Spirit Companion

Black Mountain.

Divine Wood City.

Within the city lived a great Cultivation Family, the Li Clan.

Unlike the other Cultivation Families on Black Mountain, the Li Clan had moved here from Immortal Tide Bay on the coast fifty years ago.

Though the Li Clan had adapted to local customs, it still retained many of the clan rules of coastal families.

The clan had built an ancestral hall, dining hall, school, and Cultivation Hall.

The Li Clan's children could enter the nursery school as soon as they were born, where the clan's daughters-in-law cared for them together.

When the children turned six, they went to elementary school.

Elementary school was only for learning literature and writing; they did not begin cultivation. They needed to learn about the Tianyuan Cultivation Continent as a whole, study the Li Clan's history in detail, and learn all about the customs and traditions of the Black Mountain Five Poisons Sect. Most importantly, they were taught proper etiquette.

At the heart of etiquette were these principles: respect teachers and honor the Dao, and revere the strong.

When the children turned twelve, they could enter the Cultivation Hall and begin their path of cultivation.

One day...

More than twenty children who had just turned twelve sat upright on meditation cushions in the first room of the Cultivation Hall.

Behind them hung three ink paintings.

The Li Clan elder Li Tianliang walked slowly into the hall. He looked around at the more than twenty young, spirited faces, and a smile crept onto his stern face.

They were all the hope of the clan. The Li Clan should have been wiped out fifty years ago, but its patriarch, Li Haimo, had acted decisively, leading his people to abandon everything on the coast and move to Black Mountain. They had successfully joined the Five Poisons Sect, preserving the Li Clan's bloodline and allowing it to endure in the Cultivation World.

"I belong to the Tian generation. My name is Li Tianliang. From now on, you may call me Elder Tianliang or Doctor Tianliang," Li Tianliang introduced himself.

"Greetings, Teacher," the disciples said in unison.

"Mm... Starting today, I will teach you the secret arts of cultivation. Beginning with you, introduce yourself." As he spoke, Li Tianliang pointed to the first child on his lower right.

A child dressed in clean white robes stood and clasped his hands. "This disciple is Li Shuilang. My father is from the Hao generation, Li Haoyun."

The second disciple, a girl, stood up. "This disciple is Li Shuiting. My father is Li Haoyun."

Li Tianliang smiled and nodded. Li Haoyun had fathered a pair of fraternal twins. That was truly wonderful.

"This disciple is Li Shuidao. My father is Li Haoshan."

"This disciple is Li Haoze. My father is Li Tianqing."

"This disciple is Li Yijun. My father is Li Shuixiao."

According to the rules of Cultivation Families, although their generation characters differed, they were all in fact of the same generation.

The Li Clan's generation names went: Hai, Tian, Hao, Shui; Yi, Sheng, Lang, Tao.

Each complete cycle represented one generation.

The Li Clan now consisted entirely of members of the fourth generation. Not a single member of the third generation remained.

After everyone had introduced themselves, Li Tianliang asked solemnly, "In this world, everyone has the potential to cultivate. Why can some people cultivate and become immortals, while others can only remain ordinary folk and live their lives in obscurity?"

"Li Shuidao, you answer." Li Tianliang raised a hand and pointed.

A disciple sitting in the second row stood and said, "Because cultivation resources are unfairly distributed."

Li Tianliang looked surprised. Not because the boy was wrong, but because his answer had struck right at the heart of the matter. He sounded nothing like a child who knew nothing of the world.

"Then why is it you who have cultivation resources, while the Gatekeeper, Grandpa Li's child can only go work in the laundry room?" Li Tianliang continued, guiding him.

Li Shuidao clasped his hands solemnly. "Because he isn't a member of the Li Clan!"

Li Tianliang nodded and continued, "Then why can members of my Li Clan cultivate and seek the Dao?"

"That's because our Li Clan is united in purpose, standing together as one, and can obtain enough cultivation resources."

"Good! Well said. It's rare to see you understand this so well," Li Tianliang said with delight.

"Wherever there are people, there is strife. It can be within a small clan or a great sect—even among you few, there's bound to be conflict from time to time. I don't need to ask around to know that. But remember: though brothers may quarrel within their walls, they must join forces against an insult from without! No matter how bitter your internal conflicts become, you must never betray the clan. Otherwise, you'll be struck from the family register and denied entry to the ancestral hall after death, bringing shame upon your parents!" Li Tianliang said, growing emotional.

"We will stand together as one and never betray the clan's interests," Li Shuidao said, clasping his hands.

The other disciples echoed him.

Li Tianliang fell silent for a long while. Once he had reined in his emotions, he continued, "Cultivation is the process of absorbing the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth and making it your own. A Spirit Companion and cultivation method are the path and means to do so. Now, turn around and look."

Li Shuidao and the others turned around to look at the three ink paintings behind them.

The first ink painting showed a shepherd boy riding a green ox and playing a flute.

The second showed an old man riding a donkey backward, dozing contentedly on its back.

The third showed a mighty warrior riding a Flood Dragon, churning rivers and overturning seas.

"The first is the Dao Virtue Immortal Lord. He was the first cultivator in the history of the Cultivation World to ascend to the upper realm. His Spirit Companion was a green ox."

"The second is the Sleeping Immortal, Chen Tuan. He was the second Immortal Lord to break through the boundary and ascend. His Spirit Companion was a donkey."

"The third is the first patriarch of my Li Clan. He had reached the middle stage of the Void Nascent Realm. His Spirit Companion was originally a koi fish, but later transformed into a Flood Dragon. It lived for five hundred years before finally passing away. After our ancestor died, the Flood Dragon guarded the clan for another three hundred years before it finally left. It was this ancestor who laid the foundations of our Li Clan within the Azure Sea Sect. But alas..." At this, Li Tianliang shook his head.

Alas, a traitor had emerged. That traitor had become a taboo in the clan, and no one was permitted to mention him.

"Though my Li Clan still has the Azure Sea Sect's cultivation methods, the entire clan has now moved inland, so our people can no longer choose sea beasts as their Spirit Companions. The Azure Sea Sect's methods are useless to us now."

"Now that our clan has been on Black Mountain for fifty years, the clan rules require all our members to cultivate the methods of the Black Mountain Five Poisons Sect. The Black Mountain Five Poisons Sect has five kinds of Spirit Companions: Centipedes, Geckos, toads, snakes, and scorpions."

Li Tianliang patted his Storage Bag and took out a five-colored porcelain plate. Five creatures were painted on it.

A Golden Scorpion, an earth-colored Gecko, a Jade Toad, a scarlet venomous snake, and an emerald-green centipede.

"You're not yet qualified to enter the Five Poisons Cave and capture one of the five poisons as your Spirit Companion. Before that, you must learn how to use herbs to counter poison and how to avoid being poisoned to death in a deadly environment," Li Tianliang said solemnly.

"This disciple understands," the students replied.

"Mm..." Li Tianliang nodded without haste and continued, "You have no cultivation yet, so when facing the five poisons, you must remain absolutely calm and unflustered! Let Mount Tai collapse before you without changing your expression. Even if a poisonous creature bites you, stay calm as you treat the wound and face the danger with composure. Whatever you do, don't panic. Once you lose your head, you're as good as dead!"

"This disciple understands," the students said together.

"Good! Since you understand, I'll put you to the test." Li Tianliang raised a hand, and a centipede as thick as a baby's arm landed right on Li Shuilang's face.

Li Shuilang barely reacted. He hadn't even seen what had flown over, so he had no idea what it was.

But his younger sister, Li Shuiting, had seen it clearly.

"Ah! Brother... A centipede! There's a giant centipede on your face!" Li Shuiting cried out in alarm.

The centipede coiled and vanished, only to appear behind Li Shuiting. With astonishing cunning, it slipped right into her collar.

All Li Shuiting could feel was something thick and hard crawling down from the back of her neck.

What if it crawled inside...

Li Shuiting's face turned deathly pale.