Darian looked at the scroll in front of him. It had a metallic sheen to it, from some metal coating he assumed, though he couldn’t tell what kind of metal. Its color looked somewhere between gold and bronze.
“What is this?” he asked.
“This is the cultivation technique the Immortal who created this place left behind. In order to inherit the legacy, you must learn this technique and use it to open your Heart Aperture. After that, you’ll officially be the Immortal’s heir.”
That made sense. By learning the Immortal’s technique, he would in spirit become their disciple. Why else would he become their heir? It would make no sense otherwise, unless there was some kind of blood relationship between them.
Darian reached for the scroll, but before he could grab it, Astra pulled it just out of his reach.
“Before we get to that part, however,” she said. “There are some conditions you must agree to.”
“Conditions?” Darian said, narrowing his eyes at her. “What conditions? You didn’t mention that before.”
“That’s because it wasn’t necessary before. Now it is. At least I’m telling you now, instead of waiting until it was too late to change your mind.” She preened. “Yes, you may bask in my generosity.”
Darian just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Now that he had gotten to this part, he was impatient to continue forward.
“Well?” he asked. “What are they?”
When the expected praise didn’t come, Astra frowned.
“Fine then,” she said. “Take all the fun out of this, why don’t you.” She tossed the scroll into the air before catching it again, almost giving Darian a heart attack. “The first condition is simple. You must not share the secrets of this technique to outsiders.”
Darian nodded. He had expected as much. The Immortal hadn’t wanted this technique to fall into just anyone’s hands.
“Very well, I agree. What else?”
“Once you start practicing this cultivation technique, you must not practice any other. You can learn and use supplementary techniques and arts, but not any other cultivation technique. Once you start down this path, you must not deviate from it.”
This caused Darian to frown. Since it was his clan’s technique, he had been planning to learn the Dancing Wind technique in conjunction with this Immortal’s technique, using both to further his path to immortality. As long as the two were compatible, it was possible. It would take longer, and would be much more difficult, but it was possible. Ambitious perhaps, but when it came to cultivation, ambition was an asset. However, if he agreed to this condition, that would no longer be possible. Darian hesitated.
Status within the clan depended on learning the Dancing Wind technique. If he agreed to Astra’s condition, then he would forever be doomed to remain a low status member of Clan Wind Dance. While his clan wouldn’t exile him for practicing another cultivation technique, neither would they invite him to participate in the clan’s inner workings. He would forever be relegated to the outskirts. Was that a choice Darian wanted to make? He wasn’t sure.
It wasn’t like he needed this Immortal’s technique in order to cultivate. Now that his spirit root was unblocked, he could practice any technique he wanted. Yet the opportunity to become an Immortal’s heir was something that happened once in a lifetime, if at all. Darian’s intuition told him that if he rejected Astra’s condition, he would never get a chance like this again. These two desires warred within his heart.
“Well?” Astra said as Darian mulled it over. “What is your choice, young Darian?”
Darian opened his mouth, and didn’t know what his answer would be until he spoke.
“I agree,” he said.
While he would forever have low status with Clan Wind Dance, he was used to it at this point. Becoming an Immortal’s heir had the potential to bring Darian greater rewards. It was a gamble, but one he was willing to make. Besides, choosing the Immortal’s technique meant walking his own path rather than the one his clan would pick out for him. That appealed to Darian on a deep level.
“Good,” Astra purred. “The third and final condition is that you must join the Dawn and Dusk Sect once you reach the Element Collection stage.”
Darian frowned once again. Joining a school or sect was a significant choice, one that shouldn’t be made lightly. The Element Collection stage was the fourth stage of cultivation, just before the Golden Core one. Once he reached that point, depending on how strong he was, Darian would have several sects and schools to choose from. It seemed early to make a commitment like that. Besides, he hadn’t heard of this Dawn and Dusk Sect. He didn’t know their reputation, or how strong they were.
“Why?” Darian asked. “And where is this Dawn and Dusk Sect? I haven’t heard of it, so it must not be near Silverwood Vale. Why would the Immortal want me to join?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Astra asked. “The Immortal is a member. Of course they would want their heir and disciple to join.”
Now that she put it like that, Darian agreed that the answer was obvious. He shook his head at his own denseness.
“If you’re wondering about the Dawn and Dusk Sect’s reputation, don’t worry. It’s quite famous and is considered one of the most exclusive sects in its area. You won’t regret joining. Trust me when I say that people would kill for this kind of chance.” Astra shrugged. “Then again, I am biased. I’m a member too.”
Darian blinked at her in surprise.
“You are?” he blurted out.
“Of course,” Astra said, letting out a snort. “The Immortal who created this realm is one of my seniors. Do you think I would do this for just anyone? My time is far too valuable to be wasted like that.”
“Wait, I was under the impression that the Immortal who created this place was dead. Your words indicate otherwise. If that’s the case, then why are you here? Why aren’t they?”
Astra tossed the scroll in the air again and caught it.
“That is privileged information. You’ll learn why later on, assuming you agree and succeed in learning this technique. Now enough with the questions. Yes or no?”
Darian gritted his teeth. He had already come this far, he might as well go all the way.
“Fine. I will join this Dawn and Dusk Sect once I reach the Element Collection stage.”
“Good. Catch.”
With that, Astra tossed the scroll to him. Darian caught it and sat down to study it. As he unfurled the scroll, Darian realized that it hadn’t been coated with metal, as he first thought, but was actually a long, thin sheet of metal. It had been engraved with words and images detailing the cultivation technique. As he studied the scroll, Darian felt excitement rising within him. While it would take him time to fully comprehend the technique, a cursory examination revealed to him just how profound it was. It was a higher level technique than the Dancing Wind, that much was obvious, though not by much. Still, it was a better technique. It seemed that he had made the right choice after all.
The first part of the scroll covered the Foundation Establishment stage in extensive detail, but when Darian tried to read further, he realized that he couldn’t. The images and words looked blurry to him, and trying to understand them gave him a headache.
“Most sections of the scroll are sealed,” Astra said. She was lying in mid-air with her eyes closed, seemingly taking a nap. “This is to prevent outsiders from stealing the technique’s secrets, but it’s also for your own protection. Reading the later sections could damage your mind and soul if you aren’t ready. Just focus on the Foundation Establishment section for now and ignore the rest.”
Darian nodded and continued studying the parts of the scroll he could read. The Dancing Wind technique started out as a dancing technique, with its practitioners dancing their way to immortality. Later on, it had been modified and expanded upon to include other techniques, which gave it more power and versatility, but at its core it remained a dancing technique.
The technique contained within the scroll was a combat technique through and through. It allowed its practitioners to unleash destructive and devastating power by turning their own bodies into living weapons. It was a violent and brutal technique. Darian, who considered himself a peaceful man, found himself drawn to it for reasons he couldn’t quite articulate. It just felt right. As he studied the basic stances, Darian could almost feel the destructive power contained within this technique burning through his veins.
“What is this technique called?” Darian asked, not looking away from the scroll.
“The Nine Gates of Destruction,” Astra said, her eyes remaining closed. “The basic stances for it are collectively called Fists of the Mortal Flame. They should last you until you reach the Element Collection stage.”
Darian nodded. The name fit. The Foundation Establishment stage for this technique detailed several stances that could be used for cultivation as well as combat. Some were defensive, but most were offensive in nature. All of them focused on using fists. A supplementary technique allowed the practitioner to coat their hands in fire, increasing their fists’ destructive power. There were some other supplementary techniques as well, but Darian focused on the stances of the Fists of the Mortal Flame. They would be the foundation of his cultivation path after all. He would study the rest later.
After he had learned and memorized the outer form of the technique, Darian sank into a meditative state so he could study the rest. Cultivation techniques transformed the body, mind, and soul. They transcended the physical, while elevating it at the same time. As such, it took more than drawing or writing down the outer form of a technique to properly convey its secrets. The essence of the technique needed to be distilled into whatever medium it was being copied into. Studying this essence was an unconscious process, and required the cultivator to silence their conscious mind. This was why cultivation techniques weren’t that widespread. It took serious effort to copy them down. Darian, having studied the Dancing Wind technique several times over the years, was already familiar with the process.
As Darian studied the stances for the Fist of the Mortal Flame, they began to inscribe themselves into his soul. In his mind’s eye, he experienced himself performing each stance as he studied them one by one. Each movement, no matter how slight, imprinted itself into his very being. He would need to actually perform the stances, practice them, in order to truly master them, but this allowed him to begin to build his foundation. This process took hours, and by the time Darian had finished, the sun had already reached its zenith.
When Darian came out of the meditative state, he felt tired mentally. His mind had been working hard. His body wasn’t in much better condition. It had been a long time since breakfast by this point. His mouth tasted dry and sticky, and hunger gnawed at him. Thankfully, either Elliot or Ellen had left a tray containing a simple meal next to him. A stone jug filled with water sat next to the tray. Darian took the jug and drained it dry. The water tasted cool and refreshing.
“Finished?” Astra asked. She was still lying in midair with her eyes closed.
“Yes,” Darian said, starting to eat the meal. He spoke in between bites. “I’m done studying the Fists of the Mortal Flame at least. I’ll study the rest later.”
“Good.” Astra opened a single eye, before closing it again. “Be sure to practice diligently. If you do, I imagine it won’t take you long to open your Heart Aperture.”
It would take time for Darian to cultivate enough in order to open his Heart Aperture. How much time depended on his talent. Each cultivator was different. Some opened it fast, while others took longer. It could take anywhere from a month to a year. That said, Darian knew of one person who had opened his in little over a week. That man was a genius and a prodigy when it came to cultivation, however. Darian was just satisfied he could make the attempt at all. He didn’t care how fast or how slow it took him, he would do his best no matter what.
“I’ll begin practicing in a little while, after I’ve had a chance to rest a bit,” Darian said after he finished the meal. “I might as well take advantage of my time here while I can.”
He didn’t know when, or even if, he would be allowed to come to this secret realm after he had left. Not until he had opened his Heart Aperture at least. The more he could get from his time here, the better. With that in mind, Darian laid down right there in the stone courtyard, resting his body, mind, and soul. The heat from the sun above and stone below him felt nice, lulling him into a light snooze. Darian heard one of the snake twins, he couldn’t tell which one, come by to pick up the tray and jug. Otherwise, they didn’t disturb Darian as he recovered his strength.
When an hour had passed, and Darian felt like he had rested enough, he shook himself out of his daze and stood up.
“All right, let’s begin,” he said, more to himself than anyone else.
This time Astra opened both eyes as she watched him.
Darian started by doing what he did when he practiced the Dancing Wind technique; sinking into a meditative state while doing breathing exercises. This time, he could sense the spirit energy around him the moment he reached the right frame of mind. After a few moments, Darian began performing the stances for the Fists of the Mortal Flame. The Dancing Wind technique was graceful and elegant, its practitioners becoming one with the wind. There was nothing graceful or elegant about the Fists of the Mortal Flame, or The Nine Gates of Destruction technique as a whole. It was all about power, strength, and raw, brutal violence.
This all became obvious to Darian as he performed the stances, his fists punching the air around him. It was a domineering and tyrannical technique. He went through all the stances without trying to draw in spirit energy, so he could get used to performing them. To his surprise, it was very easy for him to do so. With the Dancing Wind technique, it had taken him months before he mastered the basic stances, at least as much as he could without being able to sense and direct spirit energy. With the Fists of the Mortal Flame, he felt like he had achieved that state after just one round of practicing them.
Darian stopped, a puzzled expression on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Astra asked. “From what I could see, you did very well for yourself. You performed flawlessly. Did something happen?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“No,” Darian said. “That’s the problem. You said it yourself. This is my first time performing the stances for the Fists of the Mortal Flame, yet I was able to do them flawlessly.”
Astra tilted her head to the side, before letting out a chuckle.
“So what you’re saying is, the problem is that there is no problem.”
“You don’t understand,” Darian said, confused and unsettled. “It took me months to master the basics of the Dancing Wind technique. For this technique it took me mere minutes. It was easy. That shouldn’t be possible.”
Astra “stood up” on her midair perch and started cleaning herself.
“I still don’t see the problem. It seems to me that this technique is better suited to you, or maybe you’re better suited to it. Regardless, do them again and actually cultivate with the technique instead of going through the motions this time around. Let’s see if you’ll still call it easy then.”
Darian nodded, before sinking into the meditative state again, letting his emotions drain away. He started performing the stances of the Fists of the Mortal Flame. His eyes remained open, but they might as well have been closed. He turned all of his attention inward. He focused on attempting to draw spirit energy into himself and circulating it through his meridians. Meridians were similar to veins and arteries in function, only they weren’t limited to just his body. Rather than circulating blood, they allowed a cultivator to circulate spirit energy throughout their entire being. This was how cultivators refined and tempered themselves, at least in the beginning. First he needed to open up his meridians, however. After that, he could focus on opening his Heart Aperture. This required Darian to draw in enough spirit energy, circulate it through his meridians, before directing it towards his Heart Aperture. He understood this in theory. Actually doing it was another matter altogether.
As Darian performed the stances for the Fists of the Mortal Flame again, he focused on the spirit energy in the air around him. With each breath, he tried to draw a bit of it into himself. At first, nothing happened. Trying to direct the spirit energy was much more difficult than he had expected. He went through an entire round without succeeding. Rather than give up, Darian tried again. This time, he tried to draw in a little less energy. While this met with more success in that he was actually able to grasp the spirit energy, at least for a time, he wasn’t able to draw it into himself. Frustration threatened to break Darian’s concentration, but he managed to keep it in check. Rather than give up, Darian tried for a third time.
On the third try, he succeeded.
This time, Darian tried to draw in a small amount of spirit energy, the equivalent of a raindrop’s worth. It took great care and finesse, but in the end, it worked. The tiny bit of spirit energy entered Darian’s body, and began circulating throughout his meridians. It hurt. The spirit energy burned as it coursed through Darian’s being and opened his meridians. He had been in the middle of performing the Fists of the Fire God, but the pain caused his steps to falter.
“Keep going!” Astra’s voice snapped out. “If you stop now, you’ll damage yourself. You need to keep going. Push yourself!”
Darian clenched his teeth and pushed himself to keep going. His body burned as the droplet of spirit energy completed an entire circuit throughout his being. Performing the Fists of the Mortal Flame actually helped in this regard, despite the pain. It eased the passage of the spirit energy, and helped it along. The second circuit was much easier and much less painful than the first one. By the third circuit, there was hardly any pain at all. He had successfully opened up his meridians. Now he could begin gathering the energy necessary to open up his Heart Aperture.
“Excellent,” Astra said. “You’re progressing faster than I expected. Take a break. You don’t want to push yourself too hard right now, otherwise you might damage yourself.”
Darian almost listened to her, yet he felt that stopping now would be a mistake. Sure, it would be the safer option, but his intuition told him that if he stopped now, it would be more difficult for him later on. Darian decided to listen to his intuition and continued cultivating.
“What are you doing?” Astra asked.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he drew more and more spirit energy into himself. The rest of the world faded away as Darian focused on cultivating. His eyes were still open, yet nothing else existed for him. The single drop became two, and then three, and then four. He took in more and more spirit energy, until there was a thin line of it circulating all throughout his meridians. As he did so, a pressure started to exert itself all over Darian’s body. It was like gravity, except instead of pulling him down, the pressure pressed against him from every direction. It became more and more difficult to move.
“Darian, stop!” Astra said. “If you keep going, you might injure yourself. I won’t be held responsible if that happens.”
The pressure continued to increase as Darian’s strength waned. He hadn’t noticed it before, but cultivating while performing the Fists of the Mortal Flame had actually taken a lot of his energy. Was it pressure he felt, or his own body failing to keep up with his ambitions? Darian continued to push forward despite this. His intuition told him that this was the correct course of action. Even if he failed and was forced to stop, it was better than stepping back now. His father once told him that a cultivator must always move forward on the path of cultivation. To stop was to lag behind, and even take a step backwards. The thin line of spirit energy became the equivalent of a small stream as he drew more and more of it into himself.
“Oh, for the love of…” Astra growled out. “Fine! Open up!”
Darian felt something press against his lips. He opened his mouth and a pill was shoved right in. It tasted sweet and spicy. He swallowed it. Energy burst from within Darian, reinvigorating his flagging strength. He performed the Fists of the Mortal Flame with renewed vigor, drawing more and more spirit energy into himself. The small stream became a large one, strong and steady. His intuition told him that now was the right time. He began directing the stream of spirit energy towards his Heart Aperture. It shuddered against his assault.
The pressure grew several times stronger. It was as if the world was pressing against his entire body. Darian kept pushing himself forward. Despite that, he felt his body flagging. He knew that he wouldn’t last for much longer, and the Heart Aperture didn’t feel like it would open soon.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Astra said. “You’re a bigger fool than I was told you were. You owe me for this. Here!”
Another pill pressed against his lips. He ate it and felt another burst of energy. Darian continued to push himself, directing spirit energy to open his Heart Aperture as he performed the stances of the Fist of the Mortal Flame. Whenever his strength started to wane, Astra shoved another pill into his mouth. His Heart Aperture continued to shudder under the assault of spirit energy he directed towards it, before finally he felt it start to loosen. With the end in sight, Darian threw everything he had into opening his Heart Aperture. Coincidentally, he had almost finished this round of performing the Fists of the Mortal Flame. Just as he finished with the last movement, his Heart Aperture shuddered one last time before opening.
As it did, a fire of spirit energy swept throughout Darian’s body, originating from his Heart Aperture. It hit him so hard and so fast, he had no time to react. His vision went dark. It wasn’t just his vision either. All of his senses had abandoned him. All he knew was fire, all he felt was fire. It caught him in its grip, and he couldn’t move. He couldn’t scream, though he very much wanted to. It took everything he had to just endure it. As the fire swept through Darian, he felt it transforming him. It strengthened his body wherever it went. Muscles, bones, internal organs. The fire burned his entire body, refining and tempering it.
After what felt like forever, the fire faded before disappearing altogether. When it released his grip on him, Darian fell to his hands and knees. He panted, his breathing harsh and ragged. His body felt wet and sticky, as if it were covered in a thick, oily substance. His arms trembled. He barely had the energy to keep himself up, but managed to do so. Little by little, his vision returned. At first it was blurry, but soon gained more definition. After a little while, his vision became as sharp as before. No, that wasn’t right. His vision was clearer than he had ever remembered it being. In fact, his perception in general seemed sharper. This included his ability to sense spirit energy. Whereas before, he could only do so while meditating, now he could sense it all the time. More than that, despite his exhaustion, his body as a whole felt stronger.
Darian chuckled as he realized what had happened. He had opened his Heart Aperture and refined his entire body. Not by much, but enough to put him above even the strongest of ordinary mortals. He had taken his first real step onto the path of cultivation. It was everything he had ever wanted and more. With a groan, Darian pushed himself up into a sitting position. Astra, who had remained floating in the air before him, looked down at him with a curious expression on her face.
“Well then,” she said. “This is a surprise. You managed to open your Heart Aperture in one try. I’ve never heard of something like this before, let alone witness it myself.”
Darian, who was still in a weakened state, could only chuckle in response. He looked over his body. It was covered in a black tar-like substance that clung to his skin and smelled foul. From what he had read, he knew this substance consisted of his body’s impurities. As he refined and tempered his body throughout the Foundation Establishment stage, he would expel more and more of these impurities, until there were none left. Cultivation was sometimes a messy process.
Someone to Darian’s right exploded into excited applause. He turned to find Elliot and Ellen beaming at him with joyous expressions on their faces.
“Congratulations, on opening your Heart Aperture, Young Master,” Elliot said.
“Yes,” Ellen said. “We finally have a Young Master to serve.”
That’s when it hit Darian. He had succeeded. Not only was he a proper cultivator now, but he was also an Immortal’s heir and disciple. His spirits rose. He turned towards Astra. However, before he could say or do anything, she lifted one of her paws and smacked him on the forehead. This knocked him backwards as his head exploded with pain.
“Young Master!” the snake twins exclaimed.
“What were you thinking, pushing yourself like that?” Astra scolded, ignoring them both.
She floated down until her face was inches from his. Anger blazed in her eyes. Darian, a bit dazed, could only stare up at her.
“If I hadn’t been around to feed you those Body Tempering Pills, you could’ve seriously injured yourself just now. What is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish?”
After a few moments, Darian realized that she wanted an actual response from him.
“It felt right,” he said in a weak voice.
“It felt…” Astra closed her eyes and shook her head. “Impulsive little…You really deserve Nova as your master. You’re just as reckless as she is sometimes.”
“Nova?”
“She’s the Immortal who created this place, and the Senior Sister who asked me to look after it. Your master in other words.”
Immortal Nova, his formerly unknown benefactor and now master. He would have to give her his greatest thanks whenever he met her. It was because of her influence that he could now cultivate. Even if she hadn’t done it for him specifically, he was still grateful.
Hmm. Nova. Astra.
“Are star themed names normal for the Dawn and Dusk Sect?” he asked.
Astra tilted her head at him, an exasperated expression on her face.
“I may have hit you harder than I thought,” she said. “That, or you scrambled your brains when you pushed yourself earlier. Why would you ask such a silly question?”
“Astra,” he said, pointing to her. He then gestured to the rest of the secret realm. “Nova. You both have names related to stars.”
The cat spirit beast rolled her eyes.
“That’s because I-…” She paused. “Huh. That’s interesting.”
Darian blinked up at her.
“What is?” he asked.
“I have several clones stationed in the Silverwood to keep an eye out for me. One of them just saw two people on flying swords who were searching the area near here and calling your name.”
Darian’s stomach clenched as he heard this, and he immediately suspected who those two people were. Still, it didn’t hurt to get confirmation.
“Is one of those people a tall and slender blonde man, while the other is a shorter, but still slender, brunette woman?”
Astra raised an eyebrow at him. Impressive, considering she was a cat and didn’t actually have eyebrows.
“Yes,” she said. “Friends of yours?”
“Yes, yes, they are. It looks like my time here is over.”
“For now. Since you opened your Heart Aperture, you can come and go from this place whenever you please. I’ll teach you how before you leave.”
Good. Darian had been worried about that. He tilted his head back and looked up at the sky above him. Opening his Heart Aperture must’ve taken more time than he first realized because the sun was no longer visible from here. He guessed it must’ve been mid-afternoon, based on the quality of the light. He had been gone from Mt. Wind Dance for more than a day.
“How am I going to explain things to my friends?”
“Just tell them the truth,” Astra said. “The only things you need to keep hidden are the secrets of The Nines Gates of Destruction technique. If they’re truly your friends, I’m sure they would be overjoyed to hear that you’re now an Immortal’s heir and disciple. In fact, I’m sure your entire clan will be.”
At the mention of his clan, Darian clenched his fists. A sliver of anger curled around his heart. It wasn’t because he disbelieved Astra’s words, it was because he believed them that he grew angry. For years, most of his clan had either ignored his existence, or treated him with contempt and disdain. Showing up as a cultivator and an Immortal’s heir would give them cause for celebration. While he would never join Clan Wind Dance’s inner circle, he would command a certain amount of respect. Power, strength, and the right connections mattered the most in the world of cultivation. Those that had treated him poorly would suddenly start acting like they were his best friends. Darian did not want to deal with that sort of two-faced behavior, at least not right at that moment.
It wasn’t Darian himself that had any value to them. What they would value would be his newfound ability to cultivate, and his connection to an Immortal. Even the fact that he knew a Nascent Soul cultivator, like Astra, would raise his esteem in their eyes. Not all would act like this, of course. Some would continue to treat him as they had before. He was fairly certain that Zayne would. Darian respected those people more, as odd as that sounded. At least they wouldn’t be hypocritical about it. Of course, this could all be wild speculation. After all, Darian wasn’t infallible. Perhaps he was giving his kin too little credit.
This all assumed that he revealed anything at all.
“Astra,” Darian said, following an impulse. “I hate to impose, but do you have an item or technique that can hide one’s cultivation from onlookers?”
“Why?” Astra asked. “Do you not want to share the good news with your clan?”
Darian shook his head.
“No,” he said.
“You are an odd one. Why would you want to keep something like this hidden?”
He took a moment to articulate his thoughts, or at least those he was willing to share.
“It’s too unbelievable,” he said. “I am the disgraced scion of Clan Wind Dance, the weak link who can’t cultivate. If I showed up at Mt. Wind Dance with ability to cultivate, claiming that I was an Immortal’s heir, no one would believe it despite evidence to the contrary.”
Darian almost didn’t believe it himself, and he had lived through it.
“Who cares? Sooner or later, as long as you keep walking on the path of cultivation and don’t falter, they will no longer be able to deny your good fortune.”
Darian shook his head again.
“It would be too much of a hassle to deal with it all.” He gestured to the secret realm. “Besides, I wouldn’t put it past my more unsavory kin to try and steal all this from me.”
The strong took from the weak. That was an unfortunate truth of this world, even outside of cultivation. It wasn’t unheard of for more powerful cultivators to steal from weaker ones, even those in the same clan or sect, though this was frowned upon in the latter case. Even in Clan Wind Dance, which outright forbade this sort of behavior, it still happened. It was punished, but there were those whose greed overcame their filial loyalty and common sense.
“They could try,” Astra said, her tone containing a hint of malice. “Remember, I am the guardian of Senior Sister Nova’s legacy. Your new status doesn’t change that. She tasked me with keeping it safe until you were strong enough to defend it yourself. If any of your kin try to steal it, I will kill them and shatter their souls.”
A chill swept through Darian’s body when she said that. As a Nascent Soul, that was no idle threat. It wouldn’t be difficult for someone with her power to destroy the soul of someone weaker than her. When a person died, their soul returned to the River of Life and Death. After all memories of its previous life were washed away, it would be reborn into a new body. If the soul was destroyed, however, then that didn’t happen. No one knew what happened to a person when their soul was destroyed, but it was generally considered to be a fate worse than death. At least in death, a person’s existence wasn’t erased, even if their memories were.
“I would rather not have that happen,” Darian said. “Do you have anything that can hide my cultivation?”
Astra rested her chin on one of her paws. The human-like gesture caught Darian off guard. He hadn’t known cats could do that. Then again, Astra was a cat spirit beast, not an actual cat. Certain rules didn’t apply to her.
“You really are an odd human,” she said, before shaking her head. “I don’t have anything like that, but the treasury might.”
“Treasury?”
“Immortal Nova’s treasury. Your master has collected several magical items, pills, and other treasures over the years. As part of your inheritance, for each stage you reach, you get to pick three items from the treasury appropriate to your stage. Since you just reached the Foundation Establishment stage, you meet those requirements. I suppose I can bend the rules a little and get you one single item that is more powerful.” Astra leaned forward. “However, are you sure about this? Think carefully before you answer. You won’t get another chance like this until you reach the Energy Gathering stage.”
Darian nodded.
“I’m sure. I’d rather keep my cultivation hidden for now.”
“Very well, young Darian. I tried to warn you. Don’t blame me if you end up regretting your decision. Clean yourself up. When you’re done, I will have the item ready for you.”
She didn’t need to tell him twice. He wanted to clean the foul smelling black gunk off him before it dried out. After that, it was time to rejoin the outside world.