Kenshin was quick to adapt and went through the process of creating his own Medici Vault. It was simple in design. A small dojo that only had a few rooms with barely any furniture besides the tatami mats.

A few images that had inspirational mantras were plastered on the walls, with simple katanas hung on platforms within the main sparring room. Outside the dojo was a cherry blossom tree that had no flowers, its branches deadly still as if made from stone.

The dojo was only a hundred square meters while the land was only a few times larger in terms of area. The black soil was dead and dry, with no semblance of a vessel of life whatsoever. Kenshin was not very imaginative and valued simplicity, but Bastian was the opposite.

Kenshin awoke to a body that had been drained of most of its energy. He was surprised by the amount of Qi he had to use to maintain the matrix.

"I'm sure you have a yin-type Dan on you. Use it to replenish then we will begin."

'He is about to create his Vault.' Kenshin was curious as to what Bastian's Vault looked like.

'If it has no labs I would be stunned.'

The Duo's current objective was to fuse the Medici Vault and Soul Site. The Soul Site was an area that was inside every person, but it was only accessible through certain means, like this one.

The form Bastian within the Soul Site was a representation of his soul. The basics of soul magic had been imbued in Bastian's mind, but it was still information that was somewhat foreign to him. To be more accurate, instead of saying he knew everything that was given to him, it was more like he had a hard drive he could access in his mind. The Matrix had now made that knowledge fully and intuitively part of Bastian. So He could apply as he wished.

Kenshin knew Bastian's obsession with science. It wasn't so much the actual science but the culture of it. Ever since Bastian could remember he had pictured himself working in labs, wearing a long lab coat, solving difficult problems on a whiteboard and getting awards. Of course, the reality was cruel, and he was only an above-average theoretical physicist at best. He had died only a few years after receiving his doctorate so he hadn't had much time to make the impact he wanted to, but his love for the culture was ingrained in his bone.

'Imagination is more important than knowledge.'

These were immortal words spoken by Einstein, Bastian's hero. Words the latter believed to a tee. Bastian had delved into string theory because he wanted to be part of a theory that 'explained everything, the so-called ultimate theory of all. That was the promise that most string theory researchers had pursued. Bastian had hit a large wall in his research and had stagnated, but he had hope, the Sovereign Continent had completely flipped his understanding of the universe, and the Medici Matrix put all that knowledge into focus.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

'One day, I will finish String Theory, but this time with knowledge of cultivation included.'

Bastian was already seated, absorbing World Energy from the Dantian in his hand. Kenshin took out a Dantian from within his robes. He sat down cross-legged across from Bastian and silently refuelled himself. It only took ten minutes for the duo to refuel. Kenshin already knew what to do, hence he held out his left hand, where the Medici Symbol was imbued. Bastian did the same with his right.

The duo proceeded to do the first bump but never disconnected. The Medici symbols on each fist lit up. The silvery blue on Kenshin's arm contrasted beautifully with the golden-orange-yang flame matrix on Bastian's right hand. A harmonious wave of energy beating like a heartbeat spread out, with the epicentre being where the duo’s fists connected.

Kenshin's free hand materialized a coat of arms.

Bastian's hand materialized a taijitu symbol.

The two Soul Site symbols broke apart into countless pieces of data that streamed into a small energy vortex that had formed above the tiny gap between the two fists.

Bastian and Kenshin saw their Symbols change. Kenshin's symbol was half orange-gold vertically at the top of his symbol while Bastian had gained a slivery-blue half at the top as well. Bastian felt a wave of soul force spread from the new symbol, sucking his soul to a distant place. Next thing he knew, Bastian was at the Soul Site, or what was supposed to be the Soul Site. Kenshin had appeared next to Bastian

The duo appeared on a large piece of land that was isolated by a boundary of dark nothingness. Only two large structures were there along with a tree. The moment the duo appeared, the Medici came into play. Kenshin knew the ins and outs of Bastian's side of the Vault and vice versa.

The Sky above them was red with a setting sun appearing in the distance. A full moon was visible as well in the reddening sky while a few stars started to become visible.

Originally, Bastian's Soul Site was simple. It was exactly as Kenshin had assumed, it was a lab!

One with a unique 3D computer system installed all around them. The lab was divided into a sparring room, an auditorium and a room full of different types of equipment.

'This looks less like a lab and more like a less depressing Batcave.'

Kenshin and Bastian had arrived at a small piece of land a few kilometres in diameter. Kenhsins Dojo and Sakura Tree were on the duo's left while Bastian's large dome-like Lab appeared on the right. The dome-like structure was the size of a small stadium. It took up so much space, that most of the exposed space within the Soul Site belonged to Kenshin's Vault.

Bastian knelt. The matrix appeared on his left hand and started to shine. The originally dead earth started to fill with life. Grass and all sorts of wild flora started to plaster the ground while the cherry blossom tree from Kenshin's side bloomed superbly. Eventually, right next to it, other cherry blossom trees started to grow.