"Why don't you choose the na yourself? Take your ti. There's no rush. Even if it takes ten or a hundred years, that's fine. Lord Sixth's na wasn't decided until over a hundred years later," Wind Dragon said, glancing at the three avatars.
He continued, "Or, you could ask for their opinions. Each of them has inherited part of your obsession, and they're already developing their own thoughts. Ask them what they feel in their hearts."
"But once a na is chosen, it cannot be changed lightly. Like a posthumous title after death, it defines the uniqueness of each avatar."
Wind Dragon turned and slowly drifted toward the core area on the first floor. "Only cultivators with an honorific title can truly stand out across heaven and earth. Even if a cultivator's body is lost in the void during cultivation, as long as soone speaks their na again, they can return from the void."
Lu Chen gazed at the three avatars and sighed. "This is difficult. Let's just head up first, and think about it along the way."
Unable to decide in the mont, he led everyone toward the core area.
Listening to their conversation, Nantian Yijian blinked in surprise and followed behind, asking repeatedly, "Is it really that mysterious? I've never heard anything like this. My previous sect never ntioned it."
"It's true," Jun Laoye said, trailing behind Lu Chen. "I've also heard elders in my clan talk about it. A cultivator's na is tied to their karma and can influence their future developnt. That's why sects place such importance on identity tokens, and why honorific titles are chosen upon breaking through the Core Breakthrough Realm."
"Lu-gege, think carefully. Grandpa also said the na is truly important for a cultivator," Nantian Wan'er said, walking beside Lu Chen. "Anyway, Lord Wind Dragon said there's no rush. If we give it so thought, we'll co up with sothing."
"Mm, I understand," Lu Chen replied, leading them through to the core area of the first floor.
An hour later, they had passed the rows of bookshelves and reached the center, where the Taiji symbol lay. Along the way, Lu Chen considered his own traits and ca up with several potential nas, but naming the three avatars still eluded him.
"The passage to the second floor is just ahead. I'll need more ti to think about the whole naming thing. If an avatar's na is really that important, it cannot be chosen lightly."
Holding the chief disciple identity token, Lu Chen stood at the center of the Taiji symbol and quietly recited the incantations, activating the teleportation formation embedded within the Spirit Gathering Formation.
At the center of the Taiji symbol, the teleportation formation slowly materialized, flickering with a ghostly blue glow. Lu Chen withdrew the chief disciple identity token and turned to the first avatar. "By the way, I forgot to ask. You've already developed a strong awareness. Do you have any thoughts about your na?"
"? Naming myself?" The avatar hesitated for a few seconds before answering. "I... actually have an idea. I want the na Lu Qing... but is that okay?"
"Lu Qing? Why that na?"
Lu Chen watched the avatar, and mories from the past slowly resurfaced. His late best friend, Little Pup, had originally been nad Wang Qing.
At first, Little Pup was supposed to be called Wang Gou. The final decision, Wang Qing, was influenced by the legend of the Green Emperor in their village and a suggestion from Blindman Lu.[1]
Only about ten children had lived in the village. They either passed the trial to beco sect disciples and left to cultivate, or stayed behind to support their families.
At the ti, Lu Chen was too young to take part in the Heavenly Pool Baptism Test, so Blindman Lu had him working in the fields, leaving him with only a few friends.
When Little Pup was born, Blindman Lu wanted him to have a proper na to keep Lu Chen company. Inspired by the Green Emperor legend, he nad him Wang Qing. Since Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang were busy hunting and weaving every day, Lu Chen indirectly beca the one to raise him.
The massacre of Greenheaven Village was still fresh in Lu Chen's mory, especially the image of Aunt Wang pinned to the ground, clutching Little Pup as they both died together.
Thinking of this, a surge of emotion rose in Lu Chen. The Evil Self behind him stirred, subtly absorbing his violent energy and growing stronger.
Sensing the disturbance, Nantian Wan'er asked, "Lu-gege, what are you thinking? Does the na Lu Qing an sothing to you?"
Lu Chen gradually cald himself. "Nothing... just rembering so past events."
The Evil Self also settled down.
Lu Chen looked at the avatar. "Do you know where this na cos from? And who it once belonged to?"
"Of course," the avatar said gently, eting his gaze. "It was our friend's na. We share the sa set of mories, which ans I also experienced those events back then. Besides, I'm your Self Corpse. Following the Three Corpses concept, I inherited your greatest obsession: the mories of Greenheaven Village before you began cultivating.
"I understand the aning behind this na, but as the Original, you still need to walk a deeper path of cultivation. These attachnts will only beco a burden. Let bear the weight of this na instead."
The avatar imdiately dropped to one knee, eyes locked on Lu Chen as he raised his right palm toward him. "Original, I need this na. Please grant the na Lu Qing, and together we will find Grandpa and avenge the villagers."
"You... sigh..." Lu Chen looked at the kneeling figure before him, extending a hand as a soft sigh escaped him. "I know these things have always been my own attachnts, but you... Do you really want to shoulder them for ?"
"I do. These are my attachnts as well."
"If I share a part of this attachnt with you, what will you do? You've only just begun to develop self-awareness. You need your own path."
Lu Chen's sighs echoed repeatedly through the first floor of the tower. The Good Self watched as Lu Chen trembled slightly, while parts of his traits slowly flowed into the Good Self. The circulation of energy intensified, and the fog in the Good Self's eyes gradually cleared.
Wind Dragon stared silently at Lu Chen and the avatar Lu Qing, holding his breath, not daring to intervene. He waited for the avatar's response and for Lu Chen's final decision.
Jun Laoye and Nantian Wan'er kept a close watch as well. Coming from noble clans, they understood just how critical this ritual of transferring attachnts was for Lu Chen.
Nantian Yijian stood silently beside him, uncertain of the ritual's effects, but the severity in Wind Dragon's expression and Lu Chen's sighs made him instinctively remain quiet.
Ten minutes passed. The avatar remained kneeling, waiting for Lu Chen to bestow the na.
Seeing Lu Chen still hesitating, the avatar urged, "Original, I've made up my mind. Please begin. I believe I was born at this mont precisely to shoulder this attachnt with you."
Lu Chen remained silent, caught in his inner conflict.
The avatar lifted his head, eyes glowing brighter with determination. "Co, Original. We are essentially the sa. Even if you do not grant the na Lu Qing, its karma has already affected . Sooner or later, I will walk this path."
"But... you really shouldn't bear this." Lu Chen turned away, avoiding the avatar's gaze. "Even if you've been affected by their so-called karma, these painful mories are not yours to carry."
"Then don't bla . From today onward, my na is Lu..." The avatar's voice was soft as he reached out toward Lu Chen, releasing a stream of spirit qi light that pierced Lu Chen's lower abdon, completely restraining his power.
"How can you... No, you can't." Lu Chen had been lost in thought. By the ti he realized the avatar's intentions, the avatar's palm was already gripping his shoulder, extracting Lu Chen's obsessive mories.
The extraction triggered a massive backlash, striking the avatar's chest and forcing a strand of his Blood Essence to spill. It was an automatic counterforce generated by heaven and earth when an avatar attacked its original.
"Outsiders don't know how to extract attachnt mories, but as your avatar, this ability cos inherently," the avatar said, wiping blood from his lips as he recklessly absorbed the mories. "Original, you didn't expect to be aggressive, did you? Even if you try to resist, your ti is limited. Just agree already."
Alard by the avatar's sudden aggression, Nantian Wan'er and the others cried out to Lu Chen and rushed forward.
"Lu-gege..."
"Little Lu!"
The avatar glanced at them, then swung his left hand back, unleashing the Green Sovereign Divine Tree to form a barrier, blocking their path.
"Sigh... It's the sa scene again," Wind Dragon exhaled slowly as he watched, yet did not intervene. "Why do these avatars always pull stunts like this? Lord First did it back then, and now this one does the sa. The world truly works in wondrous ways!"
The Good Self stood aside, observing the chaos. His gaze grew sharper and clearer, and his features more defined and mature. "So this is what 'attachnts' are... but which obsessive mories belong to ?"
1. In Chinese, green is written as 青 (Qing). ☜
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