Chapter 944. The Longing for the Outside World

Nao Mei shrugged. "Having a member with high cultivation is surely beneficial, but as we have said, your Sea of Consciousness will not grow anymore because you have passed the permissible cultivation limit to learn our technique."

"That may be so," Amon said. "But you said it yourself, my Sea of Consciousness seems to be rather developed. I can still learn its applications to the level my Sea of Consciousness is currently at, can’t I?"

Nao Pei and Nao Mei looked at one another before answering, "Maybe. We never have a member with a cultivation level above the Martial Realm, so we don’t know for sure."

"Is there a way to measure my Sea of Consciousness?" Amon asked.

"There is," Nao Pei answered.

"Good. Can I borrow that tool to find out what tier my Sea of Consciousness is?"

"It’s not a tool," Nao Pei said. "Anyone with Sea of Consciousness above the second tier can help another to get to know their Sea of Consciousness."

"However, we are not allowed to do so without an elder’s permission," Nao Mei said. "This is how we help others train their mental power. Even if we only use it to measure yours, we will still be violating the rules. We can’t do that."

’Hm... Obedient type, eh?’ Amon thought. However, he could see behind their façade that there was hidden resentment. This was one of the reasons why he chose to approach these two.

"If this village’s rules say so, then we shouldn’t violate them," Amon said. "I’m, after all, a guest. I will never forgive myself if you two get into trouble because of me."

"I’m glad you understand," Nao Mei said appreciatively.

"That said, don’t you feel bored? Living in a small village like this. Were you born here?"

"... No, we were from outside this village. Everyone here is the same," Nao Mei answered.

"What do you mean? Surely, someone is born here, right?"

"No. It is as she said. Everyone here came from the outside," Nao Pei replied.

"That is interesting. Care to elaborate? Why does no one give birth here?"

Nao Pei and Nao Mei looked at one another before saying, "It is better if you wait for the grand elder. If she accepts you, you will learn of our village’s secret."

"Very well. I will do that. Let’s hope I don’t need to wait long. I will let you get back to your work." Amon ended the conversation and left. He didn’t want to give the impression of having a hidden agenda. Influencing others was like cultivating. It must be done slowly and progressively. He at least had planted some seeds in those two.

*

Over the next few days, he conversed with the two daily. Sometimes when the two were together, and sometimes when they were apart. As he conversed, he never stopped mentioning the outside world. He could see the restrained longing whenever they heard him mentioning it. This continued until one day, Nao Pei initiated the topic.

"Tell me about the lower world," he said. "You did come from there, didn’t you?"

"See this tail?" Amon moved his scorpion tail around. "You can only get this in the lower world. There are specialists in that world called Flesh Alterers. They alter the organic parts in people or spirit beasts."

"Fascinating," Nao Pei remarked.

"But why choose to have a tail? Don’t you feel weird?" Nao Mei asked.

Amon chuckled. "The lower world is a rowdy place. People do weird things to survive. That includes altering their bodies. If it gives you an advantage over others, then it is worth it."

"Sounds like a scary place."

"It is, but it can be beautiful as well. You just have to know where to look for it. I would love to bring you there."

Amon’s words caused the two’s faces to turn sour.

"What’s wrong?" He pretended to be surprised. "Did I say something wrong?"

Nao Mei shook her head. "Don’t worry about it," she said.

"Is it because the elders will not let you visit the lower world? Let me talk to them. I’m quite a big shot there, so I can guarantee your safety. You don’t need to worry."

"That’s not the problem," Nao Pei said. "Never mind the lower world. We can’t even remember what the upper world outside this village is like."

"Are you telling me that you can’t leave this village ever...? But, aren’t there two villagers who are currently travelling outside the village?"

"Only the elders are allowed that privilege, and only if the grand elder approves it. Anyone else is prohibited from stepping outside of this village."

"Even if we wanted to, we couldn’t," Nao Pei said. Amon could hear the bitterness in his voice. Nao Pei no longer hid his emotions. This pleased Amon. "The formation around this village creates an illusion that traps us inside. Only someone with fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness who specializes in mind control can navigate through the illusions. Only two people have that ability. One of the two is our grand elder."

"You mentioned before there are only five people in this village with fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness. Can you tell me who these five are?" Amon asked.

"They were our five elders. In a way, they are the leaders of this village," Nao Mei informed. "The main leader is, of course, our grand elder, Nao Zuanyi. She specializes in mind control abilities and is the best at it. Another who specializes in mind reading is Elder Nao Thu, who we have mentioned before. The two who watch over you when you are unconscious are also elders. Elder Nao Dou has the same specialization as the grand elder. Although they are both at the fourth-tier Sea of Consciousness, Elder Nao Dou’s mastery of his mind control still loses to Grand Elder Nao Zuan Yi. As for Elder Nao Xin, she specializes in the Mind Blast ability."

"The fifth elder is the one who is currently accompanying Grand Elder Nan Zuanyi in the outside world," Nao Pei added. "His name is Nao Dongli. He is my mentor. Like me, he specializes in telekinesis."

Amon nodded. "How long, on average, do the elders spend when traveling outside the village? Do you know an estimate of when the two traveling elders will return?"

Nao Pei shrugged. "It is different every time. Sometimes they spend only a few weeks. Sometimes, months. The longest they have ever been absent is two years."

"When did the grand elder depart on her current travel?"

Nao Pei turned to Nao Mei, indicating he didn’t remember. Nao Mei answered for him, "Grand Elder Nao Zuanyi and Elder Nao Dongli left this village around three months ago."

"Mm...," Amon muttered. The pair could return tomorrow or next year. He probably had to ask the other elders if he wished to know.

"What is the purpose for the elders to travel outside? Is it to gain supplies?" Amon asked. From what he had seen, the farms the villagers cultivated beside the village didn’t provide much food.

"That’s one reason. Another is to find..."

Nao Pei stopped speaking because Nao Mei nudged his arm.

Amon caught the signal. He said with a friendly smile, "If this is another of the village’s secrets, it’s okay, no need to tell me. Anyway, my offer still stands. If you ever leave this village, I would love to bring you around to see the lower world. Though we probably must wait for you to improve your Sea of Consciousness to the fourth tier and become an elder before we can do that."

"We might achieve that, but you will never be able to," Nao Pei told Amon. "That means you will never leave this village."

Amon’s smile remained. "I believe I can find a way to persuade your grand elder to let me leave."

"Really. If you can do that, that will be a first," Nao Pei said.

"Don’t count on it," Nao Mei added.

*

Day after day, Amon continued to converse with the two, especially Nao Pei. The man seemed to harbor more resentment for being confined in this place. Every time they talked, Amon mentioned the outside world, pouring fuel little by little to grow the fire that had begun burning inside Nao Pei’s heart.

One day, Amon noticed Nao Pei at a tipping point. He was moving several large boulders with his mind. Rather than training, he looked more like someone who was venting his frustration. He kept slamming the flying boulders onto the ground, causing it to crack.

"If you are in a bad mood, I will come later," Amon said to announce his presence.

Nao Pei turned to him, showed a surprised expression, and said apologetically, "Brother Amon, forgive me. I’m too absorbed in my thoughts that I didn’t notice your arrival."

He let the boulders land into a pile beside him. "Please stay. Our conversations are what make my day nowadays."

"Well, I can understand." Amon chuckled. "Considering you cannot leave and have only the same people to converse with, I can see how a stranger like me makes things interesting."

The mention of not leaving soured Nao Pei’s expression again.

"I’m sorry if I said something wrong," Amon apologized.

"It’s not your fault," Nao Pei said. "... Please don’t tell others about this, but lately, I can’t stop myself from wishing that Elder Nao Dongli never found me and brought me to this village."

Amon slightly grinned. "If you don’t mind, I would love to hear about your past."