Law of Power?
In the eyes of a government official, laws meant the rules of a country. For attorney's, it was something they studied for half their lives and practiced for the rest. For criminals, it was something meant to be broken.
But for beings who saw the summit of cultivation, laws took on a different meaning. It was the dew of the universe—a physical manifestation of the powers that be. Laws dictated the elliptical orbit of the moon, the gravitational attraction of the sun, and the limits of power on a human.
Laws and cultivation were two sides of the same coin; one restricted power while the other granted it. The chains of the universe tighten as a cultivator gets stronger and stronger, creating a never-ending battle with the universe and the cultivator.
Although it was a battle, there was only one outcome: the universe always won. No matter how strong a person was, the primordial grasp of the cosmos always choked the life out of its prey regardless of time.
There was one exception: the Supreme Beings. They broke out of the shackles of the universe and tamed it for themselves. They were criminals in the highest sense.
The Supreme Beings controlled a Law of the Universe, taking its place in the high table of the cosmos. They were indistinguishable from galaxies, black holes, and any other gigantic heavenly bodies.
The chains of the universe no longer wrapped around their necks, making them immortal.
The Sun God, a.k.a. Alpha God had the Law of Heat. He controlled the sun with its flares and blazing temperatures. He felt every small ember from a cozy campfire, every stricken matchstick, and every person in the world as each body gave off heat.
The Sky God, or otherwise known as The Epsilon God, controlled the Law of Natural Elements. She controlled everything in the sky: the atmosphere, the clouds, the storms, and every aerial being above.
All Universal Laws of the Supreme Beings controlled an aspect of the world. Every Law had physical manifestations.
Law of Power
Did it have the same meaning, Zoran wondered. This Law had no physical manifestation, except for himself. It only manifested in his mind as evidenced from the lack of shadows this light should create.
There was no other explanation. It was not the complete Law like the Supreme Beings had or else the lightning tribulations would have struck his mortal body long ago. But it had the beginnings of one.
This Law of Power defied logical sense, even more so the words that helped him obtain it.
A shroud of mystery covered the reality of Zoran's regression, his Law of Power, and the words. But he was a fool if he did not take advantage of it.
He needed these tools to rip the high and mighty Supreme Beings out of their golden thrones of privilege.
He needed this mysterious power to stand a chance against the universe-defying behemoths of gods. He could not follow his old cultivation route as he knew its heights could not surpass the Supreme Beings.
For now, he had to work.
Explosions of dust and debris followed with every swing of Zoran's pickaxe. Hitting the critical point expended little energy and effort from Zoran while achieving an hour's work of normal mining work.
Zoran's frail and untrained body would not last a few hours of rigorous mining with a blunt pickaxe. The Law of Power accelerated his work.
Within an hour, Zoran found a few reddish brown deposits peeking through the dust and stone. It stood out easily with its rough exterior and solid edges formed from millions of years of pressure. It was an iron ore.
These deposits net him a month's pay. If he were a normal miner, this was a jackpot—a find of a lifetime. But this meager amount was not even enough to purchase a class D cultivation core.
If he wanted a class A core, he needed to produce this amount for a year.
He could not waste a year mining. He needed better finds: illustrious gems. The Starry Night Opal the size of a fingertip was enough for a class C cultivation core. The Aurora Emerald was hard to find, but a few grams of it could pay for a class B cultivation core.
The best case-scenario was to find the Bleeding Silver Diamond. Those can pay for the class A cores of beasts like the mighty Gryphon or the elusive Pegasus.
It was a hard and laborious task, but Zoran was no stranger to hardship. This was not harder than facing off against the descent of the Alpha God.
His eyes wandered through the constellations depicted in the canvas of soil and stone painted by the Law of Power. He ran through the entire cave, combining his mining knowledge and the critical points to scan for potential hotspots.
Eventually, his eyes landed on a conspicuous spot near the end of the cave. It was in a bald spot–free from indentations, boulders, and cracks. This space was uncovered earlier from Zoran's rampant testing of the critical points.
Warily, he approached the site. This was uncovered territory; caution was his friend.
He observed the cracks in the walls and ceilings, the tiny pebbles littered in the room, and the composition of dust free-falling from above. These tell a story of whether Zoran's ending will result in a cave-in or a descent into death.
He knocked on the ground and heard a less-than solid echo.
Fortunately, this room looked safe to tread across. It was also a promising mining spot. Judging from the tell-tale signs of the humidity and the internal pressure in the room, there was a likely chance of a gem somewhere below.
Unfortunately, mining increased the chance of the ground below caving in, where it could lead to thousands of meters below ground.
This was a gamble, and not a good one. There was no guarantee of a gem underneath. Even if there was, it would only be followed by a landslide down into hell.
But Zoran was a gambler. He was not one to play it safe.
He raised his pickaxe and accurately hit the critical point in the ground. It burst open, sending dust everywhere and leaving a small tremor in its wake. The cave was warning its guest not to wake the beast slumbering below.
Zoran kept hitting the critical points, mining for the hotspot with no care for safety.
With his last swing, it uncovered something that cast a faint crystal-like refraction of light in his face. A smile formed on his face full of dirt and sweat.
It was the Bleeding Silver Diamond. It was rough on the edges and with a hazy exterior, but this small piece of gem the size of an almond can buy two class A cultivation cores.
Zoran took out the protruding diamond from its nest, disturbing its sleep for a million years. It was heavy and hot to the touch, a complete contrast to the temperature of the cave.
But that was not the biggest take of the day.
When Zoran plucked the diamond from the ground, a silvery liquid pulsed out of the hole. It moved like water, pooling on the crater Zoran mined.
The Bleeding Silver Diamond earned its name due to this very liquid. There were legends and stories depicting how the motherland bled silver due to it losing its diamond, akin to its heart.
Despite its myth, the silver liquid was considered for nothing more than decoration. It could not be molded into something useful because it stayed in its liquid form regardless of any treatment done to it.
The diamond was sold in a transparent case half-filled with the silver liquid to further propagate the myth and spike up the prices. But most people threw the case along with the silver liquid after obtaining the diamond.
It stayed as trash, until someone discovered how to mold it. They found out how to turn this liquid into the hardest substance in the world.
All of a sudden, the title for the strongest metal in the world was taken away from adamantium. This silver metal, when phased into its solid form, was enough to withstand temperatures hotter than the sun and hard enough to withstand the full force of a meteorite.
Elite soldiers used it for their armor. Swordmasters used it to create legendary swords. It was the gold standard for blacksmithing.
It was named Silverune.
RUMBLE RUMBLE
An intense quake shook the lands. Zoran felt the cracks underneath him propagating through the ground. With each fissure, the structural integrity of the foundation lessened. It was only a matter of seconds till the whole floor gave in.
Zoran had no choice but to rush outside with the Bleeding Silver Diamond in his hands. With each step he took, the ground submerged and fell into nothingness.
He was barely able to make it through solid ground. But he could not help but look back. The Silverune was more valuable to Zoran than the diamond.
His thoughts rang once again with the words stuck in his mind. There was no time for hesitation. Zoran recited the words, with his hands reaching out to the falling Silverune.
In voluntate mea ad verum aquilonem intellectus procedet.
In voluntate mea ad verum aquilonem intellectus procedet.
In voluntate mea ad verum aquilonem intellectus procedet.
The Silver liquid stopped in its tracks, defying gravity.
Law of Attraction unlocked.