When I reached peak Qi Condensation, after I stabilized my new realm, I found myself outside my courtyard residence with Second Master. It was early winter, a little over four years after Ellen left for East Mesa City. The sky was clear, allowing the sun to shine down on the world unimpeded. It hadn’t snowed yet, but it would soon. A bitter wind blew through the area, but it bothered me not at all thanks to my cultivation base.
The trees around us swayed in the wind, their branches bare. The air smelled crisp and clear, which I found refreshing. Back when I lived on Mt. Wind Dance, winter was a rough time for me, since I had to rely on myself for everything. My kin never let me starve or freeze, but that was the extent of their generosity. However, after becoming a cultivator, I found myself enjoying the beauty of winter.
Cultivator Aneira and the minions reached Foundation Establishment a while ago and left the courtyard residence. The minions had decent talent and just focused on qi refining, so they didn’t have to worry about physical refinement. Cultivator Aneira on the other hand had already reached the peak of Qi Condensation for qi refining and physical refining. It would have been stranger if she hadn’t reached Foundation Establishment before this point.
After they left, no one else took their place. This meant that I had the courtyard residence all to myself. It was just me and Elliot. He returned about a year after I sent him off, having successfully delivered my message to Lucius. However, he had to leave right after to avoid getting caught by Clan Wind Dance. They were aligned with the Thousand Blade Sect, which was at odds with the Dawn and Dusk Sect. This meant that my kin were my enemies.
When Elliot heard about what happened with Ellen, he nodded in understanding, as if he expected it to happen. I thought he would be angry with me, but to my surprise, he wasn’t. In fact, he was overjoyed that his sister had found someone she loved and who loved her in return. After that, Elliot and I grew closer. We never talked much with each other, but we didn’t need to. For some relationships, words weren’t necessary.
When Cultivator Aneira and the minions left, I felt lonely at first. However, in time, I grew to enjoy the peace and quiet. I now understood why cultivators built their immortal caves in secluded locations. They were perfect for cultivation and contemplating the mysteries of the universe.
Or, in this particular instance, training.
I faced Second Master. The two of us stood in the area where I once traded pointers with Cultivator Aneira and the minions. Elliot stood off to the side. I felt excited. After witnessing how powerful Armor of the Celestial Warrior was for myself, I had wanted to wield that power for myself. If I hadn’t used Wind Dash, and suffered several injuries in the process, I would have lost that duel with Cultivator Byron.
“Before we begin,” Second Master said, clasping his hands behind his back, “Let me start by explaining what innate abilities are.”
I frowned.
“Aren’t innate abilities just special techniques a cultivator gains by practicing top tier cultivation techniques?” I asked.
Second Master gave me an amused smile.
“Yes and no.” He said. “Innate abilities are far more than just ‘special techniques’, as you put it. There are many ways cultivators can impose their will upon the world. In fact, even mortals can do this. They create tools, raise buildings, and so on. However, all these methods are limited by the laws and principles of the universe.” He held up a hand and conjured a small golden flame in his palm. “Take mystic arts, for example. While they are powerful, they rely on the framework of reality and are thus limited by that framework. They can never transcend this limitation.”
I listened to Second Master with rapt attention. While I listened to dozens of his lectures over the years, this was our first time diving deeper into the mysteries of the universe.
“Innate abilities are different.” Second Master continued, snuffing out the golden flame in his palm. “They are one of the ways a cultivator can use the power of their soul to impose their will directly on the world, instead of relying on mystic arts and other methods. At first, their ability to do so is limited because their soul is too weak. However, as they grow stronger, their ability to affect the world around them grows stronger as well. This isn’t just limited to cultivators who practice top tier cultivation techniques. Take telepathy, for example. That is an innate ability all cultivators develop after reaching Foundation Establishment.”
I blinked at him in surprise.
“Really?” I asked. “I thought it was just a technique that cultivators learned for its utility.” I paused for a moment. “What other innate abilities do cultivators develop after reaching a high enough cultivation base?”
“For Golden Core cultivators, they gain the ability to fly without using flying magic treasures.” Second Master answered. “However, this requires a lot of qi so it’s easier to use a flying magic treasure anyway. Nascent Soul cultivators gain the ability to perform short-range teleportation. Domain Creation cultivators can create their own inner worlds and superimpose it over reality.” He shrugged. “As for more powerful cultivators, I don’t know.”
I stood there in a daze for a bit, before snapping myself out of it.
“Wait a moment,” I said, “You mentioned that innate abilities are one of the ways cultivators can use the power of their soul to impose their will on the world. What are the other ways?”
Second Master frowned in thought for a moment.
“Intent.” He said. “However, we’ll discuss intent after you reach Foundation Establishment. Even if you could understand what intent truly was, your cultivation base is too low for you to make use of that understanding. You’re better off waiting until you’re ready.”
I wanted to question him more about intent, but I kept my mouth shut despite my curiosity. Over the years, I learned that if I tried to push Second Master into telling me more than he intended, he would tease me with hints and clues while withholding the actual answer. I found this more maddening than if he said nothing at all.
“The innate abilities a cultivator develops from practicing top tier cultivation techniques depends on the technique in question.” Second Master said, continuing the lecture. “This is because cultivation shapes the soul, and the technique you practice determines the… shape of your soul, so to speak. This is why we call it spiritual cultivation in the first place. We are literally cultivating and shaping our spirits, our souls.”
I frowned.
“That makes sense for qi refinement, but what about physical refinement?” I asked. “That affects your body, not your soul.”
Second Master raised an eyebrow.
“What gave you that idea?” He asked. “The body is the vessel that houses your mind and spirit. Hmm, how do I put it?” He paused for a moment. “Think of water. On its own, it is formless and shapeless. However, if you put it in a vessel, it will take on the shape of that vessel. In this case, the soul is the water and your body is the vessel. Changing the shape of the vessel will affect the water within. This is a rough analogy, but a useful one.”
Okay, that made more sense to me.
“I will help you learn the Armor of the Celestial Warrior innate ability.” Second Master said. “That should help you with learning the innate abilities of your other cultivation techniques.”
I nodded. Light of Dawn and Cloak of Dusk seemed like useful abilities to learn. However, the one that I looked forward to, and feared, the most was Demon Form. According to my sisters, that would awaken my demonic nature in full. I kept it in check all these years by focusing on my qi refining. However, after I learned the Demon Form innate ability, I would lose total control of myself for a time. I would be like a beast, driven by my instincts and baser desires.
My sisters, who all went through the same thing, already made arrangements for when this happened. However, they refused to share the details of those arrangements with me, which was part of the reason why I was so nervous. What had they planned?
“First, close your eyes.” Second Master said. “Afterwards, use your spirit sense to look at your dantian.”
I listened to his instructions. When I first formed my dantian, it looked like a sea of golden qi with a single mote of black demonic qi in the center. Now that I had reached the peak of Qi Condensation, it looked more like an ocean of golden qi, shining and shimmering like liquid starlight.
“Use your spirit sense to take the starlight within you and use it to cloak yourself in armor.” Second Master said.
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This proved a lot more difficult than I anticipated. It was like trying to grasp air with my bare hands, except my hands were also made from air. Using the ephemeral to affect the ephemeral. I stood there for hours, trying and failing to channel the starlight within me. Second Master and Elliot watched me the entire time, neither one saying a word.
After failing for the upteenth time, I opened my eyes and let out a frustrated yell.
“Ah! This is impossible!”
“It will be if you keep up that sort of attitude.” Second Master said.
I gave him a withering glare.
“Easy for you to say,” I said, “You already mastered Armor of the Celestial Warrior.”
“Yes, but I didn’t master it right away.” He pointed out. “I started off like you. It took time and effort, but after countless failures, I succeeded. If I can do it, I know you can too.”
I crossed my arms. I knew he was right, but I was too angry and frustrated to admit it.
“Perhaps a break is in order, Young Master.” Elliot called out.
Second Master nodded.
“Yes.” He said. “If you continue trying in your current mental state, you may do more harm than good.”
After thinking about it for a moment, I nodded in agreement. Right now, a break sounded wonderful. Besides, I was getting hungry and eating delicious food always put me in a good mood.
The three of us headed inside the courtyard residence. Even though Cultivator Aneira and the minions moved out a while ago, I stayed in the same living space as before. I didn’t need much room in the first place, and it wasn’t as if there was any difference between the living spaces. Instead, Elliot took up one of the other living spaces, at my insistence, and I reserved the other two for the occasional overnight guest.
I prepared some tea and cooked a simple meal for us. As I cooked, my thoughts turned to Ellen; her cooking to be exact. As a spirit chef, the food she cooked was leagues above anything I could make and I missed it almost as much as I missed her.
For a brief time, I considered becoming a spirit chef myself, but decided against it in the end. I didn’t have the time to spare. In addition to cultivation and training, I spent most of my time learning the basics of arrays, alchemy, and refining magic treasures. Every cultivator needed some proficiency in all three.
Unlike with martial arts, I wasn’t naturally gifted in arrays, alchemy, or magical treasure refining so I had to work hard to make up for my lack of talent. I even spent some of my hard earned spirit stones on a basic array flag set, a beginner’s pill furnace, and a treasure refining furnace.
After I finished cooking, I brought the food and tea out. Elliot and I ate, while Second Master sipped his tea. As a Golden Core cultivator, he had no need for mundane food. If he ate some, he would have to expel the impurities he gained. That was a hassle he didn’t need, so he refrained from eating altogether.
However, after he finished with his tea, Second Master conjured a mote of golden fire that floated in the air in front of him. I found this odd, but shrugged and continued eating. Yet, despite this, I kept glancing at the mote. It drew my eyes for some reason. Maybe this was because it looked like a star, hovering in the air and emitting brilliant golden light all around it.
As soon as I had that thought, I dropped my chopsticks. No. It couldn’t be, could it? I wanted to slap myself for my narrow minded thinking. Stars shone their light in every direction at once. While that light could be channeled or focused, that wasn’t its base state. It was the same for other flames. Candles, fires, etc. Even when the light from these flames was blocked by an obstacle, it still shone upon that obstacle.
When I attempted to use Armor of the Celestial Warrior earlier, I thought of trying to focus the starlight within me into a beam. However, I now realized the flaw in my thinking. My soul was a star shining light in all directions. I didn’t need to channel or focus anything. I just needed to take what was already there and use it to form the armor.
Excited by this revelation, I stood up and backed away from the table. Elliot blinked at me in surprise, while Second Master wore a small smile on his face. Once I had enough room, I closed my eyes and focused. Now that I knew where to look, it was easy to see. The light shining from my dantian filled my entire being. I reached for it with my spirit sense. At first I failed, but after I realized that I was trying too hard, I tried again with a lighter touch.
Take illusory and make it solid.
Like something clicking into place, I grasped the starlight within me with my spirit sense and used it to form a suit of armor around my entire body. I opened my eyes and saw that I hadn’t imagined things. The armor looked crude and rough, but it was there. I succeeded.
“Yes!” I said, raising my fists to the heavens in celebration. “I did it!”
Elliot and Second Master both smiled.
“Congratulations, Young Master!” Elliot said.
“Yes, Darian.” Second Master said. “I knew you could do it.”
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After that, I spent the next few days practicing and refining my Armor of the Celestial Warrior. Under Second Master’s guidance, I forged my armor into something worthy of battle. By the time I finished, mine looked similar to the armor that Cultivator Byron summoned during our duel four years ago, though there were several stylistic differences. However, mine was no weaker than his.
After I mastered Armor of the Celestial Warrior, I focused on learning the innate abilities of the Song of Dawn and Dusk technique: Light of Dawn and Cloak of Dusk. The first one proved easier to learn. Unlike Armor of the Celestial Warrior, Light of Dawn wasn’t an active ability. Instead, it passively strengthened one’s spirit senses overall, allowing one to better pierce through concealments and illusions.
Cloak of Dusk proved a little more difficult to learn, since it was an active ability. When mastered, it allowed one to use spirit sense to conceal or disguise one’s aura. At the higher levels, it allowed one to hide one’s entire presence. It took me several tries, but I succeeded after some effort.
Elliot proved helpful in this regard. I practiced both innate abilities with him, though Elliot had to restrict himself to the peak of Qi Condensation. With his aid, I learned the limits of both Light of Dawn and Cloak of Dusk. In short, they proved effective against those in the same realm as me. However, I wanted to see how well they worked after I reached Foundation Establishment. Elliot and I would be in the same large realm, meaning he wouldn’t have to hold back anymore.
Once I mastered Light of Dawn and Cloak of Dusk, I contacted my sisters via transmission talisman. Some time before, I promised them that I would let them know when I was ready to learn the Demon Form innate ability. They didn’t want me learning it on my own. Otherwise, I might go on a rampage after I lose control and get myself into trouble.
After I finished sending messages to my sisters, I meditated while I waited for them to respond, to help calm my mental state. Less than an hour later, all three of my sisters showed up at my living space. This surprised me. Given how busy each of them were, I expected that it would take them at least a day or two before they responded to my messages. I also didn’t expect them to just show up at my doorstep.
“Your second master informed us that you had mastered the Armor of the Celestial Warrior innate ability.” Sidra explained after I brought them to my living room. “We knew that you would soon be ready to learn Demon Form, so we cleared our schedules ahead of time.”
Estelle and Astra both nodded in agreement.
“I am both touched and disturbed by how closely you keep track of my progress.” I said in a dry tone.
Estelle grinned at me.
“Aw, don’t be like that Little Demon.” she said, throwing an arm over my shoulder and ruffling my hair. “You know it’s because we care about you.”
I grumbled on the outside, but on the inside I felt pleased.
“Get off of him you brute.” Astra said, shoving Estelle away.
My second eldest sister put up a token resistance, but let go of me while smirking.
“Are you sure you’re ready, Darian?” Astra asked. “Once you awaken your demonic nature, there’s no going back. It might take you anywhere from a month to an entire year before you regain control of yourself. You don’t have to learn Demon Form right away. You can wait until after you reach Foundation Establishment.” She grimaced. “While I don’t like how she went about it, I know how important your relationship with Ellen is to you. Instead of going along with our plans, you can awaken your demonic nature after you reunite with her. You don’t have to follow in our footsteps.”
I glanced at Sidra for confirmation. She nodded.
“Astra speaks the truth.” She said. “However, if you learn the Demon Form innate ability after reaching Foundation Establishment, you will lose control of yourself for a longer period of time. As you grow stronger, so does your demonic nature. The sooner you learn to control it, the better.” She paused. “I suppose you could delay reaching Foundation Establishment until after Ellen returns from East Mesa City.”
“However, if I do that, I won’t be able to participate in the next Rising Heroes Tournament,” I said.
Sidra nodded.
“The choice is yours,” she said, gesturing to me.
Over the past four years, as the time for the Rising Heroes Tournament drew closer and closer, I heard more and more people talking about it. Several of my friends planned on participating, the ones that qualified that was. This included Willow, Harlow, and Clarissa, who all reached Foundation Establishment some time ago.
To my surprise, Senior Sister Zenia didn’t qualify. Despite being a core disciple of Flame Fiend Hall, her talent in cultivation was average. She became a core disciple because of her battle prowess, which far exceeded other cultivators at the same realm. When I mentioned the Rising Heroes Tournament to her, during one of our drinking sessions, she went on a long rant about it. With her strength, she could easily place in the top ten, which was one of the reasons why she was so upset that she didn’t qualify.
“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Estelle said. “Unlike a certain someone…” She glanced at Astra. “… Little Demon doesn’t plan on having just one spouse. So what if he plays around a little? It’s normal for a young man to sow his wild oats.” She shrugged. “Besides, Ellen knew what she was getting into.”
“Little Demon isn’t like you or Mother.” Astra said, giving Estelle a sharp look. “Just because you like to sleep around doesn’t mean he does.”
Estelle’s nostrils flared and she opened her mouth to retort, but Sidra slashed a hand through the air, cutting her off.
“Enough.” Sidra said. “This is neither the time nor place to argue about your differences in opinion.” She looked at me. “What is your choice, Little Demon?”
I met her gaze head on.
“I want to learn Demon Form.” I said.
Estelle grinned, while Astra sighed in disappointment.
“Very well,” Sidra said with a nod, “Then let us be off.”
I blinked at her in surprise.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Flowering Blossom Palace.”