Chapter 53 - 2 25-32

Book 2: Chapter 25: A Long Ride

Despite my best efforts, I had not managed to get everything done in time. With little choice left with me, I'd left whatever tasks had remained regarding the spirit garden with the village chief and granny Lang.

"You have nothing to worry about, Lu Jie. The villagers are adjusting well to the spirit beasts, and the creature themselves have been fairly docile," the village chief reassured me, as I handed the scrolls regarding the spirit herb distribution plans.

Nodding, I sighed. Unable to stop worrying. But despite all of it, I knew it was time to go.

"We'll be back soon," I told Guo Zou.

The village chief gave me a nod. "Please, tell the Lord that this will be an honour."

"I will. Your daughter is wonderfully skilled, and has shown perfect capability to take up the task. I think the Lord will be more than willing," I said, trying to smile in a reassuring manner. In truth, the Qi crystals were only a fraction of my concern.

How will the Lord react, when I told him I had a weapon that could allow mortals to kill cultivators? Not merely kill, but decimate them, if truly allowed to. Should I even present the Lord with such a weapon in the first place?

The gu-nuke I'd packed in my pouch felt like it would burn a hole through the leather and fall at any moment. The weight of the device may have been negligible, yet the weight of what it represented rested heavy upon my heart.

Not letting my thoughts reflect upon my expression, I merely nodded. Thankfully, I did not have to wait long, as Yan Yun and Yin both walked out from inside, the two girls quietly laughing about something to each other.

I paused upon noticing their attire. Neither wore luxurious clothes, certainly nothing compared to Yan Yun, yet both of them had prepared themselves with an elegant simplicity that was pleasing to the eye. To see Yan Yun dressed up was one thing, the girl had always been extremely pretty, but watching Yin standing besides her with just the same kind of appearance took me back momentarily.

Yin paused, noticing me watching. She dipped her head lightly to me, a light blush rising to her cheeks.

"I take it both of you are ready at last?" I said, looking at Yan Yun.

"We are. How does it look?" Yan Yun asked, raising her hand as she showed of her robes. Yin stood bashfully next to the girl.

"Surprisingly good," I replied, my eyes going toward Yin.

"Hey! What do you mean surprisingly?" Yan Yun protested, and I chuckled.

"I'm sure he means nothing by it, Yun. You look fabulous," Yin said to Yan Yun, grasping the girl's hand.

"Let's not delay too long. The carriage should be here any second," I said, and the three of us made our way out.

Zhang stood ready as well, his spear by his side. The boy wore more formal robes than I typically saw him in as well.

Labby stood beside him, wearing her celestial robes from the lunar court. The clothes seemed to never get dirty, and Labby loved to wear them almost all the time, so her appearance was not much different from how it always tended to be.

"Ready to leave, boy?" Granny Lang said. I saw the old woman walking closer, with Su Lin by her side.

"We are. Are you sure you don't want to come, Granny?"

"Bah, I'm too old to spit in the face of the Heavens. You kids go have fun," the old woman said, smiling through her dark and crooked teeth.

"How about you Su Lin?" I asked the boy instead.

"The villagers need some cultivators to remain, in case a problem arrives. I know you've let your turtle but with brother Zhang gone, I think I'd rather stay behind, just in case."

I looked at Su Lin for a moment, remembering the first time I'd met the boy. A shady lanky fellow with crooked teeth and a rat like demeanour who'd long since given up on cultivation. Now a brother who I trusted more than most, and who stood inching closer and closer towards the peak of the third realm.

I nodded, thanking Su Lin and the granny, as we stood in wait.

More than a couple villagers stopped by, watching us standing. Most knew the importance of the day, but the few that didn't whispered beneath their breaths, wondering about the gathering of cultivators standing near the entrance.

They didn't have to wait long, to get their answer.

A blazing torrent of Qi moved at rapid speeds in the distance, and I heard the clatter of hooves rattling against the earth. Within a few moments, the carriage appeared on the path, moving like the wind itself as it left a storm of dust in its wake.

Unlike the last time, this carriage did not appear to be made of Qi itself, but instead of physical matter. Yet, calling it mundane would be a mistake. The carriage was of a simple design, but it was large, needing six horses to pull the vehicle, all spirit beasts in the first realm.

The earth beneath me shuddered as the carriage rolled closer, coming to a stop in front of us, a single man driving the horses, with a circular had that had cloth hanging from it, covering his face. A talisman was plated upon the cloth, with characters I could not read.

The gate pushed open from within, as I saw Elder Tian Feng step out. Many of the villagers gasped, some bowing hurriedly, while others merely stared at the man, the giant elaborately created carriage, and the six majestic horses that drew it.

"We hope all is in order?" Elder Tian Feng asked.

"It is, Elder," I replied.

"Very well. Let us depart then," the elder said nonchalantly, stepping aside to let us in.

I let Labby walk in first, followed by Yan Yun, Yin, and though I wanted Zhang to move in before he, the boy insisted otherwise, and so I climbed the steps in, quickly followed by Zhang.

The inside of the carriage was spacious, though not by some kind of formation. It looked to be clever designing instead, with comfortable cushions padding the seat on both sides. Stepping in, I took a seat near the center, Labby to my left and Zhang to my right. A small window ahead let me see the wooden sliding door that allowed me to talk to the driver.

As I looked at the driving window, the frame slid open, and the driver turned, face still obscured by a cloak.

"It is good to see you well, boy," a familiar voice whispered to me.

My eyes widened in surprise, as I looked at the driver. "Xian Yue?"

"Who else would it be? Do not tell me one of my sisters found you," the Elder's moon spirit asked, sounding horrified.

"Not as far as I'm aware," I replied.

"Labby met her! The sisters!"

"Oh, you did, didn't you? Did they treat you well child?" Xian Yue asked.

"Labby had fun. It was… a bit difficult to remember. And they offered a lot of things for Labby to eat, but she did not. Even though she was really tempted to. But the moons were beautiful, and they sang… and danced… and…" Labby trailed off, frowning.

"Do not try to remember it, child. The Lunar Court exists beyond this reality. It is a mirage, that exists within a dream. But it is good to hear of your growth. To have taken their offerings would've trapped you within the court, unable to leave it for eternity."

I frowned, unaware that the visit had involved something so dangerous.

"My sisters tell me, the Lunar Court will be happy to see you again, La Bi. Though you may not find another dragon willing to take you so easily."

I noticed the hints of a smile on Xian Yue's lips through her cloak at the words.

"Labby will get there on her own!" Labby exclaimed, purple sparks cracking around her.

Before I could comment, the conversation was cut short as Elder Tian Feng walked into the carriage, taking a seat.

"If everyone is here, we should begin our journey," the Elder said.

Xian Yue nodded, drawing her reins back. The horses snorted and clicked their hooves, as the carriage began to move.

Steadily, I watched the scene outside move past us. It was the flying scene of the previous carriage, yet it was still as fast as any car I'd ridden in my previous life.

The experience seemed to please Labby a great deal, as she kept trying to stick her head out of the window despite my many warnings to tell her not to.

Yin, on the other hand, seemed to be terrified out of her life. Her face had grown pale and I was certain she'd passed out with her eyes open a couple of times. Being seated so close to the Elder likely did not help.

"Tell us boy. Has La Bi been unable to return to her previous form?" Xian Yue asked, her words echoing in my mind.

Somewhat used to random voices speaking in my head, I did not react in any visible manner and replied.

"Yes. She hasn't been able to return to her previous form. I thought that was normal with the transformation she went through?"

A humm echoed in my mind. "It is not normal. As the word does not suffice to define what your spirit has achieved. Yet, she should be able to return to her previous form if she wishes too. The one she currently inhabits Is ultimately an artificial one. Tell us, has she been hungrier since she became like this? Or sleeping more often?"

I paused at Xian Yue's words. Now that I thought about it, Labby had been eating a lot more than before. I hadn't thought much of it, thinking it was likely due to her larger stomach size and hearty appetite growing, but it definitely was a bit abnormal. Spirits did not need to eat, after all.

"She has been. Yes. Even her naps are longer now, and more frequent," I replied.

"As we had thought. The bond you share with her is insufficient to sustain her form, so she must spend her own Qi to keep it. But the draw is excessive, manifesting in the form of hunger. The crack in her dantian has left her sore, creating a hurdle in her mind, to return to a form smaller, and much more feeble."

"Labby… is afraid to transform back?" I asked, surprised.

"Most likely. To lose one's core, and be crippled is not an event that vanishes without leaving a mark. It is likely that her spirit holds her back from returning to a weaker form, and allowing herself to be vulnerable again."

I felt a pang of anger at the twins again, for inflicting something like that upon Labby, but I breathed the emotion out.

"What can I do to help her?" I asked.

"Guide her. Let her find her own strength," the moon spirit said, before her voice began to echo in the carriage to everyone. "So, La Bi. Tell us. Have you decided on the path you will walk now?"

"Labby's path?"

"Indeed. There are eight faces of the moon, and though you have actualised the moon of journey, it is by no means the end of your path. Which moon shall you walk with next, child?"

Labby frowned, her eyebrows creasing in thought. "Labby doesn't know…" she admitted.

"The reason you have not progressed child, is because you have not found which path to choose next. Think of the eight moons, and meditate on the thought. You have already picked one, do you wish to remain on this path, or do you wish to brain a new moon within your spirit?"

"Labby… wants to be stronger. Whatever would allow her to grow," she replied.

"Each moon has a path, with each their own strength. There is no singular answer, and neither is there a correct one. The choice must be yours and yours alone," Xian Yue said, before pausing. "But, if it is strength that you desire the most… then the dark moon will be your path. It will rise on the night of the solstice, as the demonic beasts will reach the pinnacle of their strengths. Upon that day, Lunar Qi shall flood the night with the dark of the night, and the hunger that lurks within. It is a powerful strength, yet one, that is difficult to tame."

Labby thinks over it for a moment, before nodding. "Labby can do it."

"You have our blessing, child."

The carriage slowed down, before coming to a stop. I looked around, realising we'd already reached the Lord's manor, with how lost I'd been in my conversation with Xian Yue. My eyes went to Yan Yun, Yin and even Zhang, looking around with the same bewildered expressions, before I heard the moon spirit whisper in my mind.

"A good driver never lets her customers get bored."

I smiled, surprised by the spirit's skill as the gate to the carriage opened. A familiar face, hidden in far too many wrinkles greeted me, with a gentle smile on his face. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Old man?" I asked dumbly.

"It's been a long time. How have you been, Lu Jie?"

Book 2: Chapter 26: Business Talks

"I've… been good. What're you doing here?" I asked.

"The Lord asked of this old man's presence today. There is something you wish to share, I have been told."

I looked at the Old Man, memories of the talk he'd had about his grandson returning to me. He definitely deserved to know. I gave an acknowledging nod to him.

"Let us not make the Lord wait then," the Old Man said, glancing at Elder Tian Feng.

The Elder took the lead, escorting us through the Lord's manor. I noticed some guards walking around us as well, melded into the shadow, and well out of sight, but definitely there. I didn't comment on them, walking quietly as we made our way into the manor propers.

Before we reached the gate I'd grown familiar to be the Lord's chambers, elder Tian Feng paused.

"Lu Jie, the mortal girl, and Lao Zhang should follow me. The rest of you will be escorted to a chamber to rest," he said to my party, glancing my way once to see if I had any complaints.

I looked back without any change in my expression, and the Elder nodded, proceeding ahead. I glanced at Yin, who looked pale as a ghost at having been picked out from the group. Gently, I grabbed her hand, and smiled at her.

She almost jerked back in response, pulling her hand away, but upon noticing my face, she let me hold on.

"You'll be fine. Just stay focused," I mouthed, not speaking the words out.

Yin nodded to me in reply.

Letting go of her hand, I proceeded behind the Old man, as all of us reached the Lord's chamber.

"New gate?" the Old man asked, glancing at Tian Feng.

The elder nodded.

"What a shame. I had enjoyed the previous one. A pristine gift, it had been."

"The young dragon had shattered it by accident," Tian Feng replied.

"Dragon?" I asked, unsure of what was going on.

Old Man and Tian Feng both looked back at me, before glancing at each other. "The Lord had been entertaining the Prince and his young dragon spirit here, a few years ago," Tian Feng replied.

I internally curled an eyebrow. The Prince? I didn't know anything about the prince. Somehow, I'd never heard anything about the emperor's children now that I thought about it.

Before I had the opportunity to voice my questions, the giant door shuddered open. With a creaking noise, the gates moved, letting light stream in, and for the first time since I had met the Lord, I saw him free of any task, simply sitting at him desk, ready to greet us.

Stepping inside, I bowed my head low, alongside Old Man and Yin. I briefly glanced at the girl from the corner of my eye, and saw her moving like a puppet being moved around by invisible strings.

"Raise your heads," the Lord said, a lot more authority in his voice than the previous discussion we had participated in.

I raised my head, meeting the Lord's eyes. The door behind me clicked close, and I felt a pulse of Qi encompass the area around us.

"Tian Feng has set up a ward around the chamber. Our men have been ordered to stay outside as well. You may speak freely here. We hear you've succeeded in your task, Lu Jie?"

"I have, my lord," I said, reaching towards the pouch at my waist. Tian Feng walked up to me, and I handed the pouch to him.

"In there are Qi crystals, as I have come to call them. An improved version of the regular Qi gathering pill," I said, as Tian Feng held out the little crystal thing.

I extended my hand, and the elder handed me the crystal. In a go, swallowed the pill, feeling it dissolve in my mouth.

"It uses less spirit grass than regular pills, and provides a greater amount of Qi," I said, and the elder followed to eat one of the crystals as well, before nodding and handing the crystal to the Lord.

"I can see as such. And you had claimed the girl could create these as well?" the Lord asked.

"The one you hold in your hand was made by her," I said, trying not to smile.

I could almost hear Yin turning stiff from fear and anxiety as the Lord's eyes settled upon her.

"What's your name, child?" the Lord asked.

It took a moment for Yin to realise she was the one being talked to, and then another for her to remember how to use her mouth. "It um I- I'm Yin. Wei Yin. M-my lord," she stuttered, barely able to keep her words straight.

"A mortal, from the looks of it. That much is certain. Yet one capable of this curious alchemy," the Lord said, before his eyes glanced at the Old Man.

"What do you think of it, Sheng Ming?" the Lord asked.

I turned to look at the Old Man, the name unfamiliar to me.

"My apprentice has always been a curious sort, trying to walk his own path against even common sense. This old man may be biased, but if the boy believes it to be a worthwhile path, I too, believe it will be one."

I smiled, unable to hide my happiness at his words.

"The Alchemy halls will not be pleased. To have mortals capable of Alchemy more powerful than theirs would upset them beyond anything. How do you intend to handle that, when the time comes for it?" the Lord asked, looking at me.

"I have plans. But that is where your support is what I need the most. If you back me, my lord, we could present an entirely new method of alchemy to the empire. One that could strengthen both mortal and cultivators alike. Is that not what the jade court would want?"

Silence filled the chamber at my words, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong.

"We do not know," the Lord replied. "And that is why you stand here before us."

I looked at the lord, confused. "What… do you mean, my lord?"

"Tell me, Lu Jie. Do you know of the blighted lands? Of what exists beyond the empire?"

"The lands to the north?"

"Indeed. The lands beyond the empire, beyond the seven celestial peaks. The blighted lands, the miasma ridden lands, where life does not take a hold, where only death and it's kin prevail. That is what we fight. For millennia, it has been our battle, to hold back the blighted lands, and preserve the life within our empire. But with each passing year, we see our empire getting mired in politics, in poison and squabbles, as our enemy grows stronger and smarter. But the jade court rules, as if all is right, as if our men do not die each day within this eternal war," the lord said, each word heavy, as if just speaking them tired him.

The memory I had watched, of the demons that had attacked my birth village and killed my parents came to me. I nodded, letting out a breath.

"Why is no one concerned over this?" I asked.

"The demons have been quiet. There has been little activity in the past three decades, and the jade court grows complacent, too busy in their politicking and petty squabbles. But—" the Lord paused, glancing to the Old Man.

The Old Man continued in the Lord's place. "Since my grandson died, and turned to Yang Shen, there have been attacks, far more strategic than there had ever been before. At one glance, they seem random, but there was a plan underneath it, one clever enough to fool us. That is not how a demon behaves."

"It is why we are so desperate to know what you know, Lu Jie. How you tame that miasma that turns men into the beasts we fight. Perhaps, therein lies the answer to this war, and the answer to achieving peace. Because if nothing is to be done, then I fear for this empire, in the years that are to come," the Lord said.

The topic was heavy, far heavier than I had anticipated coming into this discussion.

"I wish to gain wealth, and power. But those are mere tools. My goal, from the start, had been to discover the truth behind the heavens, and the cultivation of this world. I will share these with you, once we are at the appropriate location. But first, there is another truth I wish to share," I said, glancing back at Yin.

The girl jumped as the glance before digging in the little bag she carried. She handed me the book I'd asked her to keep.

"It was not just my own work, that allowed me to create the Qi crystals. But of another. Of this girl's grandfather, another man, who had arrived to this world from mine, but had not been blessed with Qi like I had," I said, walking closer to the Lord.

"He is no longer with us, but his words remain, and they have helped me walk further in my path. The path of development, of advancement, and technology. I have not just created the Qi crystals, they are merely one facet of a much larger whole," I said, as I put the book on the Lord's desk.

Taking a breath, I reached into my pocket, and pulled my drugnade.

"This is a weapon that can explode and kill any second, and even some third realm cultivators, if they are not careful. If created with formation arts and devices, it can even be used by mortals with next to no training," I said, putting the drugnade down.

"This is a gun. A gun from my world. One that is much older than what my era had, but still quite deadly. When created with the right explosive it can shoot little bullets, sharp tiny arrow heads if you will, into an enemy's head or heart, killing them immediately," I said, putting the gun down, before I reached for the final item.

"And this… this is my Gu-nuke. A weapon, I have made, combining Gu and Qi, into a more powerful version of my drugnade," I said, before looking the Lord into the eye. "When used, it is powerful enough to kill an Elder."

Putting all three weapons in front of the Lord, I stepped back.

"Advancement, technology. It heals, it develops, but it also brings power and destruction in our hands. How we use it is our own choice. This is what I have to come to you for, my lord. To ask for your support, for money, for scholars, to make these weapons. And then, you will not have to limit yourself an army of a thousand cultivators, when each and every one of the hundreds of thousands of mortals will have the ability to kill a demon on their own."

I stood, and waited quietly. Now was the time for decisions. Of how I would progress on my path, and bring change to this world.

Book 2: Chapter 27: Modern Weapons

I watched the Lord pick up the book I'd handed him, as he flipped through the pages quickly. "This is not in a language we are aware of. Though one of them appears to be quite similar to the Azure-Jade script," he said, before looking up at me.

I nodded. "It's written in the languages from earth. It protects the information."

The Lord glanced past me, at my reply, his eyes turning towards Yin. "Did you know of your grandfather's origins?"

Yin froze, standing dumbly for a moment, before I saw her give a stiff nod.

"A different world. We had been aware that there had been souls drifting into our realms from somewhere beyond," the Lord said, before looking down at the book. "Are there any others you know of? People from your world?"

"None so far, my lord," I replied.

The Lord stood silently, yet I could feel his presence growing heavier and stronger by the minute. There was a palpable weight to the air around me, as the Lord inspected the tools and weapons in front of him.

"Tell us more, Lu Jie. What was your world like? Did it have demons that were conquered by these tools? What foe led to the creation of weapons that even mortals would be able to wield to such a degree?"

I smiled. "There were no demons in my world, my lord. Neither were there any spirit beasts, monsters, or cultivators for that matter. It is a world without magic, a world full of mortals, with nothing to threaten humanity."

"Then… why did you create these weapons?" the Lord asked, perhaps looking surprised for the first time ever.

"To kill each other," I replied, feeling a tense silence fill the chamber.

"In our world, with nothing left to conquer as civilisation grew, and humanity thrived, we turned against each other. Kingdoms fighting kingdoms for land, resources, power, grudges, religion, a difference in ideologies, any and all reasons you could think of. These weapons I presented… they look like toys compared to what modern earth had. We had weapons that would fill poisonous gasses in the air, which would drown men on land, as their lungs filled with liquid, killing them. We had missiles that could destroy enemies from across the sea, flying crafts that could drop nuclear bombs capable of wiping out cities in moments, leaving the land poisonous and uninhabitable forever," I said, glancing around the room.

"That is… difficult for us to understand. Why would people fight each other to such an extent? There is infighting, and conflicts, but not to the extent you describe."

"It's a lot easier for conflict to arise among people that look a bit different, speak a different language, and come from different cultures and countries. With how uniform the empire is, it likely helps tie it together as one entity. Having the demons as an enemy likely helps keep the conflict focused outwards," I said.

"Different countries you say. We are aware of the lands beyond the Azure-Jade empire, of distant traders. Though we cannot say we know much about these people," the Lord said.

"This world is bigger, so its oceans are likely bigger too. I imagine that helps keeps continents isolated to some extent too. Weapons were a chase in my world, to try and rise above the other nations and gain control. Though in some ways, the creation of these weapons in the second world war in part led to the reduction of wars. Because if anyone ever decided to use nuclear warheads, the other country could retaliate with the same, and both countries would cease to exist and be wiped out. Humanity had become the biggest threat to its ongoing existence," I said, with the last of my breath.

No one replied, or spoke for the next few breaths. Merely taking in everything I had said.

"Curious. We can understand what your world had, in some ways. The power of a divinity is to the extent that you have spoken of. The reason the jade-court prospers, and the ducal families remain unchallenged are the Divinities that preside from atop. They stand as the pinnacle of existence, capable of wiping out entire cities within moments. If one were ever to go astray, and attack, the other four would retaliate, resulting in mutual destruction. It is that knowledge that ties this empire at this core," the Lord said.

I nodded, understanding the implications of the power balance the Lord spoke of.

"Yet, you wish to bring weapons of such power to our world? To present them in mortal hands?" the Lord asked, looking me in the eye.

"I doubt I can. These weapons were made from decades of studies, from far smarter people than me. Without their work to build on, I would struggle to replicate them. But no, my purpose isn't to bring in nuclear weapons in this world. What I want to achieve is progress, and development, and to allow for this empire to survive the attacks from its enemies."

"And you believe these weapons can do that?" the Lord asked.

"I do," I replied, looking firmly back. "My world may have had wars, yes. But it also had technology, we had cars, airplanes, electricity, many technological advances that had begun developing. We found the cures of many diseases that plagues humanity before, we found technologies that could heal many people, that improved the lifestyle of the world as a whole when before that, for centuries, millennia even, humanity has lived in roughly the same manner. Empires rose and fell, yet the world went on in more or less the same way," I said, before my eyes went towards the Old Man.

"When I first woke up with the world of my past life, I was shown kindness my Old Man here. And I had been cured of injuries with Alchemy that would've taken far more time to heal back at my home. At that moment, I had felt a spark, a future with the powers of this world, wielded in a manner that understood it's mysteries, and society embarking on that path of progress. To begin that change, to kickstart that path is what my true motives are."

The Old Man looked at me, his expression unreadable, as I spoke of the true beginning of my Path. I wondered if he was angry that I'd hid all this from him, whether he felt that I had merely made use of him. I couldn't tell.

"I have heard your words, Lu Jie. Words with implications even we struggle to fathom. Perhaps it had been foolish of us to think we could simply make use of your knowledge without being pulled within your Path," the Lord said, glancing back at me. "Before we make any decisions, we wish to see the strength of these weapons of yours."

The lord tossed the Gu-nuke back at me, and I caught the weapon.

"Do… you mean here, my lord? Pardon me but… it will destroy this chamber," I said.

"Not here," the Lord said, before turning towards us. "Come with us. Do not resist."

A tug pulled at me, but I didn't resist. With a blink, I found myself in a massive chamber brimming with Qi, enough to almost be suffocating in its intensity. The walls were carved of stone and full of Qi, with talismans and wards layered endlessly upon them. I glanced around, and saw Yin staring wide eyed at having been teleported so abruptly alongside with us.

"This is a special chamber we have created, you can feel free to use your weapon here," the Lord said.

"Please, step aside to a corner of the chamber, and create another ward over the center of the chamber," I said.

Within moments, I felt the ward rise as everyone stepped to one corner of the chamber. Keenly aware of the power of the Gu-nuke, I moved to the corner with them, before taking a breath.

Taking the Gu-nuke, I sent a pulse of Qi, letting the trigger dissolve. A moment later, I tossed the weapon with all my strength across the chamber, and into the ward, before shouting. "Enforce the ward now!"

Qi pulsed, a fraction of a second before the Gu-Nuke exploded.

The flash was blinding, as the shockwave tore through the ward, pushing back on me. The stone floor rattled beneath my feet. The shielding wards cracked, as I stepped back, standing protectively in front of Yin.

I sensed the Lord stepping ahead, as another pulse of Qi cancelled the pulsing shockwaves rising from the weapon, nullifying them.

I opened my eyes, looking in front. A void existed where the weapon had detonated, the reaction of Qi and Gu having eaten through all the energy present in the atmosphere around it completely and igniting it.

The ground was charred, the stone covering the floor nearly gone, revealing the underlying formation that lay fractured.

I heard Yin intake her breath sharply, her eyes burning against my back. I turned to face the lord, who stood watching the destruction, contemplating. Silently, he glanced back to me.

"If we give you all the money, and resources we have. How many of these can you make?" he asked.

I pushed down my smile, looking at the Lord, before bowing my head.

"Enough for a small army."

Book 2: Chapter 28: Lord Jie

Against my expectations, the Lord had not given me an answer immediately. Instead, both me and Yin had been moved to the waiting room where Yan Yun, Zhang and Labby were. Unable to rest despite my best efforts, I paced around the halls, feeling agitated.

What I was bringing to the Lord wasn't just a weapon, but the knowledge and understanding to create far more things further down the line as well. Given enough resources, just this knowledge alone could be enough to dethrone the Jade court, even with the power of the Divinities at their side. Gu-nukes were afterall, merely the start, created from alchemy and spirit herbs. If far larger and more potent quantities of Gu and Qi could be merged within a controlled device… there would be no telling what someone could do with that kind of ability.

I paced harder as my thoughts continued to spiral.

"Brother Jie, I don't mean to presume what causes you such trouble. But you should calm down," Zhang said, before turning his head sideways to where the servants meant to look after us were.

The mortals stood huddled together, with looks of terror. A moment later, I realised the cause from my flaring Chi, and the imprints I left on the floor from my steps.

"Apologies. I lost control," I said, pressing my fists as I bowed to the servant.

The action only seemed to further send them into a panic, but I did not have time to console them, and let them move about on their own. Trying to distract myself, I glanced at Zhang.

"How's your training with the villagers going, Zhang?"

"They've been learning. It'll be a long time before they are capable of fighting on their own, but all of them show drive," Zhang replied.

"That's good to hear. With the plans I have, we won't need them to be superhuman, just disciplined, willing to listen to orders, and capable of following instructions," I said, before reaching out to my pouch instinctively to check for the gun I'd kept.

A moment later, I realised it was still with the lord, and my unease grew once more.

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping brother Jie, but… what do you truly intend to do with the mortals?" Zhang asked.

"I never did explain fully to you guys, did I? I plan to form a militia with the villagers. Just three for now, so barely any, but we'll get more and more people soon as time passes. The first step will be training them traditionally so that we can get through the winter solstice."

"I understand your intent Brother Jie, but… these are still mortals. Demonic beasts are not something to be taken so lightly."

"You're right. And it's why I'll be giving them weapons that'll allow them to be as capable as any cultivator in defending themselves from the monsters, and attacking them. Once they've been in combat, they'll be fit to take charge as more people join. Profits from the Qi crystals should allow me to pour in more and more resources into the development of a stronger militia, and perhaps even something more organised over time."

Although all of that depends on what the Lord decides.

Satisfied, Zhang nodded and didn't question me any further. Feeling a bit better, I went and took a seat, trying to calm down a little. I closed my eyes, meditating as I cycled my Chi, focusing inwards. The calm didn't last long, but I managed to settle my restlessness somewhat.

Opening my eyes, I noticed Labby being oddly quiet as she sat in a corner all by herself. Glancing in her direction, I tried to see what she was doing, when I noticed something small and grey sitting on her fingers, and sniffing around.

"Labby. Is that a rat?" I asked, sending my words directly to her.

Labby jerked in response, the little rat scampering up her sleeves as little sparks of purple lighting buzzed around her.

"Umm… yes, Master," she admitted, looking away with guilty eyes.

"What were you doing with it?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Labby averted her eyes, not replying.

"Labby? What did I ask?"

The little girl fidgeted.

"I won't give you any more treats if you don't tell me."

The threat worked instantly, as Labby broke under my unrelenting gaze.

"Labby is sorry! Labby got bored and… well. This rat was here, so Labby decided to grab it, but then she found out that she could understand the rat, and Labby started talking. It had a lot of stories to tell about this place!"

I got up from where I sat, walking closer to Labby. "Can you show me?" I asked, as Labby extended her hand. A moment later, a tiny rat peeked from underneath her sleeve, sniffing at the air, and at me.

"Hmm, it's not a spirit rat. Just a normal creature. Can it really talk?" I asked, looking at Labby.

"It can't talk. It's not smart enough. But… Labby can understand what it wants to say," Labby said, as the rat let out a squeak.

"What did it say?"

"It said, master smells delicious," Labby replied.

I looked at the little rat in Labby's hands, humming in thought. As far as I was aware, very rarely did wards try to keep out mundane creatures like rats. Not only because it took a lot of work to stop something without Qi from just walking in undetected, but also because it was simply not worth the effort.

As such, a rat could probably get into a lot of places without trouble. And if Labby could understand them…

"Can you ask this rat to go and see what the Lord is doing?" I asked, looking at Labby.

"Labby could try," she replied, before looking down at the rat. She brought the rat close to her mouth, and whispered something in its ears. The rat's ears perked up, as the creature stood on its hind legs.

"It wants something in return," Labby said, looking up at me.

"Tell it, If it does a good job, we won't eat it," I said with an evil grin. "And I'll give him some food."

Labby looked down at the rat, as the little critter squeaked, before glancing at me in an almost fearful expression. With a loud squeak, it jumped off of Labby's hands and scuttled off.

I sat waiting a few minutes, before with a squeak, the little rat walked back into the chamber, and climbed up to Labby's hands. With a sequence of squeaks, it jumped up and down, and I looked at Labby for the translation.

"It says there's an old man, and the Lord talking. And some other things it didn't understand, being put around the room," Labby replied.

I hummed in thought. "If only it could understand what they were talking about," I said.

Labby petted the little rat on its head, as it sat on her hand, eyes closed in comfort. "It said they were talking about danger."

"Danger?"

Labby nodded. "Danger, risky. Something like that."

"Huh," I murmured, before glancing down at the little rat. "Do you think you can train a bunch of rats to be able to do something like that?"

"Maybe if we have enough food," Labby replied.

"Don't worry about that. But if you can, then this might completely change my ability to get information from various sources. It'd be a really powerful ability to have, and likely something people do not really know about since rat spirits never grow to your strength to gain the capacity to do something like this," I said, and Labby smiled.

"Labby will try her best!" she exclaimed, and the little rat let out a cheerful squeak of its own.

After patting Labby's head once, I got up and walked to the door. I could sense Elder Tian Feng standing outside.

The door slid open, as the Elder looked at all of us. "Follow me," he said.

After glancing back once, I followed behind the man. It was time to hear what the Lord had decided.

Following behind Elder Tian Feng, we made our way into the chamber, where I saw the Lord standing in wait for us.

"We've given it quite some thought. What you bring to us is no small thing. And, making any choice on it was not easy either. But before we do anything else, we'd like for you to swear on Oath, that everything you've told us is the truth, that everything you will tell us about the Heavens will be the truth, and that you do not have malicious intents towards this land, or the people residing in it. Swear it on your spirit, with us, and the heavens as witness."

"I swear it on my soul," I replied, not hesitating for a moment.

The heavens rumbled, as my Chi pulsed out into the environment, the words I spoke ironclad in their truth.

"Very well. Then in our authority as the seventh lord of the seven celestial peaks, we grant you the title of Lord, of the house and manor of Lu, and provide you with the land under our estate that holds the village of Taizhou and its Qi vein," the Lord announced.

I stared, dumbfounded.

"Come closer, and accept this," the lord said, taking out a short ceremonial sword.

Moving almost without thought, I walked ahead, bending a knee, as I bowed my head and accepted the gift. "And with this, the Barony of Lu has been founded under our name."

The heavens rumbled at the Lord's word, as I felt something go out to the sapling in spirit. The anchor, the marker of home, became even more intimately tied with the land, as I could feel not just the creatures, but the people bound to it with my spirit now too.

"I… I'm grateful, but why name me a Lord?" I asked, still reeling from the revelation.

"You've extended previou knowledge and trust towards us. But in doing so, have also made enemies. You cannot expect our name to protect you forever, and this title and Barony is something we can provide to any man who we believe had served us well enough," the Lord said, before glancing at me. "We also want to see what you do with it. Consider it a gamble, where I've decided to bet on you."

I looked at the Lord, before bowing my head deeply.

"There will be many things to learn regarding etiquette, but before any of that. There's a fund that will be given to you in the name of your house, now that you are a Baron under our name. If you require more, we can provide, but that will be your primary method to develop your Qi crystals. The weapons, we will provide both scholars and blacksmiths for, as you need," the Lord said.

"If it may not be rude. How much… will I be provided?" I asked.

"Roughly a thousand gold pieces."

The words were enough to leave me breathless, and I sensed Yin almost faint from the shock. I tried not to let it show on my face, as I simply nodded, accepting the words.

"It will take some time for the paperwork to be finished, but the land is as of now, officially under your name. As such, the people that reside on your land will also be your responsibility. As a newly entitled Baron with a land to his name, you are expected to pick a man to look after your manor and serve as your second in command. Normally, it is a servant that has served the family for long, but since we know you do not have any such thing. You can pick from one of our men."

"Oh, there's no need. I have the perfect man for the task," I said, glancing back to Zhang. Who bowed his head to me in respect.

"Very well," the Lord said, a glint in his eyes. "Now, with these tasks done. It is time for you to teach us what truth hides within the heavens themselves."

Book 2: Chapter 29: The Truth Within the Heavens

The amount of work that had been put in for the tribulation surprised me. We'd been redirected to a different chamber, where Xian Yue, the moon spirit, was making some final adjustments to the most complicated array I'd ever seen. Multiple talismans with intricate characters, painted in ink brimming with Qi from crushed spirit stones dotted the chamber. Lines had been drawn on the ground with some more bowls filled with herbs and items full of Qi set in a way to channel the Qi in specific directions.

Beside Xian Yue, I noticed Zhou Fang, the lord's elder son, standing inside. The boy bowed to his father deeply, before giving me a slight nod of acknowledgement as we all walked into the chamber.

One by one, all of us walked in, taking seats at the respective eight headed formation of the ward. The Lord took the central place, at the top of the formation, Yin, Zhang, Zhou Fang, Labby, the Old Man, Yan Yun and Tian Feng all following after him.

I was directed to the centre, to a special side seat reserved for me, as everyone was faced in my direction.

"To activate the ward, focus on your dantian, and bind yourself under the ward, to join it," Elder Tian Feng said.

I glanced towards Yin in confusion, who looked back at me with a concerned expression.

"She'll be bound by the others. You don't need to worry about her," Elder Tian Feng commented, noticing my glance.

I nodded, closing my eyes, as I focused on my core. The Qi around me swirled, as I felt everyone else reaching out to their dantians as well. The flow of energy was a mesmerising pattern that swirled and danced through the wards set around the chamber, and for a brief moment, I felt connected to everyone around me.

With a pulse, the ward activated, as a bright light pulsed through the chamber. Characters shimmered around, crawling over the walls, as they formed barriers around us in an octagonal shape. The lines beneath us lit up, showing the eight headed formation in all its glory as a boundary of shimmering characters rising into the air, and glowing with a dim flicker surrounded us from all sides.

"The ward is in place," the Lord said, glancing at me.

I nodded, looking around at everyone facing me, before taking a breath.

"In order to explain everything, I'll need to start a while back," I said, trying to sort everything in my head. "The truth of the world begins in a time period far before the rise of the Empire. It begins with the creation of existence itself, and the nature of the world. The world we now live in is a lie. A fabrication created by the division of the energy of the Earth and the Heavens."

Qi pulsed at my words, the air vibrating around me. I heard the heavens rumble, growling. Whoever was in charge up there did not like where this was going.

"Long ago, at the conception of the world, chaos had been split into two, creating the sky and the earth. It formed the cycle of life and death, which had been bound by a tree. The tree of unity, whose roots permeated and gave a resting place to the dead, and whose branches harboured life, in the skies," I said, feeling my words resonating with power.

Every spirit around me shook as my words changed something deeply in their spirit. A powerful golden bolt of lightning crashed through the roof of the chamber, striking the ward. The golden characters flared, bright and powerful, as they distributed the bolt across the perimeter, letting the energy disperse and flow into our cores.

I continued undeterred. "Of this union, there had been neither Gu, nor Qi. But Chi. The Path of Immortality was walked not by cultivating merely one side of the cycle, but by an acceptance of both. The half for Qi would temper the mind, and the heavenly attribute, and the half for Gu would temper the body, or the Earthly attribute. Thus, the cycle was whole."

Another bolt struck, as a roaring storm formed outside. The energy of the bolt was distributed again, flooding into me, yet I felt a bite in my core from the onslaught nonetheless. Rain pouring down like a hurricane as I heard screams echoing from the entire manor. Winds howled and screamed, with the wrath of nature behind it.

"But a long time ago, life was cut from death, this life, then formed Qi, yet what it left behind in its wake was Gu. Death. Miasma. This was the price for immortality, of the eternal throne and chase that guides cultivation within the empire. For each cultivator that walks the path of immortality, the world goes into disbalance, creating miasma, creating death, and creating demons."

The heavens roared. As a furious golden-red bolt of lighting struck. The glowing ward flared, absorbing the blow, but the knockback was still felt. The ward was shuddering, but I could not stop now, not after I'd come this far.

All eyes were rooted on me, cores humming with Qi as they fuelled the ward. The truth was here, their spirits sang with mine. They felt it as keenly as I did. The truth of our world.

"It is us who fuel the eternal war. Cultivators, immortals, our empire. The false Path we walk is the source of the long lasting misery that exists, and takes so many lives. To have cut out Death from Life came at a price, a price that we now pay," I said, my teeth clenched as I sensed the fury of the heavens boiling over.

Three bolts of lightning struck at once, almost blasting through the ward. I did not stop. I could not stop.

"I found this because my soul was split in two, and one half took on Gu, while the other, took on Qi. I split my core in two upon this revelation, one with Qi, and the other, Gu. It was the merging of these two that finally allowed me to obtain Chi, the source of energy that had formed all of creation."

Another bolt, and I felt the ward crack. A bolt of lightning entered the ward, reaching towards me, but the Lord raised his hand, as the bolt was directed away towards him instead. With a bright flash, the tribulation roared, furious at the act.

"Continue," the Lord said, and I nodded.

"I saw the cycle that had existed, and the unity that governed life and death. I met the spirit of the tree that had the domain of the cycle of rebirth, and found its blessing unto my spirit. Of that era, of the seed of change that blossomed into a new cycle, and a new tree of unity yet again, was born the First Law. The truth that had been hidden in the heavens, and our world," I said, as another bolt struck the ward.

Fire erupted around us, the wind tearing through the walls. The Lord moves once again, diverting the bolt, as the ward cracked, characters blurring and energy flaring all over.

I closed my eyes, before opening them. A golden circle shone in my spirit, reaching to my eyes, as I channelled the First Law.

"With this, I found the truth. The First Law of Cultivation: Duality of Chi."

The world erupted around me. Qi flooded my body, as if the air itself was trying to drown me within myself.

The heavens swirled, clouds spinning up above as a bolt thicker than the entire chamber we sat in struck down from the heavens. The barrier shattered, the energy far too overwhelming for me to even comprehend. I leapt, not thinking, as I grabbed Labby, pulsing my Chi to protect her.

Before I could realise what was happening, the Lord stood up.

"As Lord of the Seventh Peak, I, Zhou Li, accept the tribulation," he proclaimed, opening his arms wide. There, in that moment, I felt the Lord's strength, the strength of a man who carried one of the seven celestial peaks on his shoulders.

Overwhelming Qi pulsed over me, like the weight of a mountain itself. Briefly, I felt a sense for his Qi, finding it ten times as vast as mine, and far more dense. The energy flowed from the Lord, forming a shield over all of us.

The red bolt of the heavens stopped mid way, and then charged once more towards the lord as if finding a target for its fury. With a deafening explosion, the bolt struck, shattering the Lord's shield.

Yin yelped, and jumped back and I moved, catching her from being blasted by the explosion. Zhang leapt towards me, trying to get me out of harm's way, but I directed him towards Yan Yun instead. The world around me shook and shuddered as if in anger, vibrating with fury as the Qi around them stirred restlessly.

Screams now filled the skies, servants, soldiers, and everyone running around in a frenzied panic at the tribulation, as the dust cloud roared over the ground around us.

"A divine tribulation! A divine tribulation has struck!"

I heard the screams distantly through ringing ears, though I didn't know what the words meant. Feeling the pulses of energy, I coughed, my bones creaking in pain from the onslaught that had torn through the ward.

Finding myself as the dust settled, I looked around trying to see if everyone around me was fine or not.

My eyes found Elder Tian Feng, standing with Yin, Zhang and Yan Yun behind him. The shield he'd erected vanished as the elder let his Qi settle. Old Man stood nearby, standing in front of Zhou Fang, the lord's son. A frown was set on his face, but I saw no harm visible on either of them.

Finally, my eyes went to the Lord. I watched him stand, gazing up at the heavens themselves. Blood dripped from his lips, his clothes burned from the lightning of the tribulation as smoke rose from his charred and burnt body.

With a cough, he fell to his knees and the Old Man and Tian Feng rushed to his side.

"It's fine," the Lord said, raising a hand as he stopped the two of them, his gaze back at the skies again. "So this… is the truth of our world. The truth of the heavens itself."

Gu rose around the Lord's body, rising from the earth and flowing into him, as Chi formed, yet the energy crumbled and collapsed under the mountain of Qi resting upon his shoulders, unable to even take shape or form for more than a moment.

I felt my throat clam, as I watched an uncertain emotion pass through the Lord's mind. A moment later, as if finding his energy again, the lord stood, before directing his gaze towards me. "We are tied to this path, to this empire and its people. It is too late for us to walk something new. But for the rest of you?" He glanced around, eyes resting on each of us, before they met mine. "Can it be done?"

I dipped my head, before looking around. Though none had awakened to Chi, the seeds of change had been planted. I sensed it in my spirit.

Something stirred within my soul, as I felt the tree of unity grow a new leaf.

"It will be done, m'lord," I replied, bowing my head.

The Lord nodded, before coughing blood once more. "We need warriors, Lu Jie. There is something wrong with the demons. They… no longer seem to be the mindless beasts they had once been. Our foe has become cunning, and is changing its ways. If we remain stagnant… I fear this empire will not stand for much longer."

"Lord Zhou, you need to rest. Your body is in no condition to stand," the Old man protested.

"Forgive this offence my Lord, but I'm taking you to your chambers," Elder Tian Feng said, reaching out to grasp the Lord's shoulders. The Lord did not protest, letting himself move with the man.

I stood, watching the wreck around me, my mind barely able to parse everything that had happened. I'd shared the first law, and its powers, the truth that the Heavens had tried so desperately to hide.

My gaze found the Old Man's who looked back at me with a conflicted expression. "What you've shared today… it will change everything."

I nodded, feeling the weight of my actions settle on my heart. I knew it would.

Book 2: Chapter 30: Divine Tribulation

Liuxiang plucked at the strings of a Zither, feeling the harmonious tunes calm her spirit. She sat, hair let down, relaxing for the first time in a while. Ever since she had been elected as the heir to her grandmother, each day had passed in training, lessons, or some task or another, with far too many clan members trying to suck up to her, or gain her favour to be able to gain favour in her grandmother's eye.

Foolish, to think her grandmother would be swayed based on her opinion of all things. But even so, this was a task she had to deal with, and so she would.

Her nails plucked the strings of the Zither, the melody playing serenely in her chamber when, with a sudden stroke, she found a string clipping her nail, as the string cut through skin and drew blood.

Liuxiang pulled back her finger, regarding the bright red droplet of blood swelling upon it, as she saw the broken string of the Zither.

Ominous. That had been a new Zither.

"Perhaps the make had been faulty," Liuxiang commented, sucking the blood off her finger as she wrapped the broken string and broke it off the instrument. Her hand hovered over the zither for a moment longer, but the desire to play had fled by now.

Does Liuxiang feel the disturbance in the Qi?

Liuxiang nodded. "Perhaps some cousin of mine has finally become an Elder," she commented, tilting her head.

Unlikely. This seems… much much further.

Liuxiang raised her head to the skies, feeling the unsettling energy permeate her. The Heavens were restless today.

Distantly, she heard rushing footsteps, as her handmaiden rushed into the chamber. Liuxiang inclined her head, curious as to what brought on such urgency.

"Forgiveness, young mistress but… the great eldest has… summoned you," the handmaiden huffed between pants.

"What happened?" Liuxiang asked, an uneasy feeling in her chest.

The handmaiden looked up, and then spoke, in a horrified whisper. "There has been a divine tribulation on the seventh peak!"

***

A storm brewed over the seventh peak, winds and rain tearing through the lands. Spirit beasts ran wild, as if scared of the wrath of nature that would show no mercy for any that come in its path.

"Has the Lord truly no sense?" Elder Yan said, watching the skies rumble. "Even if he'd meant to attempt ascension, courtesy would deem he let the Jade Court know of his intentions, and make preparations before entering closed door meditation. To just abruptly embark upon this path without so much as a notice… he has either gone mad, or that demon boy has corrupted him too."

Shadows stirred behind the elder, as one rose and handed a scroll to the Elder. "Hmph. As we'd expected. There was something wrong with the entire situation. Has the alchemy halls replied yet?"

"They have, Master. An Elder has departed, and will be arriving soon to meet with you," another shadow spoke, its head bowed.

"Good, see to it that their travels go smoothly," Elder Yan commented, eyes still at the skies. "Whatever it is you're planning, demon. We won't let you play your schemes so easily."

***

A storm brewed through Taizhou, as Su Lin stood inside, watching the skies with unease. It's been years since something like this had brewed within the skies, like the world itself was furious, and even cultivators stood like mere mortals, watching nature sweep by and even all forces, and return them to their humble roots.

"Bah. Those kids, spitting in the face of the heavens. Now they've well and truly incurred its wrath," Granny Lang said, taking a puff of her smoking pipe before letting out the cloud as she walked up to stand next to Su Lin.

"Do ya think they'll be alright?" Su Lin asked, feeling concerned. He knew Lu Jie was smart… but this… this felt like playing with forces greater than human means.

"He'll be fine. A dragon must ride the stormy waves, and rise into the skies, only then will it truly ascend and reach where it must. This merely means that our boy has very high places to go, and the trials he must face will be greater than others."

"That isn't very reassuring," Su Lin replied.

"Good. I didn't intend to. The boy will survive, and so will the rest. I have faith, and you should too," Granny Lang said, turning away. "Now shut the doors and windows, this heaven cursed rain will drench all my herbs."

Su Lin nodded, closing the windows and gates, as he began to sort all the herbs. One by one, he moved them over inside to a dry location, but found his mind returning to what was outside.

"If you're so worried, go help Cao Chen and the turtle. If this rain continued, the river will flood, and that'll be a much bigger problem than heaven tribulations," Granny Lang spat.

Su Lin nodded, rushing out the door. The rain pelted him like little pebbles flying at him at great speeds, but he pushed through undeterred. Walking through the village, he quickly found Brother Chen working near the river to secure the banks, and make sure the water doesn't overflow into the village directly.

Xiao Don, the turtle spirit, seemed to be doing most of the work, as brother Chen helped out. Su Lin noted a few miners and farmers carrying logs to create an impromptu bridge to cross the stream, as the river water flowed faster and faster currents through the village.

"Su Lin!" Cao Chen exclaimed, waving.

"Is everything alright?" Su Lin asked, concerned by Cao Chen's expression.

"We're fine here. Xiao Don has been able to keep the water flow in control. But there has been some problems in the Qi vein, the miners have mentioned a strange spirit beast walking out from within. We need someone to go take a look," Cao Chen said.

"I'll do it," Su Lin replied.

Cao Chen nodded, before glancing back to one of the miners who dipped his head lightly to Su Lin in acknowledgement. "Follow me please," the man said, guiding the way.

Su Lin followed behind, crossing the river on the small bridge made of logs to the other side. Walking through the pelting rain, they made their way into the forest, as Su Lin felt a dreadful sense of unease.

"There, that's the entrance. A few miners collapsed there, finding it suddenly hard to breathe. I was there, and felt it too. There was this strange shadow… like an evil spirit that was crying. We haven't been able to get closer."

Su Lin narrowed his eyes at the entrance. "Stay here," he told the miner, walking closer. Reaching towards the Qi vein, he saw an odd darkness permeating through the cavern. Covering his nose, as he felt his breath constrict from the sensation, it took him a moment to place the source.

"Miasma… this is Gu," Su Lin murmured, eyes widened in shock. Moving closer still, he tried to walk to the source of the miasma, as much as he could.

Within the darkness of the caverns, a figure stirred. Two dark red eyes looked up at him, stopping him in his tracks, as they glared. Black flames flowed around the creature, the beast almost the same height as Su Lin despite being on all fours.

Terror flooded Su Lin, the onslaught of miasma making him freeze as he realised just what kind of creature he was face to face with. Trying to keep himself centred, he reached out to his Qi, when the creature moved closer.

Su Lin's heart leapt into his chest. There was no way he would survive a demonic beast of this size. And here, this deep into the empire, all on its own? His luck had to be truly abysmal to encounter something like this.

Yet, instead of teeth or claws, he saw the beast sniffing him, as if searching for something. A moment later, the flames settled, as the creature moved closer, and pressed his head next onto Su Lin's shoulder.

"Ho…me…"

The beast spoke in a warbled tongue, voice horribly mutated, as he collapsed in front of Su Lin, purple blood flowing freely from wounds.

Su Lin slowly opened his eyes, watching the giant black wolf sleeping in front of him, before the tension made his legs go weak, as he collapsed on the ground as well.

"Just… what in heaven's name happened?"

Book 2: Chapter 31: Chi Cultivators

The Lord was moved to a different chamber to rest, with the Old Man following behind to look after him. There were still parts of me reeling from shock at the tremendous energy that had been at display in front of my eyes. In front of the Lord's strength, I was barely a child, not even that, and a single blow from the heavens had brought him down to his knees.

I'd known there would be a long way ahead, and the gap in strength would be vast between me and someone like him, yet it was an entirely different feeling to truly experience that difference, and realise that even he was far from the strongest people of this empire. And that, if I continue to walk my path, one day I may have to stand against them.

As my thoughts continued t o churn, we'd been quickly moved out to a different chamber. None of us had talked much, as Elder Tian Feng had rushed around, working on the repair of the chamber we'd been in, and checking in on the manor. An odd, tense silence had filled the chamber as I'd sensed everyone around me coming to terms with the words I'd shared.

Zhou Fang's expression had darkened, his mind likely filled with concern towards his father. I felt some guilt from his expression, all of this had been initiated by me, and in some ways, I was responsible for the Lord's injuries.

Roughly half an hour later - or longer, I had lost track of time in my daze - the Old Man returned to our chamber. I rushed to stand up, my eyes glancing towards Zhou Fang, expecting him to be rushing to know more, but the boy stood up calmly, not showing panic in any form.

"How's the Lord?" I asked, not waiting for the boy.

"He's fine. Merely needs some rest to recover," Old Man said, glancing back towards Zhou Fang, as he nodded lightly.

"Of course he is. Father would not be defeated by a mere divine tribulation," Zhou Fang said, though I found the words to be more for himself than us.

"I've been hearing that word. What even is a divine tribulation?" I asked, glancing at the Old Man.

"You are aware that to become an immortal, and reach Transcendence, one must undergo at least three tribulations?" the Old Man asked.

I nodded.

"But the truth of the matter is, not all Paths can even reach the point. It is not merely a lack of effort, but also the Dao one follows. Some Paths are simply not meant to reach Divinity. The tribulations stand judge of these paths, and most fail under the trial. It is why many elders stop at the pinnacle of their circles, not attempting advancement in vain," the Old man said. "But some paths have the ability to reach transcendence. Divine paths. These, when invoked, bring forth a divine tribulation. It is the mark of the rise of a new Divinity."

"Then… is the Lord going to become a Divinity…?" I asked, slightly confused.

The Old Man looked at me, before shaking his head. "It wasn't his path that brought the tribulation, Lu Jie. It was yours."

I stared at the old man, unsure of how to reply.

"What will the Lord say about the tribulation? Even if Lu Jie has the capacity to become a new Divinity, the Lord surely cannot share that?" Yan Yun asked, looking at the Old Man.

"Father won't, not with… this heavy truth. It'll cause the empire to fall apart. And if the mere mention of the First Law can bring such a heavy trial… I fear to think what further actions may bring."

"That is not something you need to be concerned about," the Old Man said. "The Lord has ties with the Barbarian tribes to the east. It is not rare to harbour or trade with them at times, despite the tensions with the empire and these barbarians. We will merely mention the Lord had agreed to shelter their chief as he advanced, which had caused the tribulation."

"A divinity among the barbarians? Isn't that impossible? How could Barbarians cultivate to such an extent?" Zhou Fang asked, baffled.

"It has happened before, and it can happen again. And it is a more likely story than a boy awakening the trial of the heavens from the truths he'd discovered," Old Man said.

"I have many things I haven't spoken about, Lu Jie. Thoughts, and feelings. But I just want you to know, boy, that though I have fears and uncertainties, I trust the Path you walk to be the righteous one."

I nodded, bowing my head. "It means a lot for me to hear that from you, Master. And I have much yet to learn. For the truth I have shared is merely one of many hidden in the heavens, and I intend to uncover all of them and share them with the world, as I walk my path."

The Old man nodded. "There is still a task left for you to do. Now that you have shared the truth with all of us, it is your duty to guide these children on the new path you have brought back to life in this world. Take them, and show them the unity you speak of."

I glanced around at Zhang, Yan Yun, Zhou Fang, and even Yin, whose spirit, despite not having Qi, still reflected the First Law engraved within it. Silently, I nodded, pressing my fists together as I bowed my head.

"As you say, Master."

"This path… though this Old Man doesn't dare hope, but perhaps, you can be the salvation my grandson had needed all this time, Lu Jie," the Old man said, before turning away.

With the heavy words left with me, I turned to face the rest of my group standing behind me, feeling both trepidation and excitement in my heart. It was time to awaken some Chi cultivators.

Book 2: Chapter 32: Awakening - I

I walk to a side chamber, letting the servants and members of the household manage the waves of destruction that had passed through. As I walked, I saw a couple bow to me with murmured gestures of 'greetings my lord' and it took me a moment to realise it was the insignia the Lord had given to me. I'd tied it at my waist without thinking much of it, but this made the realisation hit me quite hard that I was a Lord now. Not a proper lord, merely a baron whose child could not inherit the name. But still a noble nonetheless.

It took me some time to adjust to the change in behaviour, and the new monicker of Lord Jie. Zhou Fang helped, guiding me on how to behave properly but the proud filled body language still raised my hackles. I couldn't bear the stiffness. A part of me had wanted to stay behind and watch the work of cultivators, given what I had watched had been rather rapid. With earth walls quickly being raised and carved with Qi instantly. Magic truly made life so much easier.

But I had a task to do, and so I brought my focus back on it. Within every person in the room, I could sense the presence of the First Law. The knowledge of the truth of the Heavens resonated with my own Chi, as it lingered in each of their spirits, waiting to be acted upon. My eyes drifted to Yin, a Mortal, and even from her spirit, I could feel the Law. There was something there, something within this moment that I knew hid another truth about the Heavens and our world, but everything in its own due time.

Tension filled the chamber, Zhou Fang's brows furrowed with concern. No one had expected this level of power, or the degree of this truth. But it was here now, and it was time to act upon it.

"I know this is all a lot to take in. Trust me, I really do. Even with my spirit aligned in a way that allowed me to walk this path more naturally than others, it still took effort to understand and accept everything. So I will not ask of you do that. Not today, and not so quickly," I glanced around once to meet everyone's eyes. "But I will ask you this. What Path do you intend to walk, now that you know the truth?"

I could feel the Qi in their cores stirring. Yan Yun glanced around, meeting Zhang's eyes, and then Zhou Fang's. To my surprise, it wasn't Labby that jumped in first, but Zhang instead.

"Brother Jie, I have sworn my life to you. To be the weapon that can protect you, and repay the debt I owe to you for saving my life. Whatever Path you intend to walk, I will walk it with you."

The words were cheesy, like something straight out of a shounen manga, but I couldn't help smiling when Zhang said them nonetheless.

"Labby too!" Labby chimed in with a crackle. "Labby will follow her Master," she said, then looked at Zhang with a competitive glare. I held back a laugh at the sight. Perhaps she felt threatened that Zhang would overtake her, huh?

"I… do not understand all of this," Yin said, in a quiet whisper. "This has all been… so much. I don't think I should even be here. Such grand topics, and talks of the fate of the empire and truths of the Heavens. I'm… I'm just some mortal girl."

"That's not true, Yin. Not anymore," I said, looking at her. "You're a key part of my em—" I caught myself. "My plan. The first mortal alchemist, the first person to have achieved what no other mortal had ever even dreamt of doing."

"A Path is not limited merely to cultivation either. It is, quite literally, the Path we embark upon to achieve our destiny, and find our way in life. Though it may not manifest in Qi, you too, walk a Path," Zhou Fang said, and I nodded at his words.

"In… that case. Me too. I-I would like to follow you too, Lu Jie," Yin said, clutching her clothes as she looked down.

I smiled, happy at her proclaimation, before my gaze went to Yan Yun. The girl averted her eyes for a moment. Her core was still empty, devoid of any cultivation within it. Even when someone lost a Path, they could quite quickly chose to embark upon a new one. It wasn't common, but it wasn't unheard of either, especially in younger and more immature cultivators who had made a mistake in a step early on and were forced to fix it. The fact that she hadn't done it yet meant she had consciously chosen not to.

"I don't know," Yan Yun said, looking up at me. I saw her clenched fists, and the tension in her back as she spoke. "To tell you the truth. I do not think I can, even if I wanted to. I have tried to cultivate. Once. The mere act had left me senseless and immobile from agony within my core. That day… before I came to you. I cut ties with my grandfather. That very same day, I also lost the reason why I had ever cultivated in the first place. Until I find a reason to cultivate once more, I don't think I can embark upon this Path."

I nodded to Yan Yun. The sight on the girl's face made me want to give her a hug. As I wrestled with the feeling I noted Yin holding Yan Yun's hand, and the girl's expression lightened a little.

"I, too, am not certain. It… it is what my father asked you to do, Lu Jie. And a more filial child would've said yes But my Path… I do not know if I can do this."

"I understand. The path that we say, to take upon Gu alongside Qi, to unite the two within a single cycle is a Path that goes against this Empire. In some ways, it is akin to treason itself."

Zhou Fang looked up at me, before returning a nod. "All my life, I have been preparing to inherit my father's position and become the lord of the seventh Peak. To walk this Path could mean forsaking that. I… don't think I am ready to."

I nodded once more.

"Very well. It is something to think upon, and I will always be there to guide and help you, if you change your mind," I said, before glancing at Zhang. "I'll start with you first, Zhang. Given that you were the first to come up. Could the rest you leave the chamber, and call Elder Tian Feng? Tell him it's urgent.

The people in the chamber nodded, leaving one by one. Labby hung around, standing next to me as if it was the most natural thing, until I rustled her head. "You too, Labby."

"B-but Labby wants to stay!" she exclaimed, pouting.

"You'll get your turn, but right now it is Zhang's. Be a good girl, okay?" I said, and Labby crackled with purple sparks that danced across her gray hair, before nodding.

"Good girl," I said, patting her head once more, before she walked out of the chamber with a sullen look.

Zhang stood next to me, spear by his side. I'd expect some more nerves from him, but instead a calm expression covered his face.

"Is Silvelight with you?" I asked.

In response, the little silver lilly manifested on Zhang's shoulder with a 'Sii!'

"You'll need to go through this trial with Zhang. The two of you are tied together, and cultivate as one. So when Zhang will awaken, you'll have to guide him. Do you understand"

"Sii!" Silverlight exclaimed, patting her chest as she nodded.

"Good," I said with a smile.

A moment later, Elder Tian Feng reached the chamber, a frown upon his face. "What is the matter?"

"Is it fine if there's another tribulation? I'm pretty sure awakening Chi will end up bringing up. Or will that be too much? This one shouldn't be too dangerous."

"Go outside to the backyard," Elder Tian Feng said in a few curt words, before stepping away.

"I guess that's a yes," I said, glancing back at Zhang.

The two of us made our way out, heading to the backyard. A servant found us wandering aimlessly and guided us to the open grounds, where already a few talismans and Qi filled herbs commonly used during breakthroughs had been placed. A rain storm was brewing outside, and winds were howling from the tribulation we'd had prior even now, but the two of us walked ahead anyway, before entering the circle of talismans that barred the worst of it from reaching us.

In the centre of the talismans, I took a seat, and Zhang followed in front of me.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Yes," Zhang replied, his spear placed upon his lap.

I extended my Chi outwards, letting it form the ward to drown out sound that I'd seen many times before. It took me a moment to figure it out, and it was far from perfect, but I managed.

"Very well, then the very first step is to draw upon your Qi. Take a breath, let it soak into your dantian and flow into your pathways."

Zhang followed my instruction, drawing upon the Qi around him and cycling it.

"Now, as you cycle the Qi, extended your senses beneath you, into the earth you sit on. Feel the death that permeates it, the insects, the plants, that which forms the soil and fuels live, feel the bones of creatures from centuries ago that have turned to rocks. Feel the envelop of the earth, and the energy it holds."

Zhang frowned, and Silverlight frowned with him. It took a moment, but soon, I saw something stir in his spirit. The way he cycled his Qi change, as a sliver of something else began to enter.

"Draw upon this death now, let it soak into you. Do not resist it. It's merely a part of life, a part of the cycle that exists in our world. Let it forge your body, and harness it in your core."

The thunder clouds rumbled furiously once again, as golden lightning began to gather in the skies. Zhang continued, and a moment later, I sensed the Gu begin to flow into his body.

The dark miasma flowed through his pathways, turning them black. I sensed the Qi burning him, dark oozing miasma rising from his body.

He'd been through this before, but back then, there had barely been any Qi in his body, nothing but a hollow husk, soaked in spirit herbs to be incapable of feeling the pain.

This time, there was nothing to protect him as the Gu flowed through his body, and poured into him.

"Let it gather in your core, and accept it as a part of you," I said, letting Chi soak my words and gather.

Silverlight frowned, her petals glowing a bright light, as her Qi held itself back from vanquishing the Gu. Dark edges creeped within the silver lilly, her skin cracking in places, and I felt a pain in my gut, watching them go through this.

But this too was a part of the trial, and after they'd gone through this, they would come out the other end.

As the Gu flowed into Zhang, and began to erupt in his core, the two energies swirling, and waiting to be released, I closed my eyes. There had been a thought I'd had for a long time, regarding the nature of Qi, how varied it could be, and just what aspect it could truly take on.

Today, I would be finding out.

"Before we proceed, tell me. What is your Path? What ambitions drive you, what hunger lurks within you that pushes you so much?"

Zhang opened his eyes, a darkness creeping in on one as his body transformed from the Gu.

"To… be your weapon," he spoke with effort. "To be… a protective blade."

"Very well. Zhang, let me tell you something I have not explained yet. You may remember a long time ago, I had talked about the four fundamental forces of the world, and the fifth one in this world being Cultivation. I'm about to tell you an insight, that one of the smartest mans to have ever lived had discovered. About gravity," I said, feeling the Qi around me vibrate. I felt the energies in Zhang's core ready to burst out. Cracks formed on his skin, light glowing underneath them as the energy leaked from pores. I continued.

"Gravity is the force that keeps us tied to this earth. It is the force that forms the world, the sun, the moon, the tides. Our world, and everything in and beyond it would not exist without gravity. It is what gives things their weight, and it is what I will you teach you about," I said, as golden thunder crackled within the skies.

I continued to tell Zhang about Isaac Newton. About the discovery of gravity, the planets, the solar system, galaxies, super clusters, milkyway, the very universe itself and the sheer vastness that it exists in, where we are a mere blip held together by this strange force. I told him of black holes, of the death most powerful within the universe that left a hole in reality itself that nothing could escape from.

Hours passed by, as I taught Zhang in all the ways I could. I spoke, and I spoke fast. His mind was sharp, sharper now than it would be even normally as the energies of Gu and Qi roiled in his core, flooding his spirit.

As my words came close to an end, I watched Zhang. His skin was dark, half his teeth now fangs. Talons grew from his body as cracks broke through his skin, leaking miasma an Qi outside. He held on, but by a thread. Many would've given in by now, the pain was overwhelming, and each passing second I could feel it as I watched the boy fight the Qi and Gu's roaring tides.

But he did not even let out an eep.

And that is why I continued.

As my words ended, and I let out a breath, Zhang looked up at me. Though his body was breaking down, and he fought to keep the energy in his cores in check, there was a fire in his eyes now. Slowly, he bowed his head, and I could feel the new insight shaking his spirit, as his world was expanded and changed forever.

"Let the Gu and Qi merge, and accept the tribulation," I said at last, and Zhang nodded, looking up at the skies.

"I refuse your Path," he proclaimed, his voice was calm, yet it carried through the entire manor, shaking the very air itself.

The Heavens roared, as I watched a bright pillar of golden lightning strike. My breath rose and fell, as I sat with baited anticipation. A brilliant crack had echoed as I felt his core cracking, and I rushed ahead to check on him.

Rushing to Zhang, I grabbed his wrist, and checked his pulse. Burns marred him, but he still breathed, and I turned around. "Get the Old Man!" I shouted, as the servents rushed out.

Picking Zhang up, and putting the unconscious Silverlight on my shoulder I rushed inside.

"This way, Lu Jie. Bring the boy inside," the Old Man guided me, and I followed along, placing Zhang on the bed. Quickly, the old man ran his hand over the boy's body, before starting to take out some herbs.

I stood, feeling a heavy weight on my chest, as I watched Zhang sleeping. I could not sense his core, neither Qi, nor Gu existed within it in this moment.

And there was nothing I could do but wait.