Chapter 202: Seven Star Seal
With Anji making steady progress in her studies, Yan Ping increased the intensity of her vigorous testing. She liked how Anji made a valid point about borrowing nature’s energy for harmonisation and balancing the fragile spells holding her life together. After learning how the child had a natural aptitude for many things and a unique constitution, the idea became more appealing.
While Anji slept soundly at night, Yan Ping would call together a council of expert senior researchers and trusted elders in the sect for their opinion.
"If she is already studying the Seven Sound Mantra, the Seven Star Seal would fit her like a glove," Elder Kun pointed out. "Her Celestial Root composition requires more than the Five Elements. The traditional seals would not work completely. Zhao Mingfeng even added the Eight Trigram seal to supplement the first containment."
Despite the suitability, other elders opposed the idea.
"It’s too unstable," Elder Shen countered. "Ci Wang already has thirteen shackles on her golden core. If we add seven more, that would make twenty. One wrong move and it’s over. Even if she does not die, can any cultivator live like this?"
Rewriting Yan Ping’s existing stabilising seal to contain and regulate energy flow and introduce a new influx of energy would be akin to adding a dog to join the war between two elephants. Some elders thought keeping the cage and separating the two enormous forces would be wiser than replacing it with a mediator. Assuming the mediator seal failed to guide effectively, their sect successor’s life could be in danger.
Yan Ping listened to the opinion of her council. Both sides had valuable points, and she had considered them previously. Truthfully, the Seven Star Seal was a theoretical seal that had never been used in a living creature. Even the Guardian Dolls she tested with were made from wood. The founder of the Seven Star Seal was a theorist a few hundred years ago who enjoyed creating new seals based on astrology as a hobby. He invented many star-based seals that many questioned about their effectiveness. His book was found in the restricted library because it had not been tested previously. Yet, there was no denying they were interesting new grounds that could provide great value for the right situation.
"You have all seen how the wooden doll reacted to the Seven Star Seal," Yan Ping pointed out. "You’ve even tested it on my behalf for the side effects. I know that Elder Quan used it on herself. I can see the different energy flow in your fingertips on your right hand. Seeing how there were no issues with your right hand, it seems feasible."
Five pairs of eyes darted towards Elder Quan with wide eyes.
"How could you test it on yourself without taking precautions? What if something went wrong?"
Calmly, Elder Quan coughed.
"It has been years since I had any feeling in my right hand. Everyone knows the accident that happened years ago. I have no feeling in it and can barely control its movement. The entire right arm meridian had been badly damaged and severed. There is no better test subject than me. Think of it as a small-scale test. I consented to the experiment. No other lives were harmed. I did not break the sect rules."
Frustrated but unable to refute, Elder Shen sat back down. Everyone wanted the best for Anji, but the road was difficult to walk. It toed the line between ethics and conscience. Although the Mystical Qilin Sect was famed for its unconventional progress, its results were irrefutable. That was not to say they never made any mistakes. The mistakes were allowed with a margin of calculated risks in mind. This was the first time they would cross that line, making a decision that defied their internal code of conduct.
"How will we answer the Celestial Dragon Sect should anything happen to Ci Wang?" Elder Shen asked, a deep frown etched on his forehead. "Ci Wang is not just the successor of the Mystical Qilin Sect. She is the youngest princess of the Celestial Dragon Sect. This is not our choice to make."
The meeting room fell silent as Elder Shen hammered the complexity of the decision.
"I’ll talk to Zhao Mingfeng and Anji," Yan Ping concluded. "Thank you, Elder Shen, for pointing out something I missed critically. This does not concern just us. Even if the idea belonged to Anji, her family’s decision and consent should not be overlooked. Meeting adjourned for today. And Elder Quan?"
Looking up, Elder Quan appeared slightly nervous.
"Yes?"
A rare bow from Yan Ping shocked the lady even more.
"Thank you for your noble contribution to test the Seven Star Seal on yourself. Your contribution is not light. On Ci Wang’s behalf, I thank you as well."
Overwhelmed by the sincerity, Elder Quan laughed with slightly misty eyes. She, too, was a grandmother. Even if Anji was not her biological grandchild, there was no doubt that everyone in the Mystical Qilin Sect adored her. It wasn’t simply because Anji was their successor. The girl had a knack for being easily lovable.
"It’s not a big deal," Elder Quan humbly replied. "I will continue to monitor the effect of the Seven Star Seal. As you know, I have been regaining a faint feeling in my dead right hand with the help of natural energy. Alas, I am not as skilled in qi-control the way you and our successor are. However, I can now tell faint sensations of hot and cold, unlike before. Even if the Celestial Dragon Sect forbids this risky operation, not all is in vain. We have gained more insight than ever in the past few centuries."
This was an undeniable fact. Ever since Anji joined them, the Mystical Qilin Sect has cleaned up their past messy records and straightened out many things. There were many factors contributing to the rapid progression and system overhaul since Anji’s arrival. Some attributed the change to Anji’s background as the Celestial Dragon Sect’s youngest princess, while others claimed it was the child prodigy’s advanced medical knowledge that created a new branch of intellectual pursuit led by Senior Researcher Mo and Doctor Yun. Regardless, her presence was the exact catalyst the Mystical Qilin Sect needed for progression after stagnation since the last murim war.
"If not for the previous sect master, we would have found a way to classify the complexity and safety implementation of occult spells by now," Elder Kun grumbled. "To think we are only doing this now when our pants are on fire... it is we who should be sorry."
Unlike before, Elder Shen nodded. "It’s still not too late," he pointed out. "Sect Leader Yan, you’ve worked hard. Please leave it to us to think of a way to persuade Sect Leader Zhao about this operation. Nothing that happened tonight will leave this room. It will be dealt discreetly."
Of the six elders gathered here, Yan Ping trusted their integrity without hesitation. With Elder Shen, their sect’s archivist, leading the administration, she hoped to hear some favourable terms to convince Zhao Mingfeng.