Choices and vows

The cavern was so quiet that one could hear the faint crackling of the Soul Power lamp's flame burning.

Lu Yuan stared at the newly drawn circle on the map for a few moments, then looked up. Mo Chen and Shen Moxin were still waiting by the lamp, while Lin Xiao leaned against the stone wall at the entrance, arms crossed.

"We've made a discovery." Lu Yuan spoke, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet rock cavity. He didn't beat around the bush, explaining in detail the location of the crevice, the characteristics of the suspected Soul Marrow Essence, and the perilous location less than two hundred feet from the Cloud Mist Sect's key detection area.

After speaking, he looked at Mo Chen, then at the direction of the deep stone chamber—where Bai Zhi was taking care of her brother.

"It's a good thing." Lu Yuan paused. "It might be useful for Mo Chen's old injuries, Bai Zhi Zhi's lingering poison and damaged Martial Soul Origin, and even for our future research. The gentle, nourishing, and pure Soul Power is far more versatile than the violent fragment we have."

He then changed the subject.

"But the location is too critical. Staying and digging under the very nose of the Cloud Mist Sect for an extended period is risky. If we're exposed, our resources can't withstand a Soul Emperor leading a team to encircle and annihilate us."

The cavern grew even quieter. The excitement on Mo Chen's face from the successful array had completely faded. He stared at the ground, his fingers unconsciously picking at the old marks on the handle of the carving knife. Shen Moxin adjusted his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses grave. Lin Xiao didn't move, but his amber vertical pupils contracted slightly.

Lu Yuan pushed the map forward, the charcoal circles and triangles juxtaposed starkly.

"So, I've gathered everyone here today." His gaze swept over everyone present, including Su Yan and Li Wangye, who had just been called back from the depths of the mine. "This isn't a decision I can make alone. Whether we should take the risk, how we should take it, or... whether we should just give up—speak up."

He sat back down on the stone bench and remained silent, laying the choice bare before everyone.

A long silence followed, broken only by the occasional flickering of the Soul Power lamp flame.

Mo Chen was the first to react. He raised his hand and rubbed his face vigorously until his cheeks turned red. His voice leaked out from between his fingers, hoarse as if from sandpaper.

"I..." He lowered his hand, his eyes a little red, whether from staying up late or something else, it was hard to tell, "This body of mine has been holding me back for more than just a day or two."

He looked at his hands, which were covered in burns and cuts and slightly deformed.

"That accident back then fundamentally damaged my Soul Power circuit. For years, the flow of my Soul Power has felt like it's stuck in sand, sometimes working, sometimes not. Inscribing a rune is unsustainable; coming up with new ideas is too much of a struggle." He forced a smile, a smile more like a grimace. "The treatment method you gave me, kid Lu, is useful, but it's slow. It's frustratingly slow."

He raised his head and stared at Lu Yuan.

"That thing, if it really is as you say, able to gently nourish the meridians and repair hidden injuries... I want it." Mo Chen's throat bobbed, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "Risks? In our line of work, fiddling with Soul Tool and researching energy structures, when is there no risk? Furnace explosions, backlash, being targeted by the old forces... I'm fed up with hiding, and I'm fed up with this broken body!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck the stone wall with a fierce, reckless intensity.

The curtain to the stone chamber was gently lifted a corner. Bai Zhi stood there, her fingers gripping the coarse cloth curtain tightly, her knuckles white. She had clearly heard it. Her gaze first fell on Mo Chen, then turned to Lu Yuan, and finally settled on the direction where her brother was lying, her eyes filled with a struggle that seemed to want to wring out tears.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out; her lips only grew paler.

Lin Xiao suddenly chuckled.

"I've been wanting to meet that old Soul Emperor for a long time." He licked his canine teeth, a wild glint in his eyes. "Although I definitely can't beat him now, it's been frustrating keeping an eye on them for days."

He changed the subject, looking at Lu Yuan with an unusually serious tone. "However, my decision doesn't count. How we do it is up to the collective. If we need to steal, rob, or lure the enemy away, I'll lead the way. But if everyone thinks it's too risky, then forget it."

Shen Moxin took off her glasses and slowly wiped them. This action made her appear calm, but her slightly trembling fingertips betrayed the turmoil within her.

"Acquiring it means we're proactively pushing our operations into a high-risk zone of direct conflict with the Cloud Mist Sect." She put her glasses back on, her voice clear and steady, the analytical habits of a scholar overriding her emotions. "If we fail, it won't just expose a few of us, but also this stronghold, and everything we're researching— the Soul Power Diverter, the Array Plate, and Mr. Lu's unpublished theories."

She paused for a moment, then took a deep breath.

"But looking at it from another angle..." Shen Moxin's gaze swept over Mo Chen, then over Bai Zhi, then over Su Yan Su Yan and Li Wangye, "If we continue to be trapped in this Soul Power- poor mine, avoiding all conflict, then Mo Chen's injuries may never be fully healed, Bai Zhi Zhi's recovery will be a long way off, and Su Yan and Li Wangye's growth will be limited by the environment. Our research may ultimately just be 'research in vain,' and we may never be able to leave this rock cavity."

She looked at Lu Yuan with a complicated expression.

"My ideal is not to hide in a corner, compiling some theories that will never be put into practice, teaching a few students, and then letting myself wither away." Shen Moxin's voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm. "If a clash with the old forces is unavoidable at some point in the future... then I choose to stand on the side that can illuminate the path ahead and dare to clash, rather than sit and wait to be crushed."

Su Yan and Li Wangye had been clenching their fists. Hearing this, Su Yan suddenly looked up, his bright black eyes fixed on Lu Yuan, his throat tight. "Sir... what, what can we do?" Li Wangye next to him also nodded vigorously, his lips pressed into a line, his face showing urgency, as well as deep helplessness and guilt.

They were too weak. So weak that they didn't even feel qualified to participate in the discussion.

Lu Qinghe, who had been sitting silently in the corner, stood up. He didn't say anything, but walked to Lu Yuan's side and patted his son's shoulder heavily with his rough, broad hand. Once, then again. Then he stood still, his back straight, like a silent wall.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: Dad's here.

Bai Zhi finally emerged from the stone chamber. She walked lightly to the crowd, first bowing deeply to Lu Yuan and Shen Moxin, then turning to Mo Chen and Lin Xiao.

"My brother's life was saved by everyone." Bai Zhi's voice was soft, yet carried a calm that came from the brink of despair. "Without Mr. Lu's theories and the shattered crystals, without Mr. Mo Chen's array inscription, without Teacher Shen's medicine preparation, without Brother Lin Xiao's vigilance... he wouldn't be alive now. This debt of gratitude, my brother and I could never repay even with our lives."

She raised her wrist, and the herb seed bracelet gleamed faintly under the Soul Power lamp.

"My Martial Soul, ' Moonlight Orchid,' has meager combat power, but it's somewhat useful for perception, stabilizing Soul Power, and understanding herbal medicine." Bai Zhi's gaze swept over everyone. "I'm willing to use my abilities for everyone. Whether it's healing, preparing medicine, or... being your eyes and ears. As long as you decide to go, I'll follow. If this brings disaster, my brother and I will not live alone."

Having said all that, there's no need for further words.

All eyes eventually fell back on Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan listened intently. From Mo Chen's resentment, Lin Xiao's arrogance and restraint, Shen Moxin's rational analysis and ideal choice, to Su Yan and Li Wangye's urgency and self-blame, his father's silent support, and Bai Zhi's gentle yet resolute vow.

He slowly stood up.

"The pros and cons have all been discussed thoroughly," Lu Yuan said, his tone as calm as ever, but something was gathering deep in his eyes. "Acquiring it is like snatching chestnuts from a fire; it might prematurely ignite the conflict with the Cloud Mist Sect, exposing our meager strength to a powerful enemy. Not acquiring it is like missing a golden opportunity; we might miss out on crucial resources for healing, and also miss the chance to elevate our overall strength to a new level."

He paused, his gaze sharpening as if trying to pierce the rock walls of the cavity and see into the distance.

"But that's not all I want to ask." Lu Yuan's voice wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a hammer blow. "Why are we gathered here? Is it to continue hiding, guarding these research results, engaging in petty stunts, and praying that we'll never be discovered by those major sects? Or is it..."

His gaze swept across every face.

"We all know in our hearts that as long as we continue down this path, as long as our research touches deeper things, as long as we try to break something... then a clash with these old forces that monopolize knowledge and resources and see us as heretics is only a matter of time. If not today, then tomorrow, or next year."

The cavern was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even breathing was done quietly.

"So the fundamental question isn't 'whether or not to take this risk,'" Lu Yuan said, emphasizing each word, "But whether we are prepared for a future moment when, in order to protect our research, our path, and each other, we will have to confront those behemoths head-on."

The problem came crashing down, and it was heavy.

No one answered immediately. But the glint in everyone's eyes already provided the answer.

Mo Chen grinned, his smile twisted into a grotesque grin, "My life is worthless, I should have died in a junkyard long ago. It was you, kid Lu, who picked me up and gave me a chance to start over. So what if I crash? I'm not afraid of anything!"

Lin Xiao cracked his neck, his joints making a soft popping sound, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. "It should have been done long ago. Hiding and dodging isn't my style."

Shen Moxin let out a soft breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, her eyes becoming clear and firm. "My platform should not be confined to a humble room. My ideals need a battlefield."

Su Yan and Li Wangye exchanged a glance, then stepped forward simultaneously, declaring in unison, "We're not afraid! We want to become stronger, we want to follow our teacher, follow everyone, and keep going!"

Lu Qinghe didn't say anything, but patted Lu Yuan's shoulder again, his hand warm and strong.

Bai Zhi nodded gently, the seed bracelet on her wrist making a soft clinking sound, like the echo of some kind of vow.

Lu Yuan looked at them. He looked at these people who came from different backgrounds and had different personalities, but were brought together by a common sense of "unwillingness" and "pursuit".

He slowly extended his hand, palm facing upwards.

"So, the plan is to acquire the ' Soul Marrow Essence '," Lu Yuan said, his voice carrying for the first time a clear and unwavering determination. "Meanwhile, here..."

His gaze swept over the simple, dimly lit cavern, which held all their hard work and hopes.

"From today onward, it will no longer be merely a 'stronghold' or a 'temporary base.'" Lu Yuan's voice echoed in the rocky cavity, carrying a strange weight. "It's called ' Spark.'"

"A single Spark ignites, however small, it will never be extinguished."

"Our path may be difficult, may be long, may be strewn with thorns." His gaze burned as he swept over every pair of eyes that looked at him. "But we will walk it together. With our knowledge, our skills, our fists, our beliefs... until—"

He paused, then uttered the last two words:

"A prairie fire."

Mo Chen was the first to slap his hand heavily on the back of Lu Yuan's hand. Then came Lin Xiao, Shen Moxin, Su Yan, Li Wangye, Lu Qinghe, Bai Zhi... one after another, hands, some rough, some slender, some strong, some trembling, were placed on top of each other.

There was no radiance of Soul Power, no earth-shattering momentum.

But in that simple stone house, under the dim light of the Soul Power lamp, between their overlapping palms, an invisible yet tenacious power called "belief" quietly grew and firmly coalesced.

Outside the mine, a night wind had risen sometime earlier, howling through the cracks in the mountain rocks with a mournful sound.

As if in response to this newly ignited, faint yet incredibly determined Spark.