The Empath Sect.
Also known as a cultivation sect.
The cultivation sect was too ancient, but it was still successful. It existed for generations. It was because of one important factor—the Suffering Sea.
The world of the Empath Sect was probably birthed by the Chaos, or maybe some Realm Cultivator created it. There were no clear records of its history.
However, it was without a doubt a powerful world.
At least… The Suffering Sea was full of unflawed Emotional Wisdom!
It was terrifying. Once cultivators understood Emotional Wisdom, they could become Realm Cultivators!
Once they enter the Suffering Sea, their cultivation of Emotional Wisdom would greatly improve. However… There was a huge con!
“What’s love?” one asked. Love made people say ’till death do us part’.
Any honorable legends or invincible heroes faced the hardest battles…in love!
It was how the Empath Sect came to be.
The Suffering Sea was a magical existence. It was a sea made from Emotional Wisdom. It was prideful, calm, and broad.
Somebody once tried to attack the Suffering Sea. The powerful attack hit the water, but it could not cause a single ripple.
The water of the Suffering Sea was always calm. It did not move at all. It was like a mirror.
Unless it could resonate with emotion, it would not move for anyone.
However, the Suffering Sea moved that day!
“Is this… A blessing?”
The elder widened his eyes. He looked at the restless Suffering Sea in disbelief. He was unbelievably shocked.
He watched as the Suffering Sea grew restless.
‘Who could it be? Why did the Suffering Sea bless them?’
The rainbow light shone as the sea waves tumbled. The usually calm Suffering Sea was unrecognizable. It was too different.
“I remember back when I went through romantic troubles. I caused the Suffering Sea to flow and spiral. The sky had a sunset halo back then. It was such a majestic sight. People say that was a sincere blessing from the Suffering Sea.”
‘Nonsense!
‘Compared to this blessing, my blessing was nothing more but a pastime.’
The elder was always pleased with his blessing. It instantly fell apart, he became insecure.
“Is it because of a touching true love? Or is it because of someone special?”
The elder gulped. He shut his eyes and started to sense it. However… Something weirder happened.
He did not sense anything from the Empath Sect.
Which meant that person was not even at the Empath Sect yet!
‘Seriously?
‘Are you this excited before he shows up? What is the meaning of this?
‘It appears the Suffering Sea can move, but it won’t move without the right person. It automatically moves when it meets the right person.
‘And it moves fast.’
“If this person cultivates Emotional Wisdom, I’m afraid he’ll be a prodigy! He might be a Realm Cultivator someday!”
The elder mumbled to himself, “But… What exactly caused the Suffering Sea to move? Perhaps it resonates with the water of the Suffering Sea?”
Boom!
The explosion made the elder jump. He snapped out of it.
‘Waves, huge waves!’
The waves of the Suffering Sea rose like a huge curtain in the sky!
The elder stood on his bamboo raft. He looked up at the sight and shivered!
“This…this…”
He said with a trembling voice. His eyes suddenly dilated. He raised his palms out at the sight and emitted an aura. He resonated with the Suffering Sea.
Then, two shadows slowly appeared in the huge waves…
They were also sitting on bamboo rafts. They were like projections from an endless time. They were only figures.
However, the two shadowy figures made the elder tear up.
‘How many years has it been?’
He walked the path of Emotional Wisdom. His emotions were as calm as the Suffering Sea. However, he was too shocked and surprised. His emotions were through the roof like the huge waves.
“Chuyue, Yun!”
The elder yelled at the two figures. He was utterly excited, “I found you. I finally found your tracks!”
He called on the two figures. “Come back. Return from the Suffering Sea, my children!”
On the other side of the Suffering Sea.
Everyone gathered at the Empath Sect.
They also saw the changes of the Suffering Sea. They were shocked. They even thought that they were hallucinating.
The leader was a middle-aged man. He had a full blue robe on. He looked very approachable and soft. He had a pair of sentimental eyes.
“Sect… Sect Master. The water of the Suffering Sea, it…”
One of the disciples suddenly spoke up with shock. His voice was trembling as he said, “It’s sweet!”
Everyone gasped and exclaimed when he said that. They were in disbelief.
The Suffering Sea was forever bitter. It could never be sweet. ‘What happened exactly?’
Suddenly, the elder stepped on water and walked toward them. He looked serious. He did not look like he was going fast, but he was extremely fast.
His first sentence was, “Where’s Chuyue and Yun?”
No one could handle his question.
An elder hesitated and replied, “They…they… They followed Elder Shiye to the Area of the Gods.”
“What?!” exclaimed the middle-aged leader. His face sank. “Nonsense! This is reckless!”
The elder awkwardly said, “Elder Shiye wants to go to the Area of the Gods to revive the Young Master and the lady.”
The middle-aged man was about to rage but he was shocked by what the elder said. He felt thunderstruck!
“They… I’m afraid they met someone who helped them. They found the way to reverse the irreversible curse!”
“They…can be saved!”
…
“So sweet. This is so sweet.”
Qin Yun sucked on the Lollipop. The tip of his tongue flicked and wagged along with the stick.
“Yeah, it’s so delicious,” Qin Chuyue nodded. She squinted from enjoying the wonderful sweetness.
She was much more polite than Qin Yun. She carefully licked the Lollipop and occasionally put it in her mouth.
She placed it halfway in and bit with her red lips. She held the stick and turned the Lollipop inside her mouth.
The siblings felt like it was dreamy when they ran into Li Nianfan and his wives.
‘Are the men in the Area of the Gods living so lavishly?
‘He has beautiful Goddesses around him that are willing to serve him. The food’s unimaginably delicious, too.’
To be honest, they were knowledgeable people, too. However… They never had anything so delicious before. They instantly felt like their lives were too lowly.
Qin Chuyue had to ask curiously, “Mr. Li, how did you think of making this Lollipop?”
“I was bored.”
Li Nianfan casually laughed and said, “I’m just an ordinary man. I’m always bored. Life’s so dull and boring. I naturally wanted to make something special.
“You cultivators have a much more interesting life. I’m so envious.”
‘You crossed the line.
‘This has been a nice chat. Why did you suddenly attack us with words?
‘Come again? Who’s envious of who?
‘You have beautiful women that want to accompany you, delicious food that you can eat anytime and anywhere, your life’s free and harmonious. What else do you want? Do you want to rule the world, too?’
Qin Yun said with jealousy, “Mr. Li, I’m not a cultivator either, but I’m not envious of cultivators. I’m envious of you…”
“Haha, alright.” Li Nianfan snickered proudly. He said, “Let’s continue with the topic just now. You said cultivators can plant the Emotional Seed in their hearts once they enter the Suffering Sea. It’s beneficial to cultivate Emotional Wisdom. So, what are the cons?”
Qin Yun exhaled. He sighed and said, “They’ll suffer. They’ll go through Emotional Tribulations! Unavoidable Emotional Tribulations! Human emotions are complex and fragile. It’s easy to enter Emotional Wisdom, but it’s hard to get out. You’ll be damned if you slip up.”
Li Nianfan nodded in agreement.
However, it proved that everything in life had pros and cons.
‘If you want to gain the Emotional Seed, you have to go through the test of Emotional Tribulations. There’s no turning back.’
The sky gradually went dark. They did not rush anywhere. They chose to rest at the abandoned temple instead.
Time passed. It was soon midnight. The moon hung high in the sky.
Qin Chuyue was a cultivator, so she did not need to sleep. However, perhaps she was delusional, she had a strange feeling tumbling inside her ever since she ate the Lollipop. She felt warm.
She unintentionally fell into a deep sleep.
She had a dream.
In her dream, she was sitting on a wooden raft, floating on the Suffering Sea.
She was very familiar with the scenario. That was when she decided to cultivate Emotional Wisdom. She was floating on the Suffering Sea.
However… She felt like it was unfamiliar too because there were a lot of things that did not belong in her memory.
She was doing the Namaste gesture on the raft. There was a penny in the middle of her palms. She told the endless Suffering Sea, “Suffering Sea, money contains the emotions of all living beings. Can money buy feelings, too? I’ll give you a penny to buy my one true love. Is that okay?”
She tossed the penny. The penny gently dropped into the Suffering Sea. There was no ripple or sound. It slowly sank into the Suffering Sea…
Then, a painful heartache overwhelmed her. It almost broke her.
A hand pierced through her chest. A cold and indifferent voice echoed near her ear. “You stupid woman. Your Emotional Seed’s mine!”
