Chapter Twenty-One: Requiem

Chen Jin casually scattered a handful of magical flames, incinerating the corpse of the one-eyed man lying on the ground. The spells that Chen Jin once longed for were now at his fingertips, thanks in part to the one-eyed man. Had it not been for his appearance and relentless pursuit, Chen Jin might never have triggered Xin Yang’s memories. Although the old man would step in at the last moment to help him escape danger, it was clear he would not assist in restoring Chen Jin’s memories.

Chen Jin sensed his current cultivation was at the level of Stabilized Spirit, but that was merely cultivation, not realm. His realm remained at Quiet Mind. Cultivation resides in the physical body, while realm is anchored in one’s cognition, or perhaps the soul; yet realm determines cultivation, though cultivation does not determine realm. Chen Jin realized that, because his realm had not advanced, he was like a battery without a charger—his Stabilized Spirit cultivation was being used up bit by bit, until it would eventually regress to his true Quiet Mind level.

From Xin Yang’s memories, Chen Jin learned that Xin Yang’s cultivation realm had already reached Soul Gathering. However, the recent burst of Divine Sword had forced his cultivation down a step, from Soul Gathering to Stabilized Spirit. Still, Chen Jin squandered what wasn’t his without a second thought—he had no idea if, upon returning to reality, these borrowed powers would transform into energy clusters. If only what he personally absorbed would become energy clusters, then all these spells were merely fleeting tricks.

Oh, and Chen Jin’s mission target this time was the old man from earlier—Ge Hong. He was an old acquaintance of Xin Yang, or rather, a friend of Xin Yang’s master. Thus, Chen Jin was always connected to Ge Hong; he didn’t have to search blindly for him. A call from the back mountain would summon him.

Chen Jin watched as the one-eyed man’s corpse slowly burned to ashes, then sifted through the charred remains, finding nothing at all. He had hoped for some chance encounter, perhaps a hidden treasure or secret manual, but nothing appeared—no rare crystal, only a pile of ashes.

“Well, the memories I’ve gained from Xin Yang are enough,” Chen Jin reflected. In fact, the memories from Xin Yang were the most precious. Xin Yang had cultivated the ancient ways, reaching the Soul Gathering realm, and possessed a wealth of experience. These insights far surpassed anything found in books or imparted by a master; with these memories, i