Legacy of Hatred

Something heavy slammed on Liam’s chest. The weight of those words squeezed his heart, forcing him to close his eyes to endure the blow before he could continue reading.

Still, as soon as Liam did, an endless tide of information tried to drown him.

Lists with too many ingredients to count appeared right outside Liam’s mind, ready to be browsed.

Countless recipes of wildly different ranks followed. Most belonged to rank 1 alchemical products, but they reached as high as the fourth rank, with some incomplete ones carrying an even greater number.

Teachings on all kinds of topics were also among the tide of information. Most dealt with alchemy, but others tackled the cultivation journey as a whole, even covering aspects Liam hadn’t had the time to learn or that were too distant for him to consider.

And all that featured Horace Rauret’s personal considerations, notes, comments, and suggestions from his life experience and direct tackling of those issues.

Liam had to pull back his mind to avoid feeling overwhelmed. He would have to spend years learning all that, and even longer to become strong enough to tackle some of those topics.

After all, the jade contained a lifetime of knowledge, and not just anyone’s. It possessed what a legendary figure like Horace Rauret had dedicated his life to.

For a long time, Liam could only stare down at the green jade, holding it with both hands, feeling the weight of a life too grand for him even to conceive.

Even a fraction of the information the jade contained would be a priceless treasure, and all that belonged to Liam now, the sole rightful heir of the great Horace Rauret.

At once, Liam knew he had never possessed anything so precious. Honestly, he believed nothing else could surpass that. After all, he was literally holding his Master’s life.

And there was no delaying the unavoidable anymore. The tide of thoughts and emotions finally hit Liam, becoming unstoppable.

After almost one year in the Pale Moon Sect learning all sorts of things, experiencing aspects of life Liam would have never imagined, meeting people he cared for as deeply as his dead family, he was once again alone.

Liam had always known about that inevitability, but the change had been too abrupt, radical, and sad. His life had actually featured so much that the old him wouldn’t believe, and it was now gone.

In the Sect, Liam had the trustworthy Joel, the stern Disciplinary Elder, Melissa’s brightening and relaxing presence, and his Master. He had a home, affections, and systems he could rely on. He had built his life on the foundation the Pale Moon Sect had provided, only for all that to be no more.

It was strange how people failed to appreciate what they had until they lost it. Liam should have known since he had his family ripped out from him, but he realized that he had been blind.

Sure, life in the Sect was harsh. Liam had gotten close to fainting from exhaustion multiple times, and he had actually collapsed, too. The politics were annoying, and danger and internal strife were always around the corner.

However, Liam had his morning lessons with a knowledgeable, powerful figure. He had his concoctions in the afternoon with Melissa by his side, and the nights spent learning from his Master.

The sole idea that Liam couldn’t hear his Master’s scoldings, follow the Disciplinary Elder’s directives, or enjoy intimate, fulfilling moments with Melissa anymore tried to break his heart, and it partially did.

Cyrus’ words inevitably came to mind. It wasn’t perfect, and it probably never would be, but Liam had been happy, so much so that he struggled to believe how he had only just realized it.

And the realizations didn’t end there.

The conversation with Anastasia had enlightened Liam on matters of the heart in ways that even his still-inexperienced mind could understand.

’It wasn’t just lust, was it?’ Liam thought, using the only thread he could follow. ’The Phoenix of Passion, Life ... and Love.’

Liam pressed his hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat. It was steady and powerful, nothing like what happened when he did those things with Melissa, and he believed he knew what that was now.

’Melissa, I understand what this is now,’ Liam responded to a conversation in his memory. ’It’s love, isn’t it?’

Sadly, Melissa wasn’t there for Liam to tell her that she didn’t have to wait for his stupid brain to understand anymore. He couldn’t profess his real feelings to her. He couldn’t do anything with her at all.

And then there was Liam’s Master.

Liam replayed the battle he had been unable to inspect in his mind. Even in that challenging moment, his Master had imparted a new, astonishing lesson, and that wasn’t all.

Liam hadn’t forgotten the white-masked man’s last whisper, his chant at the sky as if it were a promise to the Heavens.

’Nine is perfection,’ Liam recalled, ’Ten is diabolical. Ten is divine.’

Liam was almost certain those words weren’t for him. They were probably the creed of a Demonic Sect standing in opposition to the Dragon Kingdom, to a son of an Ancestral Beast, turning common knowledge into enmity.

But the white-masked man was dead, too, and with him, the last one who knew about Liam’s origin. He was safer than he had ever been. His Master had made sure of that.

’How can I even surpass such heights?’ Liam considered. ’How can anyone be so grand?’

Horace Rauret had been able to cause the end of his world while fighting at his weakest. He had made extensive preparations for Liam’s departure without him knowing about it, even intervening during a crisis he shouldn’t have suspected.

Then, there was the green jade and the countless, heavy records of a life too big to imagine. Horace Rauret had truly been legendary in more ways than one, and Liam was proof of all that.

And Liam had vowed to surpass such a legendary figure. That was what his Master had demanded before officially accepting him as his disciple.

’Never again,’ Liam vowed to himself. ’I won’t fail to recognize happiness ever again.’

Liam should be utterly depressed after losing so much so suddenly. His legs were also killing him due to the prolonged run. He had every right to be exhausted, but he stood up instead, the green jade disappearing in the space-ring.

Liam might have indeed lost everything he cared about, but unlike with his family, it wasn’t gone forever. Melissa was still out there. His Master was still out there. Even the Dragon King, or Dragons, were still waiting for him in the Inner Circles.

Death was final, but everything was still alive, meaning that Liam could get it back and more.

Liam waved his hand, and translucent crystals fell from it, accumulating on the floor. A single log came next, which Liam placed in the middle of the spirit stones, before taking out two cauldrons from the space-ring.

Liam was unable even to conceive surpassing his Master. He couldn’t imagine the road toward levels of greatness beyond what had earned his bottomless respect.

However, Liam knew what the first step was. It was time for him to enter the rooting stage.