Chapter 20: Five Elements Spiritual Power

Back during her four years in the Cold Palace, she had only ever heard from Granny Lin that the Five Spirit Continent was divided and ruled by the five kingdoms of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, each checking and competing with the others in secret. She knew nothing of these other matters, nor had she ever seen anyone demonstrate such things, so today truly opened her eyes.

"Then are you saying that the masked man today was a prince?" Jin'er suddenly thought of this possibility and couldn't help but ask in surprise.

How could that be? She remembered she was the eldest daughter of the emperor; all the other princes were younger than her and shouldn't have been so tall or formidable.

"Not necessarily. Anyone with royal blood possesses spiritual power, though those from collateral branches usually have weaker abilities. As non-royal blood mixes in generation after generation, the power fades until it disappears altogether. Besides bloodline, innate talent also matters. The masked man's spiritual power today would be considered decent among the Wood Kingdom's royal family. Since the direct royal line has already been executed, he must be a collateral relative with considerable talent."

At these words, Jin'er nodded in sudden understanding, murmuring, "I think I get it, but it all sounds so complicated..."

Wait, something wasn't right. Frowning, Jin'er pondered for a while, then suddenly looked up. "Are you saying that as long as one is of the direct royal bloodline, they will definitely have spiritual power?"

Nangong Che did not understand why she was suddenly so agitated, but he nodded earnestly. "The strength may vary, but it will always be there."

Jin'er was nearly stunned. Direct bloodline, direct bloodline? Wasn't she the emperor's own daughter? Shouldn't she have spiritual power as well? Why... why did she have none at all?

"What's wrong?" Nangong Che noticed Jin'er suddenly seemed lost in a daze and asked in confusion.

Jin'er snapped back to herself and quickly concealed her bewilderment, forcing a laugh. "It's nothing, just that it's all so fascinating. I've never heard anyone mention it before. By the way, how do they know if they have spiritual power? Are they born knowing martial arts?"

"Of course not." Nangong Che chuckled. "Martial skill is learned later, but royal heirs are born with spiritual power. That power lets them sense things aligned with their attribute. For instance, those with Wood affinity can sense plants, and those of Water affinity can sense water or ice and snow."

"Then... are there ever exceptions? Like, a royal child with no spiritual power at all?" Jin'er asked anxiously, though she tried hard to mask her emotions.

"None that I've ever heard of. Your questions are certainly odd," Nangong Che answered with a laugh.

"I'm just curious," Jin'er replied, though at this moment she could not even name her feelings—shock, joy, hope, anxiety, perhaps all of them together.

After dinner, everyone rested for a while before lying down for the night. At long last, Jin'er, after hours of anxious waiting, reached the moment she had been anticipating.

She lay on the grass, turning her back to Nangong Che, and quietly attempted to "communicate" with the wild grass before her. No matter how she tried, she felt nothing unusual, and the grass ignored her completely.

Stubborn and unwilling to give up, she kept trying to sense something until dawn began to break, and only then, utterly exhausted, did she drift off to sleep. Soon she was dreaming, and in her dream, the little flowers and grasses all bowed and nodded to her, making her beam with delight.

Yet just as she was enjoying herself, a jarring shake woke her from her sleep.