Path of the Lilies

92. State of Mind

"You see, I'm already surprised when I hear how a young girl like you can stay alive in the forest. But after seeing that you've become Eon Energy Master rank 1, I can say that I understand a bit."

Ye Jiao's body tensed up when she heard the man's statement. She thought that she had hidden her rank very well by not using Eon Energy at all in the man's presence. Who would have thought that he could catch her real rank so easily?

The necklace her father gave her should be able to protect her from other people's probe until Eon Energy Master rank 3.

Rank 3?

Realization struck Ye Jiao. Sheng Ming must be Eon Energy Master rank 4 or above to be able to recognize her real rank immediately. Her body turned stiff as she thought of various ways inside her head to get out of this dangerous situation.

Sheng Ming laughed when he saw the stiff expression on Ye Jiao's face. "There's no need for you to be so stiff, brat. I don't mean any harm for you. Do you think I'll still stay here and chat with you if I want to harm you?"

Ye Jiao didn't put down her guard. Even though she knew it would be suicidal to challenge Eon Energy Master rank 4 with her measly rank 1 strength, she would never give up without fighting.

"What do you want, Senior Sheng?"

"I'm not interested in the dispute Wei Shang had with your father. If anything, Ye Xiao used to be an acquaintance of mine," Sheng Ming explained. "Anyway, I can see that you're a false trash."

"False trash?"

Sheng Ming nodded. "I heard that the stone didn't light up when it's your turn, is that correct?"

"Yes," Ye Jiao acknowledged it. "Isn't that mean I shouldn't have been able to use Eon Energy?"

"Normally yes, but there's another meaning for some rare people," Sheng Ming looked at Ye Jiao. "Those who have talent above A (purple) won't be able to light up the stone and instead destroy it."

Ye Jiao was stupefied to hear the word 'destroy.' She was pretty sure that nothing had happened with the stone as she didn't even make it move.

Seeing her confused expression, Sheng Ming smiled. "You might not know, but people with this talent, which we call S talent, could make the stone lose its power. It'll turn into a fragile stone and got destroyed even with the slightest force."

"Really?"

"Yes," Sheng Ming replied. "But this fact is kept a secret since a long time ago because it's not appropriate for people in secluded places to know."

"Why?"

"Why? You can say that it can be dangerous," Sheng Ming answered calmly. In a place where the normal talent was at the lower one, the existence of an oddity could destroy the balance. The difference between each rank could differ greatly, allowing someone to become stronger so much faster.

Ye Jiao blinked her eyes. "Why are you telling me this, Master Sheng?"

"The first reason is because talent S is extremely rare," Sheng Ming answered. Even in the academy where he stayed, those with the same talent as this girl could be counted with one finger. "Before I forget, how old are you, Ye Jiao?"

"I'm 9."

"9 huh, so it's the upper one," Sheng Ming murmured. He sighed. "Ye Jiao, do you have any interest in joining an academy in the north?"

"I plan to go there after I reach the requirement rank."

"What if I tell you that you can go there directly and there'll be a lot of academies opening their arms to welcome you?"

Ye Jiao froze in her place. Slowly, she looked back at Sheng Ming, who was looking at her with solemn expression. From the way he told her, she knew that someone with the same talent as her was rare. There would only be a handful of people who have the same talent as her in the academy.

However, her conversation she had with Wang Jun made her hesitate. If she decided to leave, she would surely gain the best protection and support as possible. However, did she truly want it that way?

This place might be a place that she hated so much because of what they did to her family, but this was also the place where she met her friends. There were still people she cared for and she didn't want to leave yet. She wanted to settle the scores with those people before she left and spent her time with her friends.

Given how the requirement to enter the academy was Eon Energy Master rank 3, she knew that she would find it hard to see someone close at her age if she went now. Not just her age, those people there would be at higher rank compared to her. Living here might be hard as she would have to face a lot of dangers, but isn't that the point of becoming an Eon Energy Master?

Going on adventure, overcoming danger, and obtaining the opportunities behind the dangers.

"I still won't go," Ye Jiao replied somberly.

Sheng Ming stared at the girl's face for a moment before nodding his head. "I'm glad that you think that way."

"Master Sheng?"

"A lot of people always want to take the shortcut for everything, including power," Sheng Ming said. "But there's no real shortcut for power because there's always a price to pay for the power you obtain."

Ye Jiao tilted her head. "Isn't someone's power depend on their talent?"

Sheng Ming chuckled. "It's normal to think that way since you live in a place where the highest stage is only Eon Energy Master rank 4. However, talent only gives you the advantage in the beginning because later on, the one that you need the most is not only a capable body, but also strong mind."

"Mind?"

"Yes, to overcome the barrier in the martial path, you have to have the heart that's suited to follow the path as a martial artist. A lot of people have the necessary talent to grow, but they didn't have the suitable mind and path," Sheng Ming paused for a moment. He thought that this might be hard for a young girl to digest.

"For example, a lot of people already have enough Eon Energy to advance to rank 4 from rank 3, but only a handful of them succeeded because it depends on their state of mind."

"State of mind," Ye Jiao said the word again as she thought of what Sheng Ming said. She recalled that her mother once mentioned that she could reach rank 4, but her mind was not suited for that. She was still not entirely sure about that, but she knew that it would be something hard to achieve.

Sheng Ming raised his hand and patted the girl's head. "There's no need to think too much for now. You still have a long way to go before you face that wall."