“Where are we?” After a month of travel, Shang was growing impatient. As Rue predicted, the concentration of qi in the environment steadily rose as they traveled away from the village. Shang felt the weight on his spirit lift and his breathing techniques grow easier.

FuLong province was days behind them. The mountains that had been his home since birth had given way to a barren plain scattered with tall tufts of grass. Shang turned back, looking at the peaks with bitter longing. This was further than he had ever traveled. Along with the change in the aura, the now flat terrain allowed him to see leagues in the distance. Nothing.

“When’s the next village?” The tatters of his robes were starting to itch, not to mention the smell.

Oh, it’s about a month’s travel to the nearest village.

Shang suppressed a groan of frustration, not wanting to seem ungrateful. Rue had guided him throughout this whole journey. Pointing out edible plants and helping him hunt all the way. Still, a month was a long time with just Rue for company.

Hey! I’ve been told by very reliable sources that I’m great company. You just have a bad sense of humor.

A groan came out unbidden.

Look at the bright side human. We’re here!

“Where’s here? You just said we were a month away,” Shang asked incredulously. There was nothing special about the spot. The grasslands expanded in every direction with no end in sight.

Look!

Shang opened his spiritual sight. The auras surrounding the vegetation were vibrant, wafting off the scrubs and tall grass in tendrils of every shade. A fine mist of qi permeated the air—a translucent veil that distorted the surroundings. With some encouragement from Rue, Shang looked harder, stretching his sight until his eyes watered from a lack of moisture.

You don’t have to keep your eyes open. Your spiritual sight does not depend on physical sight.

Shang knew that on a theoretical level, but it was hard to break the habit of seeing with the eyes he’d always used. He closed his teary eyes and pushed out his senses once more. The flow of qi was clearer now without the distraction of physical objects. A faint ripple in the aura pricked his perception. He walked over to examine it more closely. The pattern of qi was distorted in a long thin line. As he approached, he felt the pull of the space on his spirit. Shang had to physically restrain his body from getting closer.

Good work. This is a lode gate, or more precisely, it’s where a lode gate would normally be. Creating an actual lode gate is immensely expensive and no one in their right mind would ever fund a lode gate here.

Shang took a cautious step back. The feeling of being pulled towards nothing was disconcerting.

The feeling you have is the pull from a wrinkle in the fabric of space-time. It’s formed from catastrophic events or major qi disturbances that rip the fabric of reality. This one here was formed a few thousand years ago, from the birth of a Titan.

“A Titan?” Shang asked, head swimming with questions.

No questions! If a lode gate isn’t built here, the wrinkle will eventually flatten itself out. This one here is almost gone. Lucky for us, it’s perfect for our needs. We need to get out of the drainage basin before we can make any real progress.

Shang was getting tired of Rue’s comments on how he had not even started his path. As far as Shang was concerned, he had made a lot of progress. He had gone beyond his wildest expectations.

Enough to avenge your family? Rue asked.

Shang’s mood immediately darkened. He tried his best not to think about that night. Sometimes, he even tricked his mind into believing that his parents would still be there, waiting for him when he returned to the village. Rue, however, had other plans. Shang knew he was riling him up on purpose. He had gotten well accustomed to his master’s unique methods of motivation. He had to admit, it was effective.

“I can be proud and still motivated at the same time,” Shang bit back.

Oh, you have a point. I was just making double sure you knew where you stood. You have not even stepped foot onto the mountain you are about to climb. If you think your life has been tough thus far, you are sorely mistaken.

“Is having your parents murdered in front of your eyes a normal occurrence?” Shang asked bitterly.

Yes, actually, it is, Rue responded, his voice flat. I know you think life has been rough for you—growing up feeling like an outsider, getting teased by whatever that boy’s name is, being looked down on by cultivators.

Shang was getting ready to object. He was not as dramatic as that.

Yes, yes, I know. You may deny it, but deep down, you feel sorry for yourself. You think you’re the victim. What you don’t have is perspective. The people in that backward village were ignorant, petty, but not cruel. Out there, everyone is a victim of the strong. I can’t tell you how many pointless lives have been killed. Families destroyed on a whim. You are not special. The only way you can prevent it is by being strong yourself. Rue’s voice was solemn and devoid of his usual joviality.

I tell you this as a warning. Tread carefully. Do not think you can rely on your silly tricks and that smart mouth of yours.

“I may not be special, but that doesn’t change the fact that what happened to me is wrong,” Shang argued.

Right and wrong are not for weaklings to decide.

“You’re wrong,” Shang responded with conviction. His father’s words echoed in his mind. Dignity is only for the strong. Shang’s fists clenched. Perhaps his father's words were true. Even so, Shang would not, could not, accept it. Rue did not respond for a long while.

Even if you think it’s wrong, that does not change the reality. Besides, it’s not the time for philosophical debates. Rue shifted his attention to the stone.

Usually, with a lode gate, travel between wrinkles would be simple. Otherwise, it can get a bit…treacherous. Thankfully, you have me. To utilize this wrinkle we must first establish a connection with a destination lode gate. The connection will traverse the liminal space between worlds and allow a path to form between connected gates. As you can feel, this tear is pulling you in. When a tear becomes unstable, it will suck in a chunk of space as it implodes.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Shang shook his head, taking another step back. He felt like that was something Rue could have mentioned first.

Don’t worry, this wrinkle will not collapse anytime soon. Hopefully. So, to establish a connection, we must first either create a connection between this wrinkle and a destination lode gate with qi or bend spacetime, both of which you cannot do. Rue paused, waiting for Shang’s response.

“But you have another way.”

Of course, I do! I am Rue, knower of all things. Get that stone out of your bag. That is a lodestone. It’s the main component of a lode gate. Incredibly valuable. You will not believe what I had to go through to get this thing. Really, it’s an amazing story.

When it became clear that Shang was not going to inquire more, he sighed and continued. The lodestone acts as a navigational anchor. It can sense the stones located at other gates and guides the construction of a path between gates. Some larger stones and gates can transport entire airships. Shang marveled at the smooth dark stone in his hands. It was the size of his palm and smooth to the touch. The stone was heavier than expected given its small size. The color was so dark that it seemed to suck in the surrounding light. The result was a surface with no reflection.

“So how do we use it?” Shang asked. He yelped in alarm when a translucent blue map flashed in front of his face.

Most of the benefits of my Origin Codex are closed to you for now, but this here is one of its many benefits. At your level, the codex can give basic information, including a map of the surrounding areas. To use the lodestone, we must identify our desired destination.

Looking closely, Shang could recognize the curve of the AnSan mountains. The scope of the map was amazing. From the location of the mountains, he could guess the location of FuJia. The village along with the province was not labeled. The map ended on the borders of the Eastern Continent with the Sapphire Plains. The map covered far more of the continent than Shang had ever seen but stopped short of the western seaboard. Though he had walked hundreds of miles, the distance he had traveled was smaller than a grain of rice. Shang focused on the region, causing the map to zoom in.

This is a portion of the drainage basin. All the qi and essence here is being funneled into the Sapphire Plains. We are near the southwestern edge of the basin. Rue indicated on the map and their position lit up brighter than the rest. We need to go here. Another spot on the map grew brighter at his words. The distance was staggering. It was thousands of times further than the distance he had traveled thus far.

In that moment, Shang felt so very small. He was beginning to understand why his village was so isolated. The distance between FuJia and the nearest marked city would have taken an airship months of travel. He could not even imagine traversing such a distance by land. The tall mountain ranges cut through the map and surrounded FuJia, protecting it from the world.

“Why there?” Shang asked. A small icon of a house marked their destination. The icon bordered a large swath of land labeled PalTang Gorge. The area drew his eyes immediately.

The land was scored with deep black crags, and while Shang couldn’t tell their depths from the map, their surface level size dwarfed the surrounding icons. The patterns of the rifts were not random, while the lines of the gorge were not smooth, they converged on a single point. From a distance, the black fissures resembled a black whirlpool on the map.

That gorge is the quickest way for us to get rich! Every fifty years or so, the gorge fills with exalted beasts.

“Exalted beasts?”

Yes, beasts with a cultivation path of their own. On this continent, only a few animals can access qi. For example, those Jade Rabbits. Don’t look so surprised. How do you think they got so large? But those rabbits are nowhere close to being exalted. Maybe they could eventually, if they have a chance if we move them out of the basin. As they are, they are not conscious of their intake of qi and do not have any innate channels. This continent does not have enough chaos regions to support the creation of many sentient animals, let alone exalted beasts. Those found in the gorge are transported there through an inter-domain tear created by the sovereign of the western front.

“Wh—”

We will get there in due time. All you need to know is that these monsters come through the tear in waves. When at its peak, the area becomes a huge attraction for cultivators around the Eastern Continent. Good news for us, we are about six years away from the peak of monster season. Midway through the cycle, the level of the exalted beasts grows weaker. Something to do with the conservation of qi flow between domains.

“Why is that good news?” Shang asked, feeling very overwhelmed by the implications of Rue’s words.

Because we don’t have to compete with human monsters to kill inter-dimensional monsters. Currently, the gorge is reserved for training children mostly which makes it a perfect fit for you! Don’t worry, there is still much to be gained. Compared to what you are used to, this place will be a treasure.

Shang exhaled deeply, reaching into his pack for his notebook. He had gotten into the habit of taking notes on Rue’s impromptu lessons. His memory had always been sharp, and he had never bothered to take notes before, but the incredible influx of information was too perfuse and important to risk forgetting. As he wrote, Shang circled some important points to ask about later. Chaos regions? Sovereign? Domains? Shang’s body felt light with excitement and dread.

There is a lode gate located at the gorge. The lodestones were once all part of one stone, and the connection between them can always be felt. Close your eyes and reach your perception into the stone.

Shang reached his spirit into the stone. The dark surrounded him, enveloping him in a heady, velvety silence. His physical body prickled at the foreign sensation, but he soon realized that the dark was not as complete as he once thought. In the dark, there were pinpricks of light. Some of which were so faint as to be nearly invisible. The brightest light was oriented southeast, the direction of PalTang Gorge.

Good, now focus on that point. And walk forward with your physical body. Don’t open your eyes! Just walk.

Shang decided to trust Rue and walked forward blindly. The pull of the wrinkle grew steadily, and Shang had to physically stop himself from pulling away.

Don’t worry, just walk. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT open your eyes. Keep your focus on that point, Rue said emphatically.

Shang's palms began to sweat at Rue’s tone. Something about his words made this whole endeavor seem more dangerous than he had let on. He had nowhere to go but forward. He led his physical body forward as he focused his mind on the point of light. The light gradually grew closer as the pulling sensation increased. Vertigo consumed him as his feet failed to find purchase on the ground.

WALK FORWARD.

Shang mimed the act of walking even though his feet touched only air. His stomach was roiling, and his ears popped as he walked closer to that bright prick of light. Soon, gravity took control, and he was falling, not down, but towards the point of light. The light expanded and eventually exploded in his spiritual senses.

His physical body hit the ground with a soft thud, more gently than he expected. His spiritual senses returned, immediately blinding Shang. Compared to the darkness of the stone, the world was almost too bright. The colors of the aura from the surrounding vegetation were vibrant and alive.

“Can I open my eyes?” Shang asked cautiously.

Whew! Yes, you can. Man, that was a close one.

“What do you mean by a close one?” Shang asked. Rue did not respond, but Shang could feel some embarrassment from his spirit. Shang opened his eyes, his jaws slack with wonder. There was so much color, not just in his spiritual sight. The surrounding trees towered over him, their canopies blocking out the sunlight. Their trunks were a multitude of shades from white to deep brown and their girths were almost beyond imagining. He could see insects and small animals moving in his peripheral vision. Surprising most, was the lack of sound. Given the vibrancy and density of the vegetation, Shang would expect the cry of insects to be almost deafening, but it was eerily quiet.

Insects here aren’t dumb enough to make a racket. It’s a bit…more competitive here than back home. They have more covert ways of communication.

Shang shot off the floor, rubbing his limbs frantically. He did not want to be bitten by these new elevated stealthy bugs. Something told him their bites would be far more unpleasant.

Ha! If you weren’t at the peak of Foundation, the bugs would have already eaten you alive. As you are, the aura surrounding your body is enough to keep most of them from sucking you dry.

Shang spun in circles, swatting at the air while Rue laughed maniacally.