Lind lost track of time. His mind was going back to the very beginning of his cultivation and comparing his foundation to his elements. He had the talent of Innate Cultivation, but clearly that was not a complete talent. Just as his Soul Eyes and Soul Touch were talents, but they could be improved, it was clear all talents could be improved.
His past life memories had become clearer as he delved into them, but only through repetition did he begin to defog his mind from that time. It would not be wrong to say his life as Lind Frey was far more vivid than his life on Earth, but after a few years of devling for old knowledge, he felt it was more in balance now.
Downtown Chicago could spring back in full detail with the towering skyscrapers and bitter winds in winter. Baseball stadium parties in Milwaukee or football in New York had recently started to come back. He was unsure how many were seen live or on a really good TV, but what mattered is each regained memory was very clear.
Now, however, Lind was focusing on trying to pierce the veil of his foundation. He had taken it for granted due to his talents and had to restrict it, but he now knew there was more to cultivation than what he believed.
His Soul Touch flowed along his meridians and eventually took a good long look at his dantian. There were the 6 elemental cores with the ever larger emerald flame at the center. Small tendrils of Qi flowed from each core into the flames. They looked fragile but he knew they were stronger than any metal he could conceive of.
Lind closed his Eyes and focused on the feeling of his harmony. He felt this was the key to what he had been struggling with. The flow of elements were purified and quality increased but now he could feel something familiar flowing along the same meridians. The very thing that cultivated the soul and enlightened him on what the demons must do as well.
The 6 cores and emerald flame vanished and Lind found himself in his dantian. It was not empty, however, instead there was a flickering blue shape. He realized it was his foundation. He could finally see it!
His eyes burned and pain spiked but then a soothing feeling flowed over them. He reactivated his Soul Eyes and the world had changed once again. Unfiltered, it was always a storm of elements, but now he could see the separation of the elemental and spiritual Qi.
"The body builds the altar. It means the body is strengthened to attempt the creation of the dantian. The soul opens the door." Lind saw it now clearly. He saw how his elements were guided through his meridians, into his dantian and then the blue soul purified the Qi to each core. "The soul is the doorway to creating the dantian. Our comprehension is the key to the lock!"
Lind felt like he had been blind before. It was not only his own body that had changed. The plants in his small garden now had their own flickering spiritual Qi. He noticed the formations lacked this piece of cultivation but he could save that for later. He could still feel the traces of the Elder and saw particulates in the air. It was sand!
He could see World Realm Qi! Lind's excitement was short lived as he felt the strain on his eyes and he suppressed his Soul Eyes, although now they would be called World Eyes. He returned to cultivating and perceived the imperfections in his foundation.
He was stunned to find very few but attributed this to his talent. Instead, he could tell there was a mild strain on it. The difference in his elemental tempering and foundation was an issue as he had learned about in his studies. Too far apart could put too much strain on one or the other and cause deviation.
A little could be repaired, but too much and he would burn up his potential forever.
The revelation seemed to unlock the bottleneck Lind had reached with using his elements. He now understood why he felt such pain trying to emulate the existing techniques. Mono-elemental techniques could ignore the other 5 elements for obvious reasons, but when he tried to use dual elemental techniques, the established pathways in his dantian would clash.
His harmony and foundation worked as one!
Lind had been trying to force the elements to work separately when they were always together. He suspected that everyone else already had opposing forces that achieved balance in their dantian. The techniques were designed based on those existing forces to allow cultivators to create lightning, earthquakes, and so forth.
Lind did not have this option. At the Soul Realm, he had to start treating his elements as part of the world. In other words, Earth knowledge was key now! His excitement was palpable as he carefully focused his mind.
Lind started small. Fire, light, and wind were used in conjunction to create a dry environment while water held back the ambient moisture. Earth and darkness resonated as Lind felt all the hairs stand up on his arms. He felt no pain as he carefully took one of his hands and touched a metal support on the table near him.
Static electricity discharged powerfully. There was no backlash or any other issue. It worked! Lind had a true beginning! It would be damned slow, but he could start to create basic techniques. He would not be able to create dragon flames or the more flamboyant versions, but mimicking the natural world was well within his reach!
Lind returned to cultivating and delving into his memories. He was never a good student but he hoped he could work out some true techniques. He really doubted the mighty bolt of static electricity would do much in a fight.
****
Cyntilla was in the Inner District once more. She was making great advances in her cultivation but her acid element was reaching a bottleneck. She had always been better with poison. Her current shadows were blessedly silent, but all of them had been passively disapproving of her activities lately.
The missives from home had been dealt with as they arrived, and her mother was doing far better. There were signs she would surpass Cyntilla's father in the future. The long suffering had actually come with this firm foundation few could polish as her mother had. Even so, her actions had brought headaches to the elders of the Fang Clan.
She did not care at all.
They treated her as an object so she felt no compunction about ignoring their demands. Besides, her results in the Academy were beyond even her wildest dreams. She needed to temper her acid core better, but she was on track to reach the World Realm before she was 30. That was considered a high talent even by Darkmoor standards.
Currently, she was in a bazaar in the Iron Ward. She was on her way to a mission but saw the bazaar on the way and perused it for any likely inspirations. She was looking for any treasures that could be of use to her, but mostly she noticed the artifacts. Most were storage treasures or more robust versions of talisman effects, but there were always eccentrics.
She finally found something.
It was a lacquer black wooden box with excellent inscriptions on it. She was not sure what elements it used, but she only wanted to be sure it was not more than 3. Lind seemed to cherish the gifts she left behind. A slight blush reached her cheeks before she calmed her racing heart.
How had a human affected her so much?
She bartered with the vendor for only a few moments before storing the puzzle box away. This one was not only 3 elements but it had a function as well. It was a basic storage treasure for the home. It was not easily accessed until the core was exposed. It was by no means difficult to crack, but few cultivators would think a puzzle box was for storage. Usually, they would be for defenses or attacks as the moving parts would align the formation once unlocked.
"Highness, you need to forget the human. Crown Prince Ryo will not be pleased." A deep frown crossed her face as one of her masked attendants once more mentioned a name she had no desire to hear. Her eyes must have been fearsome as the man backed off immediately. It was already done. She refused to think what was coming would be too much of an issue yet.
As they moved away from the bazaar, Cyntilla suddenly felt like she was being watched. Before she could pinpoint the source, her own shadow distorted and a woman appeared right next to her. Her guards did not flinch as they could all feel the familiar World Realm aura of a person they knew.
"Greetings Aunt. I am on a mission for the Academy, is there something that needs my attention." Cyntilla was wary of the Academy Elder that was related to her by blood. This demoness was over 300 years old so she was theoretically more powerful than Cyntilla's father in status, but this demoness had chosen to stay at the Academy to nurture future generations. A very honorable thing even by Cyntilla's standards.
"Explain yourself, now." The coldness in her words was causing ice to literally form. The Elder had a profound understanding of her shadow element. Unlike the darkness element that could affect gravity in combination with earth, shadow seemed able to affect temperature when cultivated far enough even if demons do not have a water element.
"I swore an oath to Heaven and Earth that if someone could cure my mother, I am theirs." Cyntilla did not even lower her voice. Her pride shone strongly and she enjoyed the shock in the cobalt eyes. Cyntilla had not made the oath lightly. She had been prepared to become Ryo's plaything if he could cure mother as well. All that had mattered was saving her mother.
"Foolish child! I am not speaking of that! I am speaking of your lie!" Cyntilla now felt the pressure of a peak Sand Tier pushing down on her. The crowd had a few low tier World Realms that quickly left. The robes of an Elder of the Academy gave her full authority to punish any student they wanted anywhere.
It was getting difficult to breathe, but Cyntilla's virulent green eyes flashed a momentary guilt that caused the Elder to lessen the pressure. The 2 guards were flat on the ground as they had been too close to the center of the aura.
"I did not want to explain in case his elixirs failed. If they did, I would renounce the mark, but they worked. I did not have the chance to explain since then due to the edict from the Kingdom." It was the truth, for the most part. She had felt the profoundness of the paste and the elixir in the Ruins. She had a lot of confidence of her success which was why she marked Lind in the first place.
The Elder looked flabbergasted. She put a hand to her forehead in frustration as she looked down at Cyntilla as if she was the dumbest person alive.
"A simple message by me would have been sufficient. Instead, due to your choices, I am not allowed to interfere at this point. The Academy has the results of the Ruins and due to the rules of the entrance exam, Lind had earned merit by helping you that way." Cyntilla was a little surprised but not too much. Generally, whoever died in a Ruin, especially the entrance exam, would not be pursued.
Life and death go hand in hand with cultivation.
Lind freely offering elixirs to help someone of importance outside of the exam, without using resources found in the Ruins, was something rewarded by the Lotus Empire. Altruistic actions were to be encouraged after all and having a potential talent have a good impression of the Academy never hurt.
Cyntilla then felt her mind sway. She had never considered that her mark would be considered a sufficient 'reward' for saving her mother's life in the eyes of the Academy. They must have confronted Lind and learned he did not truly know what the mark meant! His ignorance meant the Academy's hands were tied as a demon mark was a deeply personal issue outsiders were not able to interfere with.
If Lind had known, or demanded the mark for his compensation, it would be different, but because Cyntilla had held back, the Academy could not interfere in the matter. The relevant power had already awarded the cultivator his just reward!