Awakening the Divine Spark

"It doesn’t make sense." Lee said, "Even if there’s another player, you can’t know for sure there is some kind of conspiracy of larger scale."

He didn’t ask for more information, but pointed out a flaw. But his words were met with a couple sad smiles, and a woman cursing him under her nose which sounded much like – damn, how I hate him!

"We got reports on similar indications from the other sects, including the Celestial Abyss." The sect master said, "Let’s cut to the chase. You’re a smart boy, by now you have realized that my previous student, known by many as God Lunax, utilized a skill that allowed him to see things in other worlds. It was developed by me, it’s my creation."

He paused, but immediately continued, slightly disappointed by the lack of reaction on Lee’s face.

He said, "I can observe anything anywhere, but only if I know where to look. And I need your help to point my eyes in the right direction."

"How exactly would that work?" Lee asked.

He wasn’t excited about the job to say the least, but he was curious about the unique skill the spatial elemental lord had developed.

"You will place a small beacon somewhere close to that person." Elder Luo said.

"That means you want me to find out who that is first." Lee said with a laugh, "Are you nuts?"

Elder Luo ignored the taunt, and said, "No one expects you to do what experienced elemental lords can’t. We want use a unique opportunity to get closer to the people who might know who that person is. Likely – without knowing who they are."

For an outsider it might’ve sounded confusing, but even if Lee had no clue what the old man was talking about, finally things were beginning to make sense.

"You want to plant me somewhere." He said in a form of a statement. The unique opportunity part spoke for itself.

"That’s right." The sect master nodded, "Elder Su was thoroughly preparing for decades, if not longer. It wasn’t enough to occupy three elder seats. She needed to infiltrate tens of capable people in the sect who in the future could take over positions of elders. Some of them we didn’t execute."

"So you want to let them escape with me joining so I can lead you somewhere?" Lee voiced his thoughts, "That’s the oldest trick in the book. It’ll never work."

Him grasping the crux of the problem was surprising, but this time the three were actually shocked by the wording. A kid saying that something was the oldest trick in the book was beyond hilarious.

"Obviously we know that!" Shen Rouya said. She was the first to recover, but fortunately didn’t attack Lee with words right away, "Elder Luo had meticulously orchestrated this opportunity for months."

"Alright!" Lee said, "Without getting into details – I have only one question. Why the heck would you want to entrust such an important job to a kid, an outsider no less?"

The sect master looked back at him, and after a brief pause said, "First of all, you’re not an outsider. You might’ve been born in another world, had a tragic childhood, but it turned you into the person you are now. I’m not going to shower you with compliments. You have done good deeds, but Elder Shen is right – you are a rogue."

’That doesn’t answer my question!’ Lee barely managed to swallow a retort when the sect master continued.

He said, "But she is also right insisting that you’re the perfect candidate. No matter what we might think of you, your peculiar skill set ... be it the ability to get into LunLun’s vault, the unexpected display of ruthlessness when it came to revenge, but at the same time the survival instinct, it all makes you perfect for the job. In addition, I’ll get you to the Celestial Abyss, and half a year later – back. That is in case you’re still alive."

Lee didn’t know what to be more shocked about – that his backer turned out to be big-breasted lady, or that the sect master was ready to take him in after he killed a woman in cold blood. The old man didn’t need to make up the last part, he could’ve just offered a one way ticket. Was he really considered to be a part of the sect or it was just a play?

***

The discussion continued until noon. After the sect master and Elder Shen left, Lee and Elder Luo kept debating the plan all through the night.

Lee was not going to attempt something he wasn’t sure about, especially in this world where every mistake could cost his life.

Surprisingly Elder Luo also took the whole thing even more seriously. Shen Rouya was right, the man had meticulously prepared the operation for months. Lee’s involvement did require a few changes, but those were acceptable alterations.

The plan would be set in motion in three days, and Lee spent the time chilling, hanging out with Xiao Lian, and meditating, mostly to calm his mind. Lee knew he was excited about the mission. Too excited. He had never attempted anything of the kind and actually wanted to take part in it the moment Elder Luo explained it in detail.

The fact that he would be granted permission to go to the Celestial Abyss sect afterwards was a bonus.

Elder Luo warned him, though, that if at any point he would try to run off, he would be considered a fugitive. But Lee didn’t intend to.

Before going to jail on the evening of the third day, he met with Xiao Lian to have one last dinner together. There was a chance the things went awry and he never returned, thus he decided to entrust his young friend with a task.

"Listen, Lian!" Lee said after the meal, "Elders are sending me away on a mission. I can’t tell you where, but it’ll take a while. I need your help with something."

"Anything, Brother Lee!" Xiao Lian grew anxious hearing Lee was about to leave, and immediately agreed.

"Give me your token!" Lee said, took it from Xiao Lian’s hand, and transferred all his contribution points to his friend.

"Alright. Now you’re rich." Lee grinned. Seeing the worried look on Xiao Lian’s face, he said, "It’s just a precaution. As is the second part. I need you to hold on to a couple of items of mine. Right, it’s the bag, but inside is a very cool sword. I’m not an expert, but I’m positive it’s special."

He paused, trying to find the right words, and said, "If anything goes wrong with the mission and I don’t come back ... don’t object, listen! It’s important! I want you to hold on to these items even if everyone in the world thinks I’m dead. Even if you see my corpse with your own eyes. It’s likely that sooner or later someone will come to you and ask for Soulcleaver – that’s the name of the sword. Then you can give it away."

"Brother Lee ..." Xiao Lian was at loss, realizing the implications. His only friend was about to do something dangerous and possibly never return. His mind went blank at the thought, but Lee wasn’t done yet.

He said, "Now the most important part! Probably the most important thing I’ve ever said to you! Listen carefully!"

Then he looked around like a thief, and said, "If you ever want her to truly love you, don’t try to possess her like everyone else does with their spouses. Let her be free. When she’s sad, make her happy, when she’s in a good mood, make her feel even better! Let her be her, while you are you. Just be together!"

When the whole Xiao Lian’s love story began, Lee tried to promise himself he would stay out of it. But the further they got, the more guidance his silly friend needed. This time, though, it was possible he had the last chance to impart any words of wisdom.

There was a brief moment of awkward silence, but then Lee laughed, and said, "And then there will be times when she’s unreasonable and you’ll feel like her sole purpose in life is to make you miserable. And it is so. But it’s also to make you happy. Consider those days full of annoyance, and maybe despair, to be storms that pass on their own ... alright! We’re done. Real men don’t say goodbyes!"

***

When the darkness fell, Lee went to the inner sect, to the section belonging to the Hall of Justice where the Nethermoon sect’s jail lie. He didn’t have anything on him, not a single thing except for the plain clothing he had on, but he knew that even those were about to be taken away in a bit.

He leisurely strolled, enjoying the fresh air of the night. The following days were about to be filled with excitement.