After a productive day of research, we managed to discover a relatively reliable method of breakthrough, which was mostly about my ability to directly manipulate Qi, something pure martial artists, both ancient and modern, lacked.

Unfortunately, it came with its own problems.

I ended up face to face with Lannayin and Elsana, with both of them looking at me, determined, making me wish that we weren't as successful. "Are you sure you want to try?" I asked. "We can just leave here, and I'm sure I'll figure out an alternative way to develop a new, independent spiritual pillar. You just need to show patience."

"No," Lannayin said, her voice showing an anger that she had never done before. "I won't turn my back, not after being betrayed and thrown away."

I looked at Elsana, hoping that she would change her mind. Instead, she nodded her head decisively as well.

"So be it," I said even as I sighed. I disagreed with their decision, feeling it was hasty, and put them at too much of a risk. I did my best to dissuade them, but since they seemed to be determined, I could only let them try.

I might have said that it would create strategic problems for me, but it would be a lie. Actually, the situation was the exact opposite. The Treasure Pavilion was already doing its best to break into the mountain, and Lannayin and Elsana had known qualities for them.

From a selfish perspective, their breakthrough actually helped me to conceal my existence and retreat in case of failure. I still had certain fears about how to prevent them from following me back to the mortal domain, but those fears were valid whether they broke through or not.

Ultimately, it was their decision.

"So, how do we do?" Lannayin asked.

"You have two options," I said even as I focused on learning. "Either each of you continues to embody the aspects that you're used to, or we can try to focus on developing a whole Burning Ice concept," I said.

"We will go with our original aspects," Elsana cut in. "Trying to comprehend the Burning Ice concept will take months to do properly. We don't have that much time."

Lannayin looked surprised at Elsana's decisive comment, but seemed to accept that decision.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Why? Does it make us weaker or something?" Lannayin asked.

"Not from a pure power perspective," I admitted. "Actually, it would help you exert even more power from the mountain since one of you could focus on the storm while the other handles the volcano, but with a drawback. Unless both of you stay in the mountain and cooperate perfectly, it'll affect your ability to channel the power of the mountain."

"That's acceptable," Lannayin said. "What do we do?"

"Each of you move to your elemental alignment, and start meditating," I said. "Once you align with the aspect correctly, I'll start linking you with the mountain, using Qi as a bridge."

Lannayin looked at Elsana, who nodded at her, confirming that it was the method. "Do we do it together?"

"That would be better," I said. "Otherwise, I'm afraid it might unbalance the elemental harmony of the mountain."

Amusingly, for all the guidance in the notes, the distilled core of the recommendation wasn't too different. Go to a place to connect with the spiritual pillar directly, and open oneself completely to connect it directly.

That explained why nine out of ten people had failed. They were opening their existence to a spiritual pillar which was a combination of an active volcano and an endless storm. Regardless of their will, fluctuation would have been enough to destroy them completely.

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No wonder the sects had been falling behind the Everdawn Empire before the arrival of the cultivators. While I didn't have the true technique of the Everdawn Empire to compare, I could imagine that, by having the emperor as their spiritual pillar, they could reach the Spiritual Infusion realm far better.

Luckily, while the method of breakthrough was fascinating, the mechanics were not that elusive. I created a formation between the mountain and them, which would essentially function as a barrier. That way, instead of trying to wrestle with the mountain at once, they would face it slowly.

Lannayin sat on an obsidian platform, right at the edge of the volcano, her feet inches away from the bubbling magma, while Elsana sat on a platform of pure ice. They were not just ordinary seats, but also spiritual pillars on their own rights, essentially carrying the echo of the mountain, creating a path for them to follow.

I rubbed my temples even as I adjusted the formation. While the mechanics of the breakthrough was simple, it wasn't actually easy. It was considerably safer than the original method, but considering the original method represented only a one-in-ten chance, that wasn't as meaningful as I had hoped.

I took a deep breath, and started adjusting the formation, the passive Qi connection between the mountain and them slowly strengthening.

Lannayin let out a gasp as she connected with the intense essence of fire, her breath looking hot enough to melt the metal directly. I shivered, glad that there was a formation to manage the connection. I had a feeling that, trying to handle a full connection the way she had just tried would have evaporated half of her body.

Meanwhile, Elsana raised her hand, needles of ice dancing freely with little side effect.

I said nothing about the method they picked to handle the strengthening connection. It was entirely about their perception, which had been shaped by the way they had used their martial arts for years. I would have preferred to change it, but that would have required weeks and months … a time we lacked.

I connected with their meditative seats, noting every hint of change, my understanding of the Spirit Infusion realm changing every second. Having two living examples, especially ones under my direct control of formations, allowing me to catch every hint of change, was a treasure trove, especially compared to the dated diaries of a few martial artists who didn't know what they were attempting.

It was an even more intimate process than I had first assumed, a part of their souls mingling with the mountain. The connection with the mountain was intense, enough that I suspected it to be impossible to reverse.

At least, I couldn't imagine a method with my current Alchemy knowledge. Suddenly, the providence rushed toward them, bypassing the formation with ease as it bonded directly with them, with an intensity that shocked me.

I was glad I didn't try it on myself first.

The reaction of providence scared me even though I could sense that there was nothing wrong with their bodies … well, other than a sudden deficiency of energy, but that was easy to handle. The formation allowed me to inject essence directly, and the spiritual pillar indirectly provided them with Qi.

I loosened the formation, letting them bond with the spirit of the mountain fully. The riskiest part was already done, and with the providence mingling with their bodies intensely, I guessed that trying to restrict the interaction would do more harm than good.

Unfortunately, it was merely a guess. At this point, whatever that was going on had stopped being something I could interfere with. I could only observe … especially since I suspected whatever the two had been transforming was more than ordinary Spirit Infusion realm martial artists.

"I wonder if that was your plan all along," I muttered, looking at the mountain.

The battle between two kinds of providence was still not something I could understand, but one thing was clear. The part that was on the side of the ancient martial arts was losing, while the one that favored the cultivators was winning, and only when my System devoured the energy from the winning side, the losing side have a chance to strike back.

First by leading me to Marana, then to Elsana and Lannayin. An encounter that seemed to be a thing of the past, only for me to encounter them in the current situation, just when I was looking for a solution.

Elsana waved her hand, and the storm suddenly raged. Around her, it was nothing more than a gentle dress, but the sudden burst toward the cultivator fleet was something else.

Though, the sight of it wasn't as scary as Lannayin who had just stepped onto the magma, only to walk over it like it was a gentle spring garden. She waved her hand, and the volcano exploded.

Power-wise, their moves weren't too different than my trick with the Land Mastery. But, the control they displayed was incredible. The blizzard caught the cultivators with total surprise, and the magma punched through the defenses of the giant cultivator ship, evaporating a giant hole in the middle.

The ship immediately disappeared, the cultivators that were still outside falling victim to the blizzard. However, I didn't fear the sudden violence.

I could feel that it was the Providence using the opportunity to strike back…