"I am ready," Ezio said as he looked at the place. Last week, he asked his master if there was any place where he could have his breakthrough. When Aodhfionn heard it, he assumed Ezio was afraid someone would disturb him during cultivation. Ezio then explained his situation. Because of Seamless Body, his future breakthrough might be as flashy as the first one.
After hearing what he said, Aodhfionn nodded in understanding and brought him to a town not far from the capital. This town was special because there were several domains nearby, and one of them was for people at higher levels of cultivation to rent to breakthrough. The size of the domain wasn't bigger than a house, but it was rich in Essence, so it was auspicious enough to cultivate.
"Go in, little lad." Aodhfionn nudged him in, "Ah will cover the door, so stay as long as you need."
"Thank you, Master." Ezio nodded as he looked at his master in gratitude. The rent of the domain wasn't cheap. It cost Aodhfionn an arm and a leg, but he didn't show it to Ezio. Just this made Ezio grateful.
"C'mon now, go in." The Dwarf master said as he sat in front of the entrance. Ezio stepped into the door which was built around the entrance. As soon as he took a step, he realized the air around him changed. Not only the Qi and Mana were denser, but the air itself was also purer. He felt so fresh.
After looking around for a couple of minutes, he walked to the altar at the center and sat down. He concentrated in his vortex and sucked the Qi in the atmosphere towards it. Soon, a qualitative change occurred. The ever-spinning vortex, instead of gas Qi, started to spin out Solid Qi chunks. Over time, they started to spin around the vortex like the rings of a planet.
Before Ezio could register what was going on, his soul was pulled to the Signium Universe. He looked at the endless stars floating in front of him with a grin. Despite being in the Signium Universe, he couldn't feel any pressure at all, unlike the first time he was here.
Ezio swam further away from the stars, and soon, felt the first barrier. Then the second.
Third,
Fourth.
Fifth.
When he arrived at the Fifth Curtain, he felt pressure on his soul. It wanted to push him back to remind him he was just an insect in front of mighty stars. But he prevailed. He fought back against the feeling that wanted to humble him. His soul filled with pride and he took the last step, and all of a sudden, his vision changed. His world changed, and the pressure changed. It wasn't a big brother who wanted to teach some manners to the little bro anymore, this was a drunk father who would beat the shit out of his son who slighted him.
Ezio felt like drowning. His soul, which was trapped at the beginning of the Sixth Curtain felt as if his every cell, his every bit was under immense gravity. He couldn't even open his eyes. Just the idea of it was hurting his body. But while his eyes were closed, an image appeared in front of him. He wasn't a stranger to this image. It was the avatar looking down on him in disgust.
"HAAAAAA!" With a shout, he opened his eyes and swam forward. He saw the first Signium the Sixth Curtain could offer.
"Jade Buddha's Mighty Fist
Fist Technique Mastery, Strength Boost, Stone Elemental Insight, Superior Defense… Not my style."
"Lava Eating Golden Tiger
Fire Elemental Insight, Metal Elemental Insight, Demonic Beast, Superior Strength… Not bad."
One after another, Ezio looked at the Signiums but none caught his attention. Until, he felt a connection like the last one, nudging his soul. He swam towards that direction but soon realized that feeling was coming from the Intermediate Tier, he wasn't sure if he could pass there. But the more he waited, the stronger the pull became.
"F*ck it!" He decided to risk it and pass the invisible membrane and the pressure on him doubled. His speed was so slow, that it felt like it would take years for him to arrive. He swam, he swam and he swam without knowing when to give up. And when he saw the Signium, a smile blossomed on his face.
"Wind Riding Azure Wolf's Fang.
Azure Demonic Wolf, Dagger Insight, Wind Elemental Insight, Speed Mastery. Although overall, it wasn't as good as the others, this one was superior because of the wolf itself. The technique he was cultivating, The Azure Wolf King's Eternal Fang was also the same kind of Demonic Beast. If he were to have this ultimate, the technique would resonate with him even more.
As Ezio was about to pick the Signium, he felt a jolt in his soul. It was so sudden and short. It was like a mosquito bite, it could hardly be felt. But the after-effect was there. A feeling, a hunch it wasn't there before, warned him against it.
"No, something is wrong," Ezio muttered to himself as he shook his head side to side. "Something is wrong with this Signium."
As soon as he uttered those words, the nudge he felt intensified. He felt as if the Signium was a vacuum and his soul was a helpless ant. He was being drawn towards it every second. He couldn't even escape from it, because of the pressure of the curtain.
"NO!" He shouted and the feeling disappeared. With it, the pressure on him also doubled once again. It was clearly the Signium that was helping him. Ezio, with no other choice, looked at the closest stars and chose one that didn't look bad. And then, he was ejected from the Signium Universe.