When Han Sen placed the second drop of blood before the God Spirit Touch, it didnât behave any differently. It swallowed the droplet, then returned to its previous, motionless state. The four waited around for a long time, hoping something would happen. But there the bug remained, at the bottom of the canister, not moving an inch. If they hadnât seen it swallow the blood, they would have believed the insect to be dead.
The man frowned. He had no idea what was going on. He picked up the God Spirit Touch again, trying to make sure there was nothing wrong with it.
âWeird. No matter how bad his skills are, it shouldnât be possible for him to be entirely without an armor talent.â The man continued to poke and investigate the creature, but he learned nothing.
âMaybe the God Spirit Touch is simply too old, and it can no longer shed its shell?â Exquisite paused, then went on to say, âThis God Spirit Touch is the very first God Spirit Touch that once belonged to the alpha, is it not? It performed tests here for much of the alphaâs life, and that was eons ago. Perhaps it really has finally succumbed to old age.â
The man shook his head and said, âWhen Bixi brought Yu Shanxin here, they conducted the test just fine. That wasnât very long ago. Why would it suddenly stop working now?â
âWell, aside from that, what other possibilities can you think of? There is no way that Han Sen is lacking even a single armor talent,â Exquisite said. The man knew that was impossible, too. Without a four armor talent or above, reaching King class was impossible. If Han Sen was already King class, no matter how bad his talents were, he couldnât have an armor talent less than four. âThis is weird,â the man said with queer hesitation. He put out his finger and sliced it, releasing a thin trickle of his own blood. He let it bleed near the God Spirit Touchâs mouth to see if the creature reacted like normal.
The God Spirit Touch had been lying in the same spot ever since consuming Han Senâs blood. It didnât react to the manâs blood, at all. It was like it had become too old and numb to move a muscle.
âIt really is growing feeble in its old age?â The man put his face close to the creature, staring at it in shock.
âIt has lived long enough. It has lived longer than most ordinary God Spirit Touches. Its aging was to be expected, eventually,â Exquisite said.
âWe cannot conduct the test now,â the man said quietly. âI donât have another God Spirit Touch nearby. It looks like we will have to go back and request another one. Then, we can take the test.â
âStop testing him. Iâve decided to make him my silkworm, so it doesnât matter how what armor talent he has,â Exquisite said icily.
âBut...â
The man started to say something, but Exquisite swiftly cut him off. âI donât have time for this. I can decide who I want to be my silkworm, and look: I have made my decision.â
The man opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Eventually, he smiled and said, âIf you have made your decision to accept this boy as your silkworm, then that is fine. In that case, let us proceed to the altar.â
After that, the man led them the remainder of the way. They continued on up the mountain.
When they reached the palace that rested on the mountaintop, the man turned and said, âExquisite, I will be waiting for you outside. If you need anything, please just ask.â
âSecond Brother, please take care of this child. I like this child, so do not upset her,â Exquisite said while looking at Baoâer. âDonât worry, Exquisite. I will take care of her,â the man quickly assured her.
âBaoâer, wait for me here, and donât be a naughty girl. Okay?â Han Sen put Baoâer down. With Baoâerâs personality and power, it wouldnât go well for the man if he tried anything.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIâll be very nice, dad,â Baoâer said, looking sweetly up at Han Sen.
Han Sen stroked her head and went to the hall with Exquisite.
After they entered the hall, the hall door closed behind them. Han Sen couldnât see hide nor hair of anyone else in the hall. There was an altar at its end, however, and the sight of it prompted him to ask, âThat Second Brother seems different from the other people here.â
Exquisite continued walking toward the altar, but on her way, she said, âThe children of the Very High are separated into two groups. One group suffers the Very High Sense, whereas the others can practice the geno arts they truly fancy. Brother Bixi and I studied the Very High Sense. Second Brother Liyu studied something else.â
âWhy do you have to be separated?â Han Sen asked with curiosity.
Exquisite twitched slightly, but she pretended it was nothing. âPracticing the Very High Sense gradually removes our ability to feel emotions. That can harm our breeding capabilities.â
Now Han Sen understood why they had to be separated. It was so their bloodline could continue. Otherwise, if all of the Very High transformed themselves into emotionless machines, they probably wouldnât reproduce at all. The race wouldnât have lasted very long in that case.
Han Sen raised his head. The altar ahead looked a bit strange. There was a large platform that held a large furnace in its center. Aside from that, the altar was bare.
âPut a drop of your blood into the furnace,â Exquisite said. She held out her finger and dropped her blood into it. Han Sen had known this was coming. Sky Palace Leader had told him what to expect. He lifted his own finger and quickly supplied the furnace with a drop of his blood.
When the jade furnace took in the two drops of blood, it lit up. It began to glow with a shifting cosmic light, and something inside the furnace began to rumble.
Han Sen looked at the jade furnace with curiosity. He couldnât see what was inside it, but the light and presence of the furnace were enough for him to tell that it was stuffed with knowledge about the universe.
As the light grew stronger, it began to gather on the carving on the front of the furnace. The engraved symbols were shaped into a rough triangle.
The light continued to shift restlessly, and the engraving glowed brighter and brighter. And then, the light within the furnace dimmed as it all rushed into the engraving
When the triangular symbol burned like a sun, Exquisite said, âPut your hand against that symbol.â
âWhich hand?â Han Sen asked with a blink.âIt is up to you,â Exquisite said. âMen go left, women go right. In that case, I will use my left hand.â After that, Han Sen placed his left hand on the triangular symbol.
Han Sen felt as if he had pressed his hand against red hot steel. Han Sen jerked his hand away, and when he did, the light on the jade furnaceâs engraving vanished. A shining triangle was now branded on his left hand.
When the burning sensation disappeared, the triangle vanished as well. Han Sen could no longer find any trace of it on his skin.
âIs that it?â Han Sen looked at Exquisite with curiosity.
âYes, it is done,â Exquisite answered with a nod.
Han Sen knew that at this point, Exquisite should be able to feel what he felt and read his mind. His mind should have been an open book to her. So, he started imagining stuff to test it.
In a split second, Exquisite blushed and shouted, âStop!â
âIt looks like you really can read my mind,â Han Sen said while looking at Exquisite.