Chapter Seven: Utter Ignorance

In the letter of audience delivered from the Sacred Land of Jade Lake, the contents were brief, penned by a disciple of that holy place. Yet Xu Zhe read it over and over, his expression growing ever more complex, before finally setting it aside and picking up the second letter…

The third, the fourth…

At last, when Xu Zhe had finished reading all the letters of the first category, he leaned back slightly on the sofa, his gaze drifting to the window.

The sky was a pale blue, with sunlight streaming through scattered clouds, yet the very air felt so foreign it was almost difficult to breathe.

"Chu Xiaotong..."

After a moment, Xu Zhe straightened, selected the letter sent on behalf of Chu Xiaotong, and walked to the door, handing it to Zhang Chang, who had been waiting for some time.

Zhang Chang took the letter, visibly surprised. Xu Zhe's choice for his first meeting was not one of those he had anticipated.

But he did not ask further, simply bowing and withdrawing.

Xu Zhe returned to the sofa, his mind awash with memories. In his thoughts, the image of a short-haired young woman emerged—Chu Xiaotong.

She had once been a campus beauty at university, his childhood neighbor and what might be called a childhood friend, though both preferred to describe their relationship as more akin to brothers-in-arms.

Their decade-long neighborly bond brought deep familiarity, but never blossomed into romance.

Unlike the serene and gentle Lin Keyi, Chu Xiaotong was curvaceous and athletic, sporting a neat crop of short hair, passionate about fitness and combat, and formidable enough to take on three ordinary men at once without breaking a sweat. At school, countless students had called her "Brother Tong."

Yet this did nothing to diminish her allure, nor did it reduce the number of suitors she attracted—her admirers were no fewer than Lin Keyi’s. Rumor even had it that many lonely young men would gaze at her photos late at night, lost in longing.

After Xu Zhe started dating Lin Keyi, his contact with Chu Xiaotong gradually lessened. They maintained only a cordial friendship, exchanging a greeting and the occasional joke when they met.

"I remember hearing in the valley that people were talking about you becoming a Martial God... or rather, a Valkyrie. Ha, that suits you perfectly—still the same iron-willed woman." Xu Zhe chuckled to himself.

"It seems you’re the only one who hasn’t changed," he murmured, gazing out the window again.

A flock of birds swept across the sky, lending a touch of vitality to the air.

Knock, knock—

Soon, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Xu Zhe replied.

The wooden door opened quietly, and in stepped a young woman clad in armor, radiating a striking and heroic presence.

It was not Chu Xiaotong, but her aura was somewhat similar.

"Hello, Uncle Xu! I am Little Valkyrie, Qu Hongxiu!"

As soon as she entered, the girl’s serious demeanor vanished, replaced by a sweet smile.

Uncle?

Xu Zhe immediately straightened, startled.

"Please don’t misunderstand, Uncle Xu. My master told me to address you this way. She said you’re stubborn, too proper, and far too innocent, so I should be especially polite when I meet you."

Qu Hongxiu spoke as she walked over and plopped herself on the sofa, crossing her long, toned legs in a relaxed pose. Her bright eyes brimmed with curiosity as she studied Xu Zhe.

"Uncle Xu, you’re so beautiful!" she exclaimed.

"Enough! Our language is rich and profound, but words mustn't be misused, or you’ll be laughed at. I am handsome, not beautiful," Xu Zhe corrected sternly.

Qu Hongxiu pouted in disagreement. "That’s not true. There are many men in the Vermilion Bird Camp—tall, strong, arms thicker than your legs, full of power. When they slay monsters, they roar and laugh, so dashing! But you—well, you look so delicate, like… a beautiful flower, a lovely vase. Anyway, it’s beauty, not handsomeness."

"Whose standards are you using? Wait, that can’t be—Chu Xiaotong’s taste has always been normal. She’s even said I’m handsome," Xu Zhe protested.

"Of course, Master said that herself. She was too busy to come, so she tricked me into coming to see you. She said you were very handsome. Uncle Xu, I’m straightforward, so don’t be upset, but when I first saw you just now, I was a bit disappointed. Still, Master told me to be polite, so I hid it."

Qu Hongxiu grabbed a bottle of Eternal Life Cola from the table and took a swig.

"..."

You may have hidden your feelings, but you just said them out loud!

Xu Zhe was left speechless, and nodded at the cola in her hand. "I already drank from that."

"It’s fine, I’m so thirsty I could die! You have no idea how hard life is on the frontier. When we’re hungry, we eat monster meat; when we’re thirsty, we drink monster blood. There’s nothing as good as cola out there," Qu Hongxiu sighed.

"Indeed. Monster flesh and blood, if not properly prepared, are best consumed sparingly," Xu Zhe agreed. Unless refined into elixirs, consuming monster flesh and blood directly could taint one’s spiritual power and hinder cultivation.

Qu Hongxiu’s eyes lit up in delight as she looked at Xu Zhe. "Wow, Uncle Xu, you’re fresh out of your slumber and already know this? Just like Master said, you’re not only innocent but also very clever and focused—no genius can compare!"

"She exaggerates. I simply tend to think things through more than most," Xu Zhe waved off, smiling. "So, what message did your master send you to deliver?"

"Ah, right! I almost forgot the important part. Hold on, Uncle Xu."

Remembering her task, Qu Hongxiu rummaged about and retrieved a small slip of paper from her chestplate.

Then, imitating someone’s serious demeanor, she sat upright and read aloud in a stilted tone:

"Xu Zhe, when you hear these words, you must be confused and hurting. Don’t worry, try to see things in a brighter light—there are plenty of flowers in the world. Lin Keyi’s actions are understandable.

You’ve only just awakened, so everything from the past is still fresh to you, as if you’d just woken from a long dream.

But it’s different for us. Lin Keyi waited for you for thousands of years, never expecting you would be the last to awaken.

She contacted me recently. Now, she wishes only to live quietly, devoting herself to the Dao and shutting herself off from worldly affairs. She didn’t know how to explain this to you. My advice to her was to simply be direct—and to send you some precious treasures. You’ll find them useful. This isn’t meant as a breakup fee, just a token of friendship. If you are hurt, come find me at the frontier. I’ll take you hunting monsters—you can vent all you wish."

Qu Hongxiu finished reading and looked up at Xu Zhe with bright eyes. "Uncle Xu, I’ve finished."

"Oh." Xu Zhe nodded and, after a moment’s thought, asked, "So Lin Keyi really sent someone to break up with me?"

"Huh?" Qu Hongxiu stared, wide-eyed. "Uncle Xu, you… didn’t know? Oh no, did I say it too soon?"

"I really didn’t. But I had a vague suspicion," Xu Zhe replied with a smile.

"No way! Was I the first one you met? Why?" Qu Hongxiu was confused.

She’d heard Chu Xiaotong talk about Xu Zhe many times, and also about the other prodigies. She knew well about Xu Zhe’s past with Lin Keyi.

So it wasn’t just Chu Xiaotong—Qu Hongxiu herself had assumed Xu Zhe’s first audience would be with someone from Jade Lake.

Xu Zhe smiled lightly. "Perhaps it’s because… in all these letters, you were the only one who asked to visit me. Everyone else wanted me to go to them."

"Oh…" Qu Hongxiu seemed to understand, her brows knitting in displeasure. "That’s outrageous. No one dared act like that before. It must be because you have mortal blood, and your spiritual root—uh, Uncle Xu, I—"

"It’s alright, I understand. You’re just being honest," Xu Zhe said. "I heard them mention bloodlines in the valley. Is human blood really so weak?"

"It is… quite weak. Prodigies are powerful because their bloodline compatibility is extremely high—almost always nine stars, sometimes eight. For example, my master has a nine-star Vermilion Bird bloodline, naturally wielding Vermilion Bird fire, which is stronger than any fire technique on the Azure Bestowal Continent. Combined with her Heavenly Fire spiritual root, she’s unmatched in the world."

Whenever Qu Hongxiu spoke of Chu Xiaotong, pride shone on her face.

"You even have compatibility ratings?" Xu Zhe was surprised by this system.

"Yes, it’s recorded in the ancient texts. Ten thousand years ago, before the prodigies appeared, the highest bloodline compatibility on the Azure Bestowal Continent was only five stars—a human man and a monster woman’s son. Back then, there was already a grading system and a special stele for testing bloodline compatibility," Qu Hongxiu explained.

"I see," Xu Zhe nodded. This so-called compatibility clearly referred to the concentration of monster blood in one’s veins—the higher the content, the higher the star rating.

With this in mind, his expression grew grave.

"So, out of our hundred people—no, out of the ninety-nine others besides me, all of them have monster blood?"

A hazy memory surfaced: the remote island from years ago, the beasts and divine monsters imprisoned beneath it, their blood being drawn and channeled toward the sleeping pods.

"Yes. In fact, every prodigy’s pod had its own symbol. My master’s pod was engraved with a Vermilion Bird. Yours, Uncle Xu, had a dragon. Yet, before you, every prodigy’s bloodline matched their pod’s totem—except for you… you ended up with mortal blood."

Qu Hongxiu eyed Xu Zhe curiously, as if hoping he could explain.

Xu Zhe remained silent, his brow furrowed in thought.

He understood now: the bloodlines of Chu Xiaotong, Li Chungang, and the others had been altered by the pods beneath that remote island, their original human blood replaced by that of divine beasts.

But why did everyone, including Qu Hongxiu, insist that mortal blood was the weakest?

Pure human blood—how could it be weak?

In the Celestial Domain, human bloodlines reigned supreme!

Wait—Qu Hongxiu had just said the Vermilion Bird’s fire was stronger than any fire art on this continent?

Impossible, surely not?

Had no one here cultivated the Universe Fire Art? Or the Primordial Heavenly Fire Art, the Earthshade Netherfire Art, the Heavenly Gang Yangfire Art—had they never seen such techniques?

Xu Zhe was astonished. In the Celestial Domain, he could recite a hundred fire arts off the top of his head, each ten or a hundred times stronger than the Vermilion Bird’s fire. In the imperial family’s library, such arts were mere playthings to him.

And yet, here on the Azure Bestowal Continent, Vermilion Bird fire was considered the strongest?

This could only mean one thing—

The cultivation arts of humanity on this continent were too feeble, so weak they couldn’t even match the innate talents of monsters.

No wonder everyone here believed human blood was feeble, monster blood supreme.

How shallow, how ignorant.

They had no idea—in the Celestial Domain, those with monster bloodlines were at the very bottom, most kept by the demon sects as livestock, their strength artificially boosted, only to be reduced to raw materials for pills and artifacts in the end. Pitiful, really!

With this, Xu Zhe couldn’t help but regard Qu Hongxiu with a touch of sympathy.

"What’s your bloodline?" he asked.

Qu Hongxiu puffed out her chest with pride. "I’ve got the Blazing Sun Bird bloodline, six stars!"

Six stars?

Did that mean sixty percent of her blood was from the Blazing Sun Bird?

How tragic.

In the Celestial Domain, that sort of bloodline was only fit to be used by the demon sects for low-grade pills and artifacts.