Lind felt itchy in the new robes he was wearing as the carriage made its way through the streets of the Southern District. So much had happened since the end of the tournament but the invitation to the Gu Clan had spread just as quickly as his upset. Teyla had practically stared daggers into Lind's back but as it was a fully public conversation, it was not like he had to explain anything.
His mother and Teyla had quickly looked at his closet and found his robes severely lacking. Despite his association with the twins, Lind had never abused it to get any extra benefits. This fact had spared him some grief over the years but now he was forced to wear a hastily altered version of Teylin's robes. Teylin was much broader than Lind but they were only a few inches off in height at the moment.
Teylin failed to mention how itchy the spirit cursed fancy silks were and Lind wanted to just burn them as it was! He noticed the mirth in Teylin's eyes across from him in fact as Lind would continue to twitch now and again as the carriage made its way to the Gu compound. It was only the 2 of them despite Teyla's wish to join them.
Granny and the Old Man had stopped her as the 3rd Princess seemed to want to talk to them but the invitation from the Gu Clan had included only Lind and Teylin when it officially arrived. Her Highness had wished them well before following Granny and the Old Man somewhere.
"You should have taken more gifts from my sister over the years, Lind." The amused voice of Teylin only touched a nerve, but considering all that happened thus far, Lind swallowed his harsh words. They were going somewhere that personal drama could not be addressed openly. The flash of emotion was seen by Teylin and he became more serious.
"I reiterate what I said before, Lind. We both thought you deserved to know but you were only 11. Even Grandfather would not have told us save he worried those that knew would try to act against you. He wanted us to understand. Also the fact that–" Here Teylin choked a bit and Lind glanced up only to see a few tears fall. Lind suddenly felt his anger melt. The twins' mother was one of the women involved. Lind moved and embraced his Big Brother.
The youth was good at moderating his emotions but around Teyla and Lind he was more relaxed. Lind quietly let Teylin finally express emotions he had no doubt kept inside. Lind felt his old memories surge and he felt he had to say something before they arrived.
"Big Brother, you need to learn to lean on us more. I am still angry but if nothing else, you and Teyla are still my siblings too. It is not by blood but by the many things that have brought us together. We can take some time to work this out later." Lind saw Teylin collect himself and look down at him. It irked LInd that Teylin was slightly taller even sitting down. Where was that last growth spurt?! Cultivation slowed aging as one progressed but this side effect was rarely seen due to LInd breaking through so early in life.
"My Lords, we are here." The coachman called out as they passed through the feeling of a barrier. Much like the Frey Clan, the Gu Clan employed a defensive formation. The invitation acted as the entrance tonight as the barrier had been activated to add a layer of security for the celebrations tonight.
Lind looked out and saw a vastly different setup from the Frey Clan. Despite living in the Southern District for 15 years, Lind rarely left the Frey Clan aside from missions into the wilderness outside the city. His mother had shown him where to go to get supplies if needed desperately when outside the clan, but he had never set foot in pill shops or anything else as the twins were rarely without everything they needed.
The Gu Clan was an ancient Clan compared to Che or Frey. The Frey Clan had a history older than some kingdoms, but the Gu Clan supposedly once was a major power before their fall when the Lotus Empire arose thousands of years ago. It was only through a few lessons, but Lind had found it interesting that the Gu Clan had not been destroyed. He later learned many powers could rise and fall over time due to the long lives of cultivators preserving the legacy of those powers.
Large trees encircled the entrance to the compound that were lit up with spirit lights. It was light blues to pale yellows filled the branches to make the feeling of starlight all around guests as they pulled up to the massive arched entrance. Peak Soul Realms guarded the entrance but Lind saw the bending of elements indicating a World Realm was nearby or at least an artifact of the same level.
"Welcome to the Gu Cla–" Before the guard could finish speaking a flash of azure sped by both men and swept Lind into a hug.
"You came!" Lind was confused but the soft feeling was clearly a woman. The voice took a moment before he placed it and was even more confused at the enthusiastic welcome. Lind was allowed to pull back and saw the relieved eyes of Sheyra Gu looking down at him. That growth spurt could hit Lind any time now!
"Lind, I thought you only met in the tournament today?" Dry humor was laced on Teylin's voice and Lind desperately separated himself from Sheyra. He saw her size up his Big Bro and a smirk flashed on her face almost too fast for most to see. Lind had been too close to miss it!
"We did, but it was very…instructive." Lind had truly enjoyed the bout and it had led to his breakthrough in elemental tempering. Lind saw a frown on the woman's face but then he smiled at her. "I would like to think we have started a good friendship." Lind held out his hand and saw her own smile return as she pulled him once again into a bone crushing hug. Why was she trying to get him killed by Teyla?!
"Come with me!" Almost pulling his arm out of his socket pulled Lind into the entrance. The guards stood with jaws dropped in shock as they passed by and had not recovered at all when the next guests arrived. The calm and cool young Miss was acting like a small child with a new toy!
Lind was curious as they quickly left the main hall and entered what would be the living spaces of the Gu Clan. It was far from the secret areas but Lind was able to notice something interesting. All the decorations were of the 6 elements in some fashion. It was never separated, always all 6 together. The accepted symbols were easy enough.
A small flame, a drop of water, a craggy sphere, waves in green, yellow sphere, and black sphere. Lind saw a few colorless reliefs where light had rays pointing out and darkness had them pointing in. There were some gardens but Lind's sharp eye noted a lack of herbs. He did not feel they were decorative, but he did not have time to check.
Sheyra came to an iron gate with no sign of guards but it was clearly a special area. She then let go of Lind before closing her eyes. Lind immediately felt all 6 elements surge around her as the gate began to glow to his eyes. Lind noticed a formation he had never thought possible. All 6 elements resonated and a click was heard before the gate swung open on its own.
"Master Teylin, please give me a moment with your little brother. I negotiated an opportunity for him in return for his actions today." A much more solemn young woman stood before the 2 men and Lind noticed an appreciative nod from Teylin before he followed Sheyra into starlight.
If the front gate was meant to be a welcoming illusion, this garden was what being in orbit must feel like to astronauts. Lind felt his dantian pulse in joy just being in this garden unlike any place he had ever encountered.
There were natural treasures and areas that could induce enlightenment for certain elements or allow tempering to be much more effective, but those topped out at tri-elementals. Even then, only in certain combinations were they safe. Lind had heard of a few places in the Frey Clan that could help Quad-elementals so long as they were able to pay commensurate resources or earn merit. Five elementals and 6 elementals had nothing in the Frey Clan, but to be fair, Lind was the only one above 4 elements in his clan.
Lind felt the aura of peace in this massive garden. Trees of starlight and fruits that seemed like moons filled his vision as he followed Sheyra down a dark path. To Lind, it looked as if they were floating through space. He was deeply curious how this place looked in daylight.
The sound of bubbling water reached his ears and the path led them to a moonlit area. Fine stonework columns surrounded a massive water fountain. Lind was mesmerized by the water dancing in the moonlight. He felt closer to true peace than he thought possible. All the dark revelations and terrible battles fell away in this place. There were clear square spaces distributed with the fountain being the centerpiece. This was a cultivation space.
"This is a treasure of our sect. The Gu Clan once had far more 6 elementals and like many other powers, we have tried to find the secret to getting through the wall that is the World Realm." Sheyra whispered but her words were so clear. Lind was not sure what made it special to them, but then he saw Sheyra pick a square and assume the lotus position. "Use your dantian in this place. We do not have long."
Lind spoke no unnecessary words and let his instincts guide him. While an innate cultivator could not temper their elements at the same pace, the talent was still a good guide in this situation. Lind found a place different from the others and assumed the lotus position himself. He closed his eyes and began to carefully temper his elements.
His cultivation strained to surge but Lind had long practice to regulate it carefully. His newly minted tier 4 cultivation did not move much but became very solid in this place. What Lind felt was a harmony of all 6 elements in his dantian. He felt the need to open his eyes as Qi rushed to enhance his vision.
Rather than chaos, Lind saw all 6 colors flow around the fountain. Red flared like the sun as it wove destruction in its wake, but water soothed it in deep blue, while brown and green mellowed both between them. Bright light sparkled like true stars and stood out more as darkness surrounded them, but then Lind felt something slide into place.
Azure flame rose from Sheyra and joined the 6 colors and emerald rose from Lind. His tier 5 tempered elements began to solidify and advance like never before. No technique, pill, or treasure had been able to unlock this kind of speed but Lind kept watching as he began to comprehend something profound.
The 6 elements made up people but it also made up the world. Lind felt like a glimmer of something critical had fallen into his lap and he tried to follow it but it would not show any more. His eyes suddenly felt like they were burning before his vision changed. The fountain now emitted playful flakes of their 2 fires into the air and the 6 elements seemed to rejoice. Lind felt a pull and allowed his emerald flame to do what it willed.
Sheyra suddenly felt her dantian resonate once again and her tempering for the first time in her life exploded forward to tier 8! She had never been able to grasp the chance this place had to this extent but then she recognized the feeling from before. She had been right!
Her harmony was inclined to healing and peace, but their records showed harmonies were as varied as cultivation techniques. Color was not always an indication, but generally Gu Clan were azure flames. There were confirmed records of reds, browns, and many other colors, but not the emerald color of Lind. None of the flames matched elemental colors exactly either, but were close.
Sheyra cherished this moment and allowed whatever the emerald flames were doing to guide her as she steadily tempered her elements.
A World Realm Elder, hidden from their eyes, looked on in awe as she felt the effects of the boy on their young Mistress. She was only a dual elemental but the feeling of resonance even touched her as her dantain reacted. How could a Soul Realm affect the World Realm?!
The night passed as the sounds of festivities filled the air before the harmony flames finally returned to their respective owners.
Lind felt like he was halfway through tier 5 tempering which was amazing considering the snail's pace his recent attempts had been. The tendrils of elements into his harmony flame were thicker and Lind understood he had been holding himself back and likely leading to a dead end in cultivating if he had not learned this truth about 6 elementals.
"Thank you very much, Miss Sheyra." Lind bowed low and saw equal joy in her face at their results at this time.
"Perhaps one day, we can try again. For now, let us return to Master Teylin and see if your evaluation of him is accurate." Sheyra smiled wide as she led Lind back to the party.