The Sorceress: Blossoming Power

Xinyi laid two fingers on Nianshi's pulse to examine his body condition. She learned this from Lifen Ma. A minute after, her chest loosened to find nothing noteworthy. There were only recuperating, she thought. 

The topic in the book went to the different beings in Chiji and sparked her interest. 

Spirit Beings are composed of Spirit Beasts, Spirit Lands, and Chiangdas. 

There are different animals or creatures in this world. The animals are categorized into three: ordinary, magical, and the spirit beasts. Ordinary animals have no powers. Magical animals have powers, but they can't speak. 

Spirit Beasts can speak and think like humans. They have powers comparable or greater than Chiangdas. Most are deadly and should not be taken lightly.

The last two types are hunted by humans for their hide to forge armors and weapons, and the meat for strength or for healing certain illnesses.

She agreed on the willfulness of spirit beasts as a person who spent most of her life with animals. The fox-spider was a good example. 

About the meat use for healing, she hadn't known this. She figured the animals might have hidden this important point from her. Regardless, meat was not in her diet, so how could she know?

Spirit Lands are different land formations like rivers, springs, forest, a garden. It has a life essence that nourishes and strengthens Chiangdas, magical beasts and spirit beasts. It can even heal normal humans with the uncommon and deadly illnesses. 

I heard cases that these spirit lands could heal a person was in a critical stage or on the verge of death but never encountered one. 

"Hmm, so that's the reason Xionmao doesn't want us to tell anyone about the water from the sacred river. That makes sense. If these spirit lands could really heal even a dying man, greedy man should not get a hold of these places." She said to herself while reading.

After reading those parts, her body ached and wished to move around. She swept her gaze around to ask the Godingans to teach her their fighting style. But dismayed to find them sleeping. Staying inside this tunnel for a long period would make one lazy.

Unknown to her, each was busy in their own musings with eyes shut. Their minds worked on how they could prevail without relying so much on their powers when the same situation in the snowy lands came along their travels. 

Being alone and no one to talk to, her mind drifted and went back on the reason why they were here, to find Ming. This led her to get anxious again. Anxious of the well-being of the two dragons and eager to leave the tunnel and find Ming.

Her eyes went to Nianshi again.

"Alva, why didn't they wake up yet? There must be something wrong with them."

"Hmm, this is unusual. I suggest you read the book about healing. I think I read something like this a long time ago." Alva said through telepathy.

"When was this long time ago?"

"Hmm, I think that was one of the books I read first after the first Sorceress brought these ocean of books. So think of it as hundreds of years ago. Haha. Just read it."

She agreed with Alva, but something itched in her. Xinyi thought of trying her healing essence to Nianshi. 

She laid her hand on Nianshi's chest and tried to let her healing essence run through his body but after three full rounds of her essence, beads of sweat dropped from her forehead but there were no changes in Nianshi's countenance. 

It seemed healing this legendary dragon was not as easy as healing ordinary humans. This experience broadened her horizons.

Her mind reeled to understand why. The conclusion she had was because of their body constitution and as powerful beings. 

Even though they were in their human form, they were still humongous and powerful dragons. With only her present power to utilize, failure was imminent. 

She let out a deep sigh. With shame, the outcome disappointed her and admitted her incompetence. However, she always believed that there was a solution in every problem and she had to find it. 

Looking at the two books in front of her, she was unsure on which to read.

Analyzing her indecisiveness, she finally understood that she was not planning well. All she did was letting her worries lead her to what she would do. She had no clear aim, although her desire to learn and improve was there.

I'm a scatterbrain. That's why I'm this weak that even a spider won't recognize. 

With this in mind, she found her two priorities. 

First, learning the fighting style of the first Sorceress, so she could face the willful spirit guardians and her future enemies. And time was of the essence. She couldn't waste more. Xinyi was now eighteen. Only two years left before her twentieth birthday. 

Two years would pass away before she would know it. She had to find the tomb and get the crown, but this could also be another perilous journey. She had a foreboding that she would face unknown obstacles before she could even reach that age, and that would be c.u.mbersome if she was not prepared. 

This trip to the chameleon's lair was even more troublesome than expected. To face a lot of trials, she thought was handmade by her predecessor in this journey, was out of her expectations. Thus, she prepared herself to meet no lesser or maybe greater obstacles in finding the tomb and getting the crown. 

Thinking through these irritated her, too. Why would her predecessor lay so many obstacles for her? Why didn't she pave an easier path than this tiresome one? Why was Ming included in this, or was it just a coincidence? Was Ming's mishap and disappearance orchestrated by her predecessor? But to whom to ask or voice her complaints? She could only sigh in resignation.

Little did she know the late Sorceress laid this not for her but to protect the two principal spirit beings that gave life to the power chain of which she would see and know later.

The second pressing matter was building her knowledge about healing. She had to wake Nianshi and Meirga, not just out of guilt of her mistake that led them to this terrible situation, but because she didn't want to lose Nianshi the most. Ming's situation was also another matter related to healing. 

In the end, she decided to learn both fighting and healing arts while biting small chunks of knowledge of each at a time.

She divided her daily activities in three portions. In the morning, she would study the art of healing and in the afternoon would be The Colorful Stone Power of the Chief Guardian. At night, she would study the different power essences in her, so she could read books about them before retiring at night.

About the Chiangda clans and rituals, she set it aside at the corner of her mind, for this was not an urgent matter for their present circ.u.mstance, she thought.