Feng Han held the ring, feeling the weight of consequence within it. If he put it on, he'd have truly turned his back on reconciliation with the pursuers. But after everything they'd put him through, that didn't seem so bad.

  "I've heard merchants talk about it before. Is this how..."

  He put the ring on and focused his mind on it as his qi enveloped it. Inside was a surprisingly vast space filled with countless resources. There were treasures as dazzling as the sun and stars, but Feng Han first focused on a robe so he wouldn't feel the cavern's chilly breeze much longer.

  [White and gold suit you. Very dignified colors, but it's a shame it'll get dirty quickly once the blood of your enemies soaks into it.]

  [Hopefully they tear them up a bit as well, really add on to the charm...]

  [That'd be good.]

  Feng Han stared at Baoshi with an unconcealed surprise. It, or she, had been pestering him so harshly since the beginning, but ever since he'd agreed to drink from the chalice, she'd been rather easy to talk to. Though that didn't stop her from being oddly lustful. "Aren't you a bit too greedy for my flesh for a chalice?"

  [Peh. I'm not just some mere chalice. While my soul may be confined to the Golden Chalice, I am still myself. I am Baoshi! Don't forget it.]

  [And don't let my jokes dissuade you. I've been bored for too many years. Whether you end up regretting it or not, you and I are now bonded. Until your demise parts us, you'll need to get used to me.]

  "With everything happening lately," Feng Han muttered. "That's somehow a relief, if nothing else. It's weirdly satisfying having someone like you on my side."

  He continued, "Well, I don't know if you're truly on my side, if I'm being honest. But, having absorbed your teachings and the repeated breakthroughs, I do feel your motives are at least beneficial to me."

  [Of course!]

  Baoshi's voice lacked the sharp mockery it had previously, softening to something akin to a friendly big sister who took care of all the streetrats on her turf.

  [I'll be there as a catalyst for your hunger, from now until forever.]

  [You've just set foot on this path, and there's much for you to learn. A determined man can devour the heavens, but a foolish one will need guidance.]

  "Are you calling me a fool?" Feng Han asked before taking a seat on the cavern's floor beside Baoshi.

  [Little Devourer, you are a fool.]

  [But don't worry, I'll raise you into someone who can walk on his own two feet.]

  "I see," Feng Han said, rubbing the spatial ring on his finger with his thumb. "I guess that isn't so bad, as long as I survive and can get away from Eternal Flame with my sisters."

  [I wouldn't hope for too much. You're still too weak to contend with so many sects all at once. And I can only help so much, my qi is sealed and limited, confined to this vessel.]

  [The wisest would be to give up on your sisters and flee. Grow in strength and then return, hoping for the best. But... I know you won't do such a thing.]

  "Never," Feng Han said, his voice stern and determined as his body tensed upright. "I would rather die than abandon Yue'er and Xue'er."

  [I know. If you were so quick to change your mind... You wouldn't be the one I chose.]

  [For now, I can only say, do everything you can to grow as fast as possible. Check the ring, and let's see if there's anything beneficial to you.]

  "You don't know what's inside?"

  [I caught a glimpse, but mainly I slept. Only blood, flesh, and people intrigue me, not some trifling baubles.]

  [Still, that doesn't mean it can't be of use to you, at your current level.]

  "That's true," Feng Han said, nodding as he focused on the ring's interior once more. "It's an impressive space... but how do I know what's useful for me?"

  [I'm here, aren't I? Once you drank from me, a bond was formed. Once you focus on the space, I can do the same.]

  [Let's see...]

  [Wealth is fairly meaningless most of the time, but it's good to have. You have plenty of mortal coins, which you should know more than well enough how to use.]

  [As for the spirit crystals, they're pretty useless to you until you reach Qi Refining, which is the next realm. Still, it's good to have and will help you cut some corners later.]

  [The manuals... they're all rubbish for your needs. Actually—]

  Baoshi paused herself and sent her qi into the ring through Feng Han. Inside, a single tome glowed golden as she enveloped it, causing Feng Han to remove it from the ring.

  "Yinfire Blade?"

  [That's right. It's not a horrible body forging technique that allows you to manipulate qi in short bursts for a potent melee attack in close quarters.]

  [It's easy enough to use, and I can help you speed up the learning process. But there is a downside, which is that it belongs to the sect that's pursuing you.]

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  [I would still recommend accepting it. It'll go well with the Heaven Devouring Art.]

  "If it'll help me survive and accomplish my goals, I'll gladly learn it. The Frozen Flame Sect can be damned."

  [That's the spirit.]

  Baoshi enveloped the manual in her qi and absorbed it into the chalice before moving toward Feng Han and transmitting her teachings directly into his mind.

  [Focus on it for now. To forge the Godsin physique, you'll need more blood, and to use the Heaven Devouring Art, you'll need more opportunity. With these three techniques as your foundation, body forging will be a swim in a lake for you.]

  "You make it sound so easy..." Feng Han said, cocking his brow as he processed Baoshi's words and her teachings. "Are you speaking based on my potential, or your previous experiences?"

  [Well...]

  [A bit of both, I suppose?]

  [You certainly do have potential; it'd have been foolish of me to give you this opportunity otherwise, regardless of how closely you match my type. And my experiences do hold their weight in gold, despite my current circumstances. All in all, if you can't grow with all this in your favor, I'll kill you myself.]

  "I see..." Feng Han chuckled helplessly. "How reassuring of you."

  "I'll do my best, for my sake and for yours. As long as I can protect Yue'er and Xue'er and get away from this god-forsaken city with its festering society, I'll do whatever it takes."

  Feng Han closed his eyes, exhaling sharply as he focused his mind on the Yinfire Blade Technique.

  It was a body forging technique by all means. However, being the signature technique taught to all Frozen Flame Sect disciples, it was closer to the peak of body forging, touching barely upon the threshold of qi refining in nature.

  Feng Han's qi moved through his meridians along a predetermined path. With every exhale, he pushed it further, until a flicker of qi sparked from his fingertips.

  It wasn't ideal. So Feng Han tried again.

  After nearly half a dozen attempts, he exhaled and raised his hand, forming a one-inch violet blade of qi from his fingertips.

  "It's not bad," Feng Han said, flicking his hand side to side and feeling the blade's presence. "As my proficiency increases, I'll be able to make it longer and harness it through actual weapons?"

  [Pretty much. It's not a bad understanding of it. As I said, it's not the most complex of techniques, were it not for your circumstances, it'd be trash, but as is, it's barely passable.]

  "Thank you, Baoshi."

  [It's nothing.]

  [It's perhaps cruel to say to you, when you're but a boy still, but you and I both need blood. For me to recover more and to help you, I'll need nourishment. And the same goes for you, to increase your cultivation and to become a true Heaven Devourer, you'll need an endless amount of lifeblood.]

  [You won't be able to escape it either.]

  [Once you became bound to me, your hunger would resonate with mine. As I said before, I am a catalyst, and you will be the mouthpiece.]

  Feng Han listened silently, a dreadful sensation welling inside him—but likewise he knew he had little choice lest the Frozen Flame Sect swallow him whole.

  They had a reputation in Eternal Flame City of being cold and callous. Elites who cared very little for mortal life. They weren't demons by any means, but still, they were hardly friends either.

  "I understand what you're saying. It's essentially a causality of helping you, isn't it? The sin I have to bear, as you said. It's the hunger that can't be satiated without struggling desperately against the odds, and killing beyond the normal?"

  [You seem so calm while uttering such words. It's good that you realize.]

  [The world is cruel, and everyone wants strength for their own selfish needs. Righteousness? Cruelty? Betrayal? Murder? Those are all concepts made by the weak and powerless. The same ones who would stab a knife in your back the moment you showed a sign of weakness greater than their own.]

  [You can't get overconfident. I'm not your savior. I'm not a miracle. And you, boy. You've merely reached the sixth layer of body forging. In this world, you're nothing and nobody.]

  [But, it doesn't always need to be that way.]

  [You can become someone. As long as your heart is determined, this path won't ever betray you for as long as you're loyal to it.]

  "I've been orphaned since I was five, my memory of my mother and father a speck of dirt in the furthest reaches of my mind by now. All I've ever had were my sisters. I've killed before. It doesn't bother me, but... I won't take lives meaninglessly, and you won't force me to do so."

  "I'll do whatever it takes to protect Yue'er and Xue'er. I'll go to the ends of hell for them. And with the Frozen Flame Sect pursuing me, there should be plenty of targets to feed you with. If there are those who bear their teeth and killing intent toward me, I won't show them mercy."

  [That is fine. Again, I know you have your own standards of living. And I don't need you to become a monster—not for my sake or for yours.]

  [It was bad enough when the Heavens proclaimed our kind as sinners of the worst degree. Hunting us mercilessly without stopping. It forced us to be harsher and crueler as a result. Still, I know it's a different time, and you are not us.]

  [The old days are gone. The people turned to ash, scattered across the myriad realms.]

  [As long as your decisions don't harm me, you have your own freedom to make your own choices.]

  "Why couldn't you be so approachable from the beginning...?"

  [What?]

  Baoshi huffed, her voice heavy as it slammed through Feng Han's mindscape.

  [It'd be foolish to give myself to you without any forethought. Foolish boy. Whether it's your personality or your potential, I have to see how you act and react before committing to you.]

  "I suppose it makes sense..." Feng Han said, chuckling awkwardly as he attempted to placate the chalice. "You're wise and careful; it shows experience."

  He continued, "Actually, that reminds me of another question. How come you didn't simply bond with the cultivator that I took you from?"

  [Him?]

  [He's not simple. Don't be blinded by the fact that you took the ring off him. That one has a treacherous heart inside him.]

  [While in his possession, I felt my seal enhanced by external means. I don't think he ever intended to use me for anything. Whether he knew or didn't know my identity or abilities, I have no idea.]

  [It's unimportant anyway.]

  [Listen to me, little Han, I've used up too much of my strength to make you at least slightly presentable as a cultivator. But by doing so, I need to rest and recover. Since you're adamant on finding your sisters, you'll need to traverse the wild yourself.]

  "I understand, Baoshi," Feng Han said, his smile warm as he looked at the hovering chalice. It terrified him before, but everything that had happened made him rather fond of it. "You brought me away last time, was it? Are we still close to the cities at least?"

  "Hello?"

  Baoshi remained silent and flashed, disappearing into Feng Han's mindscape.

  "You're kidding me..."

  A sudden pang of worry struck Feng Han. Baoshi's silence weighed heavily as he contemplated where he could be. "Fine, I'll figure it out once I exit the cavern, whether I like it or not."

  "Wait for me, Yue'er, Xue'er, brother's coming!"