited that he was silent thereafter.

From a young age, more than twenty year, he had been the bottom scrubber of every person he ever knew like a grovelling slave. He’d suffered endless curses, humiliation, scorn of his fellow peers, if that weren’t enough, even strangers to go out of their way to harass him. Life of unbearable; it wasn’t life.

But –––––––

Now, he was given a chance, a god-sent chance to stand up tall with his newly transformed meridians aided by Qin Yu. Now he had the potential and aptitude of a thousand men – a genius of geniuses. He also had the middle grade holy elemental stone making breakthrough to the next stage easy.

Listening to the rampart cries of joy and hoarse exclamations, Qin Yu only smiled lightly. “This reminds me of that year when I achieved Xiantian stage via external techniques. I think I was as elated as Han Shu was, but that time my father did not let me go with him to the chosen place in the Wilderness.”

He withdrew his grin, and thought about numerous things about the situation.

“Han Shu, you can come in now.” Qin Yu beckoned to Han Shu. The fellow should have felt calmer after his outcry.

After being harassed for over twenty years, Han Shu had, at last, released some of his pent up frustration. Afterwards, he used his internal spiritual energy to dry his tears and clean up his attire, then he strode into the house.

“Junior Liu Han Shu will never forget this gracious act.” ‘Smack’ his head hit the cold, hard floor as he kowtowed showing his undying respect towards his benefactor.

Qin Yu laughed openly – a open and honest laugh, and waved it off, “You’re welcome. To be honest, you could still train with me doing so. You were far better than I was, I couldn’t even train in the normal method, but you can. Alas, when I see you I see a part of myself.”

Han Shu froze, this senior was worse than himself?

“Senior, I beg of you, please take me in as your disciple.” Han Shu pled.

Qin Yu froze, his face an expressionless visage, then glanced at Han Shu. “This Liu Han Shu is not without diligence. Ha ha, he knows that I have a good impression of him, so that he asked me.” Either way, Qin Yu did not mind, and nodded to himself, then spoke aloud: “Alright, I will take you in as my disciple.”

Han Shu was elated, he quickly stood up and gave his new master a respectful bow. “Disciple greets his master.” Having a master would allow him to live better days in the future.

“Han Shu, let me ask you one thing: if I want to travel to the demon realm, how would I go about it?” As if the previous pled was just a small episode in Qin Yu’s life.

“To the demon realm?” Han Shu frowned in contemplation, “This could be difficult, and junior only knows the approximate geography of the immortal planes. We are currently located on the Amber Moon planet of the Indigo Bay star field, part of the Silver Stream galaxy.” Qin Yu listened carefully, he knew his understand of the immortal plane was second to his disciple. “Indigo Bay star field was between the devil and immortal realms’ borders, and all the realms have borders touching each other. As far as I know, to go to the demon realm, it would be best to go directly to the immortal hinterlands, from there go into the demon territory.” His disciple frowned again, “The problem is...... interstellar travel is very expensive for every, teleportation talisman, road tolls for passing each ruler’s planet. From here to the demon realm would costs......an astronomical amount of money!”

“Road tolls?” Qin Yu queried.

“Yes. For example, if you were to travel from Amber Moon to the next planet over – Blue Mountain, it would require a teleportation talisman costing one low grade holy elemental stone. While road toll would cost two low grade holy elemental stones. If you go further to the second star over, it would cost three for the talisman and six for the road toll, and so on.” Han Shu informed Qin Yu. It seems to be a way to make money for each planet’s ruler. “And that’s just travelling, then you need a map. A detailed maps for interstellar travel are very valuable. Recorded on it was planets’ teleportation coordinates, teleportation routes, and safe routes and so on. It would also have notes on dangerous planets, entry-barred planets. In short, interstellar travel is only possible with a map.” Han Shu took a deep breath and continued. “Don’t even need to mention travelling to the demon realm, since a detailed map of the Indigo Bay star field are few in number. As for a map from here to the demon realm, even junior does not know......oh! An immortal emperor will definitely have it.”

Once Qin Yu heard it all, he wore a strange smile. He understood that to travel to the demon realm, he needed two things: one, money to pay the exuberant road tolls, lastly, an interstellar map recording the teleportation coordinates of planets and dangerous places.