"What do you mean?" The spirit asked excitedly.
"The meaning you choose to derive from this determines your path." Salem explained. "Your perspective of the world influences how your power manifests."
"But what do you mean by 'burning cold' and 'jagged ice'?" The spirit asked bouncing up and down like a happy child.
"I'm not going to explain to you the meaning behind it, because then you might not be able to properly practice this." Salem said. "But the two paths are as follows: A path that influences temperature, be it heat or cold, or a path of absolute zero."
"What is absolute zero?" The spirit asked.
"The temperature at which even time stops, light is frozen, and matter cannot move." Salem explained. "It is the lowest theoretical temperature possible."
"Thank you, respected master, for teaching this ignorant one." The spirit bowed deeply.
"You're welcome." Salem said. "You may find me somewhere in the Multiverse once you have mastered this."
The spirit's eyes shone. "I will find you again." They said determinedly.
"I look forward to it." Salem said, leading Alina and Ruby to the exit. "Although I doubt you'll recongnize me."
They exited the vault with no trouble on the way. However, they ran into trouble once they left the vault.
"What the hell did you take from the vault?!" A small group of old robed people stood in front of them. "Return it at once!"
"I took nothing." Salem chuckled. "I merely left you all a small gift."
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" One of the old guys stepped forward aggressively.
"You should not ask me and see for yourselves." Salem laughed outright. "You'll be thanking me when you find it."
"This bastard..." Several people got into battle stances.
"Shall we go?" Salem asked the silent Alina.
"Oh. Right." She said, grabbing his and Ruby's arms.
To the elders, it looked like they had vanished into the shadows, but to the three of them, they saw the flashes of light that symbolized light sources as they passed through the walls.
"That was easy." Salem said as they popped out of the shadows and onto the roof.
"You kind of made things annoying." Alina complained. "They know your face now."
"I can just put a mask on like you two." Salem said, making a mask that made his face as plain as the girls' masks.
"And what of your voice?" Alina asked.
"Voice changer." Salem said.
"Those exist?" Alina asked in surprise. "Actually, that makes sense. Your world was one of boundless technologies."
Salem nodded, grinning. "Shall we find the next cultivation method to steal?"
....
The three cultivation masters' break in to the Frost family's vault purely to give them cultivation advice and a item that was tailored to their cultivation method caused an uproar within the Frost family, which quickly reached the ears of the other families.
The three masters were able to infiltrate the Frost family's mansion, kill their vault guard, and even were able to inscribe two paths into the floor of the vault; something that couldn't be done without either approval from the vault spirit, or overpowering the spirit first.
Dark read the written report from one of his spies in the Frost family. Every event recorded sounded more unbelievable than the last.
How the hell could someone come up with such a liquid? Not only that, but it was completely unheard of and was purportedly found in the air, of all things.
How could something so cold exist in the air?
Not only that, but Dark refused to believe that they could pass through walls. If they could, they would be the most powerful Shadow Lords in history.
On top of that, after Verde, the young master of the Frost family, offended them, they only broke in to give the family two intertwined cultivation paths?
"I fear the spy we've planted has started to go insane." Dark said to his servant, who was waiting for him to finish reading the report. "Silence him before he goes completely mad and spills our secrets."
The servant bowed respectfully and backed out of the room.
Dark sighed. 'Why can't anyone in my family become a Shadow Lord?' He wondered, gazing at the floorboards. 'Then the name of my family wouldn't be held in scorn.'
Dark's staring contest with the floorboards wasn't interrupted by the servant returning to his customary spot beside the door.
Dark glanced at the paper and quill that sat upon his mahogany desk.
"That's right!" He exclaimed, startling the servant who had just returned. "I can send a notice and try and hire the masters!"
The servant glanced at Dark curiously, before resuming his stiff and upright posture, facing the wall across from him.
"What should I offer to bring in the three Shadow Lords into our Night family?'' Dark asked the servant. "I doubt they want money, and our cultivation method is likely of no use to them. What do we have to offer them?"
The servant blinked slowly before responding. "Items."
"Hahahahahaha yes!" Dark exclaimed, finishing the notice he was going to post. "We can offer our trillion-year moonlight crystal! No one will be able to resist that!"