Back in the guest quarters, I let out a heavy sigh as I thought about my recent conversation with Wei Lin.
The original plan had been simple - get the wind essence and leave the next day. But Wei Lin wanted to stay longer, convinced his father was finally warming up to the idea of him and Lin Mei being together.
If only he knew the truth - that Wei Ye seemed far more interested in me than in his son's relationship.
Not that I could tell Wei Lin that.
How do you explain to your friend that his father, who supposedly has no cultivation base, can somehow track qi movements like an expert cultivator? That he seemed to recognize something about the combination of the two suns' energy?
No, better to keep those suspicions to myself for now.
Besides, after everything Wei Lin had done to help me get the wind essence, the least I could do was support his desire to stay a few more days.
"Are you going to attempt the breakthrough now?" Azure asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
I glanced around the guest room, feeling uneasy. Wei Ye's strange interest in me was concerning, and attempting a breakthrough in his compound might not be the wisest choice. But what were my alternatives? We couldn't exactly leave now, not after agreeing to stay.
"I've checked for surveillance formations," Azure assured me, sensing my hesitation. "I detect nothing unusual in either the room or the training ground."
I nodded slowly. As much as I trusted Azure, I knew there were things even he couldn't sense. Advanced formations could be incredibly subtle, and Wei Ye had already demonstrated capabilities beyond what his apparent status would suggest.
Still, we'd already carved runes and had one breakthrough here. This wouldn't reveal anything new - from the outside, it would just look like basic meditation.
"No point in delaying it," I said finally, running my fingers over the jade box containing the wind essence. "Who knows what we might encounter on the way back to the sect? Walking around with a fifteen-foot stone guardian tends to make you a rather tempting target."
"Won't the others be suspicious of two breakthroughs in such a short time span?"
"Wei Lin and Lin Mei will probably be concerned," I admitted. "They'll worry I'm rushing things, that my cultivation base isn't stable enough." I thought about the look in Wei Ye’s eyes. "As for Wei Ye... I think he's expecting a breakthrough. They all know I needed the wind essence for my cultivation method, so it shouldn't seem too unrealistic."
"Very well," Azure replied. "Shall we begin?"
I made my way to the private training ground, settling into a corner where the surrounding plants immediately began to react to my presence. Vines curled protectively around me, leaves rustled without any wind, and flowers turned to face me like tiny suns tracking across the sky.
I couldn't help but smile, though it faltered as I thought of my vine friend from the Two Suns world.
"You'll see it again," Azure consoled me, his voice gentle.
"Yeah, I know."
I took a deep breath and opened the jade box.
The wind essence within was barely visible - more like heat waves rippling through the air than anything substantial. Yet I could feel its power, wild and free, straining against the confines of its container.
"Remember," Azure instructed, "wind essence is different from the others. It doesn't want to be guided or controlled - it needs to be persuaded, coaxed into following your intent. Think of it like..." he paused, searching for the right analogy, "like trying to redirect a breeze without blocking it entirely."
I nodded, reaching out with my qi to form the appropriate formation. Where water essence had required flowing curves and earth essence had needed solid angles, this one felt more like trying to sketch smoke - the lines kept wanting to drift and disperse.
Finally, I managed to create something that felt right - a pattern that somehow captured the essence of wind while still allowing it freedom of movement.
My awareness shifted to my inner world, where the Genesis Seed floated in the center of the 135 cubic meters of space. The red and blue suns occupied opposite corners, and I had to stifle a laugh at their behavior. Neither would look directly at the other, but they kept sneaking what they clearly thought were subtle glances.
The red sun would pulse slightly brighter, as if showing off, only for the blue sun to release a wave of righteous energy that just happened to wash over its rival. Both would quickly look away whenever the Genesis Seed stirred, like children pretending they hadn't been fighting whenever a parent walked in.
As the wind essence entered through my formation, the Genesis Seed's surface rippled with interest. Its previous experiences with the other elements had apparently taught it to be more discerning - instead of immediately absorbing the essence, it seemed to taste it first, testing its properties.
The two suns watched with poorly concealed envy as the Genesis Seed began to absorb the wind essence. Their rivalry momentarily forgotten, they drifted slightly closer together, united in their jealousy of the attention being given to yet another energy source.
My inner world began to expand rapidly, the space stretching and growing as the wind essence was integrated. But this was different from previous expansions - where water had created currents and earth had tried to form terrain, the wind essence seemed to want to be everywhere at once. It suffused the entire space, creating subtle currents and eddies that made the very void feel more alive.
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The Genesis Seed's branches swayed in winds that shouldn't exist in the vacuum of my inner world, and even the two suns were affected - their coronas stretching and streaming in the ethereal breeze. I could feel my cultivation base strengthening, my understanding of qi deepening as the wind essence settled into place.
When I opened my eyes, my status immediately appeared:
Cultivation: Qi Condensation Stage 5
Inner World: radius of 220m
Soul Essence: 950/950
Spiritual Essence: 850/850
Physical Essence: 900/900
"With the rune enhancements," Azure commented, "your stats should let you compete with a 6th stage Qi Condensation cultivator."
I smiled, but it was tinged with resignation. "Still not enough to deal with Wu Kangming."
Pushing those thoughts aside, I focused on the next step. "Okay, all the elements have been gathered. So how do I create terrain?"
"First," Azure replied, "you need to enter your inner world."
I blinked in confusion. "I thought I was nowhere near the cultivation level needed to physically enter my inner world."
"Not your physical body,” Azure’s laugh echoed in my mind. “Use your spiritual sense, but instead of just observing your inner world, use it to construct a body inside."
"Why didn't you tell me I could do this sooner?"
"Because there was no need before now."
I had to admit he had a point.
"Fair enough."
Closing my eyes, I focused on my inner world again, but this time instead of just observing, I tried to condense my spiritual sense into a form that resembled my body. It was harder than I expected - the energy kept wanting to dissipate back into formless awareness.
"Think of it like wearing clothes," Azure suggested. "Your spiritual sense is the fabric, and you're trying to shape it into something you can wear."
"That... actually helps."
I focused on the familiar sensation of putting on my outer disciple robes, imagining my spiritual sense wrapping around me in the same way. Slowly, painstakingly, I managed to create a stable form.
The perspective was incredible. Floating in the vast space of my inner world, I felt tiny and enormous at the same time.
The Genesis Seed towered over me like a mountain, yet I could sense every detail of its structure. The two suns, no longer looking quite so miniature, regarded my spiritual form with obvious curiosity. They seemed to want to drift closer, but the Genesis Seed's presence kept them at a respectful distance.
"What should we start with?" I asked Azure.
"Let me explain how the elements interact in world creation," he replied. "Each one has a specific role, but without certain fundamental forces, they won't behave quite like they do in the material world."
He began breaking down the information into manageable chunks:
"Earth provides the foundation - mountains, plains, and basic terrain. It's the easiest to work with since it doesn't rely much on other forces."
"Water creates rivers, lakes, and oceans, but here's where we hit our first major issue - without gravity, it won't flow naturally. We'll need to manually define its behavior."
"Fire can serve as an energy source for volcanos and thermal systems, but again, without gravity and proper atmospheric pressure, it won't behave like normal fire."
"Air adds atmosphere, but it won't form natural wind patterns or pressure systems without gravity. We'll have to explicitly define air currents."
"Finally, there's Ether, which acts as a binding force. Think of it like spiritual glue - it helps hold everything together and prevents the elements from dispersing in the void."
"Why don't we just get the gravity and time elements first?" I asked, then answered my own question before Azure could respond. "Wait, let me guess - because it requires understanding gravity and time dao?"
I thought about all the cultivation novels I'd read, where characters would spend thousands of years meditating on a single concept to form their understanding of a dao. The idea of trying to comprehend something as fundamental as gravity or time at my current level seemed... daunting.
"Exactly," Azure agreed. "Trying to comprehend those concepts now would be a waste of time. It will be much easier once you reach higher realms of cultivation."
I nodded, considering which terrain to start with. Mountains would be impressive, but they'd need proper foundations. A lake might be nice, but without gravity, it would just be a floating sphere of water. Volcanos would be interesting, but again, they needed other systems in place to function properly.
No, better to start with the basics. Simple, flat ground would give me a foundation to build on. I could experiment with hills and valleys once I understood how to manipulate the earth essence properly. Besides, having actual ground beneath my feet would make this whole experience feel a bit more normal.
Looking at the swirling elements in my inner world, I made my decision. Earth would come first - it was time to give this universe some solid ground to stand on.
"Ready?" Azure asked.
I smiled, feeling the earth essence responding to my intent.
"Let's build a world."