When Shi Lang said that the blood refiners might dwell in the federation, the council was thrown into disarray. Finally, commander Silence raised her hand, and the murmurs stopped. Then, she said, “General Shi, go on.”
Shi Lang nodded, saying, “The blood refiners are spiritual cultivators like us. However, their methods are gory and deadly to others. Absorbing spiritual energy from the atmosphere is very slow. However, it does not have any side effects. While absorbing spiritual energy directly from the blood of a practitioner can provide instant strength.”
He looked around at the people and continued, “Do not think trying it on any prisoner will be nice. The side effect can alter the personality of a person completely. Along with the spiritual energy from the blood, you will also be absorbing the bad thoughts and negative energy that person must have felt against you when you were doing such a thing.”
The people calmed down. Shi Lang was right. They were all wondering if this method could be used against the prisoners they kept. Charlotte Knight asked, “Since they are the same as us, how will we recognize them?”
Commander Silence nodded and wanted to ask about the talisman when Shi Lang said, “This Talisman will be handed over to you all. I will kill you here and now if we have a blood refiner.”
The people tensed up when they were threatened. Shi Lang said, “When you all pass, you will use this talisman to determine whether your immediate subordinates are clear. It will be a cycle. Before every military personnel has been cleared of the suspicion, do not use it against the civilians.”
Commander Silence nodded and said, “This is a good method to control the news from leaking out. Let us not announce that the council is aware of the existence of the blood refiners. Produce these talismans in large quantities and then use them to find the truth.”
The people around the table nodded, and Shi Lang took out fifty talismans. He waved his hands, and the artifacts moved in the void like flower petals in the wind. Under Shi Lang’s control, the talismans were suspended over the heads of the people.
Shi Lang covered the entire room with his spiritual sense and made a seal with his hand. The talismans did not burn up into flames but directly turned into ashes. The young general said, “Congratulations. You all have passed. I suggest that these talismans are mass-produced, but before that, please check all the talisman masters and their students thoroughly. If anyone turns up to be a blood refiner, you can say that this talisman is to detect if they had a unique physique and look deeper into their lineage before you confirm a few things and deal with it.”
The general council discussed the matter at length, and after a couple of hours, they came to a conclusion. The plan was immediately kicked into action. At the same time, the spirit stone mines had become a matter they wanted to discuss with the envoy of the high council.
…
Shi Lang left the special room and came to find Amelia and Chun. The formalities were finished, and the two people were waiting for his return. Finally, the young man asked, “Chun, are you alright?”
Chun nodded with a bitter smile and said, “I have been a trainer in the Ikeran forces, but I do not know if I will be able to deal with the students here.”
Amelia shook her head and said, “You do not have to deal with them. You need to wait and let them adjust to your pace while you change to theirs.”
Chun nodded. She was nervous about entering this new stream of work and experience. Shi Lang did not interfere, and after they finished, he said, “Let us take her to the class first. She will ease up after knowing the students.”
Amelia nodded, and then the trio traveled to the Federal Star Academy. The trip did not take long, as they could fly quickly. Shi Lang held back because the two ladies were lacking in the spiritual realm. However, they could see the awe in the eyes of the people who spotted them.
…
The tour of the academy did not take too long, and Shi Lang introduced Chun to the rest of the students. Theseus was now a second-year student and had matured a lot. The rest of the people were the same too. The best fighter in the class belonged to Quo Lina, who greeted Shi Lang as her master.
The young man passed on a few techniques and taught her how to make up for her lagging areas. Chun was learning all this, and finally, she understood what it meant to teach the children. She was surprised that almost everyone in the class was talented, but they were all humble.
Amelia, in the meanwhile, was teaching the girls how not to spoil Shi Tao, or she would beat them up, and this trick worked. Shi Lang was amused at this whole thing. However, he did not want to interfere because Shi Lang was also not a goody two shoes.
Shi Lang asked Chun to guide the students, and she did. Although she was not very confident, Shi Lang spurred the students to take the initiative and seek help from the lady. They all followed his instructions and did as told.
The children taking the initiative to ask her questions surprised Chun initially. Still, gradually she became used to it and developed an understanding of the people’s personalities. This helped her give them better advice and integrate herself with the class.
In the evening, Shi Lang wanted to invite Chun to dinner, but the students took the initiative to ask the lady. Amelia winked and said, “We should leave them to themselves. It will be easy to groom Chun this way.”
Shi Lang smiled, and holding her hand, the couple left the place.
…
Shi Lang spent the next few days at home, and then he received a message from Crystal. The high council asked him to visit the citadel and go through the records left behind by the master of the spirit beasts. The young man was entangled because Shi Tao was clammering all the time that Shi Lang had not spent much time with her.
Thinking about this, Shi Lang asked Crystal if it was alright for him to bring along the little one. Crystal agreed and even said she would care for the little girl. Shi Lang decided, and then he packed things up. Originally the intention was to take Amelia along with him, but the lady had some prior arrangements made to deal with. Shi Lang sighed while holding the lady in his arms and said, “I think it would have been better if we were not so strong.”
Amelia was surprised and asked, “Why do you say that?”
Shi Lang revealed a bitter smile and said, “If only we were not strong and able to live like normal people, we could have spent more time together.”
Amelia chuckled and said, “I never expected the great general Shi Lang to be this cheesy.”
Shi Lang sighed, and while looking into her eyes, he said, “My love, I might not show it, but when I am away from you, my heart is never at peace. I do not know what binds me to you, nor do I know why I love you so much, but probably because of this unknown element we have been together.
Sometimes before the big battles, I think, what if I lost you and the others one day? I have never been able to process this. However, if something made you walk away from me, I would destroy the world, or myself, that is for sure.”
Amelia did not expect such profound words from him. The young man never expressed his love for her. This confession suddenly made her shy, and she said, “Do not worry. It will be alright. I am not going anywhere.”
The next day Shi Lang and Shi Tao set off for the war planet. They did not take a spaceship but a special teleportation set up in the parliament. This saved Shi Tao from the shock of the space jump and was a faster transport mode. Shi Lang and Shi Tao then made their way to the greater teleportation array, and before leaving for the Citadel, he told the ace division to use the resources they gathered from the Ikeran vaults to break through.
He left a significant amount of his wealth for Amelia and his parents. They were going to gain a lot from those things, as for Shi Lang, there were not many things that he could use to get ahead in his realm of cultivation.
Shi Tao was brimming with Excitement, as she had been curious about this other world, but this was the first time that he was going on. Shi Lang said, “You must be a good girl, okay, Tao?”
Shi Tao nodded and said, “Tao is a good girl, Baba.”
The two smiled at each other and then holding the little one, Shi Lang entered the space tunnel.