Maiden Of The Splitting Moon - Chapter 732: Anything For Answers

The Elder stopped in his steps when he heard her ask this but then he continued walking up the stairs.

“With Hongyu, I suppose so. We did take a sample of her blood but other than that we merely examined her internal physique. Neither I nor Elder Hua has done anything as heinous as what that room contained”, he answered.

As he reached her second question, he paused. And that silence spoke volumes for Ming Yue.

“You might not have done such things to her but you’ve done it before. You experimented on others?” she said to him.

The old man responded, looking forward the entire time.

“Yes, I have. Perhaps you may have heard a little bit about me when you first came to the Dark Water Kingdom. Of course, after going into the Stellar Sky Foundation, I’m sure Ou Fenhuang told you more about me and about my life’s work.”

“Right, the creation of Mental Force”, she said.

“Yes, Mental Force, the idea that overtook my life at the time. I was the one that led the research in all of it, Fenhuang and a few others were by my side. After years, the Stellar Sky Foundation was created and I had succeeded in creating that wondrous power. But then I left the Dark Water Kingdom for Heaven’s Gate, I… exiled myself from there.”

Hearing this, Ming Yue looked a little surprised, faltering in her steps but continuing to climb the stairs.

“What do you mean by this?” she asked him.

Elder Shen sighed, tilting his head down in a bit of shame.

“I let my curiosity consume me and in pursuit of Mental Force, I ruined the lives of many of my own disciples. It wasn’t just several of the other seniors that helped me in this endeavor but many of my own students as well. I’m sure that you know the troubles of succeeding in the creation of that wondrous power but… to get to that point, my students nearly had their minds broken. Of course, I was always watching over them, making sure that such a thing would never happen though there were times when I had pushed them too far. I ignored the dangers and the warnings and pushed forward, soon my students abandoned me as did several of my comrades. It was only me and the Grand Researcher at that point. So I pushed forward, risking the destruction of my own mind over and over again.”

He then turned to her, revealing a somber expression on his face.

“That was years of fear and obsession. Time and time again, I would reach the final step only to retreat out of fear. But the fear spurred on my obsession, the dissatisfaction of being just a step away from success. It tore me apart. I consider it luck that I found myself having a moment of clarity, and pushed through. But at the end of it, what was there for me left? Who did I have to celebrate it? This obsession of mine had isolated me from everyone else. Mental Force was deemed unsafe and not worth the risk. Very few dared to try and even fewer could use it. So I took that moment to think back on everything and then I made my decision. I left the Dark Water Kingdom for Heaven’s Gate, spending my time idly with Bai Ying.”

As Elder Shen said this, he looked at her.

“Suddenly, you came through my doors, unconscious and seemingly broken. Elder Hua told me to help you and I did what I could but the damage was done, you and your counterpart had formed. But seeing as you had recovered and even improved, I had this… thought gnawing in my mind. How would you fare with Mental Force?”

The young woman furrowed her brows.

“So that was why you sent me there? To create Mental Force? I was just an experiment for you?”

Ming Yue didn’t particularly feel angry or disappointed at the Elder when she realized this. Her face was rather blank at the moment. She didn’t quite know what to do with such information.

How should she react?

It wasn’t as if this was for her own good but for his own curiosity. But, he was also the one who aided in her cultivation, teaching her more about the world.

Elder Shen sighed.

“If that is the way you see it, perhaps. However, in my eyes, I believe that Mental Force is something that would benefit you greatly! With your unique disposition, that power could grow and involve into something greater! Did you not think so?” he asked.

The young cultivator wrinkled her nose, thinking about it before answering.

“But I barely even use it. How can you be so sure?” she questioned.

From the moment she gained Mental Force, she had probably used it once or twice in the span of several years. After all, her sword was quicker and she was a bit more fond of it.

In more than one way, she felt like that whole endeavor was a bit of a waste.

“Maybe so, but the beauty of such power is that it doesn’t have to be used. Mental Force dwells in your mind, it can be utilized but just having it improves your mental fortitude. Illusions and anything that dulls the senses have little effect on you. It is easier for you to focus and harder to break that focus. Don’t you think that your cultivation speed is fast? Haven’t you found it easier to control stronger techniques?” he pointed out.

Thinking about this, Ming Yue felt that there were some points to what he said. And the Elder had much more to say.

“Now, Mental Force isn’t the sole reason for all of this. You have talent but more importantly, you’re diligent. Mental Force is there is accentuate what you already have. And aside from you, your counterpart has benefitted from that as well. Do you think any sword spirit can move as freely as her?” he said.

“I suppose not”, Ming Yue muttered.

Despite all that he said. she still had mixed feelings over this.

“Elder, the issue isn’t whether or not Mental Force was beneficial for me but that you treated me like an experiment. What if I had failed? Then I wouldn’t be walking beside you, my mind would’ve been broken and I’d be nothing but a lifeless vessel. You knew the risk but you didn’t tell me”, she told him.

The old man was quiet, listening to her words carefully. When she finished saying her piece, he was silent. It wasn’t until they reached close to the top that he said something.

“I did know the risk and no, I didn’t tell you. I have no excuses for what I did. I suppose that is the flaw of those that pursue knowledge, we’ll do anything to satiate our curiosity. As someone full of curiosity, I believe that you understand that.”

As they returned above ground, the pair saw Hongyu fast asleep on Liang Wei’s body. Xiao Yin, Hei Yue, and Bai Ying were all sitting by each other.

All of them gazed at the two, getting up from their resting spot.

“Ah, you two finally came out, that was quite a long time you’ve been down here”, Bai Ying said to them.

The white cat stretched out, before shaking a bit as if to wake up the rest of its body. Elder Shen chuckled, returning to a more light-hearted expression.

“Ahahaha, were we gone for that long, Bai Ying?”

The cat walked up to him, circling around his legs while speaking.

“I mean, the girl is asleep and there’s nothing much to do around here. Maybe it didn’t feel long to you but for us, time moved quite slowly.

The old man knelt down, brushing the back of his pet with a smile. As he did, he glanced over to Ming Yue before turning back.