Unsealing Emptiness

Ozul squinted his eyes; he knew all too well where the old lady was going with this.

“So-”

“I’m fine where I am currently.” Blaze cut her off before she could continue any further.

“You haven’t eve-”

“I’m fine.”

“But...”

.....

Ember sighed loudly as she noticed his firm stance on the matter. ‘It seems like this lad with mysterious abilities has a firm grip on them...’ she thought silently when she felt the scowl directed at her by Raven.

“Your loss.” Ember pretended to shrug it off.

“For your information, these Scarlet Eyes of mine are top-grade Spiritual Arts and they aren’t even the best that I have... Pity you could have had far better than even this...” She shook her head dramatically.

The focus of her Scarlet Eyes switched to Zier.

She thought she saw something running through his blood, but she was too weak now to use her Spiritual Art to its full extent.

‘His blood is darker than anyone...’

After him, she scanned the girl named Raven and to her surprise, she seemed completely normal!

It came as a surprise to her not only because the rest of the group had something special but also because she couldn’t believe that someone with no special talent was able to leave the Broken World.

‘There must be something there that I can’t see...’ She once again lamented the fact that she was merely a half-step Origin Realm expert now.

After all, a body that ordinary simply couldn’t keep up with those people who had incredible talents with mere hard work.

Deciding that whatever it was, it wouldn’t be able to stay hidden for too long, Ember put the matter aside.

The Scarlet Eyes focused on the only remaining man in the room, Ozul.

For a second, Ember continued to stare blankly at him. Her eyelids fluttered and then she proceeded to rub her eyes unconsciously.

“You...”

She was about to say something but then proceeded to remain silent.

This piqued Ozul’s interest since he was letting her ‘read’ everyone here only because he wanted to see what she could tell about him with her Spiritual Arts.

Feeling her emotions, he found that the old lady was mostly feeling confusion and surprise.

‘Had she found out something?’ Ozul thought excitedly.

“I can’t see through you at all...” Ember suddenly muttered, crushing his hopes.

In her vision, after using the Scarlet Eyes, the world around her had completely dulled in colors. Only something special stood out and had colors in her vision.

For example, Blaze’s body burned bright blue with the crystals embedded on his forehead being the most prominent. Ember could only see the blood flowing through Zier and his heart having bright red color. Raven remained completely transparent in her vision.

Ozul, on the other hand, remained exactly as he was!

‘Does that mean his whole being is special? I have never seen anything like this before...’ Ember could barely contain her curiosity. She had to learn more about this after dealing with her current affairs.

*Bang!*

It was just then that a person covering their face barged into the room.

They whispered something in Ember’s ears before swiftly taking their leave.

Ember suddenly smiled after that and placed her hands on the table, leaning closer to Ozul and the rest.

“Congratulations. According to our reports, they can’t make heads or tails of the situation.”

Ozul wasn’t surprised by the news, but the trio beamed with joy. Even in a completely new world where all of them were stripped of their powers, the man they followed was still reliable.

Realizing what they were thinking, Ozul turned to glare at them and said, “I’m not going to do this forever.”

His motto was still firm and clear, ‘Work hard in getting people to work hard for you.’

Just then, Ember flicked her hand and four plain-looking books appeared on the table. Along with the books, there was a glass bottle with four mud-colored pills.

“Two of these are better for Darkness Element, one for Ice Element, and since you had yet to choose your Element, the last one isn’t inclined towards any Element,” Ember said the last part to Zier. “All of them are Mortal Grade 7-Star Cultivation Techniques.”

As the old lady explained, she couldn’t help but unconsciously straighten her back. Few people could take out so many of this level’s Cultivation Techniques in this backward region.

Raven’s eyes lit up immediately. She had already finished reading the book written by Old Gu. She had a vague idea that they were quite valuable.

“And that?” Ozul questioned, pointing at the bottle of pills. He didn’t really need a Cultivation Technique, but he decided not to say anything, letting the old lady believe whatever she wanted to.

“None of you have formed your Core yet, right?”

Ember inquired, her gaze falling on Ozul. She wanted to get as much information as she could from him.

As a result, the old lady was frustrated when Ozul did not answer her question. The remainder of the group, though, nodded in agreement.

“They are called Spirit Gathering Pills. Each one of them costs more than 10 medium-grade Spirit Stones, just so you know. With just one of these, it won’t take you more than a week to form your Core even if you aren’t talented.”

This time, not only Raven, but even Blaze and Zier were taken aback because they had already attempted to form the Core, and with each attempt, the distance between them and the Core Formation Realm seemed to grow wider.

And now this lady claimed that eating only one of those pills would help them form the Core within a week!

Only Ozul remained impassive since he hadn’t felt the wall between him and creating a Core.

He hadn’t tried yet, but he somehow felt that even if he forcefully did form a Core, his body wouldn’t allow it to last long.

Satisfied at their reaction except for Ozul’s, Ember threw another object on the table. It was a plain emerald ring.

“I don’t know where you found the other one, but this one has 5 cubic meters of space inside of it. It costs more than a hundred medium-grade Spirit Stones, take it as a gift.”

Raven took it up, perplexed. In their former Realm, a Spatial Ring with merely 5 cubic meters of space was far more cheap.

“I know what you might be thinking. The Spatial Laws in the Broken World are too loose, hence it is considerably easier to make Spatial Rings of higher quality but it isn’t the case in this Realm.” Ember explained as she noticed their confusion.

It was indeed true. Even the Spatial Ring sent to them by Old Gu could only store the most basic things he had sent them.

Raven didn’t hesitate any longer and wore it immediately. Just a trace of Spiritual Essence, and she felt connected with the space of 5 cubic meters.

She looked at Ember with a kinder face now. This old woman with strange horns didn’t seem so dislikeable anymore.

After that, Ember told them that they could stay in the estate if they liked.

However, she warned her that the rest of the Beastkin here won’t necessarily be kind to them. She had lived for far too long and understood that they had nothing to do with their conflict against the Humans of this Realm, but the same couldn’t be said about the rest of the Beastkin.

Although she warned them, she wasn’t worried too much since Ozul alone could handle everyone in the estate except for her.

Before giving Ozul another task, she showed them their rooms so they could become familiar with the Cultivation Techniques and understand their importance. She made sure to warn them not to reveal their Cultivation Techniques before leaving.

The prominent sects, powerful families, and hidden organizations like theirs held many kinds of Cultivation Techniques and other cultivation resources, but they strictly controlled and limited their access to outsiders. You would rarely see the same Cultivation Technique at two different places.

After entering the large room with four separate beds, everyone except Ozul jumped to them and began reading their 7-Star Mortal Grade Cultivation Techniques.

Ozul slumped on the bed, exhausted, and fell asleep before the others could even open their books.

Seeing that he had fallen asleep, the trio felt like treading on a silver thread. They even breathed lightly fearing he might be disturbed.

...

As Raven finished going through the cultivation manual, she realized that it was indeed superior to the basic Cultivation Technique that Old Gu had provided them with.

She was getting ready to start practicing it when she remembered the look of disappointment the old Beastkin lady had on her face while examining her. Even Zier piqued her interest, but not her.

Although she didn’t have the ability to read emotions like Ozul, growing up with him, she had learned a thing or two. It wasn’t hard to realize that she must not have any special talent.

But she had already realized and accepted that fact long ago.

...

[*Flashback*]

Years ago.

It was yet another cold night as Raven stood dismayed, gazing at the stars, thinking whether all of her efforts were worth it.

She had started long before Blaze did yet not only did he catch up to her but even quickly surpassed her. She even felt him holding back sometimes during their spar.

Raven was on the verge of giving up when Ozul had confronted her sensing her mixed emotions.

“Is it really worth it?” She had asked him, looking down at the ground as if she was guilty of something.

“Raven,” he called her and she reluctantly raised her head. Meeting her eyes, he spoke as if it was a matter-of-fact, “The world is too vast. There are probably methods out there that can increase someone’s talent even. For now, talent isn’t the speed of growth, but survival. As long as you are alive... longer than a genius, what use really would be of the latter’s talent?”

.....

His words made sense to her; she had mentally resolved, ‘I will live longer than Blaze! Mhm!’

Ozul continued, “As for whether it’s worth it or not... I think it is. As long as you are working for your goals, no matter how futile your attempts are... they are worth it. After all... what meaning would there be in life...” His words were more of a reassurance to himself than to Raven as he gazed up into the night sky.

Raven silently stared at his back, ‘My goals are helping you achieve yours... By being strong, I can definitely do that! It’s all worth it!’

...

A gentle smile appeared on her cold face as she remembered that night.

No one but Ozul could change her mind so easily with just words.

‘Even if I have no talent, as long as I keep trying, it’s worth it!’ she thought before getting into the lotus position to try the Cultivation Technique.