Qi Deviation was a fate worse than death.

Li Xun kept his head low, attempting to avoid being recognised. He was far away from the Ivory Hills, but still he feared that there might yet be members from the Rising Crescent Sect who may recognise him. He knew without a doubt that in his present state, even his former closest companions within the Sect would be honour-bound to make certain that he was put down, before he could do harm to anyone.

Even here – deliberately keeping away from where cultivators tended to aggregate, taking long detours to avoid larger cities and settlements, he could still feel that shadowy presence within him lashing out. It raged, demanded to be set free, and Li Xun feared that a time would come when he would soon no longer be able to keep it contained.

For that was the fate of all who had succumbed to Qi Deviation. Whether mere adepts, or ones like himself, who had already broken through the First Realm into the formation of a discrete Core – none of them were spared.

For three years, this had been his life. Living on the run, fearing that he might be recognised by one from his former Sect, living in the terror of the darkness that now lurked within him. Once a Ranking Disciple of the Rising Crescent Sect, he was now a nobody.

And recently, things looked only to have gotten worse. Only two months ago, the entire cultivation world had been thrown into disarray, because it seemed that even Masters of their own Sects had fallen to madness.

Despite the short time since the incident, even those who knew little about the workings of cultivation had undoubtedly heard of how the Yue clan had fallen into ruin, after Grandmaster Yue Xu Guolin had slaughtered the Twelve Families that constituted his own Clan in a fit of wrathful madness. What few survivors of the Resolute Heart Sect remained had sought refuge among neighbouring Sects.

Some were welcomed – most were outright refused.

The stories had spread like wildfire when the massacre had occurred, and the rumours had fed into one another. If even the wisest and most benevolent among them could succumb to the horrors of Qi Deviation, then surely no one could resist whatever dark temptations came with it?

The lucky ones merely had their cultivation crippled. They, at least, were only left unable to perform the wondrous feats that came through the manipulation of Qi, but were otherwise still able to live out normal, mundane lives. For ones like Li Xun – whose Qi Deviation manifested in an altogether different way – almost every Sect now readily executed any of their members who displayed such signs.

Worse yet, just barely a month ago, the dao – long thought to be immutable – had changed.

They were the paths of purest knowledge through which the highest of masters of their art saw the Truth of the universe, and in turn allowed for the manipulation of the physical world. Recently, however, many Masters were said to experience a severe weakening of the wondrous powers that had previously been free for them to command.

With the loss of the powers that they brought, the difference in strength between Masters and those a step below them had been rendered null. As a result, leadership of various Sects had been thrown into turmoil. Many Sects were in the midst of infighting, and struggles for power were only intensifying between their members. Even the few Sects that were able to maintain their cohesion undoubtedly felt unease about it all.

Li Xun kept his head low in the tavern. When his food and drink was brought to the table, he offered only the slightest nods in response, sliding over a handful of coins without ever meeting the eyes of the tavern’s staff. A short stop in the village to resupply – and then he would leave, embark on the road once more without any destination in mind, and hope that he would live to see another day with his sanity intact.

The door to the tavern slammed open, and he flinched momentarily, but forced himself to remain calm. Ever since he had undergone Qi Deviation, he could no longer sense the presences of other cultivators who had passed the stage of Core Formation – but equally, they could not sense him. So long as he acted no differently from how a commoner might, even if cultivators were around, they should not become suspicious of him.

Conversely, however, that also meant that anyone who displayed feats only cultivators were capable of but were unable to be sensed by other fellow cultivators were treated as Deviants. For most cases, that was the truth – but equally, he had had rumours that there had been a few who had wandered outside the safety of their Sects while still in the Qi Condensation stage, and hence did not possess a discrete Core. They had been mistaken for Deviants – and the mistrust and fear directed toward Li Xun’s kind had caused them to be mistakenly killed.

Furtively, he glanced toward the group of newcomers. Blue robes, emblazoned with the image of an eagle in flight. That made them members of the Red Dawn Sect. Three of them – two bore the robes of Outer Disciples, while the one who looked to be their leader possessed the white trims that marked him as an Inner Disciple of the Sect.

“Damn.” Under his breath, Li Xun cursed silently. Sure, Penshan City and their surrounding regions were the home territory of the Red Dawn, but he had hoped to stay as far away from cultivators as possible.

Keeping his head down, he attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation. They were in high spirits, and as soon as they ordered their share of food and drink, began to talk loudly between one another.

“The Elders will surely reward you for recovering the artifact, Senior Wu!”

“Yes! Who would have thought that the treasure would lay unguarded?” One of the juniors looked meaningfully at the senior. “Senior, when the Elders grant you your due reward…”

“You will all be properly acknowledged, of course! Wu Xuzhang takes good care of his juniors!”

“This one humbly thanks you, senior!”

Li Xun continued to eat. So far, so good. No suspicion had been drawn to him. As for the matter of their conversation…

No one quite knew why – but ever since the first stirrings of darkness ten years ago, that had begun first with the increasing cases of Qi Deviation, more and more artifacts had appeared, whether cast down from the Heavens, or suddenly materialising into being. It wasn’t uncommon for members of each Sect to be sent out on missions to retrieve those artifacts for their Sects. In the process, more than a few rogue cultivators had cast aside their former ties, seizing possession of those artifacts for themselves while drawing the ire of their former Sects.

It was why simply attempting to put aside cultivation in order to live a mundane life was impossible for him. In his first few months on the run, though he had been able to find temporary shelter, there had been many close shaves as passing cultivators searched for precious artifacts and the powers that they held.

There were many times when he doubted himself. Perhaps it was better for the world if he allowed himself to be caught. Perhaps he could rest easy, knowing that he would no longer need to live in fear.

Still, however, he dared to hope. He refused to yield. He would fine a cure for this – whether through removing his cultivation entirely, or finding a way to suppress the madness.

Meal finished, he stood up. The group of cultivators from the Red Dawn continued chattering on, oblivious to the Deviant in their midst. There were no suspicions placed on him at all. All he needed to do now was head to the door, leave quietly, and then –

“Hey!”

He started, flinching, but then realised the words were not directed toward him.

“What do you think you’re looking at?”

Li Xun dared turn around. The Senior was there, looming over a man in his fifties or sixties. He wore a strange looking garb – not quite the robes of a cultivator, but not quite what was commonly seen by laymen either. It was a cloth hung over a tunic, draped over the left shoulder and around the body, and flowed all the way down past his legs.

He had been looking at what could only have been the artifact – an orb only just larger than the size of a palm, that held within it a pulsating amber light. From his experiences in the days before he had become a Deviant, Li Xun knew that any cultivator past the First Realm would be able to sense off the immense energies contained within.

He could not, however, discern the artifact’s function. Even when he had been whole, only the Elders had been able to appraise each artifact that was recovered and placed in the Sect’s collection.

The one who had drawn the senior’s ire turned away. “Pardon me,” he said. His speech was mildly accented, but Li Xun couldn’t put his finger on where the stranger came from, though he had travelled broadly across the Immortal Lands while on the run. “It appears that my curiosity has gotten the better of me.”

The Senior frowned. Despite having received an apology, he didn’t let up, viewing the man with suspicion. He leaned in closer, and the onlookers in the tavern turned deathly silent. No one would dare interfere in the matters of cultivators.

“What’s your name?”

“You may call me Duo De.” He stood up, giving a slight bow. “Again, I apologise for my indiscretion.”

It was strange. His gestures and mannerisms were ones that Li Xun was unaccustomed to. Though he had bowed deeply, as expected for one addressing another of higher standing, he had bent his left arm at the elbow as he bowed, and placed it over where his heart would be. In his speech, he had emphasised his words oddly, but it didn’t quite sound like an accent. The way he spoke sounded as though they were equals, rather than how commonfolk typically treated cultivators.

Li Xun knew he should leave. It was for the best. Their attention was occupied. He could escape without drawing their notice.

“Where are you from, Duo De?”

“The Shenjian Province,” came the easy reply. “Again, I apologise. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, and I must admit, I had overstepped my boundaries.”

Senior Wu narrowed his eyes. The suspicion only grew. Li Xun stepped closer, ready to intervene.

For which side?

He didn’t know. Duo De certainly wasn’t helping his case, with his odd mannerisms and speech patterns. Still, he appeared defenceless – and given that the members of the Red Dawn hadn’t made any mention of his cultivation status, it was likely that he was a simple commoner caught out in a bad situation. But the Red Dawn Sect were well-loved for protecting those in Penshan, and were fierce champions of righteousness. Surely they wouldn’t –

But the Rising Crescent cast you aside as well, a traitorous voice spoke. All of them care only for power! They fear what they cannot understand!

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

For several moments, they just remained in that position. Duo De looked impassively at the cultivator threatening him as he stayed in his seat, while Wu Xuzhang carefully scrutinised every aspect of the man before him. His two juniors were now on their feet as well, standing just behind the senior.

And then – he moved.

Though Li Xun had stalled in his cultivation for three years now, unable to progress after being exposed to Qi Deviation, he still retained all his skills. He only called upon them when absolutely necessary, as he braved the beasts and creatures that roamed the regions outside of the protection of the many Sects, but he was not without practice.

He had been a Ranking Disciple of the Rising Crescent Sect. And he knew that an attack was incoming.

There was a chance that Duo De was a Deviant like himself. Li Xun had considered that. If he was, however, he made no effort to block the incoming strike.

Li Xun could not simply stand by and watch any longer.

And so, before the Senior had begun to throw his punch, without even being aware of it, he was already in motion, putting himself between him and the defenceless man.

“Stop!”

The unruly darkness that dwelled within him roared in fury as he drew upon the reservoir of power that dwelled within his core. It took all the willpower he had to suppress it, focusing himself by thinking only of the intent behind which he had called upon it.

Protect!

For the slightest of instants, with his guard raised in one of the forms practiced by the Rising Crescent Sect as he followed through with brushing aside his opponent’s blow, he saw Wu Xuzhang’s eyes widen first in surprise, before cycling rapidly into realisation and fury.

“Qi Deviant!” he roared.

Damn it!

At those words, the tavern dissolved into chaos. Even the commonfolk knew the dangers of Qi Deviation, and that fear had blossomed into outright terror after the Resolute Heart Sect had been wiped out. Patrons screamed, running as far away from the battle as they could.

The turmoil within intensified. It demanded for its desires to be sated, to dish out wrath upon those who had blindly attacked him without knowing his exact circumstances. Theirs was a perversion of justice. They attacked, not because they sought to protect others, but because they feared what those who had fallen to Qi Deviation might do to them.

The cultivators were false. Lies and falsehoods. They preached one thing, and practised another.

False. THEY WERE FALSE!

His foes drew closer. The intent to kill was clear in their eyes. They could not discern his present cultivation status, the same way that they had been unable to tell that he had been a Deviant in the first place, and they did not know of the gap between them.

It would be so easy.

And in that moment of temptation, he slipped. He transitioned out of his guarded stance, one arm brought back, and from his past experiences in combat, he knew he could end his opponent’s life in the next strike.

Stop!

He hesitated. His opponent drew nearer.

All resistance died away. He moved –

“I forbid this.”

– and abruptly, all returned to clarity. He stood there, paralysed.

But that was not true, he realised just an instant later. He could move. So could his opponent, and the two juniors by his side.

What he could not do was attempt to attack.

“Well,” Duo De sighed. Only now was he on his feet. “This was definitely not how I expected things to turn out.”

And in that moment of realisation, he knew what had just occurred.

Duo De had to be a Master, and one who was already deep into the stages of the Third Realm. Perhaps even beyond.

This was undeniably a feat achievable only by one who bolstered their cultivation with the dao, and exerted their will over reality – but never before had Li Xun heard of such a power.

More chilling yet, however, was that it should be impossible. The dao had failed to function. It had interfered with the skills of all the Masters.

The sole exception was in the vicinity of the Resolute Heart Sect – where Grandmaster Yue Xu Guolin was still enthralled by Qi Deviation, causing the very lands that he had once protected to slowly be torn asunder.

The three members of the Righteous Heart Sect undoubtedly came to that same realisation. They fell to their knees, begging for their lives.

“S- Spare us! Take the artifact! We – we lowly ones did not know of your –“

“Oh, quiet now,” he rebuked. It was with that same reserved tone he had previously used. “I’m not here for you. Play with that artifact of yours, if you so wish. Do not worry – my oaths prevent me from killing you, except as the absolute last resort.”

He turned, looking directly at Li Xun.

“No, I’m afraid that I’m here for him.”

-x-x-x-

The local unravelling of Pandora’s Box certainly had far more long-reaching effects than Duo De had thought.

His name, of course, was not Duo De. He worked under the operative name of Aristotle – named after the old Philosopher who had been a member of their Order in its first days – and what he had chosen translated well enough, considering the language and customs of this world’s locals. Though he was no longer on active duty, it was the most common identity he went by. Duo De would do just fine.

He had only been here for the better part of a month. He had been in the midst of a pilgrimage, hopping from world to world, experiencing the local cultures of the worlds he passed by for himself as he sought out new wisdom. The Immortal Lands had caught his eye, because it was a place that hadn’t previously been known to the Academy.

Unfortunately, he had since become trapped here, because the noumenal realm had become even more unravelled during that time. Attempting to traverse through it in the midst of such turmoil would likely destroy his body, if he attempted making the journey. It wasn’t likely that he would be able to successfully make it back to the Academy.

It hadn’t been his intention to stay for as long as he had, but the increasing weakening of containment in this region where the noumenal realm flowed into the physical was beginning to unsettle him. Already, its effects were being made apparent among the local Philosophers – cultivators, they called themselves – and many were succumbing to the effects that came with drawing upon two separate world-souls. The same destabilisation of the Nous that kept him trapped here had affected their cultivators, because they were unable to draw upon it to utilise what they called the dao.

And that worried him. It wasn’t quite as bad as what had been recorded during the Strife – but if Pandora’s Box was once more weakening, it wouldn’t take long before this world fell to madness, destruction, and desolation. From there, the corruption would only spread – and they might just once more have Ragnarok upon their hands.

He was technically meant to be on a pilgrimage, but he could not simply sit by and allow this world to fall to ruin.

No, he could not. His chosen Doctrine prevented that.

As things were, however, his understanding of the local situation was minimal at best, and even his grasp of their language was earned through comprehension of the noumenon of Language in itself during his earlier days. If he wanted answers as to why there was a local tear in Pandora’s Box, it wasn’t likely to come any time soon.

“You.” He glanced at the youth. “Would you care to share your name?”

The situation was under control, all things considered. He had, of course, seen the incoming attack.

It was unfortunate that the world had fallen to such a state. He would have loved to see how it had been before.

He always appreciated the cultures of each world, and seeing how the locals understood the set of natural laws common to all of Creation. Where Earth had Alchemy, Astrology, and Theurgy, he had witnessed worlds that understood the same principles as he did in completely different ways, manifesting them as grand feats of magic. This world had cultivation – and while similar to what he practiced, in his month spent here thus far, he had noted several stark differences as well.

“Li Xun,” the youth said slowly. “You… you’re a Deviant?”

“Oh, not at all.” He gave a faint smile, then tilted his head toward the three other cultivators. He had no further business in them – the Construct they held had initially been of mild interest, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before. “You, on the other hand, are one.”

Duo De inspected him, seeing past what was perceptible, sensing for the way in which the world-soul interacted with him. Qi, the locals apparently called it, though he knew it as the world-soul, or the anima mundi, or the pneuma. He had a decent quantity stored within him, kept condensed and ever-burning where Mind, Body, and Spirit met in harmony, but there was a second contaminant therein.

It was the second world-soul. The impurity. The miasma. That which emanated from the secondary Nous that had been thought sufficiently contained in Pandora’s Box. It was weak, since much of this Shadow Nous was still in containment, but it was clear that Li Xun knew not how to separate their parts, and maintain a unity of opposites. The present state of his core couldn’t be verbally described, but the imagery it invoked was that of a turbid mess, that hence hindered further advancement in the Path of Wisdom.

He knew it well. Splintering was not an unheard-of occurrence, since Pandora’s Box was unable to perfectly contain its prisoners, and a trickle of the second world-soul – the miasma – always leaked out. Duo De had himself been subject to it, once, but had since reforged his soul into cohesion.

It hadn’t been difficult to notice Li Xun, even before he had entered the tavern. He had remained observant, ready to act should he prove a threat to others, but he had surprisingly been in control all throughout. It spoke of his force of will, that he retained rationality, staying by the Virtues, rather than falling to the Sins that had been trapped within Pandora’s Box alongside the secondary Nous.

Li Xun looked at him cautiously, nodding. Though he had given the other three permission to leave, they remained in position, backing away on the ground with their hands behind them, still terrified.

It seemed they hadn’t met one of their local Masters who followed his Doctrine yet. Interesting.

“Well, Li Xun, how long have you been a – what did you call it? A ‘Deviant’?”

Again, he considered the question carefully, as though weighing what the best option was. Finally, he answered. “Three years.”

Now that was impressive. Three years as a Splinter, all while the miasma grew ever stronger? And with the way he had chosen to act, coming to Duo De’s defence though he knew it would out him as a Deviant…

He had potential. Whether he knew it or not, he had acted out of a sense of Duty, or something close enough.

“Well,” he said, giving the youth a once-over, only now taking in his physical characteristics. His age was just around twenty, if he would hazard a guess. “How would you like to become my student?”

There was a hushed intake of breath. Not just from Li Xun, but also from the other three cultivators.

“M- m- monster!” Though he had been terrified, for some incongruous and incomprehensible reason, the one who had initially attempted to attack him and had been rebuffed now looked wildly at them both. “This – this is no true dao! Fiend! Demon! If you have any honour left in you, Deviant, you would have killed yourself long ago!”

Duo De sighed. He could not, unfortunately, silence the man, for to do so would be to silence himself.

Act only according to that maxim by which you can also will that it would become a universal law.

It was part of the Doctrine he adhered to – and though there were situations in which it had to be refined, and carefully deliberated over, this same principle he had sworn himself to had granted him the First Revelation of the Doctrine.

With the power of his Spirit, earned through long years of drawing upon the anima mundi, he was able to will a Law upon anything his Spirit reached at, so long as he and his subject were of comparable strengths. He was no exception, as he too was subject to the Laws he imposed. It was both his greatest strength, and greatest weakness that others may seek to abuse.

It was why he was able to now cordially converse with Li Xun, without having to worry about an incoming attack from the other three – inconsequential though their best efforts may be.

“Don’t listen to them,” he said, noticing the renewed conflict on Li Xun’s face. The miasma within him sought to further entice him toward Sin, but the Law held strong. Its attempt to incite Wrath was suppressed, since the action through which it could be expressed was forbidden. “This is about what you want, Philosopher.”

The title obviously struck him as odd, but he didn’t comment on it. “You… you know how to fix this?”

“In theory? Yes.” He held a hand out, forestalling the youth’s shock. “It will depend entirely on you, however. Many before you have failed, though few have lasted as long as you have. And know this – should you succumb to your tribulations, and be unable to suppress the evils within you, I will have no choice but to strike you down.”

Li Xun had clearly considered that already. He likely warred with the same notions before.

But without hesitation, he accepted. “Yes!”

Good. Duo De nodded. “It is a different path from that tread by most, but you are not alone in that regard. I have walked that path, before, though I suspect your circumstances will be entirely different from my own.”

There was a moment of silence.

“You have?” he asked, awestruck. Amazement, a small amount of fear, and hope made themselves apparent as his voice caught. “Who are you?”

“Just your everyday traveller.” He turned his attention next to the three cowering cultivators. “You three may do as you wish. Still, I would be most appreciative if you do not tell anyone about what transpired here.” He paused. “I do doubt that most will believe you, of course. The gifts that come with comprehension of the dao, after all, have recently been denied.”

With that, he allowed his Spirit to recede, reverting the physical world to its natural laws. Still, they made no move to strike, and Li Xun remained in full control of his faculties.

Excellent.

“Let us make haste, then.”

As they left the tavern, no one dared make a move to stop them. They shouldn’t tarry, though – he wouldn’t be surprised if those three cultivators rushed back to their Order – Sect, he thought the locals called them – and escalated the situation. He would abide by his Doctrine as far as possible, but there were times when he would be pushed too far, and would have no choice but to engage in reciprocal combat.

For better or worse, it looked like he would have some interesting days ahead with his new student.