Everyone has different desires, from wanting world peace to hoping for an apple for breakfast. But everyone has the same secret desire deep down inside of them to possess a way to accomplish their goals without even the slightest effort on their part. The ability to achieve miraculous or mundane things with the swish of a hand and the uttering of a word.

Magic is the reason Raul's world was able to fulfil these personal goals.

Want to achieve something? Then you can. Wish to prevent a tragedy? Do so. You want to live your greatest desires? Erase your deepest fears? Magic can do this for you.

But life sucks.

Life is flawed.

And so, life can only give birth to flawed creations.

Scholars trace back the the first uses of magic to an ancient nation whose name has been long forgotten. When a large tomb containing records on ancient paper made of trees was uncovered scholars took the opportunity to explore it intending to find out about the ancient nation's culture and the circumstances of it's decline.

They found that the nation had achieved many feats. They had created the dream class of spells, they had supported magic users of all ages and powers and thrived to the point of being a mighty empire. For all intents and purposes they should have stayed thriving until the current age.

It was their ideology that led to their downfall.

Reading the ancient papers the world discovered that the difference between the nation and the current people was not that there was no magic, but that there was a difference in the expectations of magic. The ancient nation's people used magic for their everyday needs, but they held different expectations about life and death, different views on the material world's importance and a different spiritual outlook.

In essence, they were conquerors.

They were flawed.

They used magic to harm and dominate others. There was no equality, there was simply powerful magic users dominating those that had yet to discover magic within themselves. They built cities yet did not give nature time to recover. They used resources yet did not grow them back. They claimed lives in the name of justice.

And so magic had retaliated.

It is unclear how the nation was punished, but it is known from the papers that rioting and violence was rife. The once proud empire became a turbulent, violent effigy of magic. It stood as an eternal reminder to the world that if they abused magic for evil intentions, and if their desires were no pure and their goals no good, then they too would be destroyed and wiped from the face of the Earth.

Magic was there to give balance to the terror that is life.

Not to make it worse.

Raul tapped his fingers against the wooden table, “So if I were to kill the three men outside. You are telling me that there would be no repercussions? No punishment?”

Raul could only imagine what kind of horrible world this was without magic to maintain order and balance.

Could such a world really exist? A world in constant dire threat, with the strongest using their abilities as a repressive force.

Yes.

This was such a world.

Gaisen nodded, “I doubt that the Ancient Dragon Sect would dare to offend an expert as powerful as yourself. They would not dare retaliate against someone who has dealt with three of their elders effortlessly. Especially one such as you who has entered the stage of Immortal Treading.”

Body Tempering, Soul Forming, Core Solidifying, Spirit Sundering, Immortal Treading.

These were the levels of power that existed in this world.

According the Gaisen his aura was that of someone at the Immortal Treading level of power, and thus held the title of 'ancient one'.

Raul lifted his hand to his face and gave out a little laugh. The people of this world did not use magic, nor did they use spells. They measured their power by the aura released, but this could be hidden or lowered. In truth the only way to measure a persons power was to fight them or scan their body by touching it and injecting it with 'spirit energy'.

Spirit energy was their equivalent of magic in this world.

Raoul wasn't quite sure what spirit energy was, only that it existed in the world but was different from magic. It was not used in a way of manipulation but was instead absorbed by the people of this world in order to become stronger. As the people absorbed more spirit energy their spirit grew stronger, causing their aura to grow stronger, and they gained access to higher realms of power.

It was a method that emphasised personal improvement over cooperation with the world.

So it could be said that none of the people in this world were magic users.

This was the reason for their speed in casting spells, and their lack of power. Unlike magicians from Raul's world this world's inhabitants did not use items as conduits for spirit energy, nor did they manipulate spirit energy, they simply exuded it from their bodies and their very spirit acts as the activator of the spell, meaning that they themselves are the items used to cast. Their speed was equal to the speed that they could form intentions within their minds to cast spells. They still utilised hand movements and inner manipulations of energy to achieve different effects but this was mainly to provide slight advantages. At their core every person attacked using their spirit energy.

In return they gained speed.

But they lost so much more. Because their bodies can only hold a finite amount of spirit energy at a time it meant that they could run out if a fight lasted too long. According to Gaisen there were many elixirs and items which could replenish spirit energy within a 'cultivators' body, and they could even meditate. But resources were also finite, and lost time in a battle could cause death.

So cultivators did not use all their spirit energy when attacking, which caused their already weak attacks to become even weaker.

Cultivators. It appears that this is the word for magicians in this world. Because they do not use magic, but instead 'cultivate' spirit energy, the name is appropriate.

Even the so-called magical items and techniques actually used spirit energy.

Magicians did not have the same flaws as cultivators. There was no finite end to magic. Nor did magicians store magic internally, it was simple there. Unlimited, unrestrained power.

But because magicians did not store magic internally, and did not become part of magic itself, they sorely lacked in speed.

Apparently the pinnacle of power in this world was when a cultivator completely joined with spirit energy, causing their entire body to be made of spirit energy itself.

These cultivators were called immortals.

Raul nodded, “I see.”

They had only just entered the hut and Raul had all the information he needed. He had only asked Gaisen one question but the man had unknowingly given him all the answers he required.

This was because of the use of two spells.

Psychic power spell; Acacia Incense: Sacred wood.

This spell belonged to the psychic power class of spells. Each and every spell in this class had two purposes, to enhance psychic ability and to replenish psychic depletion. Psychic power was separate from magic, it was a power discovered from within the person and it's growth was stimulated through use and internal talent. It can also be enhanced or obtained by external objects.

By blending dried powdered acacia, sandalwood, and frankincense, Raul created a burnable powder that wafted around the inside of the hut and increased his psychic powers.

Divination spell; Human Divination.

As long as Gaisen was reflected in the bowl of water he had brought out for Raul and placed on the table, then Raul simply had to gaze within the water and he would be given the information he desired.

The first spell was designed to let him know what information he desired to know, by scanning Gaisens mind, the second was a quick and easy way to get the information without having to ask questions.

Gaisen hadn't hesitated in agreeing to his request to set up spells.

This form of information passing was common in Raul's world, but apparently the cultivators of this world mostly passed on information through the spoken word.

There was still much Raul could not divine.

What was the dao?

For some reason even the divination magic could not give him an answer to this.

What was the threat to his world?

Again, the divination magic gave him no answers.

Raul sighed.

“Tell me. Who are the strongest beings in this world?”

It was only common sense that if there was a threat to his world, then it would be the strongest who were candidates to pose the greatest threat.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Gaisen fell silent and grasped the wooden cup that lay in-between his hands, “There are many continents and lands undiscovered in this world. I would say that the strongest is the Martial Heavenly God, he is a cultivator who has become an immortal, and he is rarely seen because he is constantly travelling.”

'Could a lone person pose a threat to magic itself?' Raul wondered.

He watched Gaisen take a sip of water, “Then, who is the strongest person with a large backing? Perhaps the head of a great empire or the ruler of a country.”

Gaisen trembled, he could only think of one reason as to why Raul wanted to find the strongest beings, “Two beings fulfil those requirements. The first is the Human God King, located in the imperial city of the Human Empire. The second is the Sacred God Beast, leader of the beast kin. His location is unknown.”

Raul tilted his head, “Does every strong cultivator add the word 'god' to their title.”

Gaisen shook his head, “A title is not made up by the cultivator, it is given to them by their followers and admirers. It is only natural, as even the lowest of cultivators are seen as gods to the ordinary mortals in the world below.”

Raul thought over Gaisen's words whilst also taking in information from the divination spell.

Cultivators could move incredibly quickly.

The world they were in was vast. If his Earth was to be compared to this planet then this planet would be seen to be several times larger. But cultivators could traverse this expanse quickly. In fact, they could even fly.

This would be a problem if his enemy decided to run away from him.

He would have to find a way to move just as quickly if possible, or at least he would have to learn to predict where his target would be.

Other than the strongest beings in the world there was also the potential for a new powerful being to emerge and be the destroyer of magic.

War.

It was a concept not unfamiliar in the early days of his world's discovery of magic. In the modern times it had all but disappeared.

In this world wars were common, in fact, wars helped keep the population of cultivators under control. Unlike magic which was infinite, the resources containing spirit energy would not continuously replenish and so resources were finite. This scarcity of resources led to war.

And because of the nature of the dao, cultivators who participated in wars found themselves growing stronger and stronger.

For every million culled there might be one who comes out a powerhouse.

While Gaisen was waiting patiently for Raul to respond, Raul thought about the things he would need to do. The most important task he had to complete was finding a fast mode of travel or possibly transportation. Then he needed to investigate the beings that had been listed by Gaisen as the strongest, and maybe even the ones a level of power below them. And at the same time he would have to watch out for any news of brewing wars or current conflicts.

And to do all that he needed to reach civilisation in order to investigate this world.

Raul smiled, “I am sorry Gaisen. But it appears that I must take my leave.”

Gaisen looked at him with surprise but didn't utter a single word of complaint. It wasn't uncommon for travellers to have very strange personalities. Raul lifted himself out of his chair and calmly walked outside, making sure to break the magic circle formed within the leaves but leaving the Ti Plant guardians there.

A magician could help things grow, but to reverse the process would be tantamount to killing the Ti Plants.

He would also leave the elders being held captive with Gaisen.

While it was true that Gaisen would be able to help him learn more about cultivation, in truth this information was fairly useless to him. Gaisen wasn't a fighter so he didn't have much knowledge of the techniques used by cultivators to fight. The man was also a recluse who had hidden himself away in order to begin secluded training in this hut.

In other words, Gaisen had no idea of the current state of affairs in the world.

It was even possible that his information on the powerhouses of the world was out of date.

Raul turned to face Gaisen.“That you for your assistance Gaisen.”

Gaisen bowed in return, “I also thank you, ancient one. With your help I was able to breakthrough without any troubles. I shall remember this debt eternally.”

Without another word Raul turned back towards the forest.

He had gleamed the location of the Ancient Dragon Sect as well as the town it controlled.

There was an entire world out there for him to explore and study.

'This is going to be so fun.'

****

In a far off mountain there lay a single cave, inhabited by a sole individual.

The mountain itself seemed like a sacred place, filled with ancient creatures and so dense with spiritual energy that nearby cultivators could almost see it in the air. Each and every single creature seemed to be living in peace and harmony. It seemed that the source of all this energy was the sole individual within the cave, silently meditating, unmoving and yet causing great changes to occur within the mountain.

To the outside world he was known as the Martial Heavenly God.

As though awaking from a deep sleep the individual opened his eyes. But unlike a waking dreamer his eyes were filled with clarity, and curiosity.

The man stood up and strode outside of the cave, causing the creatures in the mountain the tremble in fear as they saw him. He ignored them and looked across the country that he had made his home, and then even further across a vast ocean. It looked as though he was trying to discern a small town in a distant land.

“Ancient Dragon Sect... who it is that calls for me, what manner of ancient being are you.”

In the next instant, he disappeared.

****

Guo Feng smiled as he looked down at the scenes of destruction below.

With a single wave of his hand he caused a mighty army to be destroyed, with the other hand he casually accepted the adoration and prayers of a million people. Females with indescribable beauty fought each other for his affection. His greatest enemy, the young master that had bullied him when he was a boy, lay decapitated at his feet. Geniuses lined up in the hope of becoming his disciple and inheriting the techniques he had created from scratch as a child.

He was an immortal god.

A gust of wind blew down from the heavens and two angels descended, stopping at his feet and bowing to him.

He gestured for them to stand and saw that they were two beautiful females. It appeared that the holy lord himself wished to become acquainted with him and had sent these angels as a gift. Guo Feng just laughed.

But then everything shimmered and the entire scene around him collapsed.

Guo Feng looked around in fear, “W-what is this?”

He was suddenly in a domed room that was plated from head to toe in white stone. Each plated contained a carving of dogs, wolves and deer. In the middle of the room there was Guo Feng and three statues, each depicting a single woman of breathless beauty with different weapons in her hand. A strange grey light illuminated the area and it seemed to come from above. When Guo Feng looked up he saw a moon staring down at him from above, it was etched into the room of the dome.

A voice echoed out across the domed room and bounced off the walls, “What an interesting dream that was young man, tell me, do all people dream of death and subjugation, or just yourself?”

Guo Feng trembled, “T-this is impossible!”

Suddenly Guo Feng became acutely aware that he was dreaming, but at the same time this type of lucidity made it seem as though everything occurring within the ream was incredibly real.

“Ha.” The voice suddenly sounded out next to Guo Feng and the boy jumped, startled to see the figure of a person sitting next to him, “This is indeed a dream young man. But at the same time it is reality. For who is to say that what happens outside the material plane, isn't real? Dreams are indeed the birthplace and solidification of desires. If your desires were not real, then how would you dream?”

The man laughed again as though sharing in a rich joke but Guo Feng simple stared at him uncomprehending.

Raul lifted his hand and motioned for the boy to sit down, and waited while Guo Feng complied, “I will cut to the chase young man. What is your position in the Ancient Dragon Sect?”

Guo Feng immediately realised that this was no ordinary dream, and that this visitor was no ordinary person. He hesitated for a split second before bowing down so fast that he smashed his head against the stone ground.

He winced in pain, “I am Guo Feng, a humble servant of the sect. I would know none of it's secrets nor would I be of any use as a hostage.”

He lifted his head off the floor and was surprised to see that the stone had cracks in it, “May I enquire as to this lords name and title. I would be happy to arrange a meeting between the lord and someone within the sect.”

Even though this was only a dream Guo Feng could feel the sweat dripping down his back. Every aspect of this seemed real and Guo Feng felt like he could die at any moment. If this person was strong enough to enter his dreams then he, a lowly mortal, would probably be unable to defend for a second against a sudden attack.

Raul chuckled at the child's nervousness.

He had never even thought of harming the child.

After all, this was only a dream.

To this world dreams are something ephemeral, unreal, and unworthy of attention or study. The cultivators of this world even forgo sleep and dreaming in favour of meditation. This was why he could only enter an ordinary person's dream. But to the magicians of his world there is nothing more important than dreams. The significance of dreams lay not in their characteristics as transient passages. Instead, dreams were seen by magicians as portals to magical realms and planes of existence inaccessible through the material plane.

Dreaming is an activity of the soul.

So Raul had used dream magic in order to consciously guide and control this servant's dream. He had been surprised by the vivacity of the dream that Guo Feng was having and so had chosen to move his conciousness somewhere else.

The resting place of the goddess, Artemis.

'Dream Spells; Dream incubation spell: Artemis assistance spell.'

Using his dream as a drawing board, Raul had created an alter for the goddess, Artemis. Then he had decorated it with images of the moon, dog, wolves and deer. He had also brought silver and white candles into his dream though they lay in another room. Then the spell required him to sprinkle dried mugwort onto lit charcoals and burn them as incense. He had then described to the goddess the kind of dream he wished to have, not the one he was in, but the dream of someone that was part of the Ancient Dragon Sect and would be willing to help him.

So he had been able to enter Guo Feng's dream and bring him here.

Of course, this could not substitute for a real altar to Artemis. But it would have to suffice. Luckily the people of this world had almost no resistance to magic whatsoever, allowing him to easily influence this person's dream world.

Raul shook his head, “I do not wish to use you as a hostage servant of the Ancient Dragon Sect. But I will take you up on your offer to arrange a meeting between the sect and myself. I would like to trade some information with them, if they are willing. I will also need you to meet with me and arrange for my stay at an inn in town. If possible I also wouldn't mind staying within the sect itself.”

Guo Feng nodded his head vigorously, “Of course lord. I will contact my sect's quartermaster as soon as possible, and alert the disciples of the sect to your presence. Only....”

Guo Feng hesistated.

Raul lifted an eyebrow, “Is there a problem?”

Guo shrugged his shoulders and extended his hands in a helpless motion, “It is very far fetched to say that I was visited in my dreams. The other members of the sect may not believe me. Lord may have to make an appearance himself. I can organise to be in a certain part of the town if you wish and then I can direct you to the sect.”

Raul nodded, “That should be fine. This is your dream, show me the place where you wish to meet with me.”

Raul waved his hand and as room around him shimmered, Guo Feng caught a glimpse of multiple hues, as though his fingers were all painted in different colours.

Guo Feng tried to picture the square outside the entrance of the sect, where servants often went to cool down during their breaks and where ordinary people would not be stopped from entering. He also added the sun in the sky in order to show Raul what time he began his break from his duties.

Even though he called himself a servant, the term the sect used was outer disciple.

But this was a simply a glorified title that held little meaning to the outer disciples. They were treated badly and given the worst tasks, with hardly any reward in return for their hard work other than having the Ancient Dragon Sects name attached to them.

It was a name that could make mortal tremble in fear, but the actual assistance the sect provided Guo Feng was incredibly small.

For mortals like him that had little to no hope in practising cultivation, this was the way that the world worked.

Raul noted the place and time and nodded, content, “Thank you.”

The world shimmered again and suddenly the man disappeared, and Guo Feng once again found himself being prostrated to by a million individuals as his enemies lay dead around him.

****

“What scary dreams the people of this world have”

Raul mused to himself as he walked towards the appointed area.

He had taken advantage of the long walk into town to plan out his actions.

He obviously couldn't go to the strongest beings in this world since the distance covered would be astronomical. He may even die from age several times over if he tried. Instead he had made sure that the strongest would come to him.

Dream spell; Dream powder: Mimosa Magic.

The mimosa powder that Raul had concocted served three purposes. It could banish bad dreams, stimulate good dreams and encourage the good dreams to come true. In order to make it Raul ground up rose petals, lilac petals and acacia gum in a mortar and pestle. These were items and tools that he kept in his bags at all times.

Then the result was blended in with cornstarch, and a few drops of essential oils of mimosa and bay laurel had to be sprinkled in the mix. Then he had fallen asleep within a magic circle in the forest with the mixture place around him.

This would encourage the sole person he had concentrated on, the Martial Heavenly God, to feel as though he needed to come to the Ancient Dragon Sect.

Whether or not worked was another matter.

For now, Raul planned to establish himself in the sect. The most important thing that he needed was the one thing he was lacking, information. He had gained a lot from his encounter with Gaisen but he was still unfamiliar with how these cultivators fought and how they managed to tap into the spirit energy of the world around him while he couldn't.

So he had decided that he would establish a relation with the nearby sect.

This world was one of constant fights and conflicts.

Raul had learnt from Gaisen's mind that this was the case, and that at the centre of all conflicts for resources there were the mighty and powerful sects of the world. But that didn't mean that the sects were armies or military camps.

They were schools.

In Raul's world there were no sects. Instead there were schools. Schools were a place of learning on his world, where once could discuss peace and tranquillity as well as learn how to better listen for the Earth's wisdom. They had been a place of academics and scholarly enterprises.

Sect's taught their disciples how to fight wars.

Nevertheless, they were still schools in Raul's eyes.

And he intended to learn.

Raul looked around and saw that he had finally reached the court that he had seen in the servants dream. It was a plain looking area. A single fountain of water lay in the middle with a nice spread of grass area and a couple of trees making the place a bit more social. Further ahead was a grand gate a few meters wide and tall, with the carving a majestic dragon curling around it. It was coloured red and gold.

This sect seemed fond of it's colours and imagery.

“Lord.”

A voice filled with respect called out to Raul from the fountain area.

Raul was startled to see a boy that looked nothing like the one in the dream. In the first place a dream was hard to retain in memory, and Raul hadn't paid particular attention the boy. He distinctly remembered that the boy looked a lot taller, and more handsome, within the dream.

The Guo Feng that greeted him was a short, plump and freckled boy of about thirteen years of age.

'Only a teenager, and yet he dreams of destruction.' Raul shook his head and looked at the boy who was half bowing, half running towards him.

Guo Feng stopped in front of him and kept his bowing posture.

“There is no need to bow to me,” Raul smiled, “Tell me, what is your name?”

The boy lifted his head, “Lord, my name is Guo Feng.”

“Guo Feng,” Raul spoke as though the name was slipping off the edge of his tongue.

In his world this would be an uncommon name. It was the same for Gaisen.

And yet he could understand the language of this world, which meant that somewhere, sometimes, something must have happened so that the language stayed the same but the way people were name changed.

Raul strode towards the large gate and he heard Guo Feng squeak and hurry in front of him.

“Allow me to guide you inside lord! But, it may not be so easy.”

Raul nodded.

The two walked up to the gate and Raul saw that not only were there several guards outside the entrance, they were also holding weapons.

'How rare.' Raul's inquisitive nature was piqued.

Weapons had long ago been trashed as a primitive means of fighting. After all, a single spell could bypass all obstacles from a distance of half a world away if done correctly. What use would a weapon be if the attack was of a magic nature.

So for Raul this was a rare opportunity to see what direction had been taken for the development of weapons in a world where conflict of a physical nature was king.

The guards saw Guo Feng walking towards them and nodded at him, but frowned as they saw Raul striding up behind him with the intent of entering.

“Halt.”

A guard wearing a silver helmet and body armour pointed a sword at Raul.

The magician stopped in his tracks and held his hands up into the air to show that he was unarmed.

The guard examined Raul, “State your name and your intention or be cut down where you stand.”

“Raul. I wish to establish relations with your sect.”

After a moment the guard gave a cold snort. He had determined that there were no spiritual waves coming from Raul's body, which meant that this man wasn't even a cultivator. He had seen many people walk in with confidence as though they owned the place and then try and bluff their way into good fortunes.

The guard lifted his weapon into the air and Guo Feng let out a frightened squeak, “A mortal dares to try and enter a place of immortals? You are a fool. For your arrogance I decree that you shall have both your arms severed. And if you beg me for forgiveness now I will consider sparing your life and not reporting this incident to the sect.”

Raul's eyes widened at the sudden provocation but before he could react the guard's sword disappeared and reappeared cleaving through the air above his right shoulder.

Guo Feng let out a shriek as the sword chopped through Raul's arm.