Chapter 65

Spirit of Origin

For the first time since the day the single bolt of lightning erupted within the camp, the night was not calm.

Leo left his hut--as did Yue--just a little past the midnight. The animals, too, had cleared the northernmost building, joining the two of them and watching as the world around began to churn and change. Visible motes of Qi began to evacuate the ground below, shimmering like fireflies, while wind began to howl circularly around the hut. Its rooftop was soon blown off as a figure emerged, coated in shatteringly-golden light.

Liang didn't seem himself--the usually loose, a bit confused and airheaded young man was gone. In his stead was a figure commanding respect--he was floating midair, suspended but without wires to hold him up. His legs were crossed, hands resting on his knees, his short, black hair billowing in the harsh winds.

His robe aflutter, he seemed... divine, almost.

The world shifted in that instant; roots seemed to tremble, and the trees abound began to sway, and as the golden light spilled forth from him, piercing the sky for a moment, something tangential appeared behind him. It was him, yet not--a manifestation of sacred will, a phantom visage of his innermost self. The featureless face grew eyes at that moment, and they slowly opened. A ripple tore across the forest, the divinely golden eyes bearing down upon the world as though they existed in a realm beyond.

The winds picked up the speed and began to surge around him, and bolts of lightning coalesced into limbs that tore toward him--and yet, a barrier of holy light appeared, embossing his figure, and protecting him. Yet, strangely, there was only silence--the golden eyes looked up toward the sky, and the looming firmament replied.

Blue skies quickly turned ashen, bolts of lightning like dragons dancing within the world-devouring clouds. Leo felt his heartbeat quicken, and fear surge from within him; he hadn't feared much in this world, even if he faced it confused and ignoble, but he feared that singular night that tore through his soul like a blade.

Just as then, the heavens spat out a singular bolt of lightning--one as thick as the trunk of a tree. It was as purple as an aged bruise, and it coiled so quickly it had reached Liang in the blink of an eye. And yet, the boy remained calm.

He raised his right fist and punched out. He did it so simply that Leo assumed he had made a mistake, and yet, it was enough. The bolt of lightning shattered like a shard of glass, and the mirage behind him cackled at the heavens for a moment as it began to fade. The winds quelled, and his figure began to descend toward the ground.

Leo felt a bit of a sting in his chest, prompting him to look down--his robes were torn through, and bits of charred and burnt flesh were visible. He held back the panic as he quickly turned to the side to see Yue--luckily, it seemed that he'd taken the brunt of it, and save for a small wound on her shoulder, she seemed fine.

Just as Leo thought it was over, the fading visage reappeared abruptly--though it began to morph rather quickly. Liang's face began to expand and contort, as though by divine hands, and before long, the golden pair of eyes were the only recognizable part--surrounding them, however, was a phantom of a well-armored bear.

The beast roared toward the sky, its voice louder than the bolt before. It stretched out its massive arms and cradled Liang's figure within them before seemingly submerging into the young man. The latter's robes ripped into ash, his back contorting for a moment as flesh began to bleed, being carved by an invisible knife. Within a moment, it stopped, however--in the stead of youthful, if scarred skin, there was now a lifelike tattoo of the bear Leo had just seen.

"I-Impossible...!!!" Yue's voice quivered as she suddenly fell to her knees. Leo grew worried for a moment that something had gone wrong, but she quickly elaborated. "Spirit... of Origin?! How is that even possible?! I thought... I thought it was just a made up story..."

Leo itched with every inch of his body to query, but his gut was telling him that this wasn't one of those things where he could pass off his ignorance as just being 'isolated from the world'. Though, he could still venture a guess or two.

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Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and now Spirit Creation--if Leo assumed that the name of the realm was quite literal, then Liang had formed a Spirit in the process of the breakthrough. Just as there were grades for when Leo himself broke through to the Foundation Establishment, it was likely that there were different grades for the Spirit itself. Whether Spirit of Origin was the best or not, he wasn't certain, but what he did know was that it was more than just impressive.

Even the animals around them seemed a bit aroused by the phenomenon, but only for a moment. They quickly dispersed, having witnessed the show.

"... Master," Yue's voice was rather strange.

"Yes?"

"You must lend me the Seed of Dao when I'm close to breakthrough."

"Of course."

"Promise me!" he looked down and saw that she all but wept. She'd forcibly bitten her lips and was fighting back the tears. It was in moments like these that Leo realized something--even if they both were in their twenties, it was more appropriate to treat them as if they were in their late teens. They both grew up rather sheltered, and lost a good number of formative years on harsh cultivation and little else.

"Kind of hurts that you don't trust me, Yue."

"N-no, I, I trust you, Master! I really do! Ah, I'm sorry..." no longer able to hold back the tears, she quickly looked away and hid her face. Leo felt for her and even understood her.

"Hey," he crouched down and gently patted her head before pulling her toward his chest. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly. "You aren't any less talented than Liang, Yue. When the day comes, the woods will bear witness to your greatness, too. And I will be right here, as proud as ever. Besides, isn't this a good thing? The stronger your Junior Brother is, the more you can work him at the Cradle." she chuckled for a moment, though didn't pull away. "Now, let's go and congratulate him."

"Yeah."

The two approached the now-demolished hut just in time to see Liang leave it. For a brief moment, his countenance was otherworldly--it was as though he bent the laws of nature around him, compelling them to his will. That feeling was brief, though, as it disappeared as soon as he opened his mouth and stretched his lips into a wild, boyish smile.

"Master, Senior Sister, I broke through!"

"Your rooftop?" Yue said as Leo sighed.

"What? Ah, he he," he laughed sheepishly, scratching the top of his head. "I'm sorry, Master. I'll fix it... uh, when I come back."

"Ha ha, don't worry about it. Congratulations, Liang. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Master!"

Leo took special care for the breakfast in the morning, loading it up with the 'best stuff' as he called it--the few fruits and vegetables that made rather rare appearances. His Disciples would be gone in two days, so he wanted to fatten them up now, and keep the leftovers as a farewell gift.

**

Yu Minge snapped his eyes open and glanced westward, past the walls of his isolation chamber. His lips stretched out into a smile, though his eyes bore a bit of shock and confusion.

Even if he was in deep pondering, it was impossible to miss it--the bout of energy exploded into the sky, and he caught the fading visage of a Primordial Bear, one of the rarest Body Spirits in the world. There was only one person that Yu Minge knew who stood the remotest chance of awakening it, and that someone was Xu Liang.

"Spirit of Origin," he mumbled softly, sighing. Even he only managed to awaken Spirt of Five Elements. Just about 99% of all cultivators awaken Spirit of Earth. Geniuses like Mei, Lya, Song, and even Shen Tao awaken Spirit of Light at best. Generational geniuses like himself and Xiaoling awaken Spirit of Five Elements.

There was no recorded Spirit of Origin awakened in the Lower Ashlands--until now, at least. Yu Minge was more and more certain that either there was a human-leaning Spirit in the forest helping them for some reason, or that there was an Immortal there who took pity on them. Whichever it was, the results were all but impossible. Awakening Spirit of Origin wasn't the matter of talent--if it were, Yu Minge would have awakened it, too.

It was the matter of not understanding Dao.

Most people only ever even begin taking brief glimpses at Dao once they reach Soul Ascendance Realm. Only at Nascent Soul Realm did it become something they were conscious of, and only Immortals studied it extensively. Even the tiniest glimpse of Dao before that was like a drop of Heavenly Dew--no, perhaps even rarer than that.

The young boy was blessed, and it was a good thing. Whether he was a Disciple of the Holy Blade Sect or not, Liang would always hold this place close to his heart, and would sprint over in their time of need.

Yu Minge didn't go back to meditating--he couldn't. His mind was stirred, and he even felt a bit of envy. Trying to ponder upon the Holy Blade Art in that state of mind was akin to inviting demons directly into his soul. For a moment he considered asking Xiaoling to explain what exactly happened, but thought better of it. That Disciple of his was more than just stubborn--if she'd made a promise to someone, she'd sooner die than break it.

"Haah, Heavens spin the wheels of fate," he walked up to the window, glancing at the lively Sect below. "What for, though? And why now? What is changing?" he--as most of his peers at this level--were extremely vary of strange, sudden anomalies. They never signaled good things to come--rather, they were always omens sent by the Heavens to warn the world of the upcoming storm. The greater the anomaly, the greater the storm--and from the looks of it... it would be a world-devouring one.