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I’ve never seen Bloodmoon so flustered before. It’s a great feeling, and it’s all thanks to this child’s incessant question asking. The child’s questions aren’t profound by any manner, and she certainly doesn’t understand the explanations Bloodmoon is giving her, but that doesn’t stop her from asking why repeatedly. Perhaps the members of Bloodmoon’s cult would’ve given an arm and a leg to hear him lecture about the path to immortality, but now, his only audience is a child. …I’m not in a much better position than him. We’ve fallen so much.
“But why do these particles exist?”
“These particles were created by a great being, an immortal above other immortals. He created everything. Everything is in existence because of him.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did he create the particles?”
The discussion has gone from training one’s body to the origin of the world. I suppose that will always happen if one asks why long enough. The conversation has been going on long enough that the next few students are trickling in. The humanoid beast’s results were within my expectations though. I believe she’s part squirrel. It’s the only reasonable explanation of my defeat at the hands of her mother. Squirrels are known for their miraculous bodies, and while this child may only be slightly stronger than her peers now, when she matures, she’ll have the strongest body of them all. However, I was a bit surprised the humanoid beast wanted to dabble in illusions. Perhaps I was wrong, and she was actually part fox? Foxes are one of the few beasts specializing in illusions over strength.
As expected, the eight prodigies were the next to emerge. The hundred laps I had them run wasn’t too difficult. It was only meant to tire them out through the use of some gravity formations. However, I’m not planning on teaching them anything else. Bloodmoon is my temporary colleague—just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. As long as Bloodmoon doesn’t attempt to corrupt their minds, I won’t step in.
“If everything is made of particles, and this person made the particles, who made him?”
“He was born from nothingness.”
“How?”
It seems like the beast has switched to asking questions other than why. Usually, that means the individual seeks to understand more about the topic at hand. However, a six-year-old child shouldn’t understand things such as this, or if she does, she has a mistaken interpretation of the answers. I’ll divert the topic lest she comes to incorrect conclusions. Even if I’ve fallen, I won’t allow the children I’ve taught to make fools of themselves in the future because of an improper education. “Junior Fluffytail, you said you were interested in illusionary techniques? I happen to be an expert in those. Are you interested in learning from me?”
The humanoid beast turned and blinked at me. Her brow was furrowed, and it looked like she was trying to stop herself from saying something. “Um, my mommy once told me something….”
Was she not going to continue that thought? “What did she tell you?”
The humanoid beast bobbed her head up and down. “If I have nothing nice to say, I shouldn’t say it at all.”
Bloodmoon burst out into laughter.
…What exactly did this child mean? “I don’t mind. You can tell me whatever you want. I won’t get mad; I promise.”
The humanoid beast exhaled and beamed before saying, “Mrs. Feathers says I should stay away from you because your brain is smooth.”
Did this child just call me stupid? Who is this Mrs. Feathers, and why does her name sound extremely familiar? It feels like there’s a fog in my brain.
“Smooth-brained Lin,” Bloodmoon said before I could figure things out. His body was shaking from laughter. Evidently, after losing his strength, he’s lost control of his emotions. How pitiful. “You think you’re all that just because you’re an immortal, huh? Need I remind you why we’re in this situation. It took you and seven other immortals to force me to retreat. Children are pure and can see the truth; I’m stronger than you, making me the more attractive teacher.”
“We didn’t just force you to retreat.” How dare he twist the facts. “We utterly defeated you. If it weren’t for the accidental discovery of this realm, your soul would have already entered the cycle of reincarnation.”
Bloodmoon shrugged as if he wasn’t bothered. “It still took eight of you, didn’t it? Do you dare swear on your immortal heart that you could’ve defeated me in a duel when we were both at our peaks?”
He’s right. I’m weaker than him, but that’s only because he’s thousands of years older than me! “Do you dare swear on your immortal heart that you could defeat me in a duel if we were the same age?”
Bloodmoon snorted, but before he said anything, the humanoid beast cut in with her high-pitched voice. “When two people in the sect get into an argument, they can fight each other in the life-or-death arena to determine who’s right! You two should fight!”
Phew. I seem to have lost my calm once again. My anger got the best of me, even triumphing over my resolve to ignore Bloodmoon.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Bloodmoon said. He smirked at me. “Neither of us can use immortal techniques. We’ve had the same amount of time to gather the dilute spiritual energy of this world. This is your best chance to kill me with your own hands; the question is … do you dare?”
Do I dare? Of course! I hate to admit it, but Bloodmoon is right. This is my best chance to kill him with my own hands. “I accept. Let’s head to the arena.”
“You can’t.”
“What?” One of the prodigies is stopping me? “What do you mean?”
“Under normal circumstances, sect members resolve disputes through the life-or-death arena,” the girl said. “However, you two are prisoners of war, and certain rights do not apply to you. For one, your bodies and lives are owned by the Shadow Devil Sect. You aren’t allowed to damage property of the sect, much less destroy it.”
“Ri! You’re so smart!”
Property, is it…?