Battles of the mind were as much about controlling the other person as much as doing damage. Our first engagement would decide who would control the battlefield. I was at a disadvantage because of the surprise of the attack, but that didn’t mean the fight was lost.

I had one advantage and an overwhelming one at that. The spirit had attacked and tried to possess me within the confines of my mental space. And within my mind, nestled within the confines of my inner sea, I ruled.

I had learned to control my inner ocean as I’d gained proficiency with my cultivation. Cultivation was impossible without meditation, without learning to understand and know yourself. That didn’t mean my mental defenses were unassailable, but they were built on the foundation that [Transcend the Heavenly Footpath] demanded.

Storm had noticed the attack and returned to my inner sea to help. She was well suited for both defense and attack within the confines of this Dharmic battlefield. Her anger was a match for my own, and she had screeched her defiance at the invading spirit as soon as she arrived.

My preparations were for nothing, however. The spirit had no intention of battling or possessing me. Its only function was to open a passage between my Dharmic world and the world of spirits.

A door that connected me with the currents of Qi that sustained life, function, and information. A glimpse into the stored memories of everything and everyone that had ever lived. Memories of those lives a reflection of even the slightest hint of spirit.

A soul world that was the mirror image of the city my body was standing in.

“We have watched your actions since you’ve entered this world,” a voice of wind and whispers said.

“You ignored the castle and whatever riches might be found within to explore a smithy. We wonder why.”

I didn’t see who or what was speaking, and my perception was returning conflicting information. A distortion of the space around me seemed to show many people one second and none the next.

I was familiar with the astral plane, but not this soul realm. I knew of the astral plane and my connection to it, but I’d never heard of a soul world, and no one at the Sect had mentioned it. I wasn’t sure if that meant it could only be accessed in this Mystic Realm or if it were something I would learn about as I advanced.

In those flickering seconds, when I could perceive the ghosts around me, I was able to gauge intent. They were curious. For the moment, that curiosity tempered any hostility they might develop.

I decided it was better to keep them talking than risk an attack. At least until I had a better grasp on the spirit world and how my abilities translated.

“I am a new Baroness, recently ennobled and awarded a Fief,” I began to explain. “I thought the castle you mention might be rich in treasure and traps. But it isn’t treasures that my people need, it is skills, knowledge, and new techniques to build an economy that serves all of my people, not just the talented few.

“I decided to search the city hoping to find new knowledge that might advance my people’s skills in alchemy, blacksmithing, arrays, runes, and enchantment.”

“Everything for your people and nothing for you?” One of the voices asked mockingly, the disbelief and derision plain.

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“How is gaining knowledge for my people not a benefit to me as well?” I demanded. “The knowledge I gain and share can be used to build new products, create new protections, and share skills that will make my Fief richer and more potent.

“Myche Fief is not simply the name of my territory. It is an extension of my cultivation. The health of the land and the vitality of the people that turn to me for protection are tangible proof that I am not so lost in self-improvement and cultivation that I ignore the world. My responsibilities keep me grounded and keep me anchored to the present.

“In the future, that may change. I chose to believe the more invested I am in my Fief, the more connected I remain- the easier it will be to break through cultivation levels.

“Karma exists, and I believe the karmic ties that bind me to my people will influence how hard breaking through any bottlenecks become. I am convinced that helping others will, in the end, help me.

“Although I don’t practice karma through cultivation, I see no reason not to avail myself of the benefits having good karma offers. Why rush to gather treasure that might increase my cultivation by a realm when I can discover knowledge that will impact the lives of people who struggle daily to survive?”

She lies.

I believe her.

You believe everyone. You’re a fool.

Test her.

Have her prove her words.

How?

The cacophony of voices grew as each spirit tried to be heard by outshouting each other. The respite from questioning allowed me to refine my perception, each voice giving me something to focus on until I was able to separate and identify the ectoplasm that moved within this world.

Each voice could be traced to a confluence of energy, each spark stronger than the ambient energy. As they continued to argue, I was able to separate each voice until a crowd of beings took shape.

Ghosts of the past. People that were long dead. Not Elves or Hindel. They were what an Elf might look like if they were covered in fur, the fur growing in whirls and patterns that glowed with a vibrancy that was stronger than the ethereal substance of each ghost.

The patterns would have been tattoos without the fur- etchings that had the same presence and focus as runes and arrays. They had created a technique that enhanced their bodies by engraving or growing the fur on their bodies into symbols and foci.

Enough! One of the voices said, reverberating with a strength of will the other voices lacked. Where most of the voices had been whispers in the wind, this one was solid, and as I quickly identified the origin, I noted that the spirit that had spoken had a depth to him that the others lacked.

He was more present, more substantial. I wasn’t sure if that was because he was the most recent to have died or if his will to survive was stronger. I thought he might exist to serve as a guardian, his duty to the city and Lady Yuki-onno continuing even after death.

She is the first to come in eons. The first to consider the wealth of knowledge contained in the city to be something to be claimed. She will have to demonstrate her ability to learn what we have to teach.

We will act as Mentor. Blacksmithing, Runic Array, and Alchemy. We will demonstrate and teach our methodology, and if she proves able, if she is able to master our techniques, we will gift her with the knowledge of our skills.

Will you give her everything? A voice demanded in disbelief.

Not everything.

If she can master a skill to apprentice level, she will be rewarded with the knowledge for that level and one higher.

And if she can master our skills to the Grandmaster level?

If she reaches Grandmaster level in any skill, she will be rewarded with the entire library of our knowledge for all skills.

The voices quieted at his pronouncement, and the unformed ectoplasm that had served as the basis for this spirit realm began to take shape. The blacksmith forge I had been in when I triggered this event manifested, as well as the instruments. The building had no walls. Instead, new areas for alchemy and array construction formed.

I knew there was no hope of reaching Grandmaster level, but I was skilled enough in alchemy that I should reach journeyman level. My other skills weren’t as advanced, but even if I only managed to get apprentice level, a library of information that would see my people advance to journeyman was still a significant reward.

At least it would be if the skills and techniques I would be taught could be translated into real-world practices.